Book Review: Queen of Blood by Jill Myles

Queen of Blood 

by 

Jill Myles 

Published June 30th 2015 

By Alloy Entertainment 

ARC for Review 

Summary
For one hundred years, Seri’s people have lived under the thumb of the Blood, the cruel and mysterious rulers of Athon. Seri wants nothing more than to put food on the table and marry the hotheaded but handsome Rilen come spring. But when a noblewoman asks Seri to be her handmaiden, Rilen insists she move to the enemy’s castle . . . and spy on the newly arrived prince.

Prince Graeme has grown weary of his family’s curse. The Blood are powerful and immortal, but doomed to live in the shadows, flitting from lover to lover, always in search of the mythic Eterna—the one woman who will sate their hunger. Now his father has sent him to the outskirts of the empire to stamp out a rebellious Vidari faction. But when a wild and alluring Vidari girl shows up at court, he finds himself torn between following his father’s orders and following his heart . . .

A war is brewing between Athonite and Vidari, between Blood and man. As uprisings sweep through the land, Seri and Graeme find themselves at the center of a storm with only one choice: betray each other, or betray their people.

The Goddess Knows the Heart

When I first saw the blurb I fell in love with the idea behind this story. The author certainly does not disappoint. I tried to savor this read but it flew by in a flurry. I enjoyed the authors world building and depictions of the Blood. From beginning to end this story will keep you immersed in this world. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for is…I wish it were longer I felt as though some of the story lines could have used more detail adding to the story. I absolutely recommend this read for fans of romance and obtaining the unobtainable. Great flow great characters and an original story I think people should give this one a try.

The Story, a girl from an oppressed people finds herself in the midst of cunning and deception. Seri has one goal and that is to keep her family fed. Although they are poor Seri’s father not being able to contribute makes their bleak existence all the more dire. Seri is left to tend to the geese her blind sister and her father that is deathly ill. The reader sees firsthand the type of despair Seri and her family live with. She is in love and is planning to marry the following spring. Unfortunately though those are Seri’s plans they are not the Goddess’ and you guessed it! Seri gets trumped. Given an offer that could afford Seri the opportunity to save her father is very tempting but at the cost of all her “self worth” Seri has doubts about accepting. Assured by her “love” that her family will be taken care of she faces the enemy. Through several incidents Seri begins to question her motives and whether or not she is doing the right thing. The prince was absolutely wonderful and made her “love” seem like an idiot. As I mentioned before this was a very entertaining read.

The Characters, Seri was very innocent and too trusting. I guess too trusting and innocent go hand in hand. In this case it did. Her main focus was her family and for that I commend her. Seri was very dedicated to her gods and her people. She wanted change but didn’t trust herself until the end to push for change. She didn’t want to accept what the Goddess saw in her until her heart would not let her deny it any longer. The prince was wonderful he was sent away to rule Seri’s people by his father the king. Though the prince was fair the village people wanted him gone. For some reason the Goddess blessed Seri as his Eterna and though he was appalled he followed through with tradition and sought to win Seri’s heart and favor. All the while he committed and gave himself to her in every way. Their love story was turbulent, passionate, and exceedingly beautiful this was my favorite part of the story and the main focus. The side characters provided support to the story line but did not impact it. The clear stars were Prince Graeme and Seri.

The End, it was nice there was resolution but I think it needed a bit more. The fade out scene leaves the reader with good feelings. So the HEA is there for sure but like I mentioned before it would have been wonderful to have more closure. Maybe a further look into the future, could have given the reader a better sense of finality. I say this because I really enjoyed the premise of this story! This was original but it held fast to the traditional basics of vampire lore. I just loved that aspect a fan of the original I’m slightly outraged when people mess with the core of what makes a vampire. The ending was good and I recommend this for people who are into romance stories that truly evolve from despising to cherishing. Though there are some clanging swords do not be mistaken as this is not an action novel. Wonderful book!

My Rating

4.0 Four Gods, One Goddess, One Hut, One Castle, Hate to Love wonderful little tale full stars!

Purchase Through Amazon

About the Author

Jessica Clare is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who writes under three different names. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance. She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and too many dust-bunnies. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing. Agent: Holly Root of Waxman Leavell Agency.

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