A stunning new YA fantasy with a unique magic system and delightful worldbuilding
—Amanda Khong, Bookish Brews
Bookish Brews Snapshot
Bloody Spade by Brittany M. Willows
Cursed by the corrupt and dark Spade, Iori somehow finds himself in the care of someone in the organization that has been hunting him and his power.
❤️🩹 Trauma and Healing 🏳️🌈 Huge LGBTQ+ Rep 🌼 Self Discovery 🕯️ Slow Burn
- Genre: Fantasy
Book Review
Fun, joyful, magical, sweet and dark, well thought out, exciting, full of action!
Bloody Spade was such a fun book! When the author approached me and asked me to read her ARC I was so happy. I saw she had liked one of my tweets, and I (admittedly) stalked her book, so when I saw it in my inbox I was thrilled to, say the least! This book definitely surpassed my expectations. I find myself thinking about how well done this book was constantly. What a wonderful debut!
Since the Reemergence, a mysterious event that brought both dark and light magic back into our world, society has been desperately clinging to what it once knew. Those affected by magic are forced to not use their magic or forced into the Jokers, a specialized group of Empowered fighting off dark magic. For Iori, it’s much more complicated than that. Plagued by the corrupt and dark power of the Spade, an unexpected turn of events lands Iori in the care of a recent Joker graduate, Ellen.
I absolutely loved how well references to a card deck were tailored into the writing. Everything is named after cards or related to cards, it was so much fun. It is definitely something that I haven’t seen before and it was so unique! The depth at which everything ties into a deck of cards is stunning, it does not let up, and it is very thorough. The legendary magic powers are named after suits, the specialized group of Empowered are called Jokers, and collectively Cardplay. It’s all so fun, and it feels like an anchor that readers will recognize in this well-thought-out magical world.
I also loved the relationship between Ellen and Iori. They compliment each other so well. There is so much time to really understand the characters and their relationship, it gives them so much life, so Iori and Ellen were really able to flourish here. The way that they are so determined to protect each other right from the start is so sweet. Not only that, they are so wonderfully respectful of each other and their space. Neither of them pushes the other unless it is to grow and heal.
This book is about healing and overcoming. All the characters go through hardships, but they all grow through them. Iori especially has such wonderful growth, you can’t help rooting for him and his cat ears. It is clear that Iori struggles with his past, but it is handled really well and in an interesting way (because it has to do with the fantasy aspect), and as it goes on he overcomes so much. The character growth and healing are so comforting and it makes you love the characters even more!
Bloody Spade was a really fun adventure with well-thought-out magic and incredibly lovable characters. It was so comforting to read about the character’s growth and healing, all through a fun and action-packed book. Definitely a hidden gem!
