Blood and Magic

Melissa
Sercia
Genre: 
Paranormal

For over four centuries, protagonist Gray has been a Dhampir, an immortal being and a mix of a vampire and witch. She longs for her humanity back, and desperately holds onto whatever humanity she has left. Yet, having awoken from a three-year coma caused by her lover (or shall we now say ex-lover) she’s driven to get revenge, no matter what the price is. 

“Blood and Magic” is a fast-paced, suspenseful urban fantasy with solid world-building. Unfortunately, the male characters lack much depth and personality, all of them acting more or less the same.  One could switch them around, in terms of personality. The female characters on the other hand are better-developed and more three-dimensional. In particular, Gray is a solid character with actual flaws and a lot of back story. She does have a few annoying characteristics that can get on a reader’s nerves, including how she seems to jump back and forth with her romantic feelings every other chapter. 

The romantic scenes could be better. They are a little repetitive, and there isn’t much emotion in the kissing,  simply, “I kissed him,” “he kissed me passionately.”. A range of emotions is lacking in these scenes. Still, the heart of the story is solid. Gray is interesting enough that readers will want to see her again in a sequel, and the world-building is a solid ground to expand upon for future books. 

Majanka Verstraete