Review of Blood Shadows by Lindsay J. Pryor

Hey everybody! It's time for this book to get back in the spotlight. I hosted a book tour for it here a few days ago, but I hadn't finished reading it by the time the tour came around here. Yeah.... But it did just finish it a little while ago, so now I can actually finish the review I started for the tour.

Make sure that you do end up checking out the tour post to see an interview with the author and to read the first three chapter of the novel for free!

For vengeance - would you trust a vampire?

For justice - could you betray your family?

For love - are you ready to question everything you believe in?

Gifted with the ability to read the shadows of 'third species' beings, Caitlin Parish is the Vampire Control Unit's most powerful agent. Despite that, her mission to hunt down Kane Malloy - a master vampire - comes with a death wish. Many have tried, but few have survived.

For Caitlin, tracking Kane is about more than just professional reputation. With her parents both mysteriously killed 7 years apart to the day, Caitlin knows that without Kane's help she is next.

She has four days to make a deal with the wicked, the irresistible, the treacherous Kane Malloy. The vampire who despises everything she stands for. Or die.

***

Just give me a moment, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that this is only Lindsay J. Pryor's debut novel. I know she said that she's been writing unprofessionally for years, but still. Wow.

First off, I absolutely adore the world she's put into place here. Everything is so well formed with its own history and culture that it really feels like I'm living in Blackthorn whenever I'm reading. Every character has a story to tell (or not to tell if they have anything to say about it, ehem, Kane....), and I love to hear from them all.
 
The things about Blood Shadows that I've appreciated the most so far is how invested the author gets into the little details. She won't just skim over the minor plot points and give a little summary that says this and this and this happened but that it doesn't really matter too much.... Of course it matters! If it's not important, then it doesn't need to be in there at all! The little details really do count when you throw yourself into a story, and I'm really glad that they're not forgotten here.

My favorite parts of the novel come more from Kane's perspective, even though I feel like I probably shouldn't like him so much. He's extremely manipulative, devious, and follows his own agenda at all costs, but he's a very interesting character to follow, so I love him anyway. I tried really hard not to like him so much because he's honestly not that nice of a person, but I couldn't help myself. Ask anyone, I never like the "bad boy" type of characters, but Kane got under my skin from the moment he broke into Caitlin's apartment to kidnap her in the middle of the night (see, not nice!) and he's stayed there ever since.

The ending, or at least the part leading up to it.... well, I'm not really sure what I think about it. Yeah, I guess I can understand it, but it didn't really feel like the whole epic showdown that was being led up to throughout the whole novel. I don't think anybody even technically died. And yes, I do have to say technically because there were some slightly nontechnical deaths there for a little bit.

I do have a few questions, and if you haven't read this book yet, this is the time where you tune out. If you have read it, or are just curious about my questions, you can highlight the text for it to show up.

For one, I wasn't exactly so sure about the necessity of a soul. When the soul ripper takes it out, you die, yet Kane was able to remove Caitlin's and she was fine. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the soul ripper steals your astral body too...? I don't know.

My other question is more of a technical detail, but it confused me all the same. I'm assuming that Caitlin's mom was a shadow reader (and I could be totally wrong) because it sounded like it was hereditary and she passed the book along to her. But then Kane said the only way to remove a shadow reader's soul was for them to give it up. Well, her mom died when the soul ripper took hers, and I highly doubt that any of that was willing. 

Just questions, but still, they made me wonder. Overall, they didn't bother me at all. I loved everything in this book, especially because none of the characters were perfect, but still so amazing in their very own way.

Rating: 5 stars

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A copy of the novel was provided for us in exchange for an honest review.