A 5-star review: August 13, 2024 Occasionally, we come across a book that exceeds our expectations in marvelous ways. That's what A Memory of Blood and Magic did for me. This book is important in ways I'm not sure I can put words to (and assigning words to things is literally my job). I genuinely believe it can save lives and help some of the most marginalized amongst us. In the world of AMoBaM, magic exists, and witches can wield said magic by harnessing pain. Whether physical or more metaphorical and the way they learn to control their magic is essentially through the world's version of therapy. Friendly word of advice: clear your schedule before you sit down to read. You may end up losing a day reading it in one sitting like I did.

A 5-star review: April 4, 2025 A Memory of Blood and Magic has so much. From heartbreak to grief and hope for a better life, constant change and never truly finding your home, it kept me captivated the whole time. Having a whole queer and genderqueer community was everything I needed to read about this year - a wonderful escape from the real world. The main character Arin, but also the supporting characters, are well-written and fleshed out, while the worldbuilding and sensations are immersive. I could always imagine where we were and how everything looked and felt. I'm very much looking forward to reading the second book!