I loved the update, too. Was better at the release though, more challenging. Personal preference and an unpopular opinion.

Blood magic is plenty powerful. Depends how you use it. Melee skeletons are great cannon fodder. Using them to distract enemies while I kill. Ranged ones make for a great meadows base defence.
The shield protects you from several weak attacks or one strong attack, no matter how strong it is. You can get ambushed by a 2-star seeker, get hit, survive and not even get staggered. The best thing is - you can apply it to allies.