Blog Tour: Review: Black Veins by Ashia Monet

It has been so long since I read any Urban Fantasy and I can’t think of a better book to kick start this new spree than The Black Veins. The world building is fabulous, the characters take root in your heart, and the story will captivate you. And it’s only the beginning!

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Blythe is one of seven Guardians: magicians powerful enough to cause worldwide panic with a snap of their fingers. But Blythe spends her days pouring latte art at her family’s coffee shop, so why should she care about having apocalyptic abilities?

She’s given a reason when magician anarchists crash into said coffee shop and kidnap her family.

Heartbroken but determined, Blythe knows she can’t save them alone. A war is brewing between two magician governments and tensions are too high. So, she packs up her family’s bright yellow Volkswagen, puts on a playlist, and embarks on a road trip across the United States to enlist the help of six strangers whose abilities are unparalleled—the other Guardians.

Review

(I received this book as part of the blog tour. This has not impacted my review which is honest and unbiased).

The Black Veins is wonderfully descriptive and atmospheric. There’s care and tenderness in every word. At the heart of the story is a quest for family, reconciliation, and recovery. It is a story that features diversity at the forefront with themes of found family and friendship at its core. Once you finish you’ll want to immediately dive into more because Monet will make you care about these characters. You will want to protect them at all costs.

There are bisexual, agender, and trans characters on center stage. But that’s not even scratching the surfaces of the different experiences reflected on the page. Right in the center of the story, we have Blythe on a mission to save her family, but what happens when the strangers around us become something more? When we find our own family in the middle of disaster.

And if we don’t have magic that we haven’t come into yet, we can relate to the feelings of seeing the people we love hurt around us and feeling powerless to stop it, to fix it. To keep the darkness and shadows and pain from those we love. Just like we can relate to the feeling of thinking we are on our own, running from what we love, and feeling unable to let people in. When all we need is help against this force that seems boundless and incomprehensible.

The Black Veins features a plot that will pick you up and transport you to world of magic lying behind our eyes. It will ask us what we are willing to do to save the people we love, innocent lives, and unlikely new friends. The group dynamics will leave your eyes watering from laughter and emotions. It’s a story about sacrifice and compromises, but also transformation and friendship. The family we create, let into our heart, and fight for.

Find The Black Veins on Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indigo | Apple Books

About the Author

Ashia Monet is a speculative fiction author whose work almost always includes found families, diverse ensemble casts, the power of friendship, and equal parts humor and drama. Some of her favorite things are The Adventure Zone, Ariana Grande, and the color pink. You can follow her on Twitter @ashiamonet and Instagram @ashiawrites.

Twitter | Instagram| Dead Magic Series Twitter

The Tour Schedule

11th July

CW @ The Quiet Pond (Introduction + Review)

12th July

Fran @ The Ramblebee (Review + Playlist)

Fadwa @ Word Wonders (Review + Aesthetic)

13th July

Melanie @ Mel to the Any/BookTube (Review only)

Sage @ sageshelves (Review + Discussion Post [Benefits of No Romantic Arc])

14th July

Kate @ Your Tita Kate (Review only)

Vinny @ Artsy Draft (Review + Lockscreen/Wallpapers)

15th July

Lili @ Utopia State of Mind (Review + Hand Lettering)

Noémie @ Tempest of Books (Review + Discussion [‘No Romance’])

16th July

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books (Review only)

Surina @ Book Reviews by the Bloggisters (Review + Author Interview)

17th July

Saoudia @ Recs From Ur Friend (Review + Quiz [Which Guardian Are You?]) 

Gretal @ Books and Breadcrumbs (Review + Discussion [No Romantic Arc]) 

18th July

Kate @ Reading Through Infinity (Review + Author Interview)  

Vanessa @ The Wolf & Books (Review + Moodboard OR Playlist)

Discussion

What is your favorite group cast?

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