A review by katrod
The Blood Gift by N.E. Davenport

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I loooved The Blood Trials, but I think The Blood Gift suffered a bit from second book syndrome.  It wasn’t bad, I just wasn’t as engaged as the first book, and I felt like the plot was rushed just so the story could be wrapped up easily and not drawn out into a trilogy.  

I think it could have played out in a more complex way- some of the plot lines ended up getting glossed over and Ikenna’s squad’s tasks completed too easily.  

Also, for a duology, I would have expected a more solid ending.  It definitely feels like Davenport is leaving things open in case she wants to write a 3rd.  But leaving the book as it is kind of felt like the first draft of how Ikenna’s story could unfold.