Dirty Blood Review

Date Published: April 28, 2011

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Number of Pages: 288

Publisher:  Accendo Press

First Thoughts:

When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, there’s only been one werewolf series I’ve even remotely liked (Shiver Series) but I was very impressed with this book. It was fun and exciting and had a lot of great plot conflict set ups. I liked the concept and the characters; I was able to easily connect with the main protagonists and follow alongside them. So overall I enjoyed this book and found it filled with plenty of action and suspense.

Plot:

The plot was really good, my attention was caught from the very first chapter and it was a really hard book to put down, the action mixed with suspense and the inner turmoil’s was almost too much at times. There were a few moments where the plot moved slowly and described in more detail of the history and current situations and though I found it necessary I just kind of wanted to skip over and get to the action. Some of the best scenes were the hand to hand combat scenes; they created tension and great imagery, it definitely helped with the pace of the story. There were a lot of sub-plots involved in this book and I really enjoyed that they fit so well with the overall main plot; they helped tie everything together while adding some “flavor” at the same time. I did like the concept but it kind of has the same plot concept, girl discovers something special about herself, finds out she’s even more special and has to save the races…yeah it can get really old after the umpteenth time but this book also added even more to that plot, there were more inner issues and ideas that were created alongside that mundane concept. I didn’t get bored of the plot, so that has to say something; and it just had a lot of great character to it and created a fun and exciting environment to read. And the ending was good too, it wasn’t too intense but it did leave me wanting to read more. So overall I enjoyed the plot and only found a few minor issues with it.

Romance:

There was romance of course in this story and it was so sweet and delicious. And for all of those of you who are sick of romance in YA this may not impress you but do know that the romance isn’t too sappy and doesn’t change the overall focus of the plot or story….there’s more to this book than romance but the romance does may it more yummy and enjoyable to read. So overall I enjoyed the romance and was happy to report no “love Triangles”.

Characters:

Loved them! Some of these characters have so much sass and attitude to them that I would love to put them up against themselves (now that would be a show!!) They seemed realistic enough there’s only so far reality you can go when it deals with the supernatural. And I really was able to connect well with the characters, none of them seemed to push me away or just outright annoy me. As far as the minor characters go they fit very well within the plot/story, they added texture and contributed very well with the overall conflict. So overall I found the characters to be very easy to connect with and added good qualities to the book.

Transformation of the Character:

So there were a few transformations in this book but they weren’t anything big or spectacular, they were more subtle and soft…almost like they were the beginnings of a transformation. And since this is book one of the series I think that there shouldn’t have been any major transformations, a transformation should be gradual not rushed. But if you really pay attention you can see a small transformation but nothing that wasn’t really there to begin with…it was more about discovering who you were and moving forward from there. So overall this wasn’t something that added much to the overall feel of the book.

Description:

I loved the description in this book, especially the fight scenes; they were intense and very well described. The use of colors and brush strokes of the scenery added a more realistic feel to the scenes. The author had a way of describing the scene without boring or overwhelming the reader with mundane imagery. One of the best scenes in this book was ones that involved the scenery outdoors, I could really imagine the scene they were in and able to connect it with the current conflict. And as far as emotion there was some but it was minimal, they’re weren’t really any extreme switches between emotion, just more of adrenaline and a few more subtle emotions. So overall the description was very good, I was able to view this book through my eyes without having any difficulties.

Style:

I like the author’s style, the way she chose to stay in one POV and in first person help keep some of the questions from being answered right away. I liked how she chose to end each chapter, sometimes it was on suspense while others it was with a really strong statement…either way she did a great job with that. Also I liked her writing itself, it had a good quality to it, that allowed me actually enjoying reading the writing itself.

Quote of the Book:

“Kat staggered back and swayed her expression full of disbelief. “You shot me,” she managed… “It hurts doesn’t it?” I said.”

Goodreads Summary:

I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.

Now, all I can do is accept the truths that are staring me in the face. One, Werewolves do exist. And Two, I was born to kill them.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to the YA audience and to anyone who enjoys books about the supernatural. I really enjoyed this book and glad I chose to snatch me a copy. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two “Cold Blood” I just have a hunch that this tale has only just begun and these characters have a ways to go before anyone can settle down.  I enjoyed this author’s writing and will be looking for future writing by her, I can only imagine what she has in store for her readers. It was one action packed story filled with light and dark. This is one book I think you’ll grow to really love.

My Rating: