Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 01/03/2024
Published by: HarperVoyager
ISBN: B0BWZL38K9
Cover:
I love this epic illustration of Ikenna and her crew! The illustration and red background also nicely hint at the brutal storyline and world.
Writing:
Rich descriptions and a smooth, casual writing style brought this story to life and made it easy to immerse in. The world-building was also skilfully expanded and delivered without any glaring information dump, making it more engaging than the previous book. My only issue was that the extensive details of Ikenna’s emotions and internal conflicts made the narrative somewhat repetitive.
Aging and wisdom go hand in hand.
Storyline:
Like the previous book, an opening burst of action quickly pulled me in and established the upcoming battles. Past events were simply recapped as needed, allowing a fast-paced and action-packed storyline to unfold. Despite some very convenient plot devices, I fully enjoyed the high stakes, themes (genocide, racism and elitism) and character dynamics, which made the storyline well-paced and hard to put down.
Main character(s):
I refuse to let fear dictate my life or the decisions I make with it. I’ve never lived that way before and I’m not about to start now.
Secondary characters:
The dynamics and banter between Ikenna’s blood-thirsty crew made them entertaining, but I needed their characters to have more focus and depth in order to be invested in them. Several other characters (old and new) were smoothly used to drive the expanded scope and complexity of the storyline.
Romance:
The attraction between Ikenna and a certain character grows into strong feelings that are told far more than shown. While this did little to make this aspect of the story more convincing, the characters are given more interactions (beyond long, graphic sex scenes) and cute moments that made me root for them.
I don’t like being insulted. I think too highly of myself to put up with it.
Narration & Audio:
Jeannette Illidge gives a flawless narration with natural vocal inflexions for the sassy and emotive narrative. I also loved the different character voices used as these helped enrich the story.
Ultimately, despite my minor complaints, I really enjoyed ‘The Blood Gift‘ and struggled to put down the fast-paced, action-packed story. A similar brutal fantasy to check out if you enjoyed this is Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye.
Do you agree or disagree with anything mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below.
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