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Blood Bound #1
Witchbound: Book One
A forbidden book…A forbidden spell...A forbidden love…Strawberry has always struggled for recognition, among her magical superiors, hindered by her unconventional talents and her family’s disgraced legacy. Seeking the opportunity to prove herself, she takes an ancient and prohibited tome written in mysterious runes, and strikes a dangerous bargain with the formidable Eris Divine, the seductive and coldly regal vampire queen who rules the city’s supernatural underworld.As Strawberry delves deeper into her magical studies under the irresistibly aloof Eris, forbidden passion blossoms, and an undeniable spark ignites between the optimistic witch and the immortal queen.Eager to gain Eris’s approval, Strawberry performs a forbidden spell so powerful it almost kills her, and binds the unsuspecting vampire queen to the witch priestess.Overcome with guilt, Strawberry struggles with the knowledge and subsequent result of the binding spell. And with the supernatural factions on the brink of war, how will she confess to the already overworked Eris what she’s done?How does she face the woman she loves more than life with a secret and a betrayal so devastating?And how will the supernatural factions react when they learn of Strawberry’s reckless disregard for the most powerful of all magic?Blood Magic… Book One is the first book in the Blood Magic duet. Immerse yourself in the intoxicating, dangerous romance between a cunning vampire queen and the alluring young witch who steals her unbeating heart.This is a steamy F/F vampire romance with supernatural themes. Content notes are available on the Copyright page.
286 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2024
180 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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July 31, 2024Someone please tell me this girls name seriously is not “Strawberry”……..
August 5, 2024
DNF @ 69%
The characters’ names are quite bad: Strawberry Hayes and Eris Divine. You could’ve figured that out from the book blurb and saved yourself a bit of time, but what I wondered when seeing these names is whether the ridiculousness is due to an inexperienced writer trying too hard, or an overconfident writer who thinks the work will speak for itself in spite of the names. I believe it’s the latter.
The prose is very, very purple, and prone to rambling; this would’ve been a much shorter book if you cut out all the paragraphs of navel-gazey inaction. I started skimming at 44%, and stopped when I finally got to the point where the unauthorized bonding magic mentioned in the blurb occurs (at 69% of the way through the book) and I concluded there was absolutely nothing interesting going on for the rest of this book. None of the dark, forbidden magic at this point in the story seems to have any effect or purpose at all, except for risking the human MC’s life, and the bonding magic scene is literally identical to all the other magic scenes throughout. There’s no story movement or physical movement or character development. It’s excruciating.
The buildup to the romance is mostly just the human MC zoning out at her second job while thinking about her crush, and the vampire MC thinking about how protective she feels over the human MC. The scenes of the MCs casting spells together are samey and boring in their vagueness, and when the MCs finally kiss for the first time, it seems to come out of nowhere. At least the first spicy scene had some sort of sense to it, with the vampire MC sensing the human MC’s distress and coming to her aid, but the whole conversation about the human MC’s insecurities and desire to prove herself just rang so, so hollow, perhaps because every sentence was tortured and twisted into some unique and unnecessary metaphor, like this:
Jesus Christ, it’s exhausting! Do you know, there is not one plain old “she said” or “he said” in this entire friggin’ book? I could not take another minute of it. Oh, but I did for you, dear Goodreads reader, go back and find some passages to quote, so my patience is well and truly frayed. Thus, I depart. One star.
The characters’ names are quite bad: Strawberry Hayes and Eris Divine. You could’ve figured that out from the book blurb and saved yourself a bit of time, but what I wondered when seeing these names is whether the ridiculousness is due to an inexperienced writer trying too hard, or an overconfident writer who thinks the work will speak for itself in spite of the names. I believe it’s the latter.
The prose is very, very purple, and prone to rambling; this would’ve been a much shorter book if you cut out all the paragraphs of navel-gazey inaction. I started skimming at 44%, and stopped when I finally got to the point where the unauthorized bonding magic mentioned in the blurb occurs (at 69% of the way through the book) and I concluded there was absolutely nothing interesting going on for the rest of this book. None of the dark, forbidden magic at this point in the story seems to have any effect or purpose at all, except for risking the human MC’s life, and the bonding magic scene is literally identical to all the other magic scenes throughout. There’s no story movement or physical movement or character development. It’s excruciating.
The buildup to the romance is mostly just the human MC zoning out at her second job while thinking about her crush, and the vampire MC thinking about how protective she feels over the human MC. The scenes of the MCs casting spells together are samey and boring in their vagueness, and when the MCs finally kiss for the first time, it seems to come out of nowhere. At least the first spicy scene had some sort of sense to it, with the vampire MC sensing the human MC’s distress and coming to her aid, but the whole conversation about the human MC’s insecurities and desire to prove herself just rang so, so hollow, perhaps because every sentence was tortured and twisted into some unique and unnecessary metaphor, like this:
Above the court's whispered conjecture, I find my resolve. “No.” The word cuts through the uncertainty like a silver blade. “I sought your wisdom so I might prove my worth to the Witch Council... to rise above the shadow of my family's past.”
Silence claims the room, and her expression hardens like marble. Yet I spy the briefest flash of intrigue in her eyes—an acknowledgment of shared ambition.
“Very well,” Eris concedes, her tone echoing the cool detachment that surrounds her. She rises, elegant as the night itself. “We'll respect your proud decision... for now.”
“Strawberry,” I breathe, tendrils of fear unfurling within me as I gather her closer. The coolness of my arms must be shocking against her fevered skin, but she doesn't stir, her forest-green eyes shuttered and still. The weight of her, so fragile and human in my grasp, strikes a chord within my undead heart.
“Reckless child,” I chastise softly, even as I cradle her closer, tucking her head under my chin. My voice is a low growl, laced with an anger born of fear. “What were you trying to prove, attempting to tame magic that could have destroyed you?”
I kneel, my movements deliberate, my hand hovering but not touching—oh, how I yearn to brush away her tears. My gaze traces the contours of her face, the flame-red hair that cascades around her like a fiery halo.
“Proving yourself isn't about grand gestures or dangerous risks,” I say, my voice softer now, betraying the tempest within. “It's about wisdom, knowing when to act and when to wait. You are more than capable, Strawberry. More than they will ever know.”
Jesus Christ, it’s exhausting! Do you know, there is not one plain old “she said” or “he said” in this entire friggin’ book? I could not take another minute of it. Oh, but I did for you, dear Goodreads reader, go back and find some passages to quote, so my patience is well and truly frayed. Thus, I depart. One star.
June 22, 2024
If only I can say one about this is that — the worst book I have ever read my entire life. I was so looking forward to this but I was so disappointed that I had to stop
August 8, 2024
I think this might have been AI generated (I’m pretty sure at least parts of the cover were). It was bad in a rambling, non-linear way. It never returns to previously brought up points or plot threads. The magic makes no sense. The characters are shallow and inconsistent with their stated characterization. Glad I got it for free.
April 2, 2024
Captivating...
I am so hooked on this amazing, spellbound and sizzling book. Trapped with uncertainty of being accepted and wielding power, our MC's makes foolish decisions. It leads to banishment and heart break. Cant wait for book 2 and a 5🌟 and so much more for this epic new book.
I am so hooked on this amazing, spellbound and sizzling book. Trapped with uncertainty of being accepted and wielding power, our MC's makes foolish decisions. It leads to banishment and heart break. Cant wait for book 2 and a 5🌟 and so much more for this epic new book.
October 6, 2025
Want to kill the vibe of your book? Make the FMC’s name Strawberry. Take you out of the moment every time. The writing was confusing with plot holes, tone changes, and strange character development progression.
June 27, 2024
I wanted to enjoy this book more. I loved the idea. The main character was kind of annoying. I hated some of the decisions she made though i shouldn't have been surprised with one of the early ones she makes. I swear Eris and Strawberry have the same conversation like 3 times.
Honestly besides those complaints, I liked it.
Honestly besides those complaints, I liked it.
April 24, 2025
It's a 3.5
If you can look past the main character being called Strawberry there is a lot to like about this story. However I did find there was a lot of repetition, I felt like the author had many (well written) ways of saying the same thing and I'm not sure if this was just to up the word count of they couldn't decide which one to go with. I also found sadly that by the end of the book I didn't really care what happened to Strawberry, there was no real endearing to the characters and the story was a bit jumpy. So all in all good idea but it didn't captivate me like I hoped.
If you can look past the main character being called Strawberry there is a lot to like about this story. However I did find there was a lot of repetition, I felt like the author had many (well written) ways of saying the same thing and I'm not sure if this was just to up the word count of they couldn't decide which one to go with. I also found sadly that by the end of the book I didn't really care what happened to Strawberry, there was no real endearing to the characters and the story was a bit jumpy. So all in all good idea but it didn't captivate me like I hoped.
September 5, 2024
The overall idea of this book had promise, but the execution was incredibly lacking. I got this book for free on SYK day, and I’m glad that I didn’t spend money on it. The plotline jolts around a lot, and then stalls out in others, and it just isn’t a smooth read. I ended up skimming the rest of it after about 30%. Writing an impulsive, foolishly headstrong character like Strawberry needs a bit more finesse than what was on the page. She comes off super childish. Plot inconsistencies abound, even within the same chapters at times. This needed way more work before being released, but I have no desire to read any of the author’s other works to see if the writing improved.
July 19, 2024
Great story
The writing style is overly heavy in an Edward Bulwer Lytton manner, but you do get used to it.
In one of the last chapters we hear that Eris is 1/2 a century (50 years) old and, then a few pages later it is nearly 500 years (1/2 a millennium).
However, the story is good, although Strawberry is a little too headstrong to be believed. Still, she does find out what happens when….
The writing style is overly heavy in an Edward Bulwer Lytton manner, but you do get used to it.
In one of the last chapters we hear that Eris is 1/2 a century (50 years) old and, then a few pages later it is nearly 500 years (1/2 a millennium).
However, the story is good, although Strawberry is a little too headstrong to be believed. Still, she does find out what happens when….
Read
October 2, 2024I'm unsure whether I will read the second one. There are things I liked and disliked about this book. The main drawback for me is the writing. It feels like the author is trying too hard to be poetic. I love wordy, beautiful writing, but I felt as if the writing didn't flow. The story is good. I really did enjoy it, but I was getting distracted by the words.
November 22, 2024
3.5/5
Hmm.. It is difficult to rate this book. First part of the book, which is about first 50% was confusing to read. I mean that there are unexplained things, emotions, magic.. I feel like characters are not explained enough and a lot of sayings repeated. The other 50% of the book got more interesting but I still wonder about that spell in question. I don’t really like the name of main character, Strawberry. Sorry. Somehow it doesn’t fit for me there.
I still like this book though. It is a great idea for a story. I just hoped it would captivate me more. It is still good to read it though.
I love the cover!
Hmm.. It is difficult to rate this book. First part of the book, which is about first 50% was confusing to read. I mean that there are unexplained things, emotions, magic.. I feel like characters are not explained enough and a lot of sayings repeated. The other 50% of the book got more interesting but I still wonder about that spell in question. I don’t really like the name of main character, Strawberry. Sorry. Somehow it doesn’t fit for me there.
I still like this book though. It is a great idea for a story. I just hoped it would captivate me more. It is still good to read it though.
I love the cover!
July 6, 2024
Lovely Book
I got this book during the Stuff Your Kindle Day and I was intrigued to read about a love story between a witch and vampire. Two supernatural creatures from different worlds finding solace and love with one another. I look forward to reading the 2nd book.
I got this book during the Stuff Your Kindle Day and I was intrigued to read about a love story between a witch and vampire. Two supernatural creatures from different worlds finding solace and love with one another. I look forward to reading the 2nd book.
July 19, 2024
43% DNF - this is so boring. The magic was not making sense. Actually nothing made sense 🤷♀️
September 20, 2024
Can't believe I finished it if I'm honest. I think I kept going to see if it improved. It felt like there was bits of the story missing?
October 13, 2024
I don't like unnecessary and unintriguing aggression.. like why?? You wanna prove yourself, yes, but don't be all brazen to harm and abandon others and not expect consequences.. So childish.
did-not-finish
October 24, 2024DNF @ 47%
November 3, 2024
A little insta love for me. Strawberry seemed pretty immature to me for a super old vampire to take an interest in so early on. I will not be continuing this series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews