(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
Although this book was the third in a trilogy, I still found it really easy to follow. Tommy was a thoroughly unlikable character, which was somewhat disappointing, because I like there to be at least some redeeming qualities to the bad characters.
The book did have a nice historical feel to it and I felt it was clear how much research the author put into this book and this world. Although I don’t normally read purely historical books, I found this one to be really well-written, with interesting and engaging characters… apart from Tommy, of course. I hated him from his first appearance and didn’t really change that first impression much as the rest of the book went on.
I liked the rest of the family and I did feel sorry for Sadie, even though, to be honest, I felt that she was really quite naive at times. I would have liked to see more of her in the book and what her fate will ultimately be.
One of the really interesting things about this book was that Tommy was such a stark contrast to the rest of his family. It would have been nice to see exactly why he turned out so differently. I felt sorry for his parents and his brother. I’m actually not sure I could blame Joe for being so reluctant to have anything to do with Tommy after a certain point in the book.
It was good to see the appearance of other characters in the book as well, such as Edward and George. There were some elements of pre-knowledge that I wasn’t sure really worked in the book. (And just to clarify – that refers to those moments where the author informs the reader of something that will happen; i.e. this would be her last night alive).
The book was well-written and easy and quick to read, with very few if any errors. I’m not sure I’d read this book again, but I will pass it on to someone I think might enjoy it.
Ink of Blood 