Book Review: Blood ARC

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Egmontusa (27 Sep 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 160684220X
• ISBN-13: 978-1606842201

From the first page, Blood puts you in the centre of a modern gothic story, starting during the horror of the witching-burning era, the story travelling back centuries rather than mere decades.

The character of Will – short for William, Earl of Mercia, leads us through the book, from his time as a human during the witch trials, leading up to his agonising plight in the present day. Will is a classical vampire character, and refreshingly so. With immense powers but also the usual vulnerabilities, he is more akin to Bram Stoker’s Dracula than modern day vampires.

When Will wakes in a brand new millennia, he finds more than the world changed. With nothing but loneliness and bitter self hatred to keep his thoughts occupied in the past, he is more than surprised when events are set in motion that will change his path forever.

Certain twists of fate lead him to equally lonely and troubled Eloise, a pretty girl living rough. Together, Will and Eloise try to unravel the complicated details of Will’s destiny, which is irrevocably linked with Eloise.

The mystery of the book was complex, though not so much that it distracted from the story. Action and suspense hitched with every page, the budding and sweet romance between Will and Eloise a perfect breather from the tension. Uncertainty and fear play a large role in the book, with a malevolent force stalking Will’s steps, making him unsure who to trust.

At times Blood felt like a gothic horror, at others a modern paranormal romance. It is a perfect blend of the two, creating one, sure to be popular, YA book.