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New Blood (Blood Magic #1)

by Gail Dayton (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 246 ratings · 38 reviews

In 1636, the last blood sorceress was burned at the stake. More than two hundred years later, her blood servant Jax has found her successor. Amanusa at first turns down the opportunity to learn what she perceives as an evil art. But she craves justice, and innocent blood cries out for justice.

When Amanusa looses magic on those who've harmed her, she must flee for her life...more

Mass Market Paperback, 512 pages

Published March 3rd 2009 by Tor Paranormal Romance

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Dec 06, 2008 new_user rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, paranormal-romance

New Blood is my first steampunk. For those who don't know, steampunk is fiction involving an alternate vision of the Industrial Age (1800s), usually with more technology or, as in this case, the paranormal. Envision the 1800s if magic had been a fact of life. That's New Blood, perhaps the first steampunk romance I've seen. With all that said, New Blood is a solid read, particularly if character development, unraveling mysteries, and action are a priority for you.

A good part of the novel involve...more New Blood is my first steampunk. For those who don't know, steampunk is fiction involving an alternate vision of the Industrial Age (1800s), usually with more technology or, as in this case, the paranormal. Envision the 1800s if magic had been a fact of life. That's New Blood, perhaps the first steampunk romance I've seen. With all that said, New Blood is a solid read, particularly if character development, unraveling mysteries, and action are a priority for you.

A good part of the novel involves Jax and Amanusa on a cross-country journey to escape the villains, and while I don't usually enjoy that particular device in literature too much, these moments with only Jax and Amanusa were some of the best in the book for me. The relationship built between these two is natural and unique to them. We don't find here a generic romance formula but a case of circumstance revealing two people's strengths and innermost weaknesses. Naturally, the atmosphere of mortal danger helps to deepen their relationship as they rely on each other to survive.

Even as Jax and Amanusa travel together, these characters undergo a personal journey, learning about themselves and their demons and growing as they go on. I thought this was well-written too. Their progress didn't feel contrived; the development was steadily paced, as well it should be at nearly 500 pages, LOL. It was also interesting to read about the other magicians that Jax and Amanusa meet, like Harry, Elinor, and Grey. I thought the care that the author took to develop even these secondary characters and their dilemmas was very well done, and by the end I was ready to read about their adventures. I'll look for them in a sequel. ;)

As far as the overarching plot, I felt that the first phase (the bandit camp) did not quite set the scene for the audience. I wasn't sure of the setting or the history between the characters and this phase seemed a little aimless when I saw no indication from the characters that they would eventually move on (dialogue, thoughts, etc.) I was afraid for a little while that Amanusa and Jax would stay there indefinitely. For me, this portion lagged a bit, but the book picked up quickly after this point.

I did like the world-building. It was easy to imagine the sinister anti-magic creatures and their danger. I appreciated all the detail taken with the infrastructure of the magicians' society, conclaves and councils, trials and presiding officers and so on. This gave the world more substance, and I definitely liked that the author did not forget the times in which the story is set, including hints of scandal when a magician took a female apprentice, the mode of dress, and of course, the very Victorian title of the magicians' conclave: The International Magicians' Conclave of All Magic, I believe it was.

Considering the setting, I could understand Amanusa's struggle for female magicians, but I did feel it became a bit tedious at the end, when the heroine debated with the villains about women's rights. I thought that was a little over the top. I generally prefer any messages or themes I'm taking away from the story to be a little more subtle. I also felt that as a romance novel, the book could perhaps use a little more heat or sexual tension, perhaps a few more of those delightful moments with the finger-licking goodness and Jax's hot eyes, LOL. ;)

Overall, however, I enjoyed New Blood. It read a little like an action steampunk flick put to writing, (maybe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?) except with much better character development and I'm looking forward to more work from this author. (less)

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Sep 24, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shannon (Giraffe Days) by: The Discriminating Fangirl

Shelves: 2009, fantasy, historical-fiction, romance, alternate-history

Blood servant to the blood sorceress Yvaine, who was burnt to death by an angry ignorant mob in 1636, Jax has spent over two hundred years looking for Yvaine's apprentice. He finally finds her in Transylvania, Hungary, a tall beautiful woman called Amanusa Whitcomb who practices small women's magic to keep under the Inquisition's radar. She immediately inherits not only Yvaine's tower in Scotland, her books and lore and wealth, but also Jax himself who is magically bound to her.

Like everyone els...more Blood servant to the blood sorceress Yvaine, who was burnt to death by an angry ignorant mob in 1636, Jax has spent over two hundred years looking for Yvaine's apprentice. He finally finds her in Transylvania, Hungary, a tall beautiful woman called Amanusa Whitcomb who practices small women's magic to keep under the Inquisition's radar. She immediately inherits not only Yvaine's tower in Scotland, her books and lore and wealth, but also Jax himself who is magically bound to her.

Like everyone else, Amanusa fears blood sorcery and resists this inheritance. There have been no sorcerers since Yvaine, and myth and superstition have clouded minds against the misunderstood magic. But Amanusa has the power and Jax teaches her that blood magic is alive, a living magic, tied to innocent blood. It is justice magic, and the one thing Amanusa wants above all else is justice: justice against the rebel fighters who killed her mother and brother and kept her to rape and abuse for years.

Fleeing the aftermath of her first working of powerful blood magic, Amanusa and Jax travel to Paris where the Conclave is meeting - master magicians of the three other disciplines: alchemy, conjury and wizardry. Her arrival causes quite the stir, but the information she brings about the spreading Dead Zones - magicless spots where deadly little machines have come into being - is vital to their fight against them. And as some of the magicians think, the absence of women trained in magic - and of blood sorcerers especially, may be the cause of the problem in the first place.

As Amanusa learns to trust Jax and Jax falls in love with Amanusa, the bond between them strengthens and becomes something new and vital, something Jax never had with Yvaine. But there are too many magicians who think women too weak and corruptible to wield magic, and who fear blood magic in particular, who threaten their lives and everything they've achieved.

This is a novel that is not easily defined by genre. Marketed as a paranormal romance, I find this misleading - having read far too many paranormal romances, I can safely say that this isn't what you'd expect from one. This is a sweet loving romance with a very little bit of sex towards the end, but it's more about the magic than anything else. It's more fantasy than paranormal romance, but it's also an alternate history - Napoleon III rules France, magicians have long held an important place in the world - with a bit of steampunk thrown in. It works wonderfully. It's original and inventive, with plenty of familiar tropes to keep you on firm ground.

I loved Amanusa and Jax, who are both tortured souls but never in a self-indulgent way. I really cared for them and was deeply engrossed in their story; their growth and development came naturally and realistically. The story does focus on the romance slowly growing between them, so if that's not your cup of tea you probably won't like this, but I would argue that the intriguing premise is enough and regular fantasy fans would also enjoy this.

Even though it's set in a historical period - mid-1800s - there's certainly a modern tone to the novel, especially in the dialogue and some of the characters' attitudes and behaviour. Yet it also had a firm grasp of period and setting and the contemporary touch just seemed to add to the fantasy aspects rather than detract from its realism or historical accuracy. It worked and added to the enjoyment of reading it.

In terms of plot, it is suspenseful, exciting, curious. With its twists on well-known history such as witch burnings and the Inquisition, it manages to create something new while feeling firmly a part of our own world and history - sort of like Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. The various forms of magic are given subtle new meanings, and the blood magic is fascinating.

The story throws up many old superstitions and the kind of attitudes towards women that make me grimace - many of the men in the book are a bit transparent in their outbursts against women being allowed to practice magic, but that in itself isn't unrealistic. In this sense, Amanusa's achievement is deeply satisfying.

This is the first book in what looks set to be a series, but it's also a standalone book as the others will focus on different characters - minor ones from this introductory story. And so the bigger plotline of Dead Zones, magical wastelands, will be dealt with in the following books. New Blood sets the stage, as it were, but that plot is far from finished with here. The next book, Heart's Blood is due out around December 2009/January 2010.
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Nov 07, 2010 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: magick, paranormal-romance, victorian, historical, slave-or-indentured-servant, 2010-read, favorites, auto-buy, raped-or-abused, revenge-plot, ghosts, on-the-run

I have two main things to say about this book. First, this book was awesome and has landed Gail Dayton a solid spot on my AutoBuy list from now on. Second, it's not steampunk. Or, at least, it's not steampunk as in what I envision when I think of steampunk. To me, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Iron Duke are steampunk, with things like airships and nanites and whatnot. The only thing that this book (and its sequel) had that, to me, screamed "steampunk" were the critters (which wer...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Everyone knows how much I love alternate history, so I'm surprised and slightly disappointed in myself that it took this long for me to read this book. It was sitting right there on my shelf, and I've had it for almost two years. I found out about it through a Smart Bitches, Trashy Books review:
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/bl...
...and SBTB hasn't led me wrong yet. Well, almost never. Captured was a terrible betrayal, but it was a guest review. I still trust Sarah and Candy with all my read...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, paranormal-supernatural, romantic-suspense, signed-by-author, historical-romance, mystery, suspense, arc-copy

A good start to, I’m hoping, a new series.

Jax has been looking endlessly for the previous blood sorceress’s successor, one who would unleash the knowledge Yvaine had stored in his mind, the magic in his body.

Amanusa lost her family at a very young age, was raped and beated repeatedly since, and has lost a huge chunk of herself. When Jax approaches, she doesn’t believe him and sends him on his way, for a woman in Romania is forbidden to perform any sort of magic. Jax has to find a way to convince...more A good start to, I’m hoping, a new series.

Jax has been looking endlessly for the previous blood sorceress’s successor, one who would unleash the knowledge Yvaine had stored in his mind, the magic in his body.

Amanusa lost her family at a very young age, was raped and beated repeatedly since, and has lost a huge chunk of herself. When Jax approaches, she doesn’t believe him and sends him on his way, for a woman in Romania is forbidden to perform any sort of magic. Jax has to find a way to convince Amanusa that she is a blood sorceress, and when she unknowingly uses the biggest of spells against the men who hurt her, killing them, she has no choice now but to flee to France with Jax.

Between “dead zones” and having to dodge those would wish them dead, arriving in France should be a means of safety. But none of it ends there. From performing magic to contain a “dead zone” from becoming bigger, to being face to face with the one man, above all others, who want her dead, Amanuza and Jax face their biggest threat and challenge yet.

I’d have to agree with new_user’s review (to read her review, see all reviews in GoodReads under this title.) The relationship between Jax and Amanusa builds slowly, with Amanusa needing to learn how to trust a man. Period. Jax learns that Amanusa is in no way like Yvaine, who treated him as most treated servants. Amanusa treats him with more kindness than he even believes he deserves.

Watching their relationship grow was, I think, the highest point in the book. They learn about themselves as well as each other, and it grows from trust, grudgingly to love, until both realize they can’t live without the other, regardless of a blood bond. What they feel is incredibly much deeper, and both deserve to feel that way. And Amanusa teeters on that fine line between justice and revenge.

I did find that the scene at the rebellion camp to be a bit much - it lasted way too long, and I feared that the entire book was going to play out there. While I could understand that their journey through “dead zones” were played out to keep themselves alive, I wished there was more sexual tension between Amanusa and Jax, especially on her part. Knowing what had happened to her until Jax came along, I wanted to see a bigger fight of her feeling towards Jax in that aspect, not just her heart and mind.

And while I could understand that, in the past, women had a much bigger fight to being equal to men, in all aspects and not just magic, I thing her speach at the end was a little overdone. I think the story would have been just as good with a shorter speech.

And the “dead zones”. I really liked that twist. How not just magic, but life, seems to be sucked away until there is nothing left except mechanical machines that want to destroy everything that crosses their path, and that seem to be created by something other than man; no bolts, nuts, soldering are keeping them together. They are seemless . While all sorts of magicks and spells are worked to contain the zones, it took Amanusa’s blood magic to combine them, to make the containment spell work.

All in all, I enjoyed the story and I sure do hope that this is the beginning of a series. I’d snag the second book, just to see what else Amanusa learns of her magic and more about the “dead zones”, like who, how and what created them. Ms. Dayton, I look forward to reading more from you!(less)

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Jun 09, 2009 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

I really, really liked this book, but it felt unfinished. I was absolutely entranced by the first half of the book; I loved both of the main characters and thought their interactions were fascinating. And then they got to Paris and I started to lose interest. Their interaction outside of society was so much more interesting than when they were trying to fit in, and while I really enjoyed this book, I feel like it kind of fell flat toward the end. The end itself just felt… unfinished, as if there...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Korynn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fifantasy, romance

So a stranger shows up and insists that you're a blood witch with a huge inheritance waiting for you back in England, what would you do? Probably what this character does but eventually the stranger makes his point and the plot rolls on into the reawakening of lost magic, the learning of a new craft, a solution to a threat to magic in Europe and lots of other magicians yelling criticism and surprise. It starts out a simple story of two people finding each other and learning to trust one another...more

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Nov 30, 2010 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Disturbing cover but excellent tale. Gradual unfolding of the tale of the last blood sorceress who has been tracked down by a man who has been bound to deliver the knowledge of her apprenticeship when his previous mistress was killed. Interesting conceit that previous sorceress lived so long in the past that most of current beliefs about her art are not necessarily accurate and she is able to use the man to communicate with her apprentice even though she is actually long dead. Another alternate...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Rea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, paranormal, romance, steampunk

Full review can be found here.

*Note that I read the second book in this series before I read this one.*

At first it was a little weird coming into this first book with prior knowledge of the world building. This soon passed, however, and I found myself fully immersed in the story. The setting, the wilds of the Transylvanian mountains (or the Carpathians to call them by their real name), is one that I am particularly fond of (just personal taste) and the author did the remote mountain area justice...more Full review can be found here.

*Note that I read the second book in this series before I read this one.*

At first it was a little weird coming into this first book with prior knowledge of the world building. This soon passed, however, and I found myself fully immersed in the story. The setting, the wilds of the Transylvanian mountains (or the Carpathians to call them by their real name), is one that I am particularly fond of (just personal taste) and the author did the remote mountain area justice in her narration. I got a sense of remoteness from the story.

I also liked how she made the Hungarian Inquisition (a society that hunts down illegal practitioners of magic – especially women) so set in their ways that they are willing to chase this female magician – a sorceress no less! – across the whole of Europe. The presentation made it feel authentic, something that is always important to me. This contrasted with Western Europe where the reader sees that women - in particular Elinor, an aspiring wizard – are starting to demand their rightful place in the magicians’ ranks. Of course, there are two camps of men: the ‘traditionalists’ (who want to keep the practise of magic a male-only domain) and the ‘progressives’ (who are the ones who actually want to go back to traditional traditions from some 200 years ago before the witch hunts killed off all female practitioners, and to readmit women among their ranks.) Some of the characters went too far for me, Nigel Cranshaw in particular (I remember not liking him in the second book either), though I suspect that he’s probably more of an archetype, representative of a mainstream opinion, rather than a character in his own rights.

Sorcery and the machinations behind blood magic were interesting. In fact, the whole magic system was very well thought out: it’s one of my favourites from the paranormal genre and it seems to me that a lot of time and effort must have gone into setting up the system and all its various rules. This is expended on more in the second book, if I remember correctly, but it’s a good introduction. There were some things that Amanusa seemed to just know instinctively about the intricacies of her magic; I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this, especially when she often has to have the basics explained to her. Despite this, I still liked the rides that these vents took me on as a reader.

The main threat in this novel is the fact that women have been excluded from the magical community for so long that some men are willing to go to any lengths necessary to prevent a woman from practising any of the magical fields. On top of this, there are hundreds of years’ worth of bad rumours about just how sorcery works – the most popular of these being that the blood used to channel the spells is stolen from innocent victims – making this lost form of magic the most feared. This presents Amanusa with many hurdles to overcome - with both supporters who want to welcome the return of sorcery and others who would rather see her killed, so reviled is her school of magic. The reader knows that all blood used to channel magic must be given freely and that it is only with this, blood of the innocents that has been shed by another, or with her own blood (this one’s a secret, though, so shush!) that a sorceress can work. But prejudices prevail and it was amusing to read about Amanusa’s frustrations with these people.

The relationship was of my favourite kinds: one allowed to evolve slowly from resigned acceptance, to like, to trust, to love. Jax, despite his sordid past, made for the type of hero a girl will root for and both of the characters had to face their own demons and overcome their fears before anything could come of it all.

As for the secondary characters, Elinor’s dogged determinations and Harry’s desire to set the world back to rights both appealed to me. Grey I wasn’t so sure about as the character presented here contradicted with the hero that I remember from Heart’s Blood. Crow made for a good non-human character, though I wish his role had been explained and that he’d been used more.

I now find myself wanted to dig through my boxes of read books to unearth Heart’s Blood. I’m sure that I missed things the first time around and that would lend the story another dimension now that I’ve read New Blood. In fact, I think I’ll do just that and make Heart’s Blood a December read!(less)

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Jul 20, 2011 inga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk-or-alternate-history, historical-fiction, witches-and-the-like, had-me-in-tears, reviewed, uf, beautiful-writing, 19th-century, 2011, favorites, love-the-atmosphere, pursuit, love-the-heroine, hate-the-cover, favorites-2011, reviewed-2011

"Made of dark metal with a dull charcoal-grey sheen, it consisted of a melon-sized sphere suspended between two six-spoked stars, rather like rimless wheels. A pair of jointed telescoping arms dangled awkwardly from the center ball. The pointed one - sharped and edged, like a knife - still had rust-brown flakes of dried bllod clinging to it."

I couldn't help it; everytime the threanting mechanical creatures were described, I pictured them to look like this:

Walle-e

Aww,look how cute he looks. Kinda sad,...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Cid Tyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-books, favorites

I can’t remember where I heard about this book, but it stuck in my head until I saw it at a traveling book shop, so I snagged it – especially after attending a steampunk panel and finding it on a list of steampunk books! The writing is both modern and period in that it is easy to read but also relates to the alternate time period in a way that is not altogether anachronistic – but organic.

The Setting – is in an alternate 19th Century Europe where magic in its four forms has had a leg hacked off...more I can’t remember where I heard about this book, but it stuck in my head until I saw it at a traveling book shop, so I snagged it – especially after attending a steampunk panel and finding it on a list of steampunk books! The writing is both modern and period in that it is easy to read but also relates to the alternate time period in a way that is not altogether anachronistic – but organic.

The Setting – is in an alternate 19th Century Europe where magic in its four forms has had a leg hacked off two hundred years ago. It is a rich world of magic and history. The story begins in the Austrian Empire where women are denied the power of magic, and travels to Paris where a woman may practice magic, though she may not be readily accepted as the characters show us. The steampunk elements come into play mostly where the magic dead zones come into play. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it has me curious about what continues to happen in Heart’s Blood.

The Characters – will make you fall in love with them. The book opens from the viewpoint of Jax, finally at the end of his search when he meets Amanusa for the first time. He is a man who has lived beyond his years, bound into service that will continue until he is no longer of use. Amanusa is a woman ridden with a terrible history. It’s very hard for me to read books that feature rape and abuse as plot devices, but the way it is handled in New Blood is touching. I really, really, really liked how the characters spent months together in Austria, then traveling and in Paris before they actually fell in love with each other. It was a slow process; none of that instant clicking or primal urges kicking off a whirlwind romance that culminates in a coupling a few hours later and a wedding the next day. Jax and Amanusa grow as people together in the story, and that’s what will have me rereading it in months to come.

The Plot – is wrapped up in Amanusa’s future and the dead zones. As the last blood sorceress, Amanusa must learn things and not always in an easy way. She has to struggle with her own conscience and doing things in such a way that sit right with her morally – which totally throw Jax for a loop. It’s rather cute. The magical dead zones I assume branch over into the next book since they are not erased in this book, though thanks to Amanusa there is an immediate solution at hand. I liked how New Blood didn’t have just one plot; there were several. It was as much about the characters journeys and the difficulties they faced as the threat to magic in their world.

Read it. Really, you’ll love it. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it to-date…
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Jan 30, 2010 Cornelia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was incredible. I loved it. So original. If you like fantasy or magic and especially if you are looking for something different, you have to read this. It's classified as Steampunk. It fits the time period and the social commentary; it's focused on the way women are treated. It has machines in it but they are featured in the in book in a very unusual way. But if you like Steampunk or fantasy I think you should read this. It is a romance but the heat level is very low as fits the charac...more

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Oct 01, 2009 Donna Jo Atwood rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-fall-read, fiction, paranormal-romance

Amanusa has been hiding out in Austria, but is discovered by Jax who is the magically bound servant of the last blood sorceress. The two of them go to France, traveling through several dead zones that inhibit the practice of magic, but the two of them together manage to survive to confront the problem.
This is not my kind of book at all, but I found it very readable.
Task 15.1

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May 28, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance-paranormal

Often paranormal romances slight the fantasy for the romance. This book didn't I wanted to know more about the world, blood sorcery, and the dead zones as much as I wanted to see how the relationship between the hero and heroine would turn out. I hope this grows into a series; I'm looking forward to reading more.

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Jan 30, 2010 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am a fan of good paranormal romances. New Blood by Gail Dayton goes on my favorites shelf. Set in the 1800's where magic is common place New Blood follows Jax and Amanusa as they travel on a journey filled with danger and discovery. New Blood is a great start to a new paranormal series.

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Jul 08, 2009 Liz B rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance

I will never understand why Luna books dropped Gail Dayton. I didn't enjoy New Blood the way I did the Compass Rose trilogy, but I still found it impossible to put down.

The cover is atrocious. I never in a million years would've bought this book if I weren't familiar with the author.

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May 16, 2012 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ok so the beginning was quite sudden, but I don't think her decision was as random as a lot of the other reviews say. It's just the unfortunate affect of not enough background information from the beginning. However, once the book gets rolling I really enjoyed it. I think it's a very origional story line, though the romance does become a little stiffling towards the end. "New Blood" made an entertaining read for the beginning of my summer :)

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May 15, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, romance, series

****Received as a prize from a contest from Tor.com****

Solid writing and believable characters bring life to this novel. The main protagonists, Jax and Amanusa, are easy to understand and admire, despite the trying circumstances they keep finding themselves in.

My only complaints are three unanswered plot points:
1) What is Crow, besides a convenient plot device at times?
2) What are the dead zones and the mechanical creatures that call them home?
3) Why are previous blood sorceresses described as h...more

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May 11, 2013 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-over-a-year-ago

It has been a while since I have read this book but I still remember liking it a lot. I remember the author had described everything so well that you could picture it (like any good author does)but it was described so well that I can still remember details about it years after reading the book. I like to find books that have unique stories that involve magic without it being cheesy. I loved the main characters Jax and Amanusa and the struggles they had.
I was not surprised to see this book was p...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

This one was a pleasant surprise--the cover didn't do much for me, but this wound up being a slightly better-than-average read. Not your typical hero & heroine, and I liked it!

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Aug 24, 2012 Schmerica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, sffantasy

Really, really enjoyed the first half - like ready to recommend it to specific people for how tropes played out enjoyed - but then the second half left me colder and colder as it went on.

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Apr 02, 2010 Missy Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance-parnormal

Fantastic! Loved this book lots & lots. What to hug it & squeeze it & call it George.

Stayed up until 3am to finish it. Do I need to say anymore?

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Apr 06, 2009 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, fantasy, steampunk

My feelings for this book drastically waivered chapter to chapter. I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half. I felt that most of the character development was slightly over the top and at times, the characters' actions were confusing or information was abruptly provided. Yet I am happy I read this book and will read others if the series continues.

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Sep 15, 2011 Mcvane rated it 2 of 5 stars

There's nothing wrong with this one. It's just the world-building and its use of magic aren't the kind that interests me.

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Aug 28, 2010 Chrissy marked it as to-read

Shelves: victorian-era, steampunk, para-romance, books-i-own

Found this brand-new for $1.25 at a Dollar General. You can't beat that. Sounds immensely intriguing; can't wait to read it!

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Mar 09, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance fans

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

A good love story with strong, likable characters. A good read for paranormal romance fans.

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Aug 24, 2011 Jenna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-reality, grief, magic, romantical, smutty-mcsmutterton

A steampunk romance novel with a strong, kick-butt female character. Color me happy.

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Sep 30, 2010 Margaret Kearney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Steampunk goodness!This is an excellent read.Loved every page of it.Am now diving into the 2nd book.

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Jul 08, 2012 Janine Ballard rated it 1 of 5 stars

This one was a DNF for me. Too episodic and not cohesive enough.

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May 06, 2009 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-author-friend, supernatural-paranormal-romance, you-so-fucking-have-to-read-this, steam-punk

I find that I am not big on romance books as much as I used to be. That said, I loved this book! It is listed as a paranomal romance by the publisher, but I found to be much more than that. It mixes magic, with our reality, setting it in the 1860's. I understand that this is called steampunk, and it covers any book set in the industrial age. I loved the mix, the mystery, and I am waiting impatiently for Gail to write the next book in the series.

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Science Fiction > Steampunk

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Fantasy

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Romance > Paranormal Romance

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Romance

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Fantasy > Paranormal

20 users

Fantasy > Magic

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Paranormal > Vampires

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Historical Fiction

4 users

Romance > Historical Romance

4 users

Science Fiction

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About Gail Dayton

I've been a fan of fantasy, science fiction, fairy tales and other "books of wonder" since I was young enough, I still thought kissing was icky. Then I grew up and decided I liked a strong dose of romance in the mix.

I live on the Texas coast with my fella of 30-plus years, our youngest son (who should be graduating college this semester) and the granddog Dolly, a princess wussy pitbull mix who le...more

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New Blood (Blood Magic #1)

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