What do you think?
Rate this book
This Fierce Blood
A multicultural saga, This Fierce Blood follows three generations of women in the Sylte family.
In rural late-nineteenth-century New England, Wilhelmina Sylte is a settler starting a family with her Norwegian immigrant husband. When she forms an inexplicable connection with a mountain lion and her cubs living near their farm, Mina grapples with divided loyalties and the mysterious bond she shares with the animals.
In 1927 in southern Colorado, Josepa, is accused of witchcraft by a local priest for using the healing practices passed down from her Native mother. Fighting for her family’s reputation and way of life, Sepa finds strength in worldly and otherworldly sources.
When Magdalena, an ecologist, inherits her great-grandmother Wilhelmina’s Vermont property, she and her astrophysicist husband decide to turn the old farm into a summer science camp for teens. As Magda struggles with both personal and professional responsibilities, the boundary between science and myth begins to blur.
Rich in historical and cultural detail, This Fierce Blood combines magical realism with themes of maternal ancestral inheritance, and also explores the ways Hispano/Indigenous traditions both conflicted and wove together, shaping the distinctive character of the American Southwest. Readers of Téa Obreht and Ruth Ozeki will find much to admire in this debut novel.
In rural late-nineteenth-century New England, Wilhelmina Sylte is a settler starting a family with her Norwegian immigrant husband. When she forms an inexplicable connection with a mountain lion and her cubs living near their farm, Mina grapples with divided loyalties and the mysterious bond she shares with the animals.
In 1927 in southern Colorado, Josepa, is accused of witchcraft by a local priest for using the healing practices passed down from her Native mother. Fighting for her family’s reputation and way of life, Sepa finds strength in worldly and otherworldly sources.
When Magdalena, an ecologist, inherits her great-grandmother Wilhelmina’s Vermont property, she and her astrophysicist husband decide to turn the old farm into a summer science camp for teens. As Magda struggles with both personal and professional responsibilities, the boundary between science and myth begins to blur.
Rich in historical and cultural detail, This Fierce Blood combines magical realism with themes of maternal ancestral inheritance, and also explores the ways Hispano/Indigenous traditions both conflicted and wove together, shaping the distinctive character of the American Southwest. Readers of Téa Obreht and Ruth Ozeki will find much to admire in this debut novel.
232 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2021
241 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2022
A rich and enchanting story of the turbulent and beautiful ways we come together
This Fierce Blood is an absolutely beautiful book. From the stunning cover to the writing, to the story, this book had me enchanted from the very start. The pacing, the beauty, the subtle magic, and the thoughtful internal conflict were so gripping that I found myself unable to put it down. This Fierce Blood surprised me in ways that I didn’t anticipate. It woke my sense of wonder and opened my heart to generations of women in the Sylte family.
Quick Summary: Wilhelmina Sylte is a settler starting her life with her immigrant husband when she becomes inexplicably drawn to mountain lions around their property. Two generations later, Josepa is accused of witchcraft in her village for using healing practices passed down from her Native mother. Another generation past, Magdalena inherits her great-grandmother Wilhelmina’s farm and turns it into a summer science camp for teens. As summer progresses Magda finds the lines between science and myth begin to blur in her life.
This Fierce Blood gives us a unique and beautiful look into the joining of cultures in the American Southwest. It cleverly highlights how traditions can clash and come together as one all at the same time. Through three different generations of women, we see both discordance and weaving of culture and how each of these helps our cultures grow. Márquez does a wonderful job of showing the deep complexities that come with growing up in a multicultural and multiracial home. Being multiracial is so often being pushed and pulled from one piece of yourself to another but never fitting quite right anywhere. It’s being drawn in and rejected from every side and not knowing how to identify when you identify with all sides but none of them at the same time. The portrayal of this cultural family growth is nothing short of stunning. Continue reading here...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
This Fierce Blood is an absolutely beautiful book. From the stunning cover to the writing, to the story, this book had me enchanted from the very start. The pacing, the beauty, the subtle magic, and the thoughtful internal conflict were so gripping that I found myself unable to put it down. This Fierce Blood surprised me in ways that I didn’t anticipate. It woke my sense of wonder and opened my heart to generations of women in the Sylte family.
Quick Summary: Wilhelmina Sylte is a settler starting her life with her immigrant husband when she becomes inexplicably drawn to mountain lions around their property. Two generations later, Josepa is accused of witchcraft in her village for using healing practices passed down from her Native mother. Another generation past, Magdalena inherits her great-grandmother Wilhelmina’s farm and turns it into a summer science camp for teens. As summer progresses Magda finds the lines between science and myth begin to blur in her life.
This Fierce Blood gives us a unique and beautiful look into the joining of cultures in the American Southwest. It cleverly highlights how traditions can clash and come together as one all at the same time. Through three different generations of women, we see both discordance and weaving of culture and how each of these helps our cultures grow. Márquez does a wonderful job of showing the deep complexities that come with growing up in a multicultural and multiracial home. Being multiracial is so often being pushed and pulled from one piece of yourself to another but never fitting quite right anywhere. It’s being drawn in and rejected from every side and not knowing how to identify when you identify with all sides but none of them at the same time. The portrayal of this cultural family growth is nothing short of stunning. Continue reading here...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
April 1, 2022
THIS FIERCE BLOOD is a beautiful work of art, filled with magical realism, strong family ties, and suspense. With prose that sings, Márquez centers three generations of indomitable women, each of them possessing quiet, otherworldly powers and an affinity for the natural world. Replete with Indigenous and multicultural folklore and rich, evocative atmosphere, this debut is a powerful ode to the power of maternal love over hardship, prejudice…and even death.
November 1, 2021
This Fierce Blood is a multi-generational saga of strong, rebellious, complicated women connected to the worlds of nature and magical realism. The cultural and historical details of this impressive debut novel kept me absorbed and engaged.
November 8, 2021
THIS FIERCE BLOOD follows multiple generations of Sylte family women who grapple with love, loss, cultural traditions, societal expectations and faith. These women overcome obstacles relying on strength and inherited knowledge, and often aided and guided by inexplicable elements. Márquez weaves magical realism and heritage into this beautifully written novel that will have you quickly flipping through the pages.
January 7, 2023
It's seems this book needed a better promotion, because it's really lovely and yet I hadn't heard much buzz about it or found much presence online. This was one of my absolute favorite reads this year and I really hope more folks find it.
It reminds me a bit of Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, which has gotten a lot of buzz and is a really good book, but I liked The Fierce Blood. I found myself really rooting for these characters, feeling both drawn i to their individual stories where I would have happily read more, bit I wasn't left lacking either. Such quality story telling told in such a concise, compact novel. There was really nothing wasted or gratuitous here.
4.5/5
It reminds me a bit of Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, which has gotten a lot of buzz and is a really good book, but I liked The Fierce Blood. I found myself really rooting for these characters, feeling both drawn i to their individual stories where I would have happily read more, bit I wasn't left lacking either. Such quality story telling told in such a concise, compact novel. There was really nothing wasted or gratuitous here.
4.5/5
January 30, 2022
In This Fierce Blood, Márquez expertly explores the ties that hold a family together. In each section of the book, we meet a new generation of the Sylte family. Within each generation, Márquez depicts nuanced family dynamics that are both particular to the time period yet also universally relatable. Márquez's appreciation for the land also shines through, as nature serves a protective and binding role in this novel. Overall, This Fierce Blood is a gratifying read and the build-up to the third section of the book is well worth it.
November 10, 2021
This was a thought provoking book - it scans 150 years of life in America - immigration, westward expansion , the intermingling of ethnicities - in three brief related stories. But it is also very personal- the characters are well drawn and really resonant!
October 6, 2022
This Fierce Blood by Malia Marquez follows three generations of strong women of mixed heritages across the United States and back again from the late 19th century to modern times. The book enthralled me from start to finish. The writing is crystal clear, and beautiful, the characters are intriguing, relatable, and vulnerable and the subtly paranormal elements of magical realism are mysterious and lend the novel an otherworldly dimension. Highly recommended. A great read.
October 5, 2022
I really enjoyed this! I wish I could give 3.8 rating. Loved the three separate stories that gracefully wove into the next story. My favorite genres are magical realism and historical fiction, so this book really was perfect for me! Themes of nature, intuition, and family history were enjoyable.
December 11, 2024
Malia is so clever. When I consider the knowledge and empathy it takes to build this world and show it to me as a narrative, I am amazed by the incredible precision and depth of Malia's talent. I'm looking forward to 2025 in anticipation of her next book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews