A Matter of Blood

Mark of the Least

by Kendra Merritt

Nothing terrifies the people of Ballaslav more than a crimson cloak. It marks a blood mage, someone who cuts and even kills for a terrible type of power. Eighteen-year-old Reyna doesn’t want to know why there are blood mages walking openly on the streets. She doesn’t want to get involved with the ones who have traded their souls for magic. She just wants to get home before someone realizes she should be wearing the red, too.

But when Reyna joins a caravan headed toward her home, she makes friends she can’t afford to keep—not with her arms covered in scars. Too bad you can’t escape your past when you carry it with you. She arrives home only to discover that one of her mistakes has followed her, threatening her family and friends to bring about another bloody epoch. Now her choices might destroy everyone she loves, unless she can figure out how to leave behind the things she’s done and drag her future from the grasp of the blood mages.

Genres: Fantasy

468 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2020

About the author

Books have been Kendra’s escape for as long as she can remember. She used to hide fantasy novels behind her government textbook in high school, and she wrote most of her first novel during a semester of college algebra.

Older and wiser now (but just as nerdy) Kendra writes retellings of fairytales with main characters who have disabilities. If she isn’t writing, she’s reading, and if she isn’t reading, she’s playing video games.

Kendra lives in Denver with her very tall husband, their book loving progeny, and a lazy black monster masquerading as a service dog.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Matter of Blood follows in the footsteps of Merritt's other works to showcase her writing skills and her ability to write stories that draw you in, keeps you hooked, and shows unique protagonists with varied flaws and strengths. Reyna struggles to move on from her past and her heartache was so relatable. One bad decision that leads to another, a past love that was unhealthy, and trying to escape your past. A Matter of Blood is her darkest work so far but she lightens everything with humor, hope, and humanity we can relate to. I also loved the female friendship and loyalty presented in the story.

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to buy this book from Merritt during an event that she attended. This is the first book that I've managed to finish in the last couple of years that wasn't for school. I read the last 250-ish pages in one sitting (which is a lot for me), and I almost couldn't put the book down to eat dinner. The way that the world is built while still focusing on the story is amazing. Every single character feels so real and human. I'm already planning to re-read the book so I can highlight all of the motifs and breadcrumbs leading to each reveal (which there are a lot of!). The reveals were all incredible themselves, too; the build up was insane and I could feel the adrenaline. I was able to really put myself into Reyna's shoes and understand her despite not actually having a lot in common with her. I was completely immersed in the novel and almost felt as though I was transported into it. I almost cried a number of times. Overall, this is a wonderful book that I would highly recommend to everyone. I can't wait to read more from Merritt.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really strong story, filled with a wonderful message. Although the subject got pretty dark at time, it was well balanced and hopeful. As someone who has experienced chronic pain for most of my life and chronic joint pain for the past year, I was so uplifted by Reyna’s story and her struggles. I could really relate to her experiences outside of all of the magic. The themes of redemption and forgiveness, are discussed thoughtfully, with tact and complexity. I have always admired the way that Merritt weaves messages about God so strongly through the narrative. The book requires this element and this discussion, but it never feels forced or out of place. My main complaint was the romance as I thought Reyna should have ended up with Karina. They had a stronger relationship and maybe a bit more chemistry than she did with Aleksei. I found the relationships to be a bit confusing in that sense, but still well written. Overall, I don’t think this is the first book in the series that you should read, but I would recommend it.

[Anya Josephs · Rating 5 out of 5]

It follows the story of Reyna, who is a blood mage in a Russia-inspired setting. My favorite thing about this installment in the series was the way it expanded on the magical worldbuilding of previous volumes in this excellent series. We get a clear sense of how the magic in the world works. The way blood mages are marked with scarred arms, the details of how people are forced into relying on blood magic even though it's dangerous and forbidden, all created a clearer sense of the underlying logic of the world that we've been exploring for several books.

Reyna is a very powerful character, and I really enjoyed spending time with her confident, intelligent narration, which never loses its self-assurance even when she's struggling against seemingly impossible odds. My favorite character was Anya, though :)

[Stephanie Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this series, however, this might be my least favorite so far. There's just so much religion heavily involved in this it's hard not to recognize the parallels between a fantasy religion and likely moreso Catholicism with this particular story. I did like the characters but I also felt like this was a big missed opportunity to have a sapphic relationship. I found myself supporting Reyna and Karina into developing that more than I did with the actual male love interest. I found he didn't really do a whole lot for the plot and with the way Reyna and Karina's relationship developed and especially how they eventually spoke to each other, it felt waaaay more romantic than friendship in my opinion. I still enjoyed this a lot. I love Kendra's world-building even with the heavy religious aspect but I'm just not a religious person.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this rendition of the Red Riding Hood story. We’ve all lived through those moments which desperately tempt us to try it - just this once - with varying results and consequences. This novel strikes a beautiful balance between the details of belief and the reality of life and leads us on a journey into areas of gray that are, at times, uncomfortably familiar. If you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in The Mark of the Least series, you’ll find this one equally beautiful and satisfying.

[Reina Callier · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A clever adaptation of "Red Riding Hood" with straightforward prose, fast-paced action, and characters that don't fall victim to annoying fantasy tropes. I LOVED the depiction of true, unconditional friendship, too. The only reason I'm saying 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars is that there are, unfortunately, some editing errors (spelling, punctuation, grammar) that occasionally required re-reading/puzzling to figure out what was going on. Also, I wish there were a glossary for all the italicized terms!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems that between each Mark of the Least novel I am given just enough time to forget how masterfully the author creates characters that reveal the beautiful strength that often grows from weakness. A Matter of Blood wrestles with themes of temptation and forgiveness, and does so in a way that breathes fresh life into the red riding hood myth. I certainly look forward to the next book!

[Erika Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I was shipping Reyna and Karina harder than Reyna and Aleksei.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars


I picked this book up at Denver Fan Expo and really enjoyed it! I’m excited to read more from this author