| Title | : | The Blood Keeper (The Blood Journals, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0375867341 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780375867347 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published July 5, 2012 |
Wild and confident, Mab uses magic to understand her entire world. But when one of Mab's spells mistakenly taps into a powerful, long-dormant curse, she finds her magic spinning out of control - and crashing right into Will Sanger, a boy from town.
Will has always relied on the logical, tangible things in his life, like his dogs, his soccer team, and even his complicated family. So he tries to dismiss all he sees and feels around Mab. Still, the strangeness and beauty of her magic draw him in.
As Will and Mab grow closer, the unbound curse grows stronger. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, it seeks to manipulate Will and gain Mab's power - even if that means destroying everything they love.
The Blood Keeper (The Blood Journals, #2) Reviews
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BEST.BOOK.EVER! I am not kidding or exaggerating one bit either. Most books I usually say that I loved them but I wish this was different or this annoyed me, but this one is PERFECT. There is not one single thing I would want changed, slowed down, altered, or deleted. The Blood Keeper is pure perfection!
In this one we have Mab who is now the Deacon. She protects her land and helps others like herself in need with her magic. Mab is very curious by nature which makes her an awesome at what she does. When her curiosity drags her to find out why Author, her old mentor, wanted her to get rid of the rose bushes in their yard she unknowingly opens up a whole can of worms that changes her life forever. Will, having lost his brother only a few months ago, is just trying to figure out what he wants to do. Every man in his family has joined the service and he isn't so sure that is the path that he wants to take anymore. Also added to that he is having nightmares about being dragged underwater and all kinds of non pleasant things. Thinking gt has something to do with the day he saved one of his friends lives, he goes back to where it all happened. There is where he meets Mab for the first time and their introduction is nothing short of hilarious and terrifying. This story is filled with action, adventure, romance, passion, magic, and I can't forget blood. I loved how the author chose to describe the magic in this book and show how Mab balanced everything out. Even the simple connection between Mab and Will was described and explained so perfectly. Their romance was beautiful. There was nothing forced and yes they had an instant connection but there is a really good reason why that I can't explain but just trust me it definitely works. Their romance is my top favorite one of all time. Yes I know that is a huge statement and I mean every word.
Mab proves to be one of the toughest characters I have ever read about. She does what needs to be done and doesn't make excuses or whine about it. I was so shocked at her decision at the end and I know that the author never takes the easy way out so I was on pins and needles at the end. I actually was on pins and needles throughout but that ending was killer! Also I have to say that I loved that even though Mab was the outcast girl she didn't get treated like a weirdo. The girls at Will's school didn't make fun of her, they didn't break out in a song and dance about being besties forever upon their first introduction, they welcomed her nicely and opened up the idea of being friends. That is reality. Most new girls don't have besties within the first day and they don't all get teased by the head cheerleader. I loved that the author added that part. Will was the perfect balance to Mab. They complimented each other nicely and like I said above I loved their romance. Will was just your typical guy, he loves his dogs, plays soccer, and is just trying to keep his life together. Mab proves to be the glue he needs and in my eyes they are the perfect couple. Don't think for a second that this book is all romance, there is an enormous storyline here that is told in two different times alternating chapters. The story was just as captivating as the romance and even more so at times.
If you have read my previous review of the first book you already know that I am a huge fan of this world that Tessa Gratton has created. There is just something about it that is intriguing and just captivates me. It is so different from any other magic book I have read. I don't think there is another book planned set in this world but if there ever is one I will definitely be that crazy girl waiting at the door of my book store the day it releases. Tessa Gratton is a brilliant author and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next!
By the way if anyone knows where I can find Crow Memory Please let me know!
This review and more can be found here:
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The Blood Keeper is a dark magical story that takes time and patience to get into, but is well worth the effort. It’s a companion novel to Blood Magic with previous characters showing up, but focused on a whole new cast.
In this story, there are two POVs in the present, Mab and Will, and one from the past, Evie.
Mab is the new Deacon, a leader and guide of the blood witches, after Arthur the previous Deacon passed away. Arthur, Grandma Lyn, Donna and a hodge-podge group living at The Pink House are more of a family to Mab than her own mother, Josephine. Her mother dropped her off there when she was two years-old, only visiting and staying occasionally. We know from Blood Magic, Josephine was busy tracking down and stalking her love, or more accurately, her obsession, Philip. This ended tragically for Josephine, Philip, and his wife. Thankfully, Mab is nothing like her mother, and it really was a blessing in disguise that Arthur and Granny Lyn raised her. Arthur’s final request before he died was for Mab to “destroy those roses,” yet everything Mab tries, fails. Finally, to get to the bottom of this mystery, Mab fashions a “doll” (not really what you’d call a doll, more of a mud-monster) with the spirit of the roses and the curse that dwells in them. Little does she know what evil she’s about to unleash.
There had been a secret planted under my bedroom window all my life. I knew I should have spent my creating a spell to burn the curse away, to turn the roses into ash and spread the pieces on the wind and on the river. It’s what Arthur told me to do. But that isn’t what I chose.
Will knows what he doesn’t want. He doesn’t want to follow in his father’s and brother’s footsteps into a military career. His family is still reeling from his brother, Aaron’s death. An event that shook Will up and made him realize he didn’t want to follow. Will and Mab’s life collide when her “doll” gets loose and plows into Will, touching him with the evil curse and marking him with it, unbeknownst to him or Mab. Will is intrigued with the strange and beautiful Mab, not knowing exactly how important she’s about to become in his life.
We’re introduced to Evie when she joins a much younger Arthur and his friend Gabriel at the Pink House. She is a blood witch but only uses magic as a tool when needed. It doesn’t dominate her life. Her POV is a letter to Arthur recounting the events of the past. You get a glimpse of Josephine too, who even back then was an enigmatic figure with little or no morals. You witness Evie falling in love, but at the same time you feel something bad is coming. You realize her letter is not just recounting a love story, but a tragedy as well.
As I said in the beginning, I had a hard time getting into this story. It wasn’t until I was about 30% in that I finally started clicking with it. While the prose was beautiful, I felt like it could’ve been pared down. The explanations and detailing of many rituals throughout the book had my eyes glazing over in a few parts. I’m not a huge fan of detailed writing, so these points of complaint could just be me. I did finally engage in the story, and from then on I was anxious to find out what was going to happen next. The story truly became riveting, and I was rushing to piece together the mystery of the past to the events in the present. I’m so glad I pushed through because The Blood Keeper was worth it! It was a strange, romantic, and enthralling tale.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for allowing me to read this.
You can find this review and more at
The Readers Den. -
This cover redesign is tragic.
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Many of you will remember that Blood Magic was my favourite book last year. I loved it utterly, and I've been wanting this one for a while. Initially I was disappointed to see that this book followed new characters and not the ones I had come to know and love. However, I dove in wanting to be back in the world and back in Tessa Gratton's head. I have found myself dreaming about this world for the better part of a year.
In The Blood Keeper Nick and Silla take a backseat to new characters Will and Mab. Will has been struggling to tell his family a truth about his future plans. Mab lives separate from the regular world in a place steeped in magic and legacy. The two come together early on when Mab's magic has gotten away from her. Now Will is cursed and his well-being has taken a turn for the worst. Mab has to reach deep into herself to prove herself worthy of the magic that will land her the status as the next Deacon.
The Blood Keeper had its moments... but I didn't love it as much as Blood Magic. I wanted to, but the love wasn't as instant as it was with the first book. I missed Nick and Silla and I found myself longing for them. Though I loved the story about Will in this book I found myself skimming the sections with Mab. She was a great character, but the "magic" parts in her narrative was heavy handed. It was all a little too much.
What I did like was watching Tessa Gratton stretch herself with words. This I felt was the real strength of the book. She gave herself a challenge and I felt that she met the challenge with a vengeance. I could tell that she spent a lot of time crafting this new direction and I do appreciate that. I just miss my Nick and Silla.
4 out of 5 stars.
- review courtesy of
www.bibliopunkkreads.com -
At first I wasn't enjoying this is much as the first in the series but as the story moved along I grew to love it even more than the first. This book is absolutely stunning! I loved the concept of blood magic in the first book and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to learn more about it and how intricate it truly is. The concept of the curse brought an extra element to the story that I absolutely freaking adored. And I loved the glimpses of the characters I grew to love from the first book! I fell in love with the new characters we were introduced to in this one as well. This series is creepy and fascinating and an absolute must read!
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THE BLOOD KEEPER is a book that started off smoothly and had everything I loved: blood magic, action, and mystery; however it didn't continue like that. A few days after reading the initial hundred pages or so, I picked it up again and to my great disappointment, it soon felt like a completely new book.
This book is actually a sequel, something I didn't find out till a few moments before writing this review. I didn't even suspect it since this book felt like a standalone. From what I see, the first book has nothing to do with this book - please correct me if I'm wrong however.
There are three POVs in THE BLOOD KEEPER - Mab's, Will's and Evie's. Mab's POV and Will's POV are very similar, the only difference being Mab knows what she's doing and Will is basically doing what ever Mab wants. He's so infuriatingly spineless. He needs to be saved every few minutes and he never seems to stop fainting (ok, I'm exaggerating - I think he only fainted once or twice).
Evie's POV is set a few decades in the past, I think 1920s. I think it is meant to be a surprise why it was linked to the story but it was all quite predictable. However, I still enjoyed the short story that the POV told, finding it darker than the rest of the book.
While I have no problem with YA romance - or romance in general - I do hate when the romance seems to govern the plot, like in this book. The romance seems to overtake anything, including the interesting blood keeper concept, which is why I loved the first 100 pages so much more than the rest of the book.
Characters
Mab is the Blood Keeper, which basically means she maintains the land around her with her blood magic which is cool and all but she doesn't really do that in the book. She mostly dreams about Will and saves him and possesses people (actually that's pretty cool).
Will is the one of the weakest heroes ever. He doesn't do anything. I don't like heroes who can do anything but I sort of prefer them to do something other than ask Mab what to do. I think he's like that so the Gratton can say "wow look at me, my heroine is so strong. Flipping around gender stereotypes, yes sir." I'm sorry but it doesn't work like that.
Will's only strength is his amazing ability to whine and whine and never stop whining. Practically the whole book was spent whining about how is parents want him to join the military and how he doesn't want to and how they're like totally not understanding.
Dude, I get it, you don't want to join the military and I fully understand and appreciate that but in case you haven't noticed, something really bad is going on and I don't think whining about your evil parents is the right thing to do right now.
The romance between the two happens to be the worst part about it. Scenario:
Will and Mab are talking about how horrible what's going on is. Will then think about how much he wants to kiss her. Switch to Mab's point of view and she's pretty much thinking the same thing. After longing looks are exchanged, they go back to talking about how dire the circumstances are.
The saddest thing is that this scenario happens all the time in the book. I swear, it happens at least five times. Romance = good. Romance at the wrong time = very bad.
Plot and Writing
Plot
The concept of blood magic which is tied to the land instead of the as an antithesis to nature is an interesting take on the subject. Most authors go with the conventional blood magic is evil thought, which I have to admit I was part of. I never really thought of blood magic as tied to the land, the animals, and life, which makes complete sense if you think about it.
As you have seen, I loved the concept. Blood magic in YA fantasy is almost unheard of, or at least not all the common. Though I would hate it become the new dystopian (I highly doubt it will), I'm glad to see that blood magic is popping into YA lit.
My major qualm with THE BLOOD KEEPER is the lack of defined plot after a certain point. Though you can always tell what the main plot is, it seems like the characters are more focused on how beautiful the other one looks at the moment.
Once again, I will say that I have no problem with romance in my books, but when either the romance takes over the plot or interjects itself into the scene at the weirdest moments I don't want it in my books. At all. Ever.
Writing
While it wasn't terrible, I was extremely annoyed at the lack of word building. Mab spent most of her time in a forest - or is it a valley? And where? It's obviously close to a biggish city where Will lives but if Will goes there to swim or something, does that mean anyone could go there? It seems like it's too open for a place with secret witches...
Likes and Dislikes
Likes:
- Blood Magic
- The Beginning
Dislikes:
- Everything Else
In conclusion
THE BLOOD KEEPER had a very promising concept but sadly, the execution was lacking extensively. I am very sad to say that I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Find this review and more
at my blog:
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I absolutely loved Gratton's debut novel, Blood Magic. Despite the outrageous amount of blood talk, I still thought it was purely unique and wonderfully dark and Nick and Silla really made the experience worth while. I'm always a bit nervous reading companion books to some of my favorite stories.
Same eerie world but different characters. As much as I did enjoy this book, I still liked the first one justalittle bit more (sorry Crystal:p)
With that said, The Blood Keeper is still deliciously dark, creatively creepy and cunningly captivating!
Tessa Gratton is a fantastic writer. The way she describes the 'magical' scenes were so longingly descriptive and passionatly emphasized. Making the plot standout just a little bit straighter then the first book. I'm not going to bother talking about the plot since I think readers would understand it better when they experience it rather them me trying to wrap words around such an intricate story-line. But I will say that it's deeply magical and can provoke an unhinged slow-crawl feeling under your skin.
While I did miss Nick and Silla, I still love what Will and Mab brought into this story. Will was easy to connect with right away, but for some reason it was a little bit harder to understand Mad. She was a wicked character, but I found her to be extremely intense, fierce and even intimidating. Still, some of their moments made me smile.
Up to this point it may seem like I didn't enjoy this, but really, I did. It's the kind of book that lingers in your thoughts and makes you look over your shoulder. It's shutter worthy but in the best way possible!
Looking forward to seeing what Tessa Gratton has in store for us next!
(Arc provided by Netgalley and Random House Books) -
Not me reading the second one thinking it was the first
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This and other reviews can be found on
Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: On it's own, this cover might have been ok. The imagery is nice, the colors work well together and the runes invite further examination. But when compared with the cover for its predecessor, it is less than impressive. I do not like it when the covers of a series do not fit with each other and this certainly does not fit with the gloriously gothic and unique cover for Blood Magic.
The Gist: Mab Prowd has been raised to be the Deacon of her family's blood land. Magic to her is as natural as breathing and she has dedicated her life to the practice. When she stumbles across Will Sanger and inadvertently allows him a glimpse into this world, Will finds both beauty and terror and Mab finds herself embroiled in the fight of her life.
Review: During the first half of The Blood Keeper I was disinterested but I couldn't quite pin down why. The characters were ok, the writing was ok, the premise was ok. As I continued, the fact that I neither loved nor hated ANYTHING got to be more and more annoying. When I read Blood Magic, I was a little underwhelmed, but I gave points for originality and willingness to be a little more dark and delve into the nitty gritty of sacrifice in exchange for power. However, with the second book in the series, these things are simply not enough. This time, I expected strong characters, an exciting plot and some serious magic. I did not get these things.
The Blood Keeper does not follow the same characters as Blood Magic. Instead, we meet Mab - a child raised to be keeper of the land and master of magic and Will - a regular kid from a nearby town. That's right, that is all I have to say about Will. There is really nothing special about him that I could see and the time spent developing his family drama bored me to tears. His family is suffering from the loss of their middle son to a car crash and the return of their oldest from Afghanistan. This is the perfect backdrop for some moving scenes and serious character development. However, that is not what we get. Instead we have to suffer through Will's whining about how everyone wants him to join the Marines and his incredibly tame arguments with his parents. Mab is only slightly more interesting, though she spends an inordinate amount of time discussing her love for the land and mooning over Will. I did enjoy her quirkiness and lack of concern with how she is viewed by the more mainstream families (and teens) in town.
While this is not exactly a sequel to Blood Magic, I would have appreciated some re-cap so that I could remember who the other characters were (they appeared as minor characters, popping in and out of the story). As it was, I actually went back and re-read the last few chapters of Blood Magic and found that that helped me re-orient myself. The narration switches between Mab, Will and Evelyn. Evelyn's story is told through letters to Arthur, the former Deacon, and the change in narration style is a little jarring. For their part, Will and Mab blended a little too well. If I was away from the book for a time, it was difficult to tell who was speaking without going back to the beginning of the narration change.
The plot seemed to be split between three problems 1) The repercussions from Will's encounter with Mab's spell 2) Will's issues regarding his parent's desire for him to join the marines and 3) Lucas' curse from his father. Both 1 and 2 seem to be resolved by the end of the book but 3 simply got a band-aid solution. It bothered me that there wasn't further momentum on this issue, but perhaps it will be further explored in a third book? I also felt that the plot seemed to get bogged down in ridiculously long magical preparation, from planning, to gathering ingredients, to prepping the area - only to culminate in a lackluster spell with very little in the way of excitement.
By the end of this book, I found myself skimming the pages. I cared enough about the characters that I wanted to see what happened to them, but not nearly enough to put up with pages and pages of Gratton's flowery prose. The Blood Keeper did not provide the emotional or entertainment pay-off that I was expecting and I do not think I will hang in there for a third in the series.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 15 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Bloodletting, Knifeplay, Poisoning, Violence towards animals
Inappropriate Language: Dick, FUBAR, Bullshit, Bitch, Douchebag, Shit
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage Drinking -
This series seems to polarize readers. It's one of those paranormal romances with some staunch fans, it appears, but I never read book one called Blood Magic. I do see that folks were not thrilled that the romantic leads from that book, a girl who finds she has untapped magical skills and is a witch and her heartthrob Nick, are NOT headliners here. However, from what I can tell about the series opener, Gratton has structured both as some kind of triangle narration with the extra long hypotenuse of one story set in an earlier time period--a bit unwieldy in the most deft of hands is multiple point of view.
Ponderously long and grisly in the wet stickiness of its magic. No blood suckers, but LOTS of blood letting. Pain and cutting are the foundation for a sacrifice based witchery taking place on the Kansas prarie. Seriously, I had some concern about the glorification of wounding oneself to the most damaged or impressionable teen readers and I'm fairly liberal about content.
So who is the Blood Keeper? Well, that person is the magical head of the "family," made up of blood witches, aka The Deacon. Young Mab has recently taken over for Arthur, who raised her as a princess of the natural magics so that she could maintain their control on their lands and peoples. He warned her to destroy a problematic rose garden, but her attempt sets loose a sort of golem, meant to speak for or suck up the evil from cursed plants, who attacks a young man ultimately infected by its taint. Mab is powerfully attracted to Will (as is he to her) and has to share the truth about her powers in order to try and save him from the horribly pernicious roses and the magic tethered there.
So we hear this story straight from Mab and Will and another somewhat mysterious third voice from the past fills in its own strand of events from the first half of the 20th century: Evelyn, a woman of magical blood who shared the home of Arthur and another witch companion. Her story helps fill in the gaps and causes of the curse, but only patient or ensorcelled readers will make it all the way through, I think, a dragging narrative.
These witches use earth, nature, and blood, not sorting hats and wands, and so they will appeal to a very different sort of magic story lover. Not my chalice of blood, but it will no doubt find more eager practioners. -
OMG!!!!!!! cant wait(:
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FINALLY *prende fuego la duología*
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Mab Prowd is a seventeen years old witch who's recently become the Daecon or the Blood Keeper, as the previous Daecon, Arthur, passed away after holding on to the responisibilities of the same for centuries. Faced with the will to heal all others around her, keep the magic running through the Earth and saving the lives of a boy she's taken up as her responsibility and a guy she has fallen head over heals in love with, Mab sees all the colors of magic and still chooses to acknowledge the beautiful ones, despite all the pain and hurt it caused her along the way. From being the girl who know who and what she was and was helping Will to find out the same to becoming the girl who lost everything that made her who she was but still managing to hold on, Mab's story is full of magic.
Tessa Gratton has written about magic and charms and runes in a way that keeps you hooked to the book till the end. You want to know what happens. The anticipation she builds with her words keeps the love for reaidng alive in your heart.
It is the simplicity of the story that won my heart. Despite the heavy theme and the story rwvoving around blood magic and blood curses, the simplicity outshines everything else. -
This is a companion novel to
Blood Magic. It has new protagonists but the characters of Blood Magic show up, and the fate of Reese especially plays a big role. I guess you could read this as a stand-alone, but it's confusing enough even with the background knowledge of book one.
Mab is a powerful bloodwitch, the daughter of the Big Bad (Josephine Darly) from Blood Magic. She recently became the Deacon (leader) of a tiny bloodwitch coven that has the feel of a hippie commune. Mab spends about zero time angsting about having a villainous mother. She feels bad about what happened to Silla and Nick in the first book, but she's not expressing any fear that she, too, is evil. Mab is too busy being super into magic. She loves it! She loves magic! And she's also a bit crazy and unconventional. This is a girl who does not always understand normal societal conventions (basically what you'd think would happen to a child that is home schooled on a commune and has minimal contact with the rest of the world).
Will is from a conventional family that is still trying to recover from the death of his older brother (Aaron). Will comes from a long line of military men, but since Aaron died he's starting to rethink the path that has been chosen for him. Will's oldest brother, Ben, is home on leave, and keeps badgering Will about joining the military.
Mab and Will meet when Will is attacked by the homunculus Mab created to try to get rid of a curse on the roses in her commune (yeah, it's not explained for a long time what that really means).
Gratton has major pacing issues. This story drags, drags, drags. Halfway through the book and it still felt like it was setting the foundation for some actual action. The Big Bad doesn't appear until the last third, and he appears suddenly and then the entire focus is on getting rid of him.
Most of the book is (not necessarily in order): magic spell, Will is mysteriously sick (homunculus curse passed to him during the attack, of course), magic spell, Will hangs out with some boring friends, magic spell, small boy named Lucas (whose evil father has used him as a familiar) joins the commune, magic spell, Ben harasses Will about the military, magic spell, Will is sick, magic spell, Ben harasses Will, magic spell, etc. And by magic spell, I mean that Mab putters around and fiddles with curses and spells dealing with the land. About the halfway point, Will FINALLY comes to Mab about the fact that his sickness might have something to do with her. And then the action stalls again as it turns into Mab-and-Will-hang-out-time.
I thought at least there'd be some tension with this crazy hippie witch girl having to interact with normal high schoolers - especially since maybe one of the high school girls has a crush on Will after he rescued her from drowning? And rescued girl's friend is maybe a mean girl and maybe is going to harass Mab? But when Will's friends briefly appear it's only to be all "hey, man, who's your new girl? we should all hang out!" and Will is all "nah, not right now, bro. How about later?" and the friends respond "cool, man. later!" That is pretty much the extent of Mab & Will dealing with other young people. It gives depth to absolutely no characters and drives the plot not at all.
Besides the pacing, there is also the issue of the poorly differentiated voices of Mab and Will. They both narrate parts of this story, and it doesn't work. Mab is a hippy witch and Will is a military brat. They should NOT sound like essentially the same person. Switching constantly back and forth between POVs also kept disrupting any momentum that had been building up.
There is also ANOTHER POV sprinkled throughout - first person present (ugh, annoying) musings by the old Deacon's (Arthur's) lover, Evie. Her story is EQUALLY BORING AND POINTLESS. She loves Arthur. Arthur has a bromance with Gabriel, and Gabriel is jealous. Josephine shows up and even the shit that she stirs up isn't interesting. It is 99% Evie pining after Arthur then them getting together. THESE ENTRIES ARE COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY TO THE PLOT. The entries do tie into the curse on the rose bushes and the Big Bad of this story. This is ostensibly useful backstory, but really since the Big Bad appeared and then told Mab who he was and what had happened ANYWAY, it was pointless. (and, yes, he told his own version of the truth, but considering he was obviously evulz, what had actually happened would be pretty damn clear anyway). If more of the Big Bad/Evie backstory was necessary, then the other characters who knew Arthur and Evie and some of that past could've talked about it and it could've come in more naturally. Instead I had to suffer endless chapters of the surprisingly boring Arthur/Evie/Gabriel love triangle.
Oh, and the Will/Mab love story is limpid at best. There's no spark. They know each other for a few days, have no heat in the relationship, and yet it is all "I will die for you!" Gosh, teenage hormones are a powerful thing.
All these complaints were the same ones I had for Blood Magic (confusing and pointless POV switches, instalove with no real heat, pacing issues) but the first book had a really creepy first half and at one point a gripping paranoia of who the Big Bad would possess next. This book I liked less because it didn't have those same redeeming features.
I think maybe Gratton is just a short story writer at heart. She writes FANTASTIC short stories. She has a beautiful style and very imaginative worlds. Short stories take advantage of her style and eliminates the flaws. -
Nemůžu se rozhodnout. Asi bych dala 2,5 hvězdičky, protože... Já nevím.
Zasazení bylo hrozně pěkné a musím říct, že takhle zajímavě podanou magii vidím málokdy, ale zápletka byla taková hodně vrtkavá a ačkoliv se mi moc líbil příběh, který se za ní skrýval - společně s kombinací děje v současnosti a drobných náhledů do minulosti v podobě dopisu, díky čemuž se postupně poodhalovalo to, co se skrývalo právě za zápletkou - nebylo to ono. V mnoha ohledech působil děj kostrbatě, sem tam se objevily věci, nad kterým mám stále pozvednuté obočí a ty tři plné hvězdičky úplně zasloužené nejsou... Viděla bych to na průměr, v některých ohledech Strážkyně krve opravdu oslovila a i ohromila, ale celkově byla trochu nijaká.
Tak jako tak, palec nahoru za úžasné zpracování magie a upřímně doufám, že už nikdy neuvidím slovo „maršmelák“ 😅 -
Honestly this book was so boring. All the characters were like pieces of paper. Literally zero character development. The ending was so weird and boring. The love story felt incredibly forced and there wasn’t even any real danger until 3/4 of the way in. I have some questions about the family tree of the main character but also I want to know why there was a homosexual relationship that got slathered in mud and never felt like the author even wanted it to be there? Please just don’t read these books, save yourselves.
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3,5*
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Nope. Trápit se nebudu.
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For Mab Prowd, practicing blood magic is as natural as breathing. Growing up on an isolated farm with others that practice is all she's ever known, but it's given her a sense of purpose, a connection to the land around her, and she's protective of the magic. Plus, she's able to practice openly with the crows as her companions, to keep the magic alive while guarding its secrets. But then a spell goes wrong one morning and she meets Will Sanger, a local, and very normal, boy with some personal demons he wants to get rid of. His brief encounter with Mab's magic leaves his mind scrambling to understand it, and he's all too eager to end their chance meeting. But secrets, those kept from Mab and past users of blood magic, have a way of resurfacing, and soon she and Will are drawn together again by something looking to break from from the earth and take back its power.
The Blood Keeper is a return to a world first introduced in Blood Magic, a return to a place rich with secrets and magic, a place where the blood coursing through your veins holds untold power, and letting it loose can either help or hurt those around you. Part sequel and part companion novel, this is a story about dealing with the present while battling the past, told in alternating viewpoints and gorgeously crafted prose.
Five years later and in a different state, the reader meets Mab and Will instead of returning to Silla and Nick. Also, the tone of this differs greatly from the first, not so dark, not so heavy, not so dangerously all-consuming. Instead, The Blood Keeper felt oddly sweeter but by no means any safer or any less magical. Among the wide-open fields, the trees with trinkets and crows filling their branches, the roses, there is evil, the evilness that people do to each other out of spite and jealousy and hatred.
The sweetness comes from Mab, her world filled with blood magic and spells, with happiness and love and affection with those who practice, with connections to the land around her gained through blood and ritual. She has such compassion, such a gentle nature, and it plays well against Will's skepticism. For once, there is a main character who knows nothing about the blood magic, about the world that Mab (as well as Silla and Nick) grew up in, a character who was, for all intents and purposes, completely normal. Not counting his nightmares.
But there's something else lurking in the story, hidden away in Gratton's prose, hidden from Mab and everyone else at the Pink House, hidden in the letters of a young girl, and when the secret comes to life, the world as Mab knows it changes and leaves her and Will scrambling.
I was surprised when I noticed this dark and dangerous thing, this shadow, creeping up and into the pages, then was surprised again when I realized it was always there, waiting, waiting for the right moment. It's proof of Gratton's wonderful storytelling and weaving together of characters and plot and surprises that it took me so long to figure it out, and that when I did I wasn't angry at myself for not realizing it. I was more in awe of how everything fit together so perfectly.
There is magic in blood, magic and power, but there are also connections. There's magic in the earth, in animals, in people, in the simple things in life, and when evil comes to take a piece, it will be beaten down by any means necessary. Those who were fascinated by Gratton's debut will be just as thrilled with this offering, and I can only hope there will be more of this world in the future. -
Although fantasy readers may find some very interesting scenes in this tale, the problem I found is that out of the two story lines presented - past and present - the past was the one that was far more interesting.
When we begin, readers meet up with Mab Prowd in a quiet, almost deserted area of Kansas. Her life revolves around magic and she’s currently trying to kill rose bushes that are on the property. She’s been trying for some time, and for those who don’t know, killing roses are almost like trying to kill a vampire - extremely difficult. Mab was told by her now deceased benefactor that she must destroy them, yet they seem to be cursed. What she hasn’t figured out yet is why. Using a spell, after a very disgusting sacrifice, Mab creates what you would call a doll-like monster who races away from the property.
Will is a young man who’s sitting by a lake. Will recently saved a girl from drowning in this particular lake, and he is trying to get over the fear that still resides in his soul. While there, a huge doll-like monster makes his appearance and Will ends up killing the thing. Unfortunately, he also ends up catching a curse that a female stranger will need to help him with.
Will has enough problems without getting involved with Mab. He has a very dedicated family - dedicated to the marines - and his father and brother want him to join up and make that his only pathway in life. However, his other brother, Aaron, found only death while in the armed forces and Will truly doesn’t want to head into that dark, frightening future.
Mab has her own difficulties. As the Deacon of a place that takes care of people with a magical ‘bent,’ she is also brought a young boy who has a major curse set on him by his father that she has to free him of. She is also still dealing with her family and a horrific event that happened a while back that turned one boy into many crows.
The parallel story running through this present-day tale regards Mab’s past. How she came to Kansas, finding romance with her benefactor, and a relationship that was beyond obsessive. This is a tremendously good story that, if the plot worked differently, might have been spotlighted instead of the ‘reality’ tale.
For any reader who is interested in the magical ways of the world, they will enjoy this book. The scenes are certainly detailed and offer many a terrifying moment to go along with a mystery of mammoth proportions. -
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Mab is the new Deacon, leader of those who practice blood magic. Blood magic is a normal part of life for her, living on a farm, spending time with other blood witches like herself. Her peaceful existence is threatened, however, when she awakens a curse.
Will is an ordinary boy in an ordinary town. One day, a humanoid creature made of mud attacks him and he meets Mab. She's strange, and he tries to dismiss what happened, but a strange bruise leads him back to her, where he learns that he is now marked by a dangerous curse.
I really enjoyed Blood Magic, and I thought I'd love the sequel just as much, but honestly I can't say that I did. I liked Mab and Will, they were both interesting and good people, and I love how they were brought together through magic, but the book just took too long to get really, truly interesting. It was too slow paced for me. I spent a good portion of the book just wondering when the action was going to really get started!
I liked that the author included writings from the past, like from Mab's ancestor. It filled in the blanks and foreshadowed what was going to come. Sometimes I feel it distracted a bit from the main plot, though. And it made the book seem even more slow than it already was.
Overall, I did enjoy reading about Mab and Will, but this book could have been a lot better. The pacing was too slow for me and it took too long for the action to really get going! -
Alright, I went into this book expecting a continuation of the story from the first book Blood Magic.
That is not the case. This is the same world different characters. After a while and finally getting into it, I was able to get into the story and enjoy it. Because I was under the wrong impression, it took my a while to understand where the characters are coming from and how they relate to Silla and Nick. The connection is made but not till the end. Still, as the reader I was still a but confused through the story.
Now, the plot flowed nicely. Once I was in the story, I was able to fall into the plot quickly. Here we have a girl who knows her magic, with a boy who is messing with it and has no idea what doors he is opening. I like that Mab is feisty yet loyal. She helps Will despite her warnings to him and even figures out what is wrong with him. In the mean time, there is another story being told from the past that relates to the current situation. I enjoyed this part the most. I like how well it came together in the end.
Their love and friendship is built over trials that made them stronger. I liked them watching them fight for each other no matter what the cost.
The Blood Keeper is simple yet amazing. With loads of secrets and magic lurking around every corner, the story held my interest. The Blood Keeper is great read. -
I liked the way this book was written, there was an ease to it and the POV changes worked great. It was also so easy to follow.
The book has 3 POVS. First Mab who is a blood witch and lives on a farm, working with curses and blood. Not your ordinary teen. Then there is Will, a local boy she meets and who ends up involved with it all. And yes romance interest too. Lastly, there is Evelyn who came to the farm long ago. Her POV is not around much as it is in the past, but it's important to the plot. Why I did not know before way into the book. It was a nice little mystery. The one thing I did not like with her POV was that it was in italics, ugh, not fun to read. Luckily she gets a page here and there. And when the shift occurs you get to read the name of the POV. Always good.
I do not want to spoil the whole plot but Will and Mab meet. She is the new leader for her kind. She is a free spirit, connected to nature and I liked her. Will was a good guy too.
There is some suspense as things are going on. A bit of a mystery and chilling spells. Magic is not always kind. -
I finished in about two days so I guess it was a hard to put down book for me.
Mab was a sweet girl who made mistakes and tried hard to fix them she was proud of who she was and what she stood for I really liked her character.
Will is a typical teen boy who is tired of everyone telling him who he is and it takes him a while to figure out what/who he is and wants to be, loved his character as well.
Evie's POV in the story was awesome, I really loved that part, it made the story very interesting to me. It was a love/confession letter with bits and pieces thrown in throughout the story in the end all made sense.
I love the magic and spells and the romance and the gore and the blood and....just all of it really good story overall!
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Wow! What else can I say about this book, but that Tessa Gratton has hit it out of the park again. First of all, let me just say how absolutely in love I am with this author's writing style. Her prose and descriptions are flawless, beautiful ,and at times, deliciously dark. I loved the first book in this companion series and if possible I loved The Blood Keeper even more. Unique characters and an eerie, intriguing plot that keeps you on your toes kept me up late and on the edge of my seat. This is one gothic romance that every paranormal romance fan should read. If you haven't checked out Tessa Gratton's books, you are missing out! Loved this one!
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Esta segunda aventura me ha gustado menos, tal vez por el cambio de personajes aunque aqui tenemos a una protagonista que ha sido criada en la magia, el enfoque que recibimos es muy diferente. A pesar de todo, en un primer momento aparece como una niña llena de deseos de controlar la gran responsabilidad que deja en sus manos el Diácono. Algo que aún le viene grande.
En cuanto a Will, me ha dejado bastante indiferente, tan solo ha sido el objeto de la magia de Mab y en eso se han basado para la mayor parte de la novela alternando con la carta de Lyn. En resumen, entretenida pero me esperaba más. -
ok so this book is great it is I really liked it until it got icky. not icky as in blood and gore which it did do but more icky as in one particular storyline was well icky. Mainly the whole thing with Evelyn and how Gabriel loved Arthur, evelyn takes Arthur from him (by falling in love with him) and so Gabriel decides to possess Evelyn so he doesn't lose Arthur. Maybe I would have been less squicked out if there were more lgbt characters but as it is well it just sat wrong for me which is a shame because this book was good.
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4.5 stars
Different characters than in the first book, but I have to admit I liked this one as much as the first one.. :) It was interesting story and exciting action...!!! -
Kansas. Better than the first one, I think.
