Red Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Title: Red Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Publisher: Orbit

Rating: 3/5

Amanda Carlson returns with Red Blooded, the four novel in the Jessica McClain series. I have been away from reviewing for a while, due to university work and dissertation writing, so it was great to get back into the swing of things with another action packed read from Carlson.

We are dropped straight into the action with Jessica being transported straight to…Hell. In the literal sense. As fan’s will remember, Jessica’s brother, Tyler, was kidnapped by the Prince of Hell at the end of the last installment, Cold Blooded, and of course Jess is heading straight there to get him back. Things don’t got to plan and she winds up there alone, unarmed and unprepared. Jess’s reluctance is more than just not wanting to enter the Underworld, but she knows that her Fate is in some way linked to her presence in Hell. However, she must take the risk if she wants to see her brother again.

Ninety-percent of Red Blooded takes place in the Underworld, and luckily it is a very interesting setting, with no end of problems for our heroine. She meets some interesting characters along the way, some more mysterious than others, and there are plenty of plot twists to keep readers satisfied.

Carlson’s energetic writing is spot on as always, and as a result this can be a quick read. Once you get stuck into this series, you will be hard pressed not to finish this novel in only a few sittings, which was also the case with the first three books.

That’s not to say this book is perfect; I did have a few niggles it. Mainly, the absence of of the usual characters. Of course, this is due to the fact that because the entire novel takes place in the Underworld, there is no contact with Jess’s pack, or anyone back in her world. Secondly, there is little interaction between Jessica and Rourke. Although he does follow Jess into Hell, and is the only other character who features in the novel almost as much as Jess, I still felt there was a lack of dialogue between the two compared to the pervious instalments.

Having said that, there are some massive plot developments towards the end and the series takes an unexpected turn. Luckily, the next book is out in June, because there are plenty of cliffhangers to keep fans eager for book five.