Thanátou (The Blood Witch Saga Book 1) by Natalie J Case is the story of Thaná Archer, a thirty-year-old midlevel corporate manager who discovers that men in black suits are targeting her. Do they have the wrong person? She grew up in the foster system and now wants a quiet life of going to work and having an everyday life. She receives a wooden box filled with photos and notes to remind her of who and what she is. Merry comes into her life to guide her to a house left to her by her parents – the ones she cannot remember. At her home in California, she discovers a portal to another world protected by Cam, an incubus. When the Brotherhood finally traces her to the house, she must flee to the other world for her safety. Let’s not forget her father, whose ghost tells her to find her mother. What follows is a journey to the one place where Blood Witches such as Thaná are executed, to rescue her mother and bring her home.

Thanátou by Natalie J Case is an urban fantasy that stretches over two worlds and is filled with magic and magical creatures. The story starts at a slow pace but gradually builds up to where the characters have to flee for their lives. Thaná must learn to trust people she does not know to do what is best for her when she needs help. The main themes are abandonment and the stigma that stays with foster children. Other themes are persecution and prejudice, as well as religious fanaticism and hatred that leads to the elimination of a race or, in this case, the Blood Witches. There are sexual situations that are not graphic and some mild swearing.

Natalie J Case's Thanátou is the first installment in The Blood Witch Saga. And what a spellbinding beginning it is! Thána Archer had made peace with the fact that her parents had abandoned her when she was only seven years old. Though she was still angry, she had accepted this truth. So, when strangers began approaching her with tales of her family and her identity as a Blood Witch, more than mere annoyance filled her. She was a thirty-five-year-old woman who had never even entertained the possibility of magic being real, and now these strangers were trying to convince her that she had magic flowing in her veins. The very idea was preposterous for her. However, when assassins began targeting her, she had to not only entertain that possibility but also educate herself to learn more about her true identity.

Thanátou is more than just a fantasy novel. If you read between the lines, you can read the frustration the author has about the many prejudices that bleed our earth dry. Behind the masks of the Brotherhood, the fanatics who were brutally assassinating Blood Witches, we see a glimpse of every extremist who murders people in the name of religion, caste, beliefs, or just about anything. As for storytelling, Natalie J Case excels in creating an atmosphere of fear, hope, and magic. Bound by realistic events, just when the audience forgets that this is fantasy fiction, a sudden burst of magic reminds them of the genre and fills them with a surge of excitement. Thanátou by Natalie J Case is full of gripping action, supernatural delight, and entertaining twists. A highly recommended read!