Helpful Score: 1
Grade B
Demon Blood is the 6th book in Meljean Brook's Guardian Series. Deacon is a vampire out for revenge after having lost his people and was cruelly tortured by Demons. Rosalia sees an opportunity to help Deacon with his revenge that will also benefit the guardians as well. Laying out a complicated plan, with Deacon the key player, Rosalia hopes to tip the tables between the battle of good and evil.
I am probably simplifying the plot with the above summary. If any readers have read Meljean Brooks before they are aware of the complexity of her plots and Demon Blood is no exception. Rosalia concocts a crazy hare-brained scheme to wipe out most of the Demons in existence. To make the plan work she must convince Deacon to help her. She has long loved Deacon from afar for many centuries and has been afraid to reveal her feelings for him. Deacon is a shell of who he once was and feels unworthy of life let alone someone's love and devotion. The fact that in Deacon's eyes Rosalia is beautiful inside and out he can't possibly fathom why she would want to be with him.
For the most part I really liked Deacon and Rosalia. Rosalia comes across as very motherly. It was interesting to see her show a fierce protector side and yet a vulnerable and caring side too. It did bother me that she held back so much of feelings from Deacon for such a long time. It felt cowardly at times and her character seemed much braver than that. Deacon was very broken at the beginning of the story and he needed to forgive himself and allow him to heal. Much of the book is about him doing just that. Although, I did feel that the ending which resolved the issue between him and Rosalia was too abrupt for my taste. It felt a little rushed. All in all, this was a fine addition to this wonderful series.
Demon Blood is the 6th book in Meljean Brook's Guardian Series. Deacon is a vampire out for revenge after having lost his people and was cruelly tortured by Demons. Rosalia sees an opportunity to help Deacon with his revenge that will also benefit the guardians as well. Laying out a complicated plan, with Deacon the key player, Rosalia hopes to tip the tables between the battle of good and evil.
I am probably simplifying the plot with the above summary. If any readers have read Meljean Brooks before they are aware of the complexity of her plots and Demon Blood is no exception. Rosalia concocts a crazy hare-brained scheme to wipe out most of the Demons in existence. To make the plan work she must convince Deacon to help her. She has long loved Deacon from afar for many centuries and has been afraid to reveal her feelings for him. Deacon is a shell of who he once was and feels unworthy of life let alone someone's love and devotion. The fact that in Deacon's eyes Rosalia is beautiful inside and out he can't possibly fathom why she would want to be with him.
For the most part I really liked Deacon and Rosalia. Rosalia comes across as very motherly. It was interesting to see her show a fierce protector side and yet a vulnerable and caring side too. It did bother me that she held back so much of feelings from Deacon for such a long time. It felt cowardly at times and her character seemed much braver than that. Deacon was very broken at the beginning of the story and he needed to forgive himself and allow him to heal. Much of the book is about him doing just that. Although, I did feel that the ending which resolved the issue between him and Rosalia was too abrupt for my taste. It felt a little rushed. All in all, this was a fine addition to this wonderful series.
Helpful Score: 1
I always look forward to new additions to Meljean Brook's Guardian series (which don't come out frequently enough for me). They are very engaging overall and well thought out. But, for me, this edition was a little boring. I suppose after the trips to Hell, revelations about Michael's past, and peeks at romance to come for the Doyen in Demon Forged, I just wasn't interested in Rosalia and Deacon as a romance worthy of a full-length novel. I read the book fairly quickly for hints of other characters and because Brook is a good writer even when I don't like the main characters as much as previous ones. But this was one of my least favorite stories in the series so far (along with Demon Night and Demon Moon). Actually, nothing compares to the first novel, Demon Angel, or the fourth novel, Demon Bound. (I seem to really like half of the Guardian books and feel meh toward the other half.) Demon Blood was interesting in how it affected the overall arcing plot, but other than that it just lacked the oomph of previous books. Rosalia kind of grew on me but she's not the kickass heroine we are used to seeing in the other books and the plot to annihilate the nephilim didn't seem as fraught with danger as it perhaps should have. Brook is one of those authors who usually has my heart pumping with adrenaline from the crazy situations she puts her characters into. This time, however, I was barely keeping myself focused on the plot and not letting my attention wander to other characters and what might happen to them in following books.
So, as far as continuity and good writing goes, Demon Blood gets 4 stars from me. But because it just lacked that little bit of je ne sais quoi I'm accustomed to getting from Brook, I give it an overall 3.5 stars. Still definitely worth reading, just not as exciting or intriguing as the previous two books. It seems to me more like a book designed to tie up loose ends from previous novels--necessary housecleaning--to make way for new plots and characters to come.
But, I did love this little dig at a popular vampire series: "Sunset was only thirty minutes gone when some pissant vampire waylaid Deacon on his way to Theriaults. One of those younger shits who wrote poetry to Mother Darkness and thought becoming a vampire would make him sparkle."
So, as far as continuity and good writing goes, Demon Blood gets 4 stars from me. But because it just lacked that little bit of je ne sais quoi I'm accustomed to getting from Brook, I give it an overall 3.5 stars. Still definitely worth reading, just not as exciting or intriguing as the previous two books. It seems to me more like a book designed to tie up loose ends from previous novels--necessary housecleaning--to make way for new plots and characters to come.
But, I did love this little dig at a popular vampire series: "Sunset was only thirty minutes gone when some pissant vampire waylaid Deacon on his way to Theriaults. One of those younger shits who wrote poetry to Mother Darkness and thought becoming a vampire would make him sparkle."
