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samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
In the beginning, I admit that I wasn't as drawn into Holly and Guy's story as I was with Lily and Simon's, but by the halfway point I was almost desperate to find out what would happen next. This series is addictive and I am so glad that I have the third book so I can jump right in. The world created here with the Fae, the Blood, the Beast kind, the Templars, and the humans is just immensely fascinating. I am definitely a huge fan of M.J. Scott now.
erincataldi's review against another edition
3.0
I was due for some mindless fantasy and "Blood Kin" definitely fit the bill. The story follows half Fae and night world spy, Holly, as she gets coerced into the most dangerous spying mission she's ever encountered. She has to team up with a cocky, self assured, and righteous Templar, Guy DuCaine and the unlikely duo soon realize that they have more in common then they could ever imagine (hello sex scenes!). Their quest for information takes them through the Blood courts of the vampires, and into the Veiled world of the Fae and the tangled web of lies and information becomes more hopelessly entangled as they try to get to the bottom of their quest.
Overall, it's fast paced enough to get you to keep turning the pages, but yet also manages to be mindless enough that once you're done reading it you pretty much forget all about it or stop caring about it. If there was a beach read fantasy genre this would fit the bill. It's good enough to read once, but not great enough to keep on your shelf and re-read.
Overall, it's fast paced enough to get you to keep turning the pages, but yet also manages to be mindless enough that once you're done reading it you pretty much forget all about it or stop caring about it. If there was a beach read fantasy genre this would fit the bill. It's good enough to read once, but not great enough to keep on your shelf and re-read.
fishgirl182's review against another edition
4.0
Blood Kin is the second book in the Half-Light City series, a fun urban fantasy/paranormal romance series I picked up on a whim earlier this year. Book two focuses on Guy DuCaine, brother of the sunmage Simon from book 1 and legendary Templar. I really enjoyed this one and found myself finishing it in only a couple of days. Holly and Guy are like oil and vinegar but they work so well together. I love adversarial relationships and sparks fly when Guy and Holly are together.
Holly is a great character and I really liked how smart and resourceful she was. She's learned how to survive and thrive on her own, making use of her natural skills. I really like that the women in this series do more than just look pretty. So far this series has had the female leads as an assassin and a spy.
Guy was a bit rigid at times but underneath it all was a fierce loyalty to his family and those he cares about. He's dedicated his life to protecting those who are weaker and truly believes in what he is doing. Holly shows him another side to the Night World and proves to him that things aren't always black and white. The two have great chemistry together and it was fun to watch their relationship evolve.
I also liked the fact that the romance didn't overwhelm the rest of the plot. In some paranormal romance novels, the story can take second place to the romance but I felt that this had a nice balance of both. There is some really nice world building with this series has a unique take on a world with Fae, humans, vampires, Beasts and a few wild cards. We are learning more of the intricacies of the world as the series goes on and I find myself being drawn further and further into it. We are also introduced to a few new characters in this one and I am already excited about the prospect of learning more about them.
I am really glad I picked up this series after seeing it at the library. It's turning out to be one of the most enjoyable new series I've read this year. If you like rich, urban fantasy with a dash of romance, give this series a try.
Holly is a great character and I really liked how smart and resourceful she was. She's learned how to survive and thrive on her own, making use of her natural skills. I really like that the women in this series do more than just look pretty. So far this series has had the female leads as an assassin and a spy.
Guy was a bit rigid at times but underneath it all was a fierce loyalty to his family and those he cares about. He's dedicated his life to protecting those who are weaker and truly believes in what he is doing. Holly shows him another side to the Night World and proves to him that things aren't always black and white. The two have great chemistry together and it was fun to watch their relationship evolve.
I also liked the fact that the romance didn't overwhelm the rest of the plot. In some paranormal romance novels, the story can take second place to the romance but I felt that this had a nice balance of both. There is some really nice world building with this series has a unique take on a world with Fae, humans, vampires, Beasts and a few wild cards. We are learning more of the intricacies of the world as the series goes on and I find myself being drawn further and further into it. We are also introduced to a few new characters in this one and I am already excited about the prospect of learning more about them.
I am really glad I picked up this series after seeing it at the library. It's turning out to be one of the most enjoyable new series I've read this year. If you like rich, urban fantasy with a dash of romance, give this series a try.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
3.0
Like the first book, I enjoyed the world and the intermingling of the Fae (even though I usually hate Fae stories!), werewolves (aka Beast-kind in this world), vampires, and humans. It was an entertaining read if I didn't think too hard about it. I liked Holly as a main character more than Lily in the first book. I have a soft spart for stealthy spies and thieves, I suppose.
Some parts that bothered me though, were how easily Guy's personality changed. In the first book, he was all righteous templar guy and in the second book, he pretty much turned into some smooth-talkin, alpha, horn-dog.
And what is it about strong women in these types of books who *still* need an alpha-male to bail them out of trouble? Come on, if you're going to write a kick-ass heroine, let her kick some ass and maybe bail out the men for a change.
I'll probably still read the third book in this series. My money's on the metal-mage.
Some parts that bothered me though, were how easily Guy's personality changed. In the first book, he was all righteous templar guy and in the second book, he pretty much turned into some smooth-talkin, alpha, horn-dog.
And what is it about strong women in these types of books who *still* need an alpha-male to bail them out of trouble? Come on, if you're going to write a kick-ass heroine, let her kick some ass and maybe bail out the men for a change.
I'll probably still read the third book in this series. My money's on the metal-mage.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it 3.5 stars
I didn't realize that BLOOD KIN didn't revolve around the same characters as book 1 so I was kinda sad to start reading it and find that out. Lily and Simon still have roles but BLOOD KIN revolves around Holly who is a half Fae thief and spy and Guy who is a Templar Knight and also Simon's brother.
Holly despises the man that fathered her but when he puts a geis on her she has no choice but to spy on Simon to find out his secrets. Guy is trying to keep Lily his brothers wife out of danger when Holly who happens to be a spy falls in his arms. Holly cant tell Guy why shes really there but they end up teaming up together with the hopes that they can help each other out. I didn't feel as connected or invested in the characters outcomes but I still enjoyed Holly and Guy's journey together. Their attraction to each other is apparent from the first time they lay eyes on each other and it steadily grows. It was great that M.J Scott was able to continue the storyline from book one while introducing a new love interest and also keeping the original characters involved.
Out of the two books Book one SHADOW KIN is definitely my favorite but BLOOD KIN was a good addition to the series. The world building of this series is still fantastic and there is plenty of dangerous situations thrown in. I'm not sure who Scott plans to write about next but I hope all the characters will still be involved.
I didn't realize that BLOOD KIN didn't revolve around the same characters as book 1 so I was kinda sad to start reading it and find that out. Lily and Simon still have roles but BLOOD KIN revolves around Holly who is a half Fae thief and spy and Guy who is a Templar Knight and also Simon's brother.
Holly despises the man that fathered her but when he puts a geis on her she has no choice but to spy on Simon to find out his secrets. Guy is trying to keep Lily his brothers wife out of danger when Holly who happens to be a spy falls in his arms. Holly cant tell Guy why shes really there but they end up teaming up together with the hopes that they can help each other out. I didn't feel as connected or invested in the characters outcomes but I still enjoyed Holly and Guy's journey together. Their attraction to each other is apparent from the first time they lay eyes on each other and it steadily grows. It was great that M.J Scott was able to continue the storyline from book one while introducing a new love interest and also keeping the original characters involved.
Out of the two books Book one SHADOW KIN is definitely my favorite but BLOOD KIN was a good addition to the series. The world building of this series is still fantastic and there is plenty of dangerous situations thrown in. I'm not sure who Scott plans to write about next but I hope all the characters will still be involved.
book_hoarding_dragon's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars for this bit, but I rounded up since Goodreads doesn't have a 1/2 star rating.
I was really hoping that this book would again be from the viewpoint of Lily and Simon again. I really liked her character.
I don't know what it was about this book... I just didn't adore it as much as Shadow Kin (it also didn't pull me in like Shadow Kin, too). Plus, there was just something about the female protagonist Holly that I just couldn't get into.
Oh! One thing I noticed right off the bat was Scott labeled what perspective we were following (like at the beginning of a section or Chapter if we changed perspective she would have it labeled for Guy or Holly). During the last book , she didn't do that and I remember this caused me a bit of confusion until I looked closely at the symbols and figured out the moon symbol was Lily and Sun was Simon.
So Blood Kin opens a little while after the end of Shadow Kin. The Night World is in an uproar about Lucius' death and alliances are being struck and people are aiming for power. So Guy, a Templar Knight who defends the helpless and all that jazz, needs someone with information on who are the players and what is exactly going on in the Night World since the Templar Knights keep getting attacked while they are out patrolling. Enter Holly Spy extraordinaire. Maybe not so much extraordinaire.
Anyways, it had some twists in the book which I had thought were at least foreshadowed in the previous book. The next book is Iron Kin and I'll buy that one too. I think with Iron in the title that the book might be about Saskia (Guy and Simon's sister). From what I glimpsed from her in the book, she seems like a fun character. I really hope we will get to see a part of the Beast Kind's world next since we've seen Vampire and Fae.
I was really hoping that this book would again be from the viewpoint of Lily and Simon again. I really liked her character.
I don't know what it was about this book... I just didn't adore it as much as Shadow Kin (it also didn't pull me in like Shadow Kin, too). Plus, there was just something about the female protagonist Holly that I just couldn't get into.
Oh! One thing I noticed right off the bat was Scott labeled what perspective we were following (like at the beginning of a section or Chapter if we changed perspective she would have it labeled for Guy or Holly). During the last book , she didn't do that and I remember this caused me a bit of confusion until I looked closely at the symbols and figured out the moon symbol was Lily and Sun was Simon.
So Blood Kin opens a little while after the end of Shadow Kin. The Night World is in an uproar about Lucius' death and alliances are being struck and people are aiming for power. So Guy, a Templar Knight who defends the helpless and all that jazz, needs someone with information on who are the players and what is exactly going on in the Night World since the Templar Knights keep getting attacked while they are out patrolling. Enter Holly Spy extraordinaire. Maybe not so much extraordinaire.
Anyways, it had some twists in the book which I had thought were at least foreshadowed in the previous book. The next book is Iron Kin and I'll buy that one too. I think with Iron in the title that the book might be about Saskia (Guy and Simon's sister). From what I glimpsed from her in the book, she seems like a fun character. I really hope we will get to see a part of the Beast Kind's world next since we've seen Vampire and Fae.
beth_dawkins's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Holly is a half-fae thief and spy. She is forced to do a job she really doesn’t want to do. As it happens she runs into Templar Guy DuCaine for a second time. Being a spy and having to deal with a Templar can be hard, add in some attraction between the two, and it gets really hard. Guy nearly forces Holly to work with him, so he doesn’t have to involve his brother’s soon-to-be-wife. Soon the two are moving through the Night World together.
This is the second book in The Half-Light City series. I didn’t read the first book, and I didn’t feel lost starting out. It is about a different couple than the first novel in the series. It is told half in Holly’s point of view, the other half in Guy’s. The duel perspectives are enjoyable but you can read right through and forget the point of view switched to a different character.
While Holly is doing her spy thing for the Night World, Guy is doing his, save the humans Templar thing, except that the Templars are being ambushed by the beast (werewolves) kind, and they are losing good men fast. After he runs into Holly once, he then finds her where his brother works healing people. He soon learns what/who she is, and decides they should work together.
Holly and Guy are a little bit of an odd couple for me. There isn’t an instant love, but definitely some instant attraction (which is fine by me). The reason they are an odd couple is more to do with what Guy represents. He is a Templar and has an air of authority which makes me wonder why or how Holly thought him attractive still after she got to know him. As you can see I was not a huge Guy fan.
The first part of the book moves at a nice pace, mainly because of the situations both main characters find themselves in. Holly is my kind of girl. She is practical and doesn’t see everything in black and white unlike Guy. Guy is a usual alpha male which is annoying at times. He doesn’t listen to reason, or really anyone other than himself, and seems to turn into a whole different kind of person when he is getting intimate with Holly. This made him fall a little more than flat for me.
The side characters didn’t stick out for me a lot except for Holly’s friend Fen, who is also half-fae and a fortune teller to boot. I would really dig-it if he had his own book. He also seems more likely of a companion for Holly, just saying.
The story is set in a world where Vampires, werewolves and fae exist, but it isn’t an Urban Fantasy. They have gas lights, and have a bit of a seeming French flair, but I wouldn’t call it, or say it is steampunk. No cogs here. Instead I would say fantasy world, and while dragons don’t exist, mages do. It is not castles or anything like that. It is set mainly in one city, and while it is not modern, it isn’t really medieval either. What surprised me was as many politics that went into telling the story I still don’t fully understand who, or what is fully in charge of the city, but I can say I like how this is set up. It reads like an urban fantasy, so fans of the genre will not be thrown by the setting.
The story was fun and exciting. It started out fast paced with me, and then slowed down a little towards the end. I really enjoyed it, but I felt as if the scenes could have been taken a little further. It skimmed around the edges of what it could have been. The setting, it not being in a modern world, but having all the trappings of an everyday urban fantasy is what made the book stand out, but the plot lagged a little. There is one thing I still don’t fully understand about the Night World bad dudes that I can’t say without spoiling it, but I can say when everything was out in the open there is one fact that makes no sense to me. It is a plot point, and important to the story. There is a steamy scene, but once it is played out the sexual tension seems to steam out. I think it was Guy swift change of character after the scene that had me at a distance after this. I do plan to read the first one. I have heard good things, and I wouldn’t mind getting a hold of the next one, but in the end I wanted more from the story.
Holly is a half-fae thief and spy. She is forced to do a job she really doesn’t want to do. As it happens she runs into Templar Guy DuCaine for a second time. Being a spy and having to deal with a Templar can be hard, add in some attraction between the two, and it gets really hard. Guy nearly forces Holly to work with him, so he doesn’t have to involve his brother’s soon-to-be-wife. Soon the two are moving through the Night World together.
This is the second book in The Half-Light City series. I didn’t read the first book, and I didn’t feel lost starting out. It is about a different couple than the first novel in the series. It is told half in Holly’s point of view, the other half in Guy’s. The duel perspectives are enjoyable but you can read right through and forget the point of view switched to a different character.
While Holly is doing her spy thing for the Night World, Guy is doing his, save the humans Templar thing, except that the Templars are being ambushed by the beast (werewolves) kind, and they are losing good men fast. After he runs into Holly once, he then finds her where his brother works healing people. He soon learns what/who she is, and decides they should work together.
Holly and Guy are a little bit of an odd couple for me. There isn’t an instant love, but definitely some instant attraction (which is fine by me). The reason they are an odd couple is more to do with what Guy represents. He is a Templar and has an air of authority which makes me wonder why or how Holly thought him attractive still after she got to know him. As you can see I was not a huge Guy fan.
The first part of the book moves at a nice pace, mainly because of the situations both main characters find themselves in. Holly is my kind of girl. She is practical and doesn’t see everything in black and white unlike Guy. Guy is a usual alpha male which is annoying at times. He doesn’t listen to reason, or really anyone other than himself, and seems to turn into a whole different kind of person when he is getting intimate with Holly. This made him fall a little more than flat for me.
The side characters didn’t stick out for me a lot except for Holly’s friend Fen, who is also half-fae and a fortune teller to boot. I would really dig-it if he had his own book. He also seems more likely of a companion for Holly, just saying.
The story is set in a world where Vampires, werewolves and fae exist, but it isn’t an Urban Fantasy. They have gas lights, and have a bit of a seeming French flair, but I wouldn’t call it, or say it is steampunk. No cogs here. Instead I would say fantasy world, and while dragons don’t exist, mages do. It is not castles or anything like that. It is set mainly in one city, and while it is not modern, it isn’t really medieval either. What surprised me was as many politics that went into telling the story I still don’t fully understand who, or what is fully in charge of the city, but I can say I like how this is set up. It reads like an urban fantasy, so fans of the genre will not be thrown by the setting.
The story was fun and exciting. It started out fast paced with me, and then slowed down a little towards the end. I really enjoyed it, but I felt as if the scenes could have been taken a little further. It skimmed around the edges of what it could have been. The setting, it not being in a modern world, but having all the trappings of an everyday urban fantasy is what made the book stand out, but the plot lagged a little. There is one thing I still don’t fully understand about the Night World bad dudes that I can’t say without spoiling it, but I can say when everything was out in the open there is one fact that makes no sense to me. It is a plot point, and important to the story. There is a steamy scene, but once it is played out the sexual tension seems to steam out. I think it was Guy swift change of character after the scene that had me at a distance after this. I do plan to read the first one. I have heard good things, and I wouldn’t mind getting a hold of the next one, but in the end I wanted more from the story.
shadowmaster13's review against another edition
3.0
Wow.
I sat down and read it all at once, and now I have to wait who know how long for Iron Kin.
I love this world that Scott has created. It's got magic, history, politics, romance and killing. I thank my lucky stars over the day I picked up Shadow Kin.
I sat down and read it all at once, and now I have to wait who know how long for Iron Kin.
I love this world that Scott has created. It's got magic, history, politics, romance and killing. I thank my lucky stars over the day I picked up Shadow Kin.
raetheraven's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason, I liked the first one better. Although things are certainly starting to get interesting.
seeingnight's review against another edition
5.0
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
THEME: Shifters, Vampires, Magic, Fae
RECEIVED: Received for Review from ROC
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
It’s extremely rare for me to like the second book in a series more than the first, but I absolutely loved Blood Kin. This story follows right after Shadow Kin and continues with Simon and Lily, but focuses on Simon’s brother Guy a Templar Knight. Blood Kin kept me at the edge of my seat like Shadow Kin but had that extra kick in the plot that made me enjoy it that much more.
Blood Kin follows Holly, a half fae who makes a living as a spy and a thief. She lives in a city that is full of secrets and dangerous people. One of the worst people is her father who is a fae lord and unfortunately puts Holly in a dangerous position, which is where she meets Simon and Guy. Luckily she teams up with the Guy who is a Templar Knight who needs her help as much as she needs his.
Holly is the typical tough female lead, but had that spark of something that made me like her character. Her cruel father damaged her mother and is using her as bait to get some answers for him. She truly has a good heart but her father’s hold on her prevents her from being honest with the people she really would want to open up too. Guy becomes someone who helps build her strength; their chemistry makes for an entertaining journey and some really great moments. Holly is pretty much a girl who wants a normal-ish life but has bad luck being tied to her fae side.
Guy DuCaine, a Templar knight, this man is hard-core and always ready for a battle. But he’s very unprepared when Holly literally falls into his arms. He sacrifices a lot of what he believes in to find out answers on the many attacks on his men. With Holly’s help he’s able to protect his brother and Lily from getting involved in more danger. I loved his devotion to his family and how even though he’s tough as steel that Holly is able to break through and soften him up.
For those who have read Shadow Kin you get more answers to what Simon was trying to figure out. I enjoyed how Scott pulled all her characters together and helped each other; lets just say the leads get into insanely dangerous situations a lot. I’m really curious if were going to be introduced to two different leads in the next book or continue with Lily, Simon, Guy and Holly on their dangerous missions.
Overall Blood Kin had everything I love about Urban Fantasies, kick butt action, fantastic characters, romance that makes the heart beat fast and a plot that was fast paced all the way through. Even more so the villains are meaner, stronger and downright fantastic, I never knew what they were going to do next. You don’t want to miss out on this series!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel with some violence and adult situations. Fans of authors Christina Henry of the Madeline Black series and Keri Arthur of the Dark Angels series will love The Half-Light City series Blood Kin by M.J. Scott.
THEME: Shifters, Vampires, Magic, Fae
RECEIVED: Received for Review from ROC
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
It’s extremely rare for me to like the second book in a series more than the first, but I absolutely loved Blood Kin. This story follows right after Shadow Kin and continues with Simon and Lily, but focuses on Simon’s brother Guy a Templar Knight. Blood Kin kept me at the edge of my seat like Shadow Kin but had that extra kick in the plot that made me enjoy it that much more.
Blood Kin follows Holly, a half fae who makes a living as a spy and a thief. She lives in a city that is full of secrets and dangerous people. One of the worst people is her father who is a fae lord and unfortunately puts Holly in a dangerous position, which is where she meets Simon and Guy. Luckily she teams up with the Guy who is a Templar Knight who needs her help as much as she needs his.
Holly is the typical tough female lead, but had that spark of something that made me like her character. Her cruel father damaged her mother and is using her as bait to get some answers for him. She truly has a good heart but her father’s hold on her prevents her from being honest with the people she really would want to open up too. Guy becomes someone who helps build her strength; their chemistry makes for an entertaining journey and some really great moments. Holly is pretty much a girl who wants a normal-ish life but has bad luck being tied to her fae side.
Guy DuCaine, a Templar knight, this man is hard-core and always ready for a battle. But he’s very unprepared when Holly literally falls into his arms. He sacrifices a lot of what he believes in to find out answers on the many attacks on his men. With Holly’s help he’s able to protect his brother and Lily from getting involved in more danger. I loved his devotion to his family and how even though he’s tough as steel that Holly is able to break through and soften him up.
For those who have read Shadow Kin you get more answers to what Simon was trying to figure out. I enjoyed how Scott pulled all her characters together and helped each other; lets just say the leads get into insanely dangerous situations a lot. I’m really curious if were going to be introduced to two different leads in the next book or continue with Lily, Simon, Guy and Holly on their dangerous missions.
Overall Blood Kin had everything I love about Urban Fantasies, kick butt action, fantastic characters, romance that makes the heart beat fast and a plot that was fast paced all the way through. Even more so the villains are meaner, stronger and downright fantastic, I never knew what they were going to do next. You don’t want to miss out on this series!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel with some violence and adult situations. Fans of authors Christina Henry of the Madeline Black series and Keri Arthur of the Dark Angels series will love The Half-Light City series Blood Kin by M.J. Scott.