Title: Blooded:
A Jessica McLain Novella
Author: Amanda
Carlson
Series: Jessica
McLain
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Publisher:
Orbit
Release
Date: April 11th 2012
ISBN 13: 9780316225090
Format:
eBook
Source:
ARC from Publisher
Contact Amanda
Rating: 4 Bad Boys – Really Enjoyed It!!!!
Reviewer: Kat
Author Summary
Jessica
McClain was born the only female in an all male race. The only problem is-she's
no wolf. Called a curse, a witch and the Daughter of Evil by the superstitious
wolves, Jessica decides to fight for her freedom, at age nineteen, the only way
she can-in the ring.
When
she's brutally attacked right after her fight, is it enough to finally earn her
freedom off Compound, or will she be forced to endure the hatred even longer.
My Thoughts
My
soul, imagine being the only female born to an all male werewolf pack. I thought growing up with 5 brothers was bad
enough. Poor Jessica!
This
novella is an introduction to the new Jessica McClain series by Amanda
Carlson. It nicely sets the stage for
the full-length novel coming out in Fall 2012.
Overall, the novella gives us a good description of the main character,
Jessica, and an understanding of how her upbringing and struggles made her who
she is now.
The
author has given life to a fierce and uncompromising society of werewolves
where Jessica McClain was not supposed to exist. In this world, there are no females born of
werewolf fathers. Until Jessica. Most in
the Pack feared her and some even thought she was the prophesied one spoken of
in the ‘Cain Myth’ (the true Daughter of Evil would eventually destroy the entire
werewolf race). That fear was smoldering to a point where Jessica’s life is at
risk.
At the
very beginning of the novella, we are thrust into the violent world in which
Jessica lives. With Jessica constantly
fighting for her life, the tone is somewhat dark. However, the author
convincingly offsets the tension with Jessica’s keen sense of humor.
The
pace rises and falls nicely where it’s supposed to and it flows effortlessly
from scene to scene.
I admit
I am a big fan of novellas. It’s incredibly difficult to create a good
backstory, develop characters and establish an interesting plot in such a
limited amount of pages. A lot of authors will end up overwhelming
readers with too much detail or underwhelming them with too few. It’s
hard to get the balance just right. I think it’s a true test of an author’s
skill to communicate all we need to know and successfully deliver a well-structured
story. Amanda Carlson is one of those
skilled authors.
What I
particularly liked about this novella (and this series) is the author’s ability
to interlace a new take on werewolf culture with a strong social message about
self-preservation and how far a person is willing to go to survive.
If you
enjoy urban fantasy series like Sabina Kane by Jaye Wells or Chicagoland
Vampires by Chloe Neill, then I think you’ll like this series. The heroines of these series are similar in
that their will to survive is what motivates them to do whatever it takes to
overcome major conflicts/obstacles thrown in their way.
Just a
bit more about the story…
Considered
an abomination and a genetic freak of nature, Jessica has had to fight pretty
much every day of her life. Even though
she is the daughter of the Pack leader, even he couldn’t protect her all of the
time. While the wolves listened and
respected their leader, if fear and emotions got the better of them, they would
most likely kill her regardless of the possibility of losing their lives.
With
the threats becoming more frequent and escalating in aggression, Jessica
finally decides to take matters into her own hands. She challenges a member of the Pack, albeit one
she thinks she has a chance to beat, to a fight. Mitch was only too happy to oblige. Plan A for her was to beat him senseless and
then the others would back off. At least
to give her some breathing room.
Relying
on her sparring skills learned from her brother, her wits and her knowledge of
werewolf weaknesses, Jessica thinks she can win. If her plan fails and the threats continue, she
has a Plan B. To leave home and go away
to start a new life where no one would know her. Her father is strongly opposed to letting her
go, fearing she would be killed without his protection. What he doesn’t realize is that she is in
just as much danger, if not more, by staying.
The
Characterization…
Jessica
is a character that immediately brought out my protective side. Yes, she’s absolutely fearless and tough and
can handle herself, but she is basically scratching to stay alive by staying at
the Compound. I hated seeing her get
hurt and I wanted to jump right into that novel and help her in that
fight. She would only end up protecting
me and saving my butt, but that’s beside the point… The author still brilliantly
made me feel that way.
Even
though this first novella is all about Jessica and developing her character, we
were introduced to a few others who will probably play a part in novels to
come. She was close to her twin brother, her brother’s friend Nick, and there
was also a very flirtatious Brit that would make life interesting if she sticks
around.
There
are only a couple of things that led to my 4 Bad Boy rating instead of a 5. I would have loved to hear a little more about
what motivated the other characters. For
instance, why is Nick willing to go away with her if she goes? How did that come about? Why was her father so insanely stubborn about
her not moving away? Jessica must have
had a mother but there was no mention of her.
What happened to her? These
questions may be answered later in the series so their absence in no way takes
away from the fact that Blooded is still a fascinating novella and one this
reviewer is very glad to have read.
Bottom Line
In my
opinion, Amanda Carlson gives us a new take on werewolf culture. Blooded is a well-structured novella that
nicely sets up the story world and I was completely absorbed and rooting for
Jessica from Page 1. The story is action-packed
with a pace and tone that makes sense for the story. The tone can be a bit serious or intense at
times, however, the author incorporates light-heartedness through Jessica’s
unique sense of humor. I recommend
reading it and can’t wait for Book #1, Full Blooded, to be released in September.
Happy Reading!!
4 Bad Boys –
Really Enjoyed It!!!!
BUY NOW…
Great review! I absolutely LOVED this novella! This is going to be a totally kick-ass series!
ReplyDeleteI agree Amanda!! she's one tough cookie!! the excerpt for Full Blooded was great to see. I'm so intrigued as to where her path will take her.
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