Published May 24th by Random House
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
It starts off simply.
Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...
Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.
The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.
Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.
Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...
Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.
The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.
Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.
Darkfallen's squeeful review:
In Tessa Gratton's debut novel she hit this one out of the park! I loved this book.
Silla and her brother live in a small town in Missouri, where everyone knows everything about everyone. Which wasn't so bad until Silla came home to find her parents tangled in a bloody mess. Now the whole town is buzzing with the gossip of a murder/suicide, as the police called it, and staring at Silla like she is going to snap and go on a rampage herself. Silla, suffering the loss of her parents, and the withdrawal from herself begins to wonder if maybe they are all right? Is she going crazy? NO! She refuses to believe that anymore than she refuses to believe her dad killed her mother.
And then there is the book. The mysterious book that just shows up on her doorstep. The handwriting that Silla can't deny belongs to her father. Sent by the Deacon?
Nicholas doesn't have many memories of his mother, and the ones he does have aren't happy ones. More like nightmare visions on drug addictions and suicide attempts until he was 8 and she finally left him behind. Still he can't help but want to know more about her. To find her. And that's what he plans to do. Until his dad married a women half is age and moves them from Chicago to this small town dump. To live in the very house his real mother grew up in. Doing anything to escape his step-mothers presence he ventures into the old cemetery behind the house.
That's when he sees her. Sitting against a head stone, book in her hands.
Just a drop of blood.
And everything changes....
For me this book was great. It's a fast flowing read. The words just roll of the pages creating a beautiful and scary new world. The relationship between Silla and her brother is by far the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life. The way he protects her, watches over her, calls her bumblebee. I love him for that! And don't even get me started on Nick...he is snarky, and rude, and so so swoon worthy. Between him and Silla they take teenage angst to a whole new level. It's perfect and real.
I also love how you get to read from both Silla & Nick's p.o.v. It brings you closer to understanding them. And I simply have to pat Mrs. Gratton on the back for the way she wrote Nick's character. It is nice that for once, the teenage boy actually sounds like a teenage boy. Yes he is rude at times, he cusses here and there, he hates is step-mother and isn't afraid to say it, he has dirty teenage hormone driving thoughts...all these things that EVERY teenage boy thinks you get here.
Simply put this book is the start of something beautiful....I can feel it!
Silla and her brother live in a small town in Missouri, where everyone knows everything about everyone. Which wasn't so bad until Silla came home to find her parents tangled in a bloody mess. Now the whole town is buzzing with the gossip of a murder/suicide, as the police called it, and staring at Silla like she is going to snap and go on a rampage herself. Silla, suffering the loss of her parents, and the withdrawal from herself begins to wonder if maybe they are all right? Is she going crazy? NO! She refuses to believe that anymore than she refuses to believe her dad killed her mother.
And then there is the book. The mysterious book that just shows up on her doorstep. The handwriting that Silla can't deny belongs to her father. Sent by the Deacon?
Nicholas doesn't have many memories of his mother, and the ones he does have aren't happy ones. More like nightmare visions on drug addictions and suicide attempts until he was 8 and she finally left him behind. Still he can't help but want to know more about her. To find her. And that's what he plans to do. Until his dad married a women half is age and moves them from Chicago to this small town dump. To live in the very house his real mother grew up in. Doing anything to escape his step-mothers presence he ventures into the old cemetery behind the house.
That's when he sees her. Sitting against a head stone, book in her hands.
Just a drop of blood.
And everything changes....
For me this book was great. It's a fast flowing read. The words just roll of the pages creating a beautiful and scary new world. The relationship between Silla and her brother is by far the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life. The way he protects her, watches over her, calls her bumblebee. I love him for that! And don't even get me started on Nick...he is snarky, and rude, and so so swoon worthy. Between him and Silla they take teenage angst to a whole new level. It's perfect and real.
I also love how you get to read from both Silla & Nick's p.o.v. It brings you closer to understanding them. And I simply have to pat Mrs. Gratton on the back for the way she wrote Nick's character. It is nice that for once, the teenage boy actually sounds like a teenage boy. Yes he is rude at times, he cusses here and there, he hates is step-mother and isn't afraid to say it, he has dirty teenage hormone driving thoughts...all these things that EVERY teenage boy thinks you get here.
Simply put this book is the start of something beautiful....I can feel it!
Until next time....
This book sounds really interesting so it's going on my to read list. Thanks. I'm now following!
ReplyDeletehttp://runningfromrealityreviews.blogspot.com/
http://whisperingwiththewinds.blogspot.com/