We Are Blood and Thunder

We Are Blood and Thunder
Written by Kesia Lupo
Fantasy, Witches, Magic
448 Pages
Published June 6th 2019
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
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★★★★☆
In a sealed off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. 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. She knows only too well how the people of Duke's Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any longer.

A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine. Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realise it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within.
Lena Grey is a Cryptling, preparing the deceased for their resting place below the township of Dukes Forest, an isolated community shrouded in a menacing cloudscape of pestilence and destruction. Dukes Forest has been decimated by disease, the Ancestors resting below the township have begun to awaken and as Lena prepares the Duchess for burial, she is accused of being an enchantress and sentenced, her life shall be taken by the ferocious hounds of the Justice. Mages are dangerous and abhorrent, according to the Justice, the authority of Dukes Forest. Lena escapes into the surrounding woodlands and into the unknown.

Lena is a naive and sheltered young woman, an orphan and abandoned by her parents to the underground Cryptling community of the hearing or vision impaired, physically or visibly disabled. An apprentice who prepares the deceased for the afterlife, Lena's only companion is an elderly man who has nurtured the young woman since arriving in Dukes Forest. A Cryptling lives a simple existence without material possessions so when Lena discovers an extraordinary mechanical butterfly within the underground chambers, she begins to imagine a life beyond her veil of darkness.

In an incidental encounter in the forest, Constance discovers Lena escaping capture and guides her towards Emris, a Huntsman and self appointed educator of the the City of Kings. The City of Kings provides refuge to Rogue mages, to control their abilities and pledge their allegiance to one of nine temples throughout the city. Although Emris alludes to being a former lover of Constance, he's enchanted by Lena and abandons all reasoning and purpose to pursue an unknown young woman on her journey.

Constance Rathbone is returning to Dukes Forest, a young woman seeking the essence of the  cloudscape incantation threatening to consume her homeland. Upon returning home to reclaim her birthright as Duchess, Constance is confronted with her fathers ailing health and the oppression and cruelty of the Justice. Constance is a mysterious and alluring young woman who is returning home from exile, her father is no longer in governance, the township ravaged by disease and pestilence and her only allies are her brother Winton and childhood companion Lord Irvine, positioned within the guardsmen for the Justice respectfully. Constance is an unreliable narrator, unashamedly boasting of her untruths. Her unexplained absence raising suspicion among her kinfolk, unaware of her abilities and why she has chosen to claim her birthright as heir.

Lena and Constance appear as contrasting characters but their lives are irrevocably entwined as Lena's journey traces the pathway that Constance once paved. It was interesting to compare the similarities between the two morally grey characters. One of my favourite aspects was female independence as neither Lena or Constance depended on male characters as saviours or to define their characters. We Are Blood and Thunder is a wonderful instance of feminist fantasy literature, of independent female characters that celebrate imperfections.

As a standalone debut fantasy novel, We Are Blood and Thunder is beautifully written, intense and captivating.

8 comments

  1. This cover is just beautiful. *insert heart eye emojis* I love a book with some good morally gray characters. Nobody is really ever FULLY EVIL or FULLY GOOD, you know? It's nice to show those gray sides of a character - some are definitely more morally gray than others. lol Thanks, as always, for sharing a new to me book.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. It's such a brilliant read Lauren, I love when those lines are blurred. It shows how flawed characters are when faced with moral dilemmas and that's something we can all relate to.

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  2. I do enjoy a morally grey character!
    This book sounds really interesting. I'm not sure it's one I'll pick up myself, but I loved reading your thoughts on it.

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    1. I love a standalone fantasy, sometimes you don't want to commit to another long and drawn out series so this was perfect, really enjoyed it. Such a brilliant read!

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  3. Oh hello! How epic is this cover? I'm loving the contrasts and similarities with these two characters -- and *fist bumps* a focus on them and not male characters defining them.

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    1. It's glorious Verushka! I thought Constance was the more interesting character, she's ruthless and cutthroat, I could have read the novel entirely from her perspective.

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  4. Sounds terrific, thanks for sharing your thoughts

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    1. I do hope you pick up a copy Shelleyrae, would love to see what you think of it!

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