Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Blood Shadows: Blackthorn Book One (Volume 1)

Blood Shadows: Blackthorn Book One (Volume 1)
miz-firefly avatar reviewed on + 112 more book reviews


This is going to be a feast for the right reader. Someone who wants an angsty read, heavy on melodrama with bold characters and plenty of steam. I tried to get into this book but just could not.

Blood Shadows has everything I could want in a story; tragedy, pathos, betrayal. I should have loved it, and could not get past the opening chapters because it is TOO MUCH intensity. In everything -- from every one. Almost every sentence feels like it needs exclamation marks.

The beautiful young heroine has endured tragedy and is now in a position to make the responsible parties pay. And gifted with special abilities, is uniquely qualified to get the answers she craves. But you know what? She's too young. Too universally respected. Too reckless. And too stubborn to listen to anyone else. And grown assed men twice her age let her get away with that shit cause, well aside from the author wanting it that way I don't actually know why.

Yes she is uniquely gifted, but veteran cops don't cut the young turks any slack. Especially if they are gifted. If anything they have to work harder for their props. But minutes after disobeying a direct order and, endangering the whole crew of agents she couldn't possibly wait for because she had to nail her suspect Right Now Dammit, she is given a vital role in a momentous case.

Oi. Give me strength.

She didn't get her man btw. He disarmed her in less than 0.2 seconds. Gave her some Very Interesting Memories (made me jealous) and vanished before backup arrive. Special abilities without the Krav Maga to back it up leaves Little Miss All That pretty vulnerable. But that's OK because he walks into the station less than an hour later. And things proceed to get interesting.

Clearly there will be all manner of secrets revealed, motives unearthed and if I'm reading the vibe correctly, major sparkage between the two major characters. I really want to get to know the anti-hero, Kane. He looks promising (and by promising, I mean HOT) But I don't have the patience or the energy for this chick. I'll try this one again next year.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion. #bloodshadows#netgalley