I’m actually writing this review about a month after I had finished reading it, so if the review seems a bit.. vague(?), this is why! But let me just tell you how excited I was to read a new young adult book from a debut author, but also… this is a fantasy book that was a standalone!! It is very very rare that we see this, so I was all here for it.

In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic.

On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the people of Duke’s Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won’t hide who she is any longer.

A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine … Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within.

Like I said, I was so excited for this book, however, I felt let down. Obviously, I still enjoyed this book because I gave it 3.75 stars, but I think I was so excited for it, that I hyped the book up way too much for my own good. I also lowered the rating slightly because as aforementioned, I’m writing this review a month after reading it, and… I can hardly remember what happened. Which isn’t a good sign. I can usually remember the plot of a book after a month, but I was genuinely a little bit lost and had to do a little bit of re-reading to refresh my brain.

The novel follows two different points of views: one that follows Lena, and the other follows Constance. I didn’t mind the switching of POVs, it was pretty obvious as to whose chapter it was considering that the chapter wasn’t labelled as to whose point of view we were going to be following.

 

“A moment of hope makes grief even more difficult to bear.”

– Kesia Lupo, We Are Blood and Thunder

 

 

The writing style of this book was quite beautiful. I loved the descriptions of the crypt where Lena worked at the beginning of the novel, the cloud that hung above the city of Duke’s Forest, and the magic system. The metaphors that were used and the vividness of the writing really captured my imagination and made reading this such an enjoyable experience.

I actually read this in one night. I remember starting it at about 9 pm, and I finished it about 4:30 am because I just couldn’t get enough of all of the characters and the world that Lupo had created.

Oh, and let me just tell you this: that. ending. was. insane. I didn’t see it coming and it blew me away.

However, there were a couple of things that let this book down. The magic system wasn’t the most interesting. Sometimes, it felt a little bit too much(?), and didn’t make sense. Now, I know that I said the ending was really good, but that’s probably the last couple of paragraphs. The last 50 pages were just rammed. It was the last 50 pages where all of the political mystery unravelled, where all the action happened, and it nearly gave me whiplash. I recognise that authors need to wrap up their story so the novel isn’t 5,000 pages, but this is why there are series!

 

“Take what you can get – and hope by the time the tables turn, you’re far enough ahead that you can save yourself.”

– Kesia Lupo, We Are Blood and Thunder

 

I really do think that We Are Blood and Thunder could have worked better as a duology. There was so much political intrigue, and explaining this, and delving more into this definitely would have had a bigger impact if the reader could have been thrust deeper into the world.

There was also a few tropey moments in the novel that didn’t really differentiate itself from other YA fantasies, but that’s a very minor moan that I have about the book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, which you can tell from the fact that I read it in one sitting. Kesia Lupo is definitely an author to keep your eyes on because I can just tell that she’s going to be releasing some amazing pieces of work in the future!

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

 

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