Excellent writing, interesting mythology, much promise, but the characters have virtually no time to develop as the book is very short with an abrupt ending. I would certainly read more by this author, I just wished she didn't change the covers of this particular book so many times. I loved the boy on the cover, but now he's been replaced by a generic girl in a dress. Not cool. ( )

Originally reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank

I have to hand it to Samantha Young. Again and again she manages to write the most captivating beginnings. It’s easy to get taken and be warned, her stories won’t let you go till you’ve read it all. In this book too there’s a very griping start. With a very creepy memory that made me think of horror movies. And since I’m a scared-y-cat, it left a very deep and horrifying image for the rest of the night. The rest of this story also felt “dark” to me. I just can’t explain it any other way. There were no warm feelings ( or at least a lot of them) or bunnies and the like, only evil beings.

And that I had a bit of a problem with. This is the first time I’ve read a book were the main character is from a race that’s evil to the bone. The Blessed don’t seem to be capable of showing human emotions and they suck the life out of other people. And I had to bond with them? That was a bit hard to process, since me liking a character is based on how he or she behaves. Evil masterminds and such won’t receive much warmth from me. A character should have at least the ability to see what he or she does wrong and try to chance for the better. Otherwise they’ll fall in the “evil masterminds” category. This book however, twisted my conception with Stellen. The best big brother out there. And an evil being. I had a hard time coping with it and in turn this made the story feel even darker and more twisted. Which, to be honest, isn’t really my kind of thing, I prefer more “fluffy” stories ;)

Surprisingly, there was no romance in this story. Not that I felt the book was less because of this, but I just noticed it. Eden has enough to cope with without the whole falling in love thing and kissing would be deadly for the other party! I think Samantha Young reserved it for the next book and look forward to it ^^

The ending was a bit sudden. I know I could have seen it coming with the big showdown and such, but normally you can feel when a writer finishes a story. The pace gradually slows down, things get solved (or not). Anyway, I can usually feel it (or see it when I see how many pages are left ;) ). Not with this one. I still felt I was in the middle of the story, that this book wasn’t finished, there was no mellowing down of the pace. I wasn’t prepared for this story to end and therefore it was so sudden it didn’t satisfy me. I was left with too many questions and loose ends to really feel that this was the end (and yes I know this is a series, but even then there’s usually some kind of ending).

Conclusion

3 HEARTS. It’s a great book to read, but a bit too dark and twisted for me. With all the evil beings who can be good, but are still evil. That was a bit hard to understand. Surprisingly, there’s no romance, but it didn’t feel like there had to be. There’s enough other stuff to worry about. The ending felt a little too sudden and wasn’t satisfying. ( )

A few months ago Blood Past was offered for free on Amazon so I downloaded it even though it was book 2 in The Warriors of Ankh series. Then I was gifted Blood Will Tell from a fanpage on FB and I started reading and was hooked instantly.

Now, I'm not saying it was the best book ever. Eden was very annoying. She made dumb choices and kept stupid things from people but it was regular YA book stuff. Noah was equally annoying but again your everyday run of the mill YA annoying.

The story was good, even the parts that drag read fast enough that I didn't get bored. The story was character lite. Even though there were a lot of them named so few mattered that it didn't get distracting. The start of the book was so far from the end that it made book 2 very needed and also very appealing. Which is awesome. That is how it should be done.

Now on to the story. Eden is torn. She knows she is a monster. Her survival means preying on innocent souls. She does not want to do this but her entire family is pressuring her, including her beloved brother. To make things worse, her best friend, Noah, has awaken a hunger in her so strong it is damn near impossible to resist. It is not the romantic hunger but one that would leave him dead if she gave in and oh how she wants to give in... Trying to save both their souls she does the only thing possible, pushes him away as she gives into the pressures of her Tyrannical father, unfeeling mother and her sociopath of a cousin who is also her betrothed? Yuck.

Noah is keeping a secret from Eden. A secret that feels like betrayal. A secret that ends with a death. How can Eden be helped by people she can't trust?

Sounds all twisty turny right? It is. And I loved every moment of it. ( )

There is a very funny story as to why I bought this book. I was on my phone with my blogger friend, Trini from A Book Lovers Review along with Damaris from Good Choice Reading, were trying to get me to buy a book they recommended. Trini yelled," NO Savannah! Buy Slammed, you'll love it." And then Dee was like," NO! Buy Blood Will Tell." Because these wonderful ladies crack me up, I gave in and bought both. In the end, Dee won and I decided to read Blood Will Tell first. FYI: I made Trini sad. LOL!

Onward with the review, my verdict. Holy freaking crap! Why hadn't I read this book sooner. And thank you Dee for yelling at me to read it first! Geez, I zoomed through this book. It was raw, dark, gritty and dangerously addicting. At the end, I sat there amazed, then quickly got back on to phone to report my status to Dee. She squealed with delight. And suffice to say Ms. Young gained a new fan! For one thing, I like a dark plot. Mixed in with what is right and what is wrong, you always have a choice. Just liked Eden.She knew who she wanted to be, it was up to her to get there. But with so many voices and people telling you who you are and who to be, how do you know who to trust and what do to. Take it from me when I say, HELL TO THE YEAH, this book ROCKED!

The love interest is right on target as well as forbidden. Forbidded love, don't you just love it. You can't be together, yet you steals moments just to gaze into each other eyes. Not to mention, prophecies in the wake, your time is ticking. I loved this love. I can't wait to read the next book and to see where it goes.

Blood Will Tell is an amazing story. Raw and out of the box, the energy flowing from the story accelerated the reader into a world of war and death. A well-crafted dark story that leaves the reader utterly speechless, Blood Will Tell knocks you off your feet! ( )

Fantastic! This was a supernatural young adult novel without an obvious romantic side story which was a surprisingly refreshing change of pace. The story was focused on the difficulties the main character was undergoing in trying to figure out who she really is...and what she really is. I really can't say enough good things about this book. It was a page turner. You're drawn into really caring about the characters and the mythological backdrop was so intriguing. Not to mention, the author just really has a way with putting you in the midst of the scenes. Loved it! ( )