Proudly CanadianBooks picked and shipped in Canada

Blood Like Magic

by Liselle Sambury

Part of the Blood Like Magic series

Subject
Fantasy - Wizards & Witches
Age
Teen
Format
Hardcover
Pages
496
Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Size
16.0 cm × 23.4 cm
ISBN
9781534465282


A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.

After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.

Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?

With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.

About the author

Liselle SamburyAuthor

Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian Canadian author and Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalist. She has a love for stories with dark themes, complicated families, and edges of hope. In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying the business of being an author.

Data provided by BiblioShare.

$28.99In stock at our supplier — delivered within 5–9 days.

What reviewers said

"Liselle Sambury builds a world not far from our own, where blood is both weapon and salvation. Blood Like Magic is an intoxicating, skillful blend of science fiction and fantasy that reads like an enthralling dream. Poignant, smart, and wholly unique. An ode to the spirits of Black girls, this novel demands that the future never forget the enduring power of family or the long, sharp blade of history. A bold, magical debut full of heart, and an author to watch!
Tracy Deonn, New York Times bestselling author of LEGENDBORN
"With high stakes, big heart, and lots of Black Girl Magic, Blood Like Magic is everything you love about paranormal fantasy. The fast pace, painfully relatable characters, and incredible generational magic system makes Blood Like Magic unputdownable. Liselle Sambury left me with a massive book hangover that won’t be cured until I get the sequel!"
Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys
A Black teenager faces a difficult choice to bring about her magical awakening.
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
Voya Thomas is a 16-year-old Black Canadian girl with Trinidadian roots—and a fledgling witch. Her ascension to becoming a proper witch is dependent on her performance at her Calling. Every witch-to-be is assigned a test by one of their ancestors, and if they are successful, they receive their magic and the specially chosen gift of an ability. Refusing to accept the task means no future members of Voya’s bloodline will be Called by the ancestors and therefore can never become witches; accepting but failing the challenge set for her will cause every witch in her family to lose the magic upon…
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
A breath of fresh air for the genre; readers will be spellbound. (Fantasy. 14-18)
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
Afro-futurism meets urban fantasy in this strong YA debut. Descended from a long line of powerful Black witches and having just started her Bleeding, 16-year-old Voya Thomas anxiously plans for the Calling that will follow, an ancestor-given trial that she must pass in order to inherit magic. A Thomas hasn’t failed in 100 years, but Voya worries nonetheless. To pass a Calling, one must make the correct choice between two decisions—something Voya has notorious difficulty with. Her concerns threaten to become reality when she receives the most impossible task ever known to witches, one with…
Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW*
“High stakes, big heart, and lots of Black Girl Magic…unputdownable.”
Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.