Scan barcode
A review by kim_brockway_gatehouse
Thicker Than Blood by Annie Bellet
4.0
Amazing — Mystery, Revelations and Plenty of Gumption!
I'm already a fan of Annie's writing style and this urban fantasy series. Thicker Than Blood is the 6th book. I should stress that the books in this series need to be read in order to understand the plotline.
I downloaded the narration by Folly Blaine for my Kindle. However, I ended up listening to most of the story through Audible rather than reading it. I like the way Folly reads the narrative, it's good. The majority of this story is told from Jade Crow's perspective and Folly's performance mirrors our protagonist's personality. There are also fly-on-the-wall sections showing us what Harper and Alek are up too. Folly has a very limited number of accents or voices and none of them are overtly distinctive. Many of the characters sound the same, making scenes with more dialogue than narrative harder to follow.
The plot in this book is pivotal to the series. However, it definitely feels like a middle book - Empire Strikes Back vibes. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the unfurling mystery, tension or being introduced to a host of new characters. Annie is really good at writing dynamic fight scenes and this book had its fair share of those to keep my adrenaline pumping. I also liked the soul searching that certain situations forced Jade into.
Thicker Than Blood has left me with a million questions. Although there's no perilous cliffhanger, the ending leaves us in a kind of limbo which is why I've sulkily rated this one 4-stars not 5. However, it's still a good story that I really enjoyed reading. Loving all the geeky references and nerdish quotes sprinkled throughout - they warmed my heart and put a smile on my face.
I'm already a fan of Annie's writing style and this urban fantasy series. Thicker Than Blood is the 6th book. I should stress that the books in this series need to be read in order to understand the plotline.
I downloaded the narration by Folly Blaine for my Kindle. However, I ended up listening to most of the story through Audible rather than reading it. I like the way Folly reads the narrative, it's good. The majority of this story is told from Jade Crow's perspective and Folly's performance mirrors our protagonist's personality. There are also fly-on-the-wall sections showing us what Harper and Alek are up too. Folly has a very limited number of accents or voices and none of them are overtly distinctive. Many of the characters sound the same, making scenes with more dialogue than narrative harder to follow.
The plot in this book is pivotal to the series. However, it definitely feels like a middle book - Empire Strikes Back vibes. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the unfurling mystery, tension or being introduced to a host of new characters. Annie is really good at writing dynamic fight scenes and this book had its fair share of those to keep my adrenaline pumping. I also liked the soul searching that certain situations forced Jade into.
Thicker Than Blood has left me with a million questions. Although there's no perilous cliffhanger, the ending leaves us in a kind of limbo which is why I've sulkily rated this one 4-stars not 5. However, it's still a good story that I really enjoyed reading. Loving all the geeky references and nerdish quotes sprinkled throughout - they warmed my heart and put a smile on my face.