Blood Magic

Title: Blood Magic
Author: Tessa Gratton
Pages: 408
Pub: 2011; Random House
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

*ahem* I. Did. Not. Like. This. Book.

Okay.  I said it.  Loud and clear, huh?  Because honestly...HONESTLY...I think I'm, like, one of THE ONLY people who did not like Blood Magic.  Seriously.  If you click on the title link it will lead you to my Library Thing account and show you that the average rating is FOUR FREAKIN' STARS.

I gave it a one-point-five.  So, giving the props up to that -point five, I thought I'd share five points explaining my disdain.

(In no particular order)

5.  Suspense, where'd ya go?  Essentially, there's this big mystery going on here and the only time that I'm on the edge of any type of nail biting is trying to figure out the mystery.* Woe was me when the whole "what the what" somehow got kicked to the curb.  Oh yeah, I was say what the what...just not for the right reasons.

4.  Stereotyping - This is a biggie.  *jumping up on soapbox* I get that our natural inclinations as people are to classify (ya know, stereotype).  It's what we do.  I look at someone and say "Oh you have x, y, and z therefore you must be blah blah blah".  But then this thing happens where all of a sudden, you see that an S was thrown into that which you just labeled and it doesn't make sense so your brain goes and makes a detour and you hit your head thinking "oh yeah, that's because we can only make GENERALIZATIONS, because really, there's ALWAYS more to a person than x, y, and z".  Are you feelin' me? *hops down from box* Blood Magic has all of these stereotypical characters that never break away from their safe mold.  Stepmother that's younger than father? Son can't stand said stepmother and calls her Lilith even though he's a senior and 17? Father who is the silent-serious-type and never shows emotion? Siblings that are perfect foils of each other?  Jeez Louise, folks.  Enough already!

3. Writing - I truly try not to criticize author's writing.  Especially if it's a new author.  So this will be short and sweet.  The writing was awkward.

2. Chemistry is not just a subject in high school - Silla and Nick (two of the main characters, which I've somehow have not mentioned yet) are suppose to be in luuurrve but I just can't buy it.  Nick says some weak things like, man I would never be there for any of the girls in Chicago; this must be the real thing.  Okay.  So not really.  BUT kinda like that.

1.  Suspension of Disbelief - Yeah, that didn't happen.  Do you know how many unbelievable scenes there are in this novel?  I'm better off believing in sparkling vampires. 

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*This mystery only hooked me in the last quarter of the book.