Blood Magic

At NTTBF I met the incredible Tessa Gratton, who wrote United States of Asgard. I also picked up the first of her previous books, and then soon after I decided that she ought to be crowned queen.

Tessa Gratton is amazing, this book destroyed me. I can’t even describe how much I’ve fallen in love with Gratton’s works. That’s basically all you need to know, honestly.

• Author: Tessa Gratton
• Publisher: Bluefire
• Year: 2011
• Shelved In: Teen Romance
• Genre vibe: I think Tessa Gratton needs her own genre. Southern-Gothic-genre-bending-romance-plus-magic-and-monsters, otherwise known as “perfection”.
• At a glance: Silla’s mother and father died, bloodily. Someone gave her a journal that seems to be a book of spells, of all things. Nick’s been mixed up in some weird stuff in his life. Then they meet, when Nick sees Silla trying out this strange magic in the graveyard. Things only get worse from there.

Blood Magic

Alright, where do I start with this book. I ate it up, it was so consuming. Tessa’s writing is freaking amazing and I can’t get over how much her settings do in terms of getting you invested. She creates these stunning worlds and places and you can’t help but do anything but sit there and let them absorb you.

Frequenters of this blog will now by now that atmosphere is one of my favorite things about anything and everything I read. Blood Magic’s atmosphere is almost Gothic, and just this side of urban, and I loved it so, so much. Every image of every place was crystal clear and somehow you get the sense that only things you’re seeing are even real.

This book was so automatically atmospheric that I couldn’t help but do one of my favorite things. I made it a playlist. Some books never have quite enough aesthetic to merit an entire mix. But this one — this one was perfect.

I could go on and on and on about the things I loved about this book’s atmosphere. I just want to go back and live in it. The details, the depth, the relevance to story. Absolutely perfect.

Another thing that Tessa is unfairly good at is romance. I love romance. And Tessa’s relationships are some of the best ever. Silla and Nick’s dynamic was an incredible thing, both a source of conflict and a source of comfort throughout the whole book. They played off of each other really well, as characters. They work well together, as a couple. And, to top it all off, their inner journeys work and conflict with one another so well.

The details of every character give them each their own kind of persona are perfectly spaced and so natural. Every one of her characters is a completely real and incredibly complex person. It all makes for some of the best relationships I’ve ever seen, whether they be romantic or not.

One of my favorite relationships in this book was between Silla and her brother, Reese. I’m a sucker for brother/sister relationships. Especially ones where the siblings in question actually get along. If there’s a prominent brother/sister relationship involved, chances are I’ll pick up your book. If I pick it up anyways and am pleasantly surprised to find one, like I did with Blood Magic, all the better. I love siblings.

So characters: A+, Tessa. Please don’t ever stop because I love everyone so much.

And then there’s the magic. Characters are more my area of expertise, so to speak, but Tessa’s magic systems never fail to make an impact on me. This one was no exception. It was creepy as heck and just all around awesome. The thought, care, and time that she puts into her worlds and things make it all some seriously quality stuff.

Obviously I have only good things to say about this book. So I’ll just kind of leave it at that. Blood Magic is amazing, the end.

Overall

• Rating: 5/5 Stars and then some
• Recommended to: People who are fans of all the things I mentioned, basically. Amazing relationships, amazing and scary magic, amazing atmosphere, and lots of kissing.
• Lasting impression: The sound of her name off his lips, blood on the cemetery ground. A whistle of wind in a sad and empty house.