Hello my fellow bookworms, I am once again back with another book review. Today I’m excited to be sharing my review for a new witchy fantasy set in Italy, With Fire in their Blood as part of TheWriteReads blog tour. I am going to get straight into the review, but here is a little more about the book.
With Fire In Their Blood (Skeleton Keepers, #1) by Kat Delacorte Published by Penguin on September 1, 2022
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Young Adult Fiction
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With Fire In Their Blood is a simmering supernatural romance set in the crumbling Italian city of Castello, where mafia clans make the rules, dark magic pulses the streets and the sins of the past threaten to consume the present. Perfect for fans of These Violent Delights, The Darkest Minds and V.E. Schwab.
When sixteen-year-old Lilly Deluca arrives in Castello, she isn’t impressed. A secluded town in the Italian mountains is not where she saw her last years of high school playing out.
Divided for generations by a brutal clan-family war, the two halves of Castello are kept from destroying each other by the mysterious General, a leader determined to maintain order and ‘purity’. . . whatever the cost.
Lilly falls in with the rebellious Liza, brooding Nico and sensitive Christian, and sparks begin to fly. But in a city where love can lead to ruin, Lilly isn’t sure she can trust anyone - not even herself.
And then she accidentally breaks Castello's most important rule: when the General's men come to test your blood, you'd better not be anything more than human . . .
Italy, what really comes to mind, beautiful Mediterranean coastline and culture. But there is a hidden, isolated city – Castello, that holds more than just secrets but also dark power, old ways, and past sins. Castello, is where Lilly find herself after her father relocates for his new secret job to modernise this derelict town. As Lilly starts to find out about the history and past events of her new home, the reality of who she is and who her mother is starts to reveal some dark truths.
Castello is ruled by the so called saviour known as The General. Years ago there was a war between the Marconis and Paridisos, but there was something else roaming the town that’s worse, they are known as the Saints. People with unmeasurable, evil magic. It wasn’t until the General caught and burned them that the town lives in peace with one another. Lilly find it hard to believe but slowly, the town’s and her own history merge together to reveal something far more powerful.
With Fire in Their Blood is simmering with gothic and dystopian storytelling making it darkly seductive and compelling. This I would say is my first gothic YA. What I found fascinating was the All Saints aspects to the novel, and how the magic system intensified as you went through the book. The world building was sensational, I loved seeing this whole new world, a dark dynamic to Italy that not everything is beautiful but rundown and still deeply affected by their past. There was an air of mystery to the book delving into Castello’s history that I really enjoyed a lot. Added such depth to the backstory of book. The beauty of Kat’s writing made it an easy YA read, giving me The Hunger Games vibes – making it another book that I couldn’t put down. What I kind of wanted more was to get to Lilly a bit more, I found her character did really develop as much as a reader getting to know but I feel from the ending of book, that the sequel will add to that.
With Fire in their Blood is another book I didn’t know what to expect and loved every bit of it. A totally unique take to a supernatural witchy YA fantasy that you won’t be able to put down. Perfect book for Autumn, so add it your TBRs.
Thank you to TheWriteReads and Penguin Platform for sending me an image in exchange for an honest review.
Great review!!