With Fire in Their Blood is such a unique supernatural romance with great Gothic and dystopian elements. The story follows Lilly, who begrudgingly moves with her father to Castello, a small and isolated city in Italy, and discovers that Castello holds many secrets. It’s divided into two clans kept apart by a leader called The General. As she learns more about the past, the present, Castello, and its inhabitants, Lilly realizes that everything she knew about herself was a lie.
The magic system, world-building, and dystopian elements are on point in this book. Everything is layered and developed, and the imagery and personification used really bring the setting and characters to life. The magic system is layered, complex, and intriguing, but I did find it a bit dense and confusing at times. That being said, I feel like the next book will offer some clarity for those few instances.
The tone is great – dark and eerie with an air of mystery. The story includes an isolated city shrouded in secrets, eerie mists and decaying structures, enigmatic characters, disturbing nightmares, and more, which really highlight the Gothic vibes. The author’s writing style and the way they use personification and sensory language also add to the Gothic tone. The dystopian elements are also strong, especially the excessive control and corruptive power of those in charge, the rigid rules which keep the citizens uninformed, isolated, and without a voice, and a protagonist who defies all obstacles and fights for freedom.
The plot is really interesting and includes some great twists and turns, most of which I didn’t predict. I like when books take you in different directions than you expect, and this book did that on more than one occasion. The major characters are dynamic and layered, and interesting, and I want to know more about the people Lilly encounters. Liza, Nico, and Christian are three characters that Lilly befriends, and I found them all intriguing with strong and distinct voices and character arcs. There are also possible romances that I have a feeling will be explored more in future books in the series. It will be interesting to see how some of these relationships will grow and change as the story progresses. Unfortunately, as secrets and more shocking revelations are revealed, it becomes clear that Lilly doesn’t know who to trust.
I enjoyed this read. It was unique and entertaining, and I enjoyed the author’s writing style. I would definitely recommend it to readers of dark YA fantasy with Gothic vibes. Thanks so much to NetGalley, The Write Reads, and Penguin for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.