Title: Blood Magic
Author: Tessa Gratton [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Random House
Format: Paperback
Source: Provided by Publisher (via Amazon Vine)
Parental Advisory: death, alcohol, language, criminal activity, dark magic
Teachable Moments: dealing with grief, spirituality

“Like something had blown open, or been torn down, I remembered the lessons from my childhood that I’d tried so freaking hard to forget.  Where to buy hers, how to dry your own, how to draw what I wanted when I couldn’t spell it.  That rhyming helped focus the intention.  That a drop of blood on the earth anchored you so that you wouldn’t be so slammed after the spell.  Mom’s words rushed through me in a huge roar, and I couldn’t hear them all but understand them anyway.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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 her life has felt remotely right since her parent’s 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.

Opinion:
Blood Magic is an excellent addition to my growing pile of books with a Gothic feeling and tone.  Chock full of the dark and mystical it’s still, at it’s heart, a story of hope, redemption and love.

Told in alternating points of view the story centralizes on Silla, a young girl who’s parents die under tragic circumstances. Unwilling to believe what the authorities are presenting as fact she falls into a state of denial combined with a bit of depression.  Isolating herself from friends she changes her demeanor and appearance so drastically that she becomes somewhat of an outcast.  Enter Nic, a young man recently transplanted from big city Chicago.  Not unwise to family drama, he lives with his father and stepmother after his real mother has virtually abused and abandoned him.  Despite being immediately embraced by his classmates and subsequently forewarned of Silla’s social status Nic goes against their advice and investigates his growing attraction to her.  Born more of curiosity than deep seeded desire their relationship flourishes under their bizarre connection to magic.

There is a third party heard from as well.  Through the pages of a woman named Josephine’s journal the two discover how the blood magic they are both proficient in was first infused into their lives.  Exploring it’s roots and the path it took through time was a large part of the story’s most compelling plot element – the mystery.  As events unfold Silla’s unwavering belief that the circumstances of her parents demise were not what they seemed are intensified.  Through good old fashioned investigation and experimentation with blood magic she, Nic and her brother Reese determine their lineage, the extent of their power and ultimately the strength of their bonds with each other and their families.

If that isn’t enough to hook you in let me also say that Blood Magic is one of those rare books that gets everything right.  The convergence of character development, setting and plot makes it a must read.  As someone who tends to shy away from the darker more mystically themed stories I gobbled this one up and as cliche as it sounds it was a page-turner that I absolutely did not want to put down until I was finished.  I savored the prose and the dialogue and appreciated that Gratton has built compelling and realistic characters who live among fantastical circumstances.  The gift of making the relatively unrealistic perception of blood magic real was achieved, in no small part, on the backs of the wonderful characters and interesting mystery that surrounded their lives.

Furthermore, I appreciated that the romantic part of the story took more of a backseat.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some romance and there was certainly plenty to be had in Blood Magic.  However, the emphasis was more on their connection through magic and their growing attachment than a deep need to be together.  Also, the romantic elements were so subtly infused into the larger whole of the mystery that it made it all feel more organic.  The relationship between Silla and Nic was not filled with overwrought teenaged angst either it had it’s bumpy moments and some real feelings of betrayal but it had great depth and significance to both the characters and the overall plot.

Gratton has constructed an interesting mythology in Blood Magic.  Seamlessly infused into the mysterious plot it becomes a character of it’s own.  A living and breathing entity that Silla, Nic and others interact with.  For that reason alone this book is fantastic.  Add to that fact that the mystery is truly a mystery, the characters are complexly flawed and endearing at the same time, and that something so bloody can be so sweetly entertaining and you have yourself an amazing read.