Blood Magic: Book One Of The Ballad Of Kirin Widowmaker (Bk. 1) [Paperback]

Matthew Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Ballad of Kirin Widowmaker | Publication Date: September 18, 2007

Her sister was murdered, and Kirin hungers for revenge. Using the power of her "blood magic," the young necromancer creates grotesque and inhumanly strong creatures by calling men's souls back into their dead bodies. These "sweetlings," as she calls them, are utterly devoted to her, and Kirin cherishes them as if they were her own children. But while fighting a bloody war against a relentless enemy, she meets Lia Cho, a beautiful and gentle woman who can call the power of storms... and soon, Kirin learns that there is more to life than pain and vengeance.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Juno Books (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809572001
• ISBN-13: 978-0809572007
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, fast, fun, September 18, 2007

By 

Chris Howard (NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Magic: Book One Of The Ballad Of Kirin Widowmaker (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

Running from the remorseless Mor, from the doomed battle at Gamth's Pass, Kirin draws on her forbidden powers to protect her love, Jazen Tor--but too late to save him, too late to retract her "sweetlings," the things she has "birthed" of the spirits of the dead.

The story of Kirin, blood magician, scout, mother, bear-killer, "abomination," starts at a relentless pace and never lets up through skirmishes, political turmoil, prejudice, deadly encounters with the Mor, and the challenges of controlling powers she doesn't understand. In alternate chapters, Cook skillfully guides the reader through Kirin's past, growing up in the shadow of her demanding twin sister, haunted by a marriage gone bad and her sister's brutal murder, but empowered by the teachings and the hidden books of wise old Edena.

When Kirin is saved by the beautiful Lia Cho and suspicious Brother Ato, her life takes on a new set of difficulties and hard lessons to learn, mourning her old love, fostering the possibility of something new. Lia, a runaway student with the extraordinary power to summon lightning, is taken with the mysterious Kirin, in defiance of the priest of Shanira who openly declares Kirin an abomination--damned, someone who manipulates the dead, and draws her power from the blood of the living.

Matthew Cook's Blood Magic is a dark feast of loss and blood and love, a fast paced fantasy in a world reminiscent of Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion, compelling characters with the ability to draw on otherworldly powers, who push the boundaries of life and death. I look forward to reading the sequel next year, exploring Cook's world further, and discovering where Kirin's tale takes us.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar First Novel, December 3, 2007

By 

Raven Bower "Author of Apparitions" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Magic: Book One Of The Ballad Of Kirin Widowmaker (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I normally don't care for books written in the first person. However, Matthew Cook handled the style extraordinarily well. So well in fact, that I soon forgot I was reading. He was able to take his prose and transport me into the world of his imagination. His characters are vivid and fun with real personalities and lives.

I'm looking forward to the sequel!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars rather boring (spoilers included), February 26, 2008

By 

DF "avid reader D" (East of the Mississippi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Magic: Book One Of The Ballad Of Kirin Widowmaker (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I had trouble finishing this one. After a promisingly creepy start, the main character suddenly discovers she is pregnant. This makes her change personality from one second to the next, giving up her necromantic ways and getting born again as the worshipper of another god. This wrecked the book for me because it is so unbelievable.