Blood Like Magic

Starred review from April 26, 2021
Afro-futurism meets urban fantasy in this strong YA debut. Descended from a long line of powerful Black witches and having just started her Bleeding, 16-year-old Voya Thomas anxiously plans for the Calling that will follow, an ancestor-given trial that she must pass in order to inherit magic. A Thomas hasn’t failed in 100 years, but Voya worries nonetheless. To pass a Calling, one must make the correct choice between two decisions—something Voya has notorious difficulty with. Her concerns threaten to become reality when she receives the most impossible task ever known to witches, one with equally unheard of consequences: if Voya does not destroy her first love in one month, all current and future Thomases will lose their magic. Voya’s one desire is to help her family, but she’s never been in love, and she doesn’t want to take a life. As her family tries to find loopholes around committing murder, Voya stumbles across an ancestor she’s never heard of, whom the adults insist on pretending doesn’t exist. Sambury blends technology and fantasy to create a detailed world that’s both futuristic and magical. Featuring a cast of BIPOC and queer characters of all ages, this novel focuses on familial love, individual desires, and making choices that will lead to the greatest good. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kristy Hunter, the Knight Agency.