(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
After so many books with vampires, angels, demons, fairies… it was a refreshing change to read a book about an entirely unique race.
I found Layla to be a character I could easily relate to. There were times she amused me, but also times I felt somewhat emotional on her behalf. And I could certainly empathise with her love of reading and creating her own stories.
I liked reading about Layla’s relationship with her aunt and mother. It was interesting to see how the three of them handled the constant moving around they had to do and about the personality quirks each of them had.
I thought it was really good that the paranormal aspects didn’t hit me over the head straight away. That gave me a chance to get to know the characters before everything started happening.
I thought that the romance in this book was one that worked really well. I felt that Tristan and Layla had real chemistry between them and it was good to see that Layla didn’t suddenly drop her family for the guy she liked.
I very much liked Pyke as a character by the end of this book, as well as his sister. I enjoyed reading their interactions and I would have liked to see more of them. I felt that they both had a lot more depth to them and it would have been good to learn more about their pasts… Tristan’s, too, especially with what was revealed about his brother.
I also thought it was really good to see how, although Layla’s heritage was important, it didn’t define her character; and it was good to see that she wasn’t perfect when it came to trying to adapt the skills she was being taught.
I would have liked to see more of Cora’s tactical abilities. It was disappointing to only really see that towards the end of the book. It would have also been good to have glimpses of what drove the opposing side.
It was good to see scientific explanations for the race and their abilities. I felt it was obvious just how much work had gone into building this world.
If there are other books set in this world, I’d probably read them in the future. I’d like to see more of the characters and their relationships with each other.
Ink of Blood 