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mollymortensen's review against another edition
3.0
Chapter one starts up right after Exquisite Captive ended. (Seventeen hours before the prologue told by Malek)
The first quarter of the book was great! Unfortunately it just went downhill after that.
Most of Blood Passage felt unnecessary.
Just when I thought this book couldn't get any worse,
The cave was excruciating. And lasted FOREVER.
The Good:
We heard how great a warrior Nalia was, nice to finally see it! She kicked butt! The action scenes in the beginning were great!
Malek's funny bickering lines with Nalia and when he "acts" the villain were great. (He's still irredeemable, even if he can make me laugh)
The Bad:
She totally ruined Malek's character from book one! He lost quite a few IQ points. And it was completely out of character for him to I'm not one for sympathetic Malek, or emotional depressed Malek. Give me the evil megalomaniac.
Zanari's POV reveals her to be a whinny annoying girl. She constantly jealous of her brother, wanting to leave the resistance, and feeling guilty about it. (Which is ironic since she's always nagging Raif how he has to act for the good of their people) I really loved Phara though.
Celar being a makes her far less scary. I thought the ifrit had sort of secret weapon or power that let them beat the Aisouri. I don't see how even guns could beat an entire army or Nalias.
Who died?
Bashil
Umbek
Malek
The first quarter of the book was great! Unfortunately it just went downhill after that.
Most of Blood Passage felt unnecessary.
Spoiler
I don't know why the siblings didn't just go to the cave the minute they were free. If Raif already has the ring, there's nothing that can take it away.Just when I thought this book couldn't get any worse,
Spoiler
Nalia lost her magic. At least it didn't last too long. (20-25%)The cave was excruciating. And lasted FOREVER.
The Good:
We heard how great a warrior Nalia was, nice to finally see it! She kicked butt! The action scenes in the beginning were great!
Malek's funny bickering lines with Nalia and when he "acts" the villain were great. (He's still irredeemable, even if he can make me laugh)
The Bad:
She totally ruined Malek's character from book one! He lost quite a few IQ points.
Spoiler
Malek from book one would've negotiated a deal with the Ifrit and gotten freed. And be so would've made sure Calar was dead.Spoiler
sacrifice himself. I know that's why we got his POV but I still don't buy it. He'd have let Raif kill himself and continue as he had been.Zanari's POV reveals her to be a whinny annoying girl. She constantly jealous of her brother, wanting to leave the resistance, and feeling guilty about it. (Which is ironic since she's always nagging Raif how he has to act for the good of their people) I really loved Phara though.
Celar being a
Spoiler
teenagerWho died?
Spoiler
Bashil
Umbek
Malek
lacyduckie's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Exquisite Captive so much. Blood Passage was a chore to get through. Every time I put it down, it would be days before I picked it up again. I had to force myself to finish the last 100 pages in one go. And then you kill off the most interesting character???
stackattack's review against another edition
5.0
that was great. I think I was reading it for too long because I was kind of getting bored at the end, but I wasn't bored of the story, I was just bored of not starting new books. I was really sad that Malek died. I didn't want him to die. He was really great.
The ending was a huge cliffhanger. They were trying to get back to Arjinna and all the guys that were trapped in the bottles were saying that they were fighting for Nalia to be queen and not for Raif's
revolution. The Ifrit closed the portal so they had to go through that really dark empty place and they had just arrived there when the story ended. that was it. the darkness swallowed them(the line was something like that)
ALSO BASHIL IS DEAD!!!! EVERYONE DIED IN THIS BOOK!!! AND I WAS REALLY SAD!! HOW COME RAIF DIDN'T DIE!! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING! but then Nalia would be useless. I don't know...
The ending was a huge cliffhanger. They were trying to get back to Arjinna and all the guys that were trapped in the bottles were saying that they were fighting for Nalia to be queen and not for Raif's
revolution. The Ifrit closed the portal so they had to go through that really dark empty place and they had just arrived there when the story ended. that was it. the darkness swallowed them(the line was something like that)
ALSO BASHIL IS DEAD!!!! EVERYONE DIED IN THIS BOOK!!! AND I WAS REALLY SAD!! HOW COME RAIF DIDN'T DIE!! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING! but then Nalia would be useless. I don't know...
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This book was just so fantastic! I enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait to read the end of the trilogy!
koops333's review against another edition
3.0
DNF at 90%
Put it down and just didn't want to pick it up again. But considering I got to pretty much the end I'll go ahead and rate this one.
Put it down and just didn't want to pick it up again. But considering I got to pretty much the end I'll go ahead and rate this one.
bookishmews's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know if I enjoyed this so much more than average because of the audio book narrator or because of the unique themes... but I love this series.
ireadlikeaboss's review against another edition
3.0
Click on the banner to read this review on the blog.
Heather Demetrios takes readers back into the beautiful world of the Dark Caravan Cycle with Blood Passage, which was inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights. While there were some moments that were a little slow, this book takes readers on quite an exciting journey.
Having read Exquisite Captive a year ago, I was worried that I would have no clue as to what was going on. But thankfully, Demetrios embeds little reminders into the book so that you're not completely lost. Sometimes these little recaps can get annoying but in this case with all the Arjinnan and Arabian vocabulary, I was so thankful to have them there.
At the end of Exquisite Captive, Malek, Nalia, and Raif come to an agreement of sorts. Malek has made his final wish, giving Nalia her freedom from his as her master. But she is still beholden to him in order to grant his final wish—to take him to the location of Solomon’s sigil. This owner of this ring has the power to rule over all jinni, which is something both Raif and Malek want but for different reasons.
Nalia can't stand Malek after the years of torture she put him through, but the hardened cruel man Malek she'd become accustomed to seems to be melting away. Nalia also vowed to help Raif, the man she loves, with leading a revoltion to take back a troubled Arjinna, which is currently being raided by the evil Ifrit jinni.
Malek's wants and desires shift in this one, and I really enjoyed seeing him change as a person, putting others in front of himself. Demetrios begins to peel back the layers of his past and you see what happened to him before he met Nalia. It was a painful past and it still doesn't excuse the horrendous things he did. But I did feel bad for him (Eeep! I know, I know), but not bad enough to root for him and Nalia as a couple (See, I'm not completely off my rocker).
Because I didn't really root for Malek and Nalia as a couple (and I didn't really think we were supposed to), I still don't see this as a love triangle. Nalia's love for Raif, while shaky at times, remained steadfast in some form. She wasn't torn between Malek and Raif, like a traditional triangle. Malek's love for Nalia was unrequited.
The star of this book, much like Exquisite Captive, is the world Demetrios has built and the lush setting. I was able to visualize everything—the clothing, the food, the smells, the unique buildings, the unforgiving desert—which made me feel fully immersed in the story.
What kept me from rating this book higher, were my issues with the length and the long descriptive passages. This book topped out at nearly 500 pages, and I do believe that some of it could have been cut out. I found myself skimming over some of the less important narratives. Nonetheless, the overall story arc was captivating and I enjoyed this book. I need book three pronto!
If you're wondering whether this ends in a cliffhanger, I would say that it doesn't. The book ended at the end of one journey at the beginning of another and doesn't leave you wanting to throw things.
* I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read this Review on the Blog • My Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Instagram • Subscribe by Email
****************
★★UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES★★
****************
Heather Demetrios takes readers back into the beautiful world of the Dark Caravan Cycle with Blood Passage, which was inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights. While there were some moments that were a little slow, this book takes readers on quite an exciting journey.
Having read Exquisite Captive a year ago, I was worried that I would have no clue as to what was going on. But thankfully, Demetrios embeds little reminders into the book so that you're not completely lost. Sometimes these little recaps can get annoying but in this case with all the Arjinnan and Arabian vocabulary, I was so thankful to have them there.
At the end of Exquisite Captive, Malek, Nalia, and Raif come to an agreement of sorts. Malek has made his final wish, giving Nalia her freedom from his as her master. But she is still beholden to him in order to grant his final wish—to take him to the location of Solomon’s sigil. This owner of this ring has the power to rule over all jinni, which is something both Raif and Malek want but for different reasons.
Nalia can't stand Malek after the years of torture she put him through, but the hardened cruel man Malek she'd become accustomed to seems to be melting away. Nalia also vowed to help Raif, the man she loves, with leading a revoltion to take back a troubled Arjinna, which is currently being raided by the evil Ifrit jinni.
Malek's wants and desires shift in this one, and I really enjoyed seeing him change as a person, putting others in front of himself. Demetrios begins to peel back the layers of his past and you see what happened to him before he met Nalia. It was a painful past and it still doesn't excuse the horrendous things he did. But I did feel bad for him (Eeep! I know, I know), but not bad enough to root for him and Nalia as a couple (See, I'm not completely off my rocker).
Because I didn't really root for Malek and Nalia as a couple (and I didn't really think we were supposed to), I still don't see this as a love triangle. Nalia's love for Raif, while shaky at times, remained steadfast in some form. She wasn't torn between Malek and Raif, like a traditional triangle. Malek's love for Nalia was unrequited.
The star of this book, much like Exquisite Captive, is the world Demetrios has built and the lush setting. I was able to visualize everything—the clothing, the food, the smells, the unique buildings, the unforgiving desert—which made me feel fully immersed in the story.
What kept me from rating this book higher, were my issues with the length and the long descriptive passages. This book topped out at nearly 500 pages, and I do believe that some of it could have been cut out. I found myself skimming over some of the less important narratives. Nonetheless, the overall story arc was captivating and I enjoyed this book. I need book three pronto!
If you're wondering whether this ends in a cliffhanger, I would say that it doesn't. The book ended at the end of one journey at the beginning of another and doesn't leave you wanting to throw things.
* I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read this Review on the Blog • My Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Instagram • Subscribe by Email
****************
★★UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES★★
****************
yoopiedoopie's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
3.25
no raif does not get more tolerable in this book and im at even more of a loss as to why he and nalia remain together or why they like each other or why he so suddenly gets over how she killed kir like i truly had hopes bc it started to get juicy and i was like waaaiiitt we get character development??? but no we just get malek killed off like come on he was like one of the more interesting characters . i also didnt really like how easily they found solutions to some of the issues that arose on their journey to find the sigil. nalia becomes a girlboss i guess….idk this whole book just felt meh to me so i am finding it hard to remain attached to any characters rn like how did they all get so unlikeable. also does nobody find it weird that zanari literally describes raif and nalia’s relationship as like for them the world would end if they had to be apart like i really DONT feel the chemistry???? and does that not scream codependence to you?? genuine question
jcqb09's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Objectively, this book was an equal sequel (ha, that rhymes) to the previous book. It was just as engaging as Exquisite Captive and was filled with new characters, perspectives, and adventures. I would recommend reading this after reading the first book.
Now, subjectively, this book just didn't do it for me. MOSTLY because they killed off my favorite character. Malek was the main reason I continued this series; I just really like his personality type (he reminds me of Morpheus from the Splintered> series). I just wanted the book to clear up if Nalia really loved him or not. Obviously, since I just said that Malek died, Nalia ended up with Raif, but - yet again - more of the scenes in this book revolved around Malek's unreciprocated love (ish thing) for Nalia. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME FEEL BAD FOR HIM AND LOVE HIM MORE IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO KILL HIM?!?! But whatever. And I still feel like Nalia and Raif's relationship was really forced and rushed, but Nalia has no other options now I guess. *sad face*
Anyway, I liked following the story and how the settings changed so frequently. The last book was getting a little boring since they were in LA the entire time. Nalia, Raif, and Zarina's conflict about Nalia being empress might be incentive enough to pick up the third book when it's released.
Objectively, this book was an equal sequel (ha, that rhymes) to the previous book. It was just as engaging as Exquisite Captive and was filled with new characters, perspectives, and adventures. I would recommend reading this after reading the first book.
Now, subjectively, this book just didn't do it for me. MOSTLY because they killed off my favorite character. Malek was the main reason I continued this series; I just really like his personality type (he reminds me of Morpheus from the Splintered> series). I just wanted the book to clear up if Nalia really loved him or not. Obviously, since I just said that Malek died, Nalia ended up with Raif, but - yet again - more of the scenes in this book revolved around Malek's unreciprocated love (ish thing) for Nalia. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME FEEL BAD FOR HIM AND LOVE HIM MORE IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO KILL HIM?!?! But whatever. And I still feel like Nalia and Raif's relationship was really forced and rushed, but Nalia has no other options now I guess. *sad face*
Anyway, I liked following the story and how the settings changed so frequently. The last book was getting a little boring since they were in LA the entire time. Nalia, Raif, and Zarina's conflict about Nalia being empress might be incentive enough to pick up the third book when it's released.