We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo

From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to search



We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo

1408898055.jpg
Buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: Teens
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Jill Murphy
Reviewed by Jill Murphy
Summary: Thoroughly superior YA fantasy with lots of magic and interesting characters.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 448 Date: April 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1408898055

Share on: Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram



In a sealed-off city, a young woman, Lena, is running for her life. She has been sentenced to death and her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear - those with magic.

On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. Years ago she escaped before her own powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any longer.

So, Lena is a cryptling - a low caste individual living in the city of Duke's Forest. The city has been under an enforced quarantine since a storm cloud arrived over it some years before, bringing disease with it. The storm is also a spell and so magic is hated and distrusted in Duke's Forest. And, when Lena is accused of being a mage, her only choice is to run for her life. This flight brings her to Constance, who isn't trying to escape Duke's Forest at all: she's trying to get back in, sure that this is the only way to change things.

The two are linked together in ways they do not yet understand. But can they save the city and themselves?

We are Blood and Thunder is a thoroughly superior fantasy. The worldbuilding is fabulous and will bear several re-reads to get the most out of it. There is a theme of duality - dark and light, magic and mechanisation - and Lupo has worked hard to weave this seamlessly into a complicated plot. Chapters are told alternately from the points of view of both Lena and Constance and the mini-cliffhangers scattered throughout the book make it into a real page-turner. Descriptive passages are wonderfully vivid - dark, lyrical, and evocative, with a wonderful writing style sometimes approaching the poetic.

And if all that weren't enough, there's a plot twist and a half! It sneaked up behind me and leapt up before I was even close to see it coming.

We are Blood and Thunder is one for all fans of fantasy - particularly those who enjoy intricate worldbuilding and clever plotting. I heartily recommend it.

If We are Blood and Thunder appeals, you might also enjoy Caraval by Stephanie Garber or Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye by Alison Goodman.

Please share on: Facebook Facebook, Follow us on Twitter Twitter and Follow us on Instagram Instagram

Buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.

Buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon.com.

Buy We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo at Amazon You could get a free audio download of We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.

Comments

Like to comment on this review?

Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.