Review: WE ARE BLOOD AND THUNDER by Kesia Lupo

We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a sealed-off city, a young woman, Lena, is running for her life. She has been sentenced to death and 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. Years ago she escaped before her own powers were discovered. But now she won't hide who she is any longer.

A powerful and terrifying storm cloud engulfs the city. 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 ... But what neither Lena and Constance realise is that the stormcloud binds them - without it, without each other, neither can get what they desire.

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Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of We Are Blood and Thunder, a thrilling fantasy novel by Kesia Lupo. I went into this book with high expectations and the story surpassed them.

We Are Blood and Thunder tells the story of two young women, Lena and Constance. Lena is a cryptling, a mage, and very much a likeable underdog who, as the novel progresses, embraces her power. Constance is older, the daughter of the duke of Duke’s Forest, powerful, confident, and a mage-in-hiding with a big secret. The narrative alternates between them, and together, the two work to control the storm cloud spell that’s been haunting Duke’s Forest for years.

The worldbuilding in this book is incredible. I loved it SO much. I’ve studied ritual and religion in Prehistory, and one of the notable things about that is the importance of ancestors in many prehistoric religions. Because of my love of prehistoric societies, I’m always so excited when I see ideology regarding ancestors incorporated into worldbuilding, and honestly, reading this book was a delight. Lena’s occupation as a mortician was really interesting, and seeing how she worshipped the ancestors was great.

I love stories about magic, and the magic system in this book is well thought out and, without giving away spoilers, I loved the idea of Chaos and the inclusion of the gods.

The imagery is beautiful. So evocative and visual and there’s something compelling about the way Kesia Lupo writes. I just had to keep reading. Although it took me over a month to read this (not a reflection on the story—rather I prefer to read fantasy novels over a few weeks to really savour them) I never felt lost when returning to the world after a few days. Instead, the book felt like it was welcoming me with a warm embrace.

Lupo’s characterisation is great. When books are told in third person, I am often wary. I don’t know why but I find it easier to relate to protagonists if they’re written in first person. But I felt like I knew both Constance and Lena and even though it’s third person, the narrative style was sufficiently different so I didn’t get it mixed up as to whom I was reading.

Emris, the love interest for Lena, and a man who we know once was something special to Constance, is often the uniting “factor” between the two narratives (just as the butterfly is), indeed bringing the two women together at the end. The chemistry that he has with both Constance and Lena is well-written and believable, and his romance with Lena is gradual, natural, and slow-burning.

Oh, the villains! Where to start? Lupo is amazing at writing those characters that we just want to hate. But we’re given full backstories for them and understand their motivations for their behaviour, so they don’t feel like token evil characters at all.

And the twist at the end? That had me utterly speechless. I had not seen that coming!

One of the things I really love is to understand where the title of a book comes from, and I found myself both grinning manically and nodding somewhat wisely when I realised the significance of “We Are Blood and Thunder.” It felt very authentic and well-done.

This is a great fantasy story and I highly recommend it.

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