Hello, again book lovers! Today I have another review for you but as usual, I like to start by giving some personal updates. If you would rather not read these, feel free to scroll down but just know I’ll be a little sad.
The first update…my VIP BookCon Badge is officially activated! I am so beyond excited, there are no words to express my excitement. I am most looking forward to meeting Cassandra Clare…if I can get autograph tickets. I was a little upset when I saw that she is not allowing selfies or photos…I really wanted one with her. I had it all planned out, I was going to bring my Will plushie and since we are both named Cassandra we were going to take a photo with will in the middle! It would be so cute right?! My heart broke a little when I read that.
I am starting to plan my days at BookCon…well I will be this week. There are so many things I want to see and all the booths!!!! I will post my before Bookcon packing list and then once I’m home I will post all about my trip and what I will do differently next year. I plan on going to BookExpo next year as well. So starting next year, I will be going to both!
Our chickens are getting bigger and let me reassure you that despite how much they poop, they are adorable still. I will put up some photos soon on Twitter. I also need to take more Instagram photos but life has been crazy busy. Saturday night my older son and I camped in a tent in the back yard to fulfill a cub scout requirement. It was fun and he even told me a scary story but ended up scaring himself.
Enough about my life, let’s get to why we are all here today. Let’s talk about Bloodwitch!
Bloodwitch (The Maeve’ra Trilogy #1)
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published: May 13th, 2014 (first January 1st, 2014)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Length: 288 Pages
Genre: Fantasy (YA), Paranormal
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book from the author or publisher in exchange for an honest review
Vance Ehecatl was raised with every luxury he could imagine in a beautiful greenhouse within the powerful empire of Midnight. Vampires are the only guardians Vance has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family as a baby quetzal, and he is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs. When an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered home, he is startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.
Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn’t know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can’t believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust—the vampires he’s always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.
Looking at this cover, I wasn’t sure what to really expect. It gave me a dark eerie feeling which fits some parts of the story well. The feather we see here is that of a Quetzal which you will learn more about as you read. The trees and thorns make me feel trapped but the flowing leaves make me think of flying free. I really actually enjoy the cover and the story within it.
I was a little confused when starting this book. I was not aware this author had previous works that really bring the reader up to date. I think I might have to look into her later work. That fact aside, I did enjoy the overall concept of the book. The characters were nice but I felt that I was missing much of their back story. Vampires!! Cool right, well sort of. For me, they fell a little flat. I wanted so much more from them. I just felt that so much of the story was unclear and this all might just be because I have never read the earlier books that really have a lot fo the world building and history of the world.
This story is interesting and I did like how it followed the main character really coming into their own and realizing that he truly has realized what his past life was. That being said, I will leave this at a three-star rating as I did enjoy some parts of it and I don’t think it is really the fault of the book. I think it should be noted to readers that this is a continuation on a series that should be read first. Unlike the shadowhunter world, you cannot read these out of order. So, if you have not yet read this author’s previous works, I recommend doing it before you pick up this book. You might avoid some of the confusion many of us who hadn’t found.
Would you read this novel? Buy it or borrow it? If you have read it, what did you think? Have you ever picked up a book and later realized it was a part of a series or one that branched off another and felt confused? Which book was that?
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This is a new book to me. Thanks for the review and information!