Scan barcode
milzukka's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
annasirius's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this in a charity shop, not realising it was the third book in a trilogy. It's not badly written, but there's a little too much American bravado in the 20k years old vampire, and I just don't care about werewolves. I stopped reading at the beginning of chapter 22.
emilylandry's review against another edition
3.0
I had a great time reading the first two books in this series a while back, but I'd forgotten a lot and lost the momentum by the time I picked this up. It was fine, but not as fun as the first two.
hungrybibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
An okay read but not really a satisfying end to a series I really enjoyed.
debthebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
This was an awesome and unexpected conclusion to the trilogy. I wonder if there are more in the works, because so much is left unanswered, even though they actually are answered. Those koans. haha
I will definitely be reading more of Duncan.
I will definitely be reading more of Duncan.
hungrybibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
An okay read but not really a satisfying end to a series I really enjoyed.
gilnean's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape
Minor: Religious bigotry
vita_zeta's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not sure what the point of all that was.
Of course, one of the sticking points of this series is that there is no point. Except when there is. It can be a fun narrative trick, in [b:The Last Werewolf|9532302|The Last Werewolf (The Last Werewolf, #1)|Glen Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1287572224s/9532302.jpg|14418429] it certainly was, toying with a plot point for a few pages, and then tossing it out the window. Duncan never wants you to know what kind of book you're reading until its right on top of you. The issue here was whatever kind of book I just read I did not enjoy.
Because By Blood We Live is actually about fate and destiny and strings that tie its characters together, even though it doesn't want to admit, or won't admit it until the very end. Vampires, it appears, are much better entities for talking about destiny than werewolves, especially Remshi, in his old age of twenty-fucking-thousand years. His appearances in [b:Talulla Rising|12981174|Talulla Rising (The Last Werewolf, #2)|Glen Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339696875s/12981174.jpg|18140283] made him seem cocky, like a rugged aimless rock star. Here, he's more like a sweet old man. A sweet old man who just saw the prehistoric love of his life reincarnated in an angry, self-deprecating werewolf mother of two. His perspective did get more interesting as the story went on, as the picture became clearer for him, however his point of view was incredibly static, as old men have a tendency to be. He's less of an active force in the story, and more a creature being swept up by the last tides of his life.
I missed Talulla's drive and unbridled passion. She doesn't adapt to peacetime well. She feels unsatisfied in her relationship with Walker, she's nervous about her ability to raise her children through everything they've been through and everything they have ahead of them. If there's anything she does well at all in this book its hating herself. Which frustrates me because there was so much set up in the last book for the extraordinary thing she was becoming. It's called Talulla RISING for fuck's sake, she was being primed to be a pack leader, a mother of monsters. Instead, she's the reincarnation of an old ass vampire's love interest? The pawn of the Vatican's hunter faction, the Militi Christi? The fickle bitch who broke some poor former hunter's heart? This is what I was waiting for? Not that a female character can't have self-doubt, or can't be put in a compromising position. TR had plenty of that, but it also had plenty of Talulla kicking ass and getting shit done, even when she was scared out of her mind. Here, Talulla wasn't so much scared, but bored and tired. She wants to give up her relationship with Walker, her status as a mother, her pack, even her lycanthropy. I did not fall in love with a character whose first inclinication is to give up.
Nevermind the relationships that were teased in the second book, especially the one that was developing between her and Maddy. I was all about Talulla and Maddy. But instead of the two of them getting together, Talulla spends the whole time trying to push Maddy and Walker together so she doesn't have to feel bad about leaving him. Which, like, whyyyy? Why was that necessary at all? In fact, there was so much female goodness in TR (maybe its just me, but was it not implied that the reason why the wolves were bonding and working together better than they did in Jake Marlowe's day was because there were more female wolves?), that I was confused as to why we even needed the perspectives of Walker and even Remshi. I mean, when you get down to it, what did they even add to the story? Justine, Remshi's young companion, could have just as easily told Remshi's story, and then her own story would not have felt like an awkward side plot.
Now I'm just confused. This whole trilogy could not have been leading up to this kind of non-conclusion. Nothing at all is resolved, there's all this set up for a new phase of the story, Talulla even gets new abilities, and this is supposed to be the end? I feel like I just read a rambling interlude rather than a climax. That said, if there is more to this series, as much as I loved the first two books, I'm not sure if I would want to read it.
Of course, one of the sticking points of this series is that there is no point. Except when there is. It can be a fun narrative trick, in [b:The Last Werewolf|9532302|The Last Werewolf (The Last Werewolf, #1)|Glen Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1287572224s/9532302.jpg|14418429] it certainly was, toying with a plot point for a few pages, and then tossing it out the window. Duncan never wants you to know what kind of book you're reading until its right on top of you. The issue here was whatever kind of book I just read I did not enjoy.
Because By Blood We Live is actually about fate and destiny and strings that tie its characters together, even though it doesn't want to admit, or won't admit it until the very end. Vampires, it appears, are much better entities for talking about destiny than werewolves, especially Remshi, in his old age of twenty-fucking-thousand years. His appearances in [b:Talulla Rising|12981174|Talulla Rising (The Last Werewolf, #2)|Glen Duncan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339696875s/12981174.jpg|18140283] made him seem cocky, like a rugged aimless rock star. Here, he's more like a sweet old man. A sweet old man who just saw the prehistoric love of his life reincarnated in an angry, self-deprecating werewolf mother of two. His perspective did get more interesting as the story went on, as the picture became clearer for him, however his point of view was incredibly static, as old men have a tendency to be. He's less of an active force in the story, and more a creature being swept up by the last tides of his life.
I missed Talulla's drive and unbridled passion. She doesn't adapt to peacetime well. She feels unsatisfied in her relationship with Walker, she's nervous about her ability to raise her children through everything they've been through and everything they have ahead of them. If there's anything she does well at all in this book its hating herself. Which frustrates me because there was so much set up in the last book for the extraordinary thing she was becoming. It's called Talulla RISING for fuck's sake, she was being primed to be a pack leader, a mother of monsters. Instead, she's the reincarnation of an old ass vampire's love interest? The pawn of the Vatican's hunter faction, the Militi Christi? The fickle bitch who broke some poor former hunter's heart? This is what I was waiting for? Not that a female character can't have self-doubt, or can't be put in a compromising position. TR had plenty of that, but it also had plenty of Talulla kicking ass and getting shit done, even when she was scared out of her mind. Here, Talulla wasn't so much scared, but bored and tired. She wants to give up her relationship with Walker, her status as a mother, her pack, even her lycanthropy. I did not fall in love with a character whose first inclinication is to give up.
Nevermind the relationships that were teased in the second book, especially the one that was developing between her and Maddy. I was all about Talulla and Maddy. But instead of the two of them getting together, Talulla spends the whole time trying to push Maddy and Walker together so she doesn't have to feel bad about leaving him. Which, like, whyyyy? Why was that necessary at all? In fact, there was so much female goodness in TR (maybe its just me, but was it not implied that the reason why the wolves were bonding and working together better than they did in Jake Marlowe's day was because there were more female wolves?), that I was confused as to why we even needed the perspectives of Walker and even Remshi. I mean, when you get down to it, what did they even add to the story? Justine, Remshi's young companion, could have just as easily told Remshi's story, and then her own story would not have felt like an awkward side plot.
Now I'm just confused. This whole trilogy could not have been leading up to this kind of non-conclusion. Nothing at all is resolved, there's all this set up for a new phase of the story, Talulla even gets new abilities, and this is supposed to be the end? I feel like I just read a rambling interlude rather than a climax. That said, if there is more to this series, as much as I loved the first two books, I'm not sure if I would want to read it.
rosaliez_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This was MUCH better than the second book in the series! I think it is because the switching viewpoints made it much more interesting, and, quite frankly, Talulla is just a boring narrator (and werewolf!) Having the other characters' viewpoints allowed breaks from suffering through Talulla's constant whining.
I enjoyed the quick pace of the plot, the progression of the story, and the ending was surprisingly good. I was very skeptical about how Duncan would find a way to tie up the loose knots at the end, and he did a pretty decent job of it. All in all, a quick, fun read for those seeking a werewolf/vampire story.
I enjoyed the quick pace of the plot, the progression of the story, and the ending was surprisingly good. I was very skeptical about how Duncan would find a way to tie up the loose knots at the end, and he did a pretty decent job of it. All in all, a quick, fun read for those seeking a werewolf/vampire story.
monty_reads's review against another edition
3.0
The third book in Glen Duncan's werewolf/vampire (but mostly werewolf, at least until this book) trilogy is the weakest of the three, and I can pinpoint exactly why: it's too diffuse. Where the first two books focused on a single protagonist and essentially told a satisfying linear narrative, By Blood We Live shifts perspective from chapter to chapter, at various times centering on four different characters, all with competing motives. At a couple points Duncan even goes all Anne Rice, sending us thousands of years into the past to relate key werewolf and vampire origins.
The unfortunate thing is that the two main characters have compelling storylines that would have benefited from a unified point of view. The Main main character is Tallula – werewolf, protagonist of the second book in the trilogy, and possible reincarnation of Vani, one of the very first werewolves, dating back 20,000 years. The second main character is Remshi, an ancillary character in the second book who moves out of the shadows here to take over a significant portion of the book's narrative real estate. He is, by all accounts (including his own), the world's oldest vampire, approximately 20,000 years old and the paramour of Tallula's ancient predecessor. According to ancient lore, the mingling of werewolf and vampire blood will generate a cure for both.
It's the search for the cure that drives Tallula, and Remshi's search for Tallula that drives him. Complicating matters is a rogue band of Catholic priests devoted to destroying the werewolves, and Remshi is dealing with his recently-turned lover who wants to get revenge of the men who assaulted her when she was younger (a subplot that generally comes out of nowhere and is largely unresolved and forgotten by the end). And then there's Walker, Tallula's werwolf lover at the start of the book who takes care of her werewolf children but from whom she's becoming increasingly estranged – especially as she starts having sexy dreams about Remshi (without realizing it's Remshi because she doesn't even know who Remshi is). And, as I mentioned, there's an excursion 20,000 years in the past as we learn how Remshi was created, how he met Vani, how they fell in love, etc., etc. It's about two plots too many.
And that's a shame. The first two books are hugely enjoyable, with sharply drawn characters, smart, self-aware (but not too self-aware) dialogue, and a relentless narrative momentum. The characters in By Blood We Live are no less sharply drawn, but they exist in the service of a story that's too unfocused to be effective. In an otherwise satisfying trilogy, it's a shame Duncan couldn't stick the landing.
The unfortunate thing is that the two main characters have compelling storylines that would have benefited from a unified point of view. The Main main character is Tallula – werewolf, protagonist of the second book in the trilogy, and possible reincarnation of Vani, one of the very first werewolves, dating back 20,000 years. The second main character is Remshi, an ancillary character in the second book who moves out of the shadows here to take over a significant portion of the book's narrative real estate. He is, by all accounts (including his own), the world's oldest vampire, approximately 20,000 years old and the paramour of Tallula's ancient predecessor. According to ancient lore, the mingling of werewolf and vampire blood will generate a cure for both.
It's the search for the cure that drives Tallula, and Remshi's search for Tallula that drives him. Complicating matters is a rogue band of Catholic priests devoted to destroying the werewolves, and Remshi is dealing with his recently-turned lover who wants to get revenge of the men who assaulted her when she was younger (a subplot that generally comes out of nowhere and is largely unresolved and forgotten by the end). And then there's Walker, Tallula's werwolf lover at the start of the book who takes care of her werewolf children but from whom she's becoming increasingly estranged – especially as she starts having sexy dreams about Remshi (without realizing it's Remshi because she doesn't even know who Remshi is). And, as I mentioned, there's an excursion 20,000 years in the past as we learn how Remshi was created, how he met Vani, how they fell in love, etc., etc. It's about two plots too many.
And that's a shame. The first two books are hugely enjoyable, with sharply drawn characters, smart, self-aware (but not too self-aware) dialogue, and a relentless narrative momentum. The characters in By Blood We Live are no less sharply drawn, but they exist in the service of a story that's too unfocused to be effective. In an otherwise satisfying trilogy, it's a shame Duncan couldn't stick the landing.