A review by jaclynder
Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love

4.0

Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.

Thanks to the Kate Daniels series I’ve been more inclined to read urban fantasy of late and for whatever reason I somehow came across Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love’s Belador series. Blood Trinity is the first in the series and introduces readers to Evalle, an outcast in the larger brotherhood of the Belador warriors.

Like the other warriors Evalle has power and she uses those powers to fight against other paranormal beings. Unlike the other Beladors, Evalle is a half-breed and as such she is an Alterant, a person that can shift into beast form. Unfortunately, this transformation is unique to Alterants and the other Beladors fear that Evalle will lose control of her beast and kill without consequence; a fact that has been proven over and over again with other Alterants. Evalle has been successfully avoiding being caged by the Belador elite thanks to two loyal friends who have covered for her in the past. However, when a new player rolls into Atlanta is seems that Evalle might not be able to avoid being caged unless she can prove that she’s not responsible for a recent murder. Complicating matters is the impending apocalypse. Sigh. As if your day job isn’t tough enough.

The first thing to know about Blood Trinity is that there is A LOT going on. Readers are pretty much thrown into Kenyon and Love’s world and it’s not always clear what the rules for this world are. In some instances I felt that there was a back-story that I was missing, but from what I can tell there is no previous book in the series. Someone correct me if I am wrong. While there is a lot to absorb right off the bat, there is so much to enjoy!

The biggest highlight of Blood Trinity is the character of Evalle. Evalle is prickly, justifiably so, and funny. There was an interesting dynamic to Evalle character. She was both kickbutt and also innocently vulnerable. This dichotomy made her a compelling character, and one that will keep me reading the rest of the series. The Beladors don’t treat her as an equal yet she feels such loyalty to them? How will that uneven relationship work out? Character development; it is in spades in Blood Trinity.

Great characters aside, I also like that Blood Trinity had a mystery element to it. Evalle is trying to track down who has killed a demon and searching for a missing, powerful, magical object. Obviously, demons and magical objects are not your average mystery fare, but that mystery element is there and I thought it was done really well. There were a lot of players involved but instead of being messy this really worked in the books favour, further fleshing out the world.

I also liked that there was a more overt romantic tone to Blood Trinity. As much as I like the Kate Daniels series, I’m always hoping that romance will take a more central role. While the romance plot is only at its beginning in Blood Trinity, I thought the focus on Evalle’s reaction to her suitors was great. It didn’t overpower the larger plot, but the romance still played an important role in the story. Considering Evalle’s traumatic past I don’t expect the romance to really move at a rapid pace throughout the series, but I do like how it impacts Evalle as a character. I’m telling you, the characters are fantastic!

So, if you’re a fan of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series it is more than likely that you will enjoy Blood Trinity. Not only is it also set in Atlanta, it also features a snarky heroine. And, if that’s not convincing, I also had my sister (the biggest Kate Daniels fan out there) read the series and she’s in love with it too. Blood Trinity is Kate Daniels approved!