woah. blood like magic was a futuristic sci fi urban fantasy novel - centered around a magical Black family. this was a super creative blending of genres and themes which really excited me! i found the not-so-far-from-now lifestyle and tech to be pretty believable. there were some pacing issues throughout the story and the start was particularly slow for a YA fantasy book. i was objectively super interested in the concept but kept putting the book down and wasn’t glued to it until around the 50% mark. i do have lots of thoughts on the plot of this book, and quite a few questions. the main character Voya’s big problem is supposed to be her indecisiveness .. but it reads very strongly as anxiety instead that nobody recognizes or wants to support her with. considering the strong focus on family (family you grow up with and “found” family), Voya’s decision at the end was .. frustratingly baffling. i won’t go deep into a spoiler, but i was angry and hurt on behalf of the person affected by her choice. and Voya is … rewarded for this? after that ending, book 2 will have a pretty interesting start.