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bynanners's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarina_langer's review against another edition
4.0
It was weird reading a book about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic XD But I've had this on my shelf for years (so long that I still have an old copy!) and it's a short book, so I thought why not.
This was an emotional read from start to finish. It was easy to relate to all the characters (possibly because it's so topical right now - we all know what it's like to go through a pandemic, even if Morgan's virus is a lot more aggressive) and root for them. One of the late symptoms of this virus is gradual, partial memory loss, and Morgan wrote this beautifully when it was probably not that easy to do--I imagine it sounds easy to write but is tricky in reality to get right.
Because of the subject matter, this isn't an action-packed book or a fast-paced one, but that does suit the story since two of the main characters are sick and quickly getting sicker. (I don't think this spoils anything if you've read the blurb and know what this book is about!)
Some parts were a little repetitive for me, but that's personal preference and might be because I have an old copy.
This was the only book by Morgan I hadn't read yet, and I can't wait to read what she writes next.
This was an emotional read from start to finish. It was easy to relate to all the characters (possibly because it's so topical right now - we all know what it's like to go through a pandemic, even if Morgan's virus is a lot more aggressive) and root for them. One of the late symptoms of this virus is gradual, partial memory loss, and Morgan wrote this beautifully when it was probably not that easy to do--I imagine it sounds easy to write but is tricky in reality to get right.
Because of the subject matter, this isn't an action-packed book or a fast-paced one, but that does suit the story since two of the main characters are sick and quickly getting sicker. (I don't think this spoils anything if you've read the blurb and know what this book is about!)
Some parts were a little repetitive for me, but that's personal preference and might be because I have an old copy.
This was the only book by Morgan I hadn't read yet, and I can't wait to read what she writes next.
mizwriterlady's review against another edition
4.0
It is so hard to be objective when you know first hand how awesome the author is, but. Here is a girl who is going places. That being said, however, there is a brilliant current running underneath Briana Morgan's work, and I feel she's only beginning to tap into it. BLOOD AND WATER was a great debut, but great in a way that says to me that there's a growth spurt coming where that brilliant undercurrent will come shooting fully to the surface.
Full review coming soon from MizWriterLady.
Full review coming soon from MizWriterLady.
briannadasilva's review against another edition
3.0
I actually finished this book a while ago, but am only just now getting the chance to write my review!
It makes me sad to give this less than 4 stars; I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could (come on, Goodreads!), and I actually debated over this for a long time. This is by no means a bad rating! :) But ultimately I decided that this was the most honest rating I could give, based on my own experience with the book.
Anyway, without further ado, here's my actual review. ^_^
PROS
- Overall, this book was intelligently written. I felt like a lot of thought went into the emotions and psychology of the characters, and it shows.
- As a result, the characters acted like real people. This is hard to do, given the heavy subject matter and situations these poor characters had to navigate. I think a lot of amateur writers get this wrong, but Briana really nailed this on the head. I could believe that the characters' behavior and motivations reflected what REAL people would do in these circumstances.
- It was a fast and easy read. I gobbled up most of the book in a single weekend. The story didn't need to be longer than it was, so I'm glad Briana didn't add any fluff to make it a certain length! She stuck to just telling the story.
- THE ENDING. I knew a twist was coming, but I still wasn't able to predict exactly what happened. And man, that really hit me. The ending is highly emotional, and after finishing the book I just had to sit there for a while and absorb it.
CONS
- While the characters behaved very realistically, and their motivations were believable, the dialog unfortunately fell a bit flat for me. It felt stiff and forced most of the time, enough to take me out of the story. Honestly, this was the main thing that made it difficult for me to give the book 4 stars.
- The romance between Jay and Dr. Devereaux also felt rather stiff. While all the other relationships were very believable - the friendships, the love between siblings, even Jay's affection for Melanie - I just wasn't convinced of the spark between them. It had to be explicitly stated that they had "sexual tension", but I couldn't FEEL that tension myself.
Overall, this was a solid story with strong characters. It handled difficult emotional and moral issues in a very intelligent (and thought-provoking) way. It was refreshing to read something that wasn't merely cheap entertainment, but was profound and meaningful.
The main weakness, for me, was really the dialog. Like I said, it was "off" enough that it took me out of the story. The romance between Jay and Dr. Devereaux was also hard to believe, but I think if their dialog was more natural, I might have been convinced in spite of my doubts.
That being said, I know Briana Morgan personally (at least, on an "Internet friends" level! XD), and knowing how hard-working and ambitious she is, I have no doubt that this minor weakness is something she'll quickly overcome in further writings. Clearly she is a skilled storyteller, and after this debut novel, I think we can expect some amazing things from her in the future.
It makes me sad to give this less than 4 stars; I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could (come on, Goodreads!), and I actually debated over this for a long time. This is by no means a bad rating! :) But ultimately I decided that this was the most honest rating I could give, based on my own experience with the book.
Anyway, without further ado, here's my actual review. ^_^
PROS
- Overall, this book was intelligently written. I felt like a lot of thought went into the emotions and psychology of the characters, and it shows.
- As a result, the characters acted like real people. This is hard to do, given the heavy subject matter and situations these poor characters had to navigate. I think a lot of amateur writers get this wrong, but Briana really nailed this on the head. I could believe that the characters' behavior and motivations reflected what REAL people would do in these circumstances.
- It was a fast and easy read. I gobbled up most of the book in a single weekend. The story didn't need to be longer than it was, so I'm glad Briana didn't add any fluff to make it a certain length! She stuck to just telling the story.
- THE ENDING. I knew a twist was coming, but I still wasn't able to predict exactly what happened. And man, that really hit me. The ending is highly emotional, and after finishing the book I just had to sit there for a while and absorb it.
CONS
- While the characters behaved very realistically, and their motivations were believable, the dialog unfortunately fell a bit flat for me. It felt stiff and forced most of the time, enough to take me out of the story. Honestly, this was the main thing that made it difficult for me to give the book 4 stars.
- The romance between Jay and Dr. Devereaux also felt rather stiff. While all the other relationships were very believable - the friendships, the love between siblings, even Jay's affection for Melanie - I just wasn't convinced of the spark between them. It had to be explicitly stated that they had "sexual tension", but I couldn't FEEL that tension myself.
Overall, this was a solid story with strong characters. It handled difficult emotional and moral issues in a very intelligent (and thought-provoking) way. It was refreshing to read something that wasn't merely cheap entertainment, but was profound and meaningful.
The main weakness, for me, was really the dialog. Like I said, it was "off" enough that it took me out of the story. The romance between Jay and Dr. Devereaux was also hard to believe, but I think if their dialog was more natural, I might have been convinced in spite of my doubts.
That being said, I know Briana Morgan personally (at least, on an "Internet friends" level! XD), and knowing how hard-working and ambitious she is, I have no doubt that this minor weakness is something she'll quickly overcome in further writings. Clearly she is a skilled storyteller, and after this debut novel, I think we can expect some amazing things from her in the future.
thetomatowriter's review against another edition
4.0
I'm very squeamish. I don't even like reading about blood, and despite that, I really enjoyed this book. The characters and relationships were complex, flawed, and human. The worldbuilding was interesting and sense of place was strong. I wish it had been a little longer to flesh out some of the characters and storylines that much more. The character of Dr. Devereaux and her relationship with Jay seemed oddly paced and a bit contrived, and the end felt a little harried. The last line felt kind of overly simplistic but that's common. Overall, though, a good read and solid debut.
silenttardis's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm this story kind of irked me in a wrong direction… first the main character, he is 17 years old but he sounds much more mature than he was supposed to be, and more brainy if that makes sense, hmm actually he sounds older than his older sister, what he sounds his age is in his eagerness to have a romantic partner, second, in the UK even if he is 17 years old, if someone buy him a beer, a glass of wine or cider, he can drink, during a meal, he just cant go and buy it for himself, but he can drink (just google UK rules for minor age drinks) so, if a friend is 18/19 years old he can buy drinks for everyone in a pub… (yeah drinking rules are different all over the world).
Other thing that irked me was his best friend saying that “of all people he wouldn't mind his best friend having a thing for his girlfriend” (not actual quote but close enough) do you really think people would act this way? Even when facing death? Oh my gosh…
Hmm maybe this audiobook wasn't for me, and I regret that, is not that it was bad written, it was nice enough, just wasn't for me.
I got a free Audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest opinion.
Other thing that irked me was his best friend saying that “of all people he wouldn't mind his best friend having a thing for his girlfriend” (not actual quote but close enough) do you really think people would act this way? Even when facing death? Oh my gosh…
Hmm maybe this audiobook wasn't for me, and I regret that, is not that it was bad written, it was nice enough, just wasn't for me.
I got a free Audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest opinion.
abogguslife's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could give This half stars, as I enjoyed it more than a 3 indicates, but a 4 seemed slightly too much.
This was a fun little thriller to read, especially after not having the energy or time to read for over a month. I devoured it in just two days and definitely enjoyed the twists, though I saw a few of them coming. I am so curious as to what happens to the characters who survive after the end of the book.
My main gripe is that there are a few small inconsistencies throughout the book. They aren't really important to the plot, but I found them rather distracting and even went back a few times to double check what I had read previously. Then another tiny gripe was that it had some twists that I thought were very obvious, but often, I enjoyed them anyway still.
This book does deal with a very toxic relationship, but it doesn't reveal some of the details of why it's so bad until later on in the book, and that was making me rather uncomfortable for a while, as I couldn't tell how much it would be shown as an unhealthy relationship. Though I do think the POV made it more difficult to show the toxicity earlier on.
TW: Grooming, Statutory rape, fatal illness, vomit, animal death, loss of loved ones.
This was a fun little thriller to read, especially after not having the energy or time to read for over a month. I devoured it in just two days and definitely enjoyed the twists, though I saw a few of them coming. I am so curious as to what happens to the characters who survive after the end of the book.
My main gripe is that there are a few small inconsistencies throughout the book. They aren't really important to the plot, but I found them rather distracting and even went back a few times to double check what I had read previously. Then another tiny gripe was that it had some twists that I thought were very obvious, but often, I enjoyed them anyway still.
This book does deal with a very toxic relationship, but it doesn't reveal some of the details of why it's so bad until later on in the book, and that was making me rather uncomfortable for a while, as I couldn't tell how much it would be shown as an unhealthy relationship. Though I do think the POV made it more difficult to show the toxicity earlier on.
TW: Grooming, Statutory rape, fatal illness, vomit, animal death, loss of loved ones.
samanthaeatonwrites's review against another edition
5.0
This book was nearly impossible to put down right from the start!
Briana created a fast-paced and incredibly stressful story right from page one, when we first learn about the virus. Not only are the stakes clear from the beginning, but the characters were so three dimensional, it was like I'd known them for years. Even the cat had a personality, and it was perfect.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Blood and Water is that the virus was just that - a virus. There were no zombies or weird undead whatever, just an incurable virus that rapidly killed people who had it.
If you're looking for a book to keep you occupied well into the night, this will do the trick!
Briana created a fast-paced and incredibly stressful story right from page one, when we first learn about the virus. Not only are the stakes clear from the beginning, but the characters were so three dimensional, it was like I'd known them for years. Even the cat had a personality, and it was perfect.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Blood and Water is that the virus was just that - a virus. There were no zombies or weird undead whatever, just an incurable virus that rapidly killed people who had it.
If you're looking for a book to keep you occupied well into the night, this will do the trick!
silenttardis's review
3.0
Hmm this story kind of irked me in a wrong direction… first the main character, he is 17 years old but he sounds much more mature than he was supposed to be, and more brainy if that makes sense, hmm actually he sounds older than his older sister, what he sounds his age is in his eagerness to have a romantic partner, second, in the UK even if he is 17 years old, if someone buy him a beer, a glass of wine or cider, he can drink, during a meal, he just cant go and buy it for himself, but he can drink (just google UK rules for minor age drinks) so, if a friend is 18/19 years old he can buy drinks for everyone in a pub… (yeah drinking rules are different all over the world).
Other thing that irked me was his best friend saying that “of all people he wouldn't mind his best friend having a thing for his girlfriend” (not actual quote but close enough) do you really think people would act this way? Even when facing death? Oh my gosh…
Hmm maybe this audiobook wasn't for me, and I regret that, is not that it was bad written, it was nice enough, just wasn't for me.
I got a free Audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest opinion.
Other thing that irked me was his best friend saying that “of all people he wouldn't mind his best friend having a thing for his girlfriend” (not actual quote but close enough) do you really think people would act this way? Even when facing death? Oh my gosh…
Hmm maybe this audiobook wasn't for me, and I regret that, is not that it was bad written, it was nice enough, just wasn't for me.
I got a free Audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest opinion.
zea_d_writing's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to love this story. I’ve read some of Briana Morgan’s work in the past and, as a fan of plague/apocalypse media in general, I had really high hopes for this story after reading the blerb/summary.
And ultimately I did enjoy the premise of this novel. The story follows Jay, his sister, and two of their friends. Jay and his sister, Maia, have both contracted a lethal virus that has already killed over half the globe and the four of them set out to find a Doctor who may be able to help them find a cure.
I liked the overall plot of the story and because both the prose was very well done, I found it fairly easy to read and breezed through it in short order.
However, there were a handful of issues I had with this story that unfortunately brought my enjoyment (and therefore rating) down from what it might have been.
I felt like the first half of this book was excellently written and executed. The characters were well developed (albeit a tad infuriating in their decision making). The pacing felt spot on for this type of story and things seemed to develop naturally. The plotting felt solid and made sense.
But at a specific point in the story, things sort of fell a part a bit. Abruptly the pacing of the whole story felt rushed to the point that certain plot points and character decisions no longer made sense. Time jumps weren’t completely clear. And while I felt like there were a handful of worldbuilding and plot inconsistencies/contradictions that occurred, I feel like they wouldn’t have felt as jarring (or may have even been explained in the narrative due to the POV) if the pacing hadn’t felt as off as it did.
I also, personally, felt like the romance that took place in the 2nd half of the book felt very abrupt, out of place, and unsupported. Which also may have lent to the feeling of pacing issues.
In the end, I felt like this story had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading it.
And ultimately I did enjoy the premise of this novel. The story follows Jay, his sister, and two of their friends. Jay and his sister, Maia, have both contracted a lethal virus that has already killed over half the globe and the four of them set out to find a Doctor who may be able to help them find a cure.
I liked the overall plot of the story and because both the prose was very well done, I found it fairly easy to read and breezed through it in short order.
However, there were a handful of issues I had with this story that unfortunately brought my enjoyment (and therefore rating) down from what it might have been.
I felt like the first half of this book was excellently written and executed. The characters were well developed (albeit a tad infuriating in their decision making). The pacing felt spot on for this type of story and things seemed to develop naturally. The plotting felt solid and made sense.
But at a specific point in the story, things sort of fell a part a bit. Abruptly the pacing of the whole story felt rushed to the point that certain plot points and character decisions no longer made sense. Time jumps weren’t completely clear. And while I felt like there were a handful of worldbuilding and plot inconsistencies/contradictions that occurred, I feel like they wouldn’t have felt as jarring (or may have even been explained in the narrative due to the POV) if the pacing hadn’t felt as off as it did.
I also, personally, felt like the romance that took place in the 2nd half of the book felt very abrupt, out of place, and unsupported. Which also may have lent to the feeling of pacing issues.
In the end, I felt like this story had a lot of potential and, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading it.