Liselle Sambury

Blood Like Magic takes place in a world only a few decades ahead of ours. Sciences has expanded to deep genetic analysis and modification and these things are amazing for those who can afford them, which does not include Voya Thomas’s family. The Thomas family has their own set of problems – specifically Voya’s Task to destroy her first love. It’s an unthinkable requirement for Voya to become a witch, and when she’s genetically matched to one of the head of NuGene’s sponsor kids, show more things get even more complicated.

In Blood Like Magic, we watch Voya Thomas face a serious of impossible choices. We see her surrounded by family that is well-meaning but flawed, and by neighbors that are superficial but they generally all stick together. The community, the magic, and the tech were all interesting to me, but the complex multi-level family relationships made Blood Like Magic particularly good. I loved it.

Voya has a huge family, and sometimes, it was challenging to keep track of everyone. I both applaud and bemoan Sumbury’s choice to name two different characters Keisha. For the most part, I was able to keep track of who was who and who did what… although admittedly I sometimes had to slow myself down in the scenes that contained both Keishas. The large cast of characters is something to prepare yourself for, but there is only one POV and that belongs to Voya.

The world is close enough to our own that the technological advances don’t feel leaps and bound ahead, a common flaw of futuristic sci-fi. I thought NuGene was interesting for the little times we spent learning about the company and its technology. I thought the Thomas family’s magic was even more interesting. Blood Like Magic focuses heavily on Voya’s story, since this is her Coming-Of-Age ritual. But there are so many interesting people in her family, all with their own gifts, and there are scores of ancestors with stories as well. Not only is the magic system interesting, there are so many individuals who have potential for bigger stories. I hope Sambury pursues them – there is already confirmation for the next book in the series next year, so we’ll see where she takes it.

Absolutely 100% pick up this book is you like Black girl magic, tech-related sci-fi, witchy vibes, family relationships, or messy YA stories. Blood Like Magic is entirely a fantastic book. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next one! show less

Fascinating read in what I would call the magical realism genre. When a story begins with a teenage girl relaxing in a tub of blood and reluctant to leave it because she's someone who is nearly incapable of making choices and a huge one awaits her downstairs, you gotta be hooked. An intriguing and well drawn cast surround Voya as she tries to figure out how to complete the assignment given to her by a deceased ancestor witch. What particularly impressed me about the story is how smoothly the show more plot moves while continuing to ramp up the tension right up to the end. That ending is messy, but completely right. A great story and I hope the author writes more. show less

"People love the trauma. They adore a chance to tell a Black woman how strong she is. More than that, she represents an out. A way for people to cleanse themselves of their past and come out shiny and new."

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury is out 2/28/2023 and I highly recommend you pre-order or pick up a copy on pub day!. This book is a thick one but I devoured it in two days. Sambury's blending of horror and the supernatural with true crime, suspense and social issues was brilliant. I show more could not put this one down even when I stayed up late at night and had goosebumps from terror and dread. I was invested in the mystery and ghosts from the first page.

Sambury captured my attention with the ways that she wove relevant themes into the horror and mystery. Both protagonists' perspectives showcased how media capitalizes on Black female trauma despite there being an epidemic of forgotten Black girls. The theme of monsters is prevalent throughout, both real and metaphorical. Sambury also touches on grooming, sexual assault, childhood abuse, fatphobia and the scars of other traumatic events that span generations and shape futures. Sambury shows through this book how whitewashed forms of media scream for diverse stories and engage in performative allyship.

The writing style is atmospheric and the fast pace will have your heart pounding. The ghosts will have you question what you think you know and you'll be glued to the pages until everything unravels. There are so many spine tingling moments and the moments of terror feel so realistic.

If you're looking for a fresh, new style of telling a ghost story with gripping storytelling that will have you on the edge of your seat, then look no further. Someone give Liselle Sambury her flowers because this one is a banger from start to finish.
Thanks to @simonteen and @hearourvoicestours for the gifted copy. show less

Reviewing this book requires consideration of a lot of things. First, the horror is executed quite well. (It has birds; I have a phobia of them, so that was particularly nerve-racking for me.) Daisy, the primary main character, could see ghosts, and her feelings of torment from them are palpable for the reader.

As terrifying as the paranormal aspect was, the emotional gut-punch came from the generational trauma from abuse. Perhaps it’s a spoiler to say it here, but I do think that childhood show more sexual abuse, even when not described graphically, is better spoiled than left as a potentially triggering surprise. Beyond that, the emotional abuse being passed down from mother to child was very hard to read, too. These are definitely important subjects to broach, though, and this book doesn’t hesitate.

The side-story, about the young woman researching to tell the story of what happened, worked much better as a way to reveal parts of Daisy’s past than it did as it’s own plot. Brittney is a sympathetic protagonist, but I never felt quite clear about her mother’s precise relationship with the house at the center of the narrative. Just a guest? What did it take from her? Maybe a second read-through would clear it up, but Daisy’s story was so much more compelling to me that it felt like I was hurrying through to get back to that.

All in all, a complex read that will stay with me for a while. show less