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By the Blood of Rowans
The Sheehy witches are the most feared and detested family on the island of Inisliath, and none more so than Rowan.
As a deathwalker, Rowan ferries island souls to the Otherworld, experiencing their deaths and carrying their memories like ghosts within him. It's a fated role he accepts even as it inexorably destroys him.
When the magic on the island starts to seep away from the other founding families, everyone blames the Sheehys—especially when islanders start dying.
Ash is sick of their father's fists and constantly having to apologize for who they are. Life on Inisliath might be the fresh start Ash and their mum need, and meeting soft-spoken, curly-haired Rowan feels like the ray of sunshine Ash has desperately needed—but everything goes sideways when Ash's mum becomes lead detective on a series of ritualistic murders allegedly tied to island magic, and Ash's family history.
The islanders are convinced Rowan is guilty, but Ash refuses to believe it. When Ash does some investigating of their own, they discover Rowan is far more likely to be the next victim. With time running out to save Rowan, Ash will have to choose between a life free of their father or the boy they’re starting to love. Meanwhile Rowan will have to decide just how much he's willing to sacrifice to save his family from the darkness about to be unleashed on the island.
CW: death, murder, suicidal thoughts, physical child abuse (off page).
As a deathwalker, Rowan ferries island souls to the Otherworld, experiencing their deaths and carrying their memories like ghosts within him. It's a fated role he accepts even as it inexorably destroys him.
When the magic on the island starts to seep away from the other founding families, everyone blames the Sheehys—especially when islanders start dying.
Ash is sick of their father's fists and constantly having to apologize for who they are. Life on Inisliath might be the fresh start Ash and their mum need, and meeting soft-spoken, curly-haired Rowan feels like the ray of sunshine Ash has desperately needed—but everything goes sideways when Ash's mum becomes lead detective on a series of ritualistic murders allegedly tied to island magic, and Ash's family history.
The islanders are convinced Rowan is guilty, but Ash refuses to believe it. When Ash does some investigating of their own, they discover Rowan is far more likely to be the next victim. With time running out to save Rowan, Ash will have to choose between a life free of their father or the boy they’re starting to love. Meanwhile Rowan will have to decide just how much he's willing to sacrifice to save his family from the darkness about to be unleashed on the island.
CW: death, murder, suicidal thoughts, physical child abuse (off page).
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2021
5 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Xan van Rooyen
48 books136 followersI'm an autistic non-binary author with a penchant for the dark and strange. I primarily write SFF but enjoy literary writing as well. (Pronouns: they/them)
When not writing, I teach music at an international school, climb, eat anything involving peanut butter, and serve the whims of my shiba inu.
When not writing, I teach music at an international school, climb, eat anything involving peanut butter, and serve the whims of my shiba inu.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 27, 2025
Ever since I read the Souls trilogy by Harley Laroux, I've been searching for something that had the same themes of intense romance, eldritch horrors, claustrophobic small town, and culty pagan magic. And this has all that, minus the spice, because this is a YA book and spice in YA would be weird. But oh my god-- this had all the vibes I was looking for and then some. Reading BY THE BLOOD OF ROWANS actually made me feel so nostalgic for authors like L.J. Smith and Tanith Lee, because I feel like it has the same themes of wild magic, high stakes, and dangerous, forbidden love.
Set on the island of Inisliath (which I think is supposed to be in Ireland), this story is about two teens: Rowan, the only son from a family of witches who is a deathwalker that ferries the dead to the Otherworld, and Ash, a nonbinary kid and amateur photographer who has returned to the island with their grandfather and mother to escape their abusive father. The two are instantly interested in one another, because both of them are prisoners of generational trauma and familial expectations. And when bodies start piling up marked with runes, and whispers of an ancient ritual begin surfacing, their budding romance suddenly takes a dark and sinister turn as it becomes clear that blood must spill.
I loved this book so much. The claustrophobic island setting with grudges that went back centuries was beautifully portrayed. The rituals and the magic were so interesting and reminded me of Practical Magic, in the sense that it was more vibes than a cohesive magic system. It's shocking to me that this was published in 2021 because this reminded me of the angsty, edgy, and slightly emo paranormal stories that were super popular amongst alt kids in the aughts. If you find yourself feeling nostalgic for the goth kid books of your halcyon days, you're going to love this.
Honestly? It's a fucking crime that this isn't ten-- or even a hundred-- times more popular.
5 stars
Set on the island of Inisliath (which I think is supposed to be in Ireland), this story is about two teens: Rowan, the only son from a family of witches who is a deathwalker that ferries the dead to the Otherworld, and Ash, a nonbinary kid and amateur photographer who has returned to the island with their grandfather and mother to escape their abusive father. The two are instantly interested in one another, because both of them are prisoners of generational trauma and familial expectations. And when bodies start piling up marked with runes, and whispers of an ancient ritual begin surfacing, their budding romance suddenly takes a dark and sinister turn as it becomes clear that blood must spill.
I loved this book so much. The claustrophobic island setting with grudges that went back centuries was beautifully portrayed. The rituals and the magic were so interesting and reminded me of Practical Magic, in the sense that it was more vibes than a cohesive magic system. It's shocking to me that this was published in 2021 because this reminded me of the angsty, edgy, and slightly emo paranormal stories that were super popular amongst alt kids in the aughts. If you find yourself feeling nostalgic for the goth kid books of your halcyon days, you're going to love this.
Honestly? It's a fucking crime that this isn't ten-- or even a hundred-- times more popular.
5 stars
October 1, 2021
The setting of Inisliath is pure fantasy, but you'll recognise the weaving of Celtic mythology through this beautiful YA fantasy about witches and deathwalkers.
Rowan must die over and over -- suffering through the death of every person on his island -- that is what it means to be the Rowan. His job is to guide the dead through their final moments as they cross the river. It is a duty and a curse, and on top of that, his family is hated by every other on the island.
Each family holds a unique power - be it shifting their skins, a kind of vampirism, witch craft -- and the community grows smaller and weaker as the young men and women leave the Island. There are centuries of distrust and hatred between the families, so when strange cult-like deaths start happening on the island, fingers are pointed.
Enter Ash and their mother. Ash's mother is returning to the island with Ash's grandfather, in part to escape the physical abuse that has left them with a damaged shoulder. The family is drawn into the murders. Ash's mom is a police officer, and Rowan becomes the primary suspect. After all, he knows far too much about each and every death -- details only a killer would know.
Or a deathwalker.
By the Blood of Rowans was a rich, dark, atmospheric read filled with magic, with a queer/nonbinary love story. It takes a hard look at what family means, and when you have to stop trusting in blood.
Rowan must die over and over -- suffering through the death of every person on his island -- that is what it means to be the Rowan. His job is to guide the dead through their final moments as they cross the river. It is a duty and a curse, and on top of that, his family is hated by every other on the island.
Each family holds a unique power - be it shifting their skins, a kind of vampirism, witch craft -- and the community grows smaller and weaker as the young men and women leave the Island. There are centuries of distrust and hatred between the families, so when strange cult-like deaths start happening on the island, fingers are pointed.
Enter Ash and their mother. Ash's mother is returning to the island with Ash's grandfather, in part to escape the physical abuse that has left them with a damaged shoulder. The family is drawn into the murders. Ash's mom is a police officer, and Rowan becomes the primary suspect. After all, he knows far too much about each and every death -- details only a killer would know.
Or a deathwalker.
By the Blood of Rowans was a rich, dark, atmospheric read filled with magic, with a queer/nonbinary love story. It takes a hard look at what family means, and when you have to stop trusting in blood.
October 16, 2021
An artist I follow designed this cover and that’s how I discovered this GEM. If you want non binary and ace representation in a spooky, weirdly supernatural setting LOOK NO FURTHER.
Ash moves to a mysterious, magical island with his mom and grandfather where he meets Rowan. Rowan ferries the souls from the island to the afterlife. Ash doesn’t know this yet, though they’re intrigued by this sweet, mysterious boy who doesn’t pry and doesn’t give pity.
Caught up in founding family feuds and their own personal troubles, Ash also becomes involved in a string of murders that start happening on the island and their mom, a police officer, investigates them.
When all evidence points to Rowan as the murderer, Ash will stop at nothing to prove his innocence.
I loved this book SO much. It was easy to read, I liked how weird it was, the lore and scary aspects. The character’s traumas were so heartbreaking and infuriating but they really put up a fight. I LOVED ASH. So fiesty with the mouth of a sailor. Rowan was so intrigued and fascinated by this island stranger. Their friendship slow burn was so sweet.
Ash moves to a mysterious, magical island with his mom and grandfather where he meets Rowan. Rowan ferries the souls from the island to the afterlife. Ash doesn’t know this yet, though they’re intrigued by this sweet, mysterious boy who doesn’t pry and doesn’t give pity.
Caught up in founding family feuds and their own personal troubles, Ash also becomes involved in a string of murders that start happening on the island and their mom, a police officer, investigates them.
When all evidence points to Rowan as the murderer, Ash will stop at nothing to prove his innocence.
I loved this book SO much. It was easy to read, I liked how weird it was, the lore and scary aspects. The character’s traumas were so heartbreaking and infuriating but they really put up a fight. I LOVED ASH. So fiesty with the mouth of a sailor. Rowan was so intrigued and fascinated by this island stranger. Their friendship slow burn was so sweet.
July 28, 2021
I beta-read this queer af gem back in 2018, and soon you guys can read it too! :D
April 3, 2023
I read this book as part of the #transrightsreadathon and it was phenomenal. It's YA fantasy that borders a little on horror. The main character Rowan is a deathwalker, whenever someone dies on the isle of Inisliath he basically dies with them so he can ferry their souls to the other side.
His sisters are witches, and the members of 3 other clans in town also have different powers but they aren't as strong as his family so they're resented and turned into outcasts.
Thanks to his powers he knows that someone is ritualistically murdering people on the island, unfortunately for him the new detective in town thinks it's him. The plot twist at the end ••
His sisters are witches, and the members of 3 other clans in town also have different powers but they aren't as strong as his family so they're resented and turned into outcasts.
Thanks to his powers he knows that someone is ritualistically murdering people on the island, unfortunately for him the new detective in town thinks it's him. The plot twist at the end ••
March 12, 2022
By the Blood of Rowans was eerie and lovely and fairly dark, and wow I wanted to push most of the characters off a cliff (not the MCs, who are sweethearts, but…pretty much everybody else). For a murder-mystery it wasn’t very investigative, which I appreciated because murder mysteries are not actually my thing; instead it’s quite…introspective might be the word? It felt slow and quiet, even though it’s packed full of so many different flavours of hate. I did think a few things came together a bit too neatly, but the twist-reveal of the motive for the murders was excellent, and I really did like the relationship between Ash and Rowan.
Ash’s sperm-donor still needs to be pushed off a cliff, though.
It’s more than enough to make me extremely excited for Rooyen’s upcoming Finnish magic school book, My Name Is Magic, which I literally cannot wait for. !!!
Ash’s sperm-donor still needs to be pushed off a cliff, though.
It’s more than enough to make me extremely excited for Rooyen’s upcoming Finnish magic school book, My Name Is Magic, which I literally cannot wait for. !!!
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July 22, 2021Can't rate 'cos I edited, but I absolutely adore the everliving hell out of this book. It's very Gaimanesque, and it was an absolute pleasure to work on.
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April 11, 2023Please note this book is rather dark. CW: death, murder, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, child abuse
July 1, 2025
4.75 stars
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews