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.

FIRST LOOK: Omens by Kelley Armstrong

For anyone who isn’t familiar with my book reviews, or has never read anything I’ve ever written (because, let’s face it, I mention it quite a lot!) I am a massive Kelley Armstrong fan, so jumped at the chance to review Omens. It’s been a few months now since Armstrong wrapped up her majorly successful Women of the Otherworld series with Thirteen, so it’s a big step to start a whole new series without having the Otherworld series as a backup.

Back to the point at hand, Omens is the first book in Armstrong’s new series, Omens and Shadows. Olivia Jones is going about her privileged life as if its any other day, attending a charity event with her fiancé, voluntarily helping out the less fortunate than herself, little does she know her life as she knows it is about to be blown apart when her Mother reveals some information about her birth.

When Olivia discovers that she was adopted, she thinks things couldn’t get any worse…until she finds out just who her biological parent are. Notorious serial killers. Both still alive, in prison. The wider population seeks revenge for the cruel acts her parents committed, and Olivia finds herself in immediate danger.

Running for her life, she realises that when she needs her friends and family the most, they are no help to her at all when they learn who her birth parent are. After all, who would truly trust the product of two people that committed such vicious and violent acts on another human being?

Armstrong’s characterization is, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever come across. Within a single scene she is able to establish a characters traits and characteristics, and her writing style makes me actually like half the characters (usually it takes me a while to like even a few in a series). Olivia isn’t the spoilt little rich girl everyone assumes her to be; in fact, she is far from it. When she becomes the center of the media’s attention, she going into hiding in the small town of Cainsville where she is determined to live a normal life, free from all the perks money as offered her. She gets a job, finds an apartment and tries to figure out what to do.

Kelley Armstrong

Further into the novel we are introduced to Gabriel Walsh, successful lawyer and possible suitor for Olivia. He is as you would expect, if you are familiar with Armstrong’s previous male characters in other novels; a strongly masculine man, complete with the arrogance that comes with the territory. Overall, Gabriel is an interesting character that adds another dimension to the novel; I admit, I’m intrigued to see what will happened between him and Olivia in the following books.

 

Armstrong’s previous novels have all had a supernatural element to them, and Omens is no exception. Being the first book in a new series, things get off to a slow start on the supernatural front, but there are plenty of clues and indications here and there, and the next book should have a few treats in store for readers.

So, an interesting start to a brilliant new series, Kelley Armstrong is back doing what she does best, writing A-class bestsellers. The second book in the Cainsville’s series is scheduled for release in early 2014; until then, we will just have to be content to with Armstrong’s next release, Wild Justice, third in the Nadia Stafford series, which I cannot wait to read! 

You can purchase Omens here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Omens-Cainsville-Trilogy-Kelley-Armstrong/dp/184744511X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376505141&sr=8-1&keywords=omens 

Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

Please note, this review includes spoilers if you haven’t read the first book…

Talulla Rising is the second book in Glen Duncan’s excellent Last Werewolf series; the first being, not surprisingly, The Last Werewolf. We pick up where The Last Werewolf left off, without our hero Jake, who sadly died in the first novel, leaving his girlfriend, Talulla Demetriou, pregnant and alone.

Now, as you might imagine, if you haven’t read the first book, this one will make just about no sense, and you won’t fully appreciate how good the series is. There are a few months missing between where the first book ended and the second begins, so you might want to refresh your memory with how The Last Werewolf finished off.

With the absence of Jake, the storyline seems to start a little flat; I found it hard to warm up to Talulla as our new heroine straight away (however I did warm up to her a few chapters in). Having said that, the presence of Jake is not forgotten; Talulla often reads extracts from his journals, and recounts memories that she had with him, and in a way this is enough. He left his mark on the series, in more ways than one. Talulla is pregnant with his child (which we learn early on is actually twins) and being one of few werewolves in existence, this is no small matter. Of course, there are a lot of people that would love to get their hands on the children, if not Talulla herself.

As with the first book, Duncan’s writing never holds back, in both strong language and brutal honesty. Rather than deterring some readers, I think the audience appreciates things being told as they are, and not romanticized or sugarcoated in any way. The fact that this realism occurs in such an obviously unrealistic and fictional story makes it all the more believable and readable.

There are a few new characters introduced, some much more intriguing than others. Judging by the ending of this installment in the trilogy, we’ll have to wait for book three to get our questions answered. An amazing second book in the Last Werewolf trilogy, an easily consumable book, and more of a supernatural horror than some of the half-hearted attempts currently on the market; if you want a good horror to get your teeth stuck into, this is the series for you.

A strong 4/5 overall.