Blood Magic

Matthew Cook

Kirin is a sorceress and a scout for the army. Her power is through a dark magic and she is a twinned soul. The humans are fighting the Mor, a race of beings that are similar to ogres and fight through everything. She has seen the Mor win battles when they are outnumbered three to one.

Now she is trying to help her battalion to escape the Mor, join with others, and battle again. Her painful past and and dark magic help her fight the battles she needs. But then she discovers a reason to turn away from her past and look to the future instead. The Mor could affect the outcome of that future she'd like to build.

Blood Magic is a dark fantasy that tell two tales at once. It starts in the present as Kirin is on the run with the battalion and her lover. But every other chapter instead reveals Kirin's past and how she comes to her present position.

I wasn't sure whether I would be able to stick with the book because it is disturbing. But the story from Kirin's past kept me pulled in when the "present" bothered me. Matthew Cook does a good job with the characters' emotions and attitudes. The physical pictures were not as well drawn - I couldn't make any pictures in my head that would stick (except Kirin's black eyes), but the feelings stayed with me.

Although Blood Magic isn't horror, readers who like light reading won't care for this. It is darkly woven and isn't a "feel good" book. Nor is the story finished. Cook must have a sequel in the works.

Notice: Graphic violence, Strong sexual content

Publicist provided for review