An unpredictable vampire thriller with just enough action, romance, and politics to keep readers on the hook.
In Linde’s supernatural novel, a young woman narrowly escapes from her vampire captor only to discover worse trouble brewing as a new threat bears down on the human world.
This second book in the Blood Type series continues the story of Reyna Carpenter, a human living in a world largely run by vampires. She is held captive and forced to act as a personal blood bag by the sadistic William Harrington, president and CEO of Visage, a vampire-run company that pairs vampires with matching blood donors (AKA “blood escorts”). After being terrorized by another one of Harrington’s captives—a seemingly crazed vampire known only as “B”—Reyna is rescued by members of Elle, an underground rebel group intent upon taking down Visage once and for all. During her escape, Reyna insists on also rescuing Jodie, a young woman whose blood is used to create an antidote that prevents vampires from having to rely on blood matches (a “huge leap for vamp-kind”). Finally reunited with her vampire lover, Beckham Anderson, Reyna dives deeper into Elle’s mission…and unwittingly stumbles across a horrifying plot. Attempting to stop it will put those whom Reyna loves the most—including her brothers and Beckham himself—at risk. A twisty continuation of Reyna’s ill-fated adventures in blood-escorting and love, this novel leans into its political undertones as the underground rebel group also deals with a new mayor who may or may not have their best intentions in mind. While some readers may balk at yet another unabashed cliffhanger that essentially forces them to read the next book if they have any hope for a satisfying conclusion, Linde includes enough genuinely surprising twists (including the identity of B and the ending itself) to make the reading experience worthwhile. The confident prose, steamy vampire–human sex scenes, and a rebellion worth rooting for ultimately result in a compelling page-turner that will more than satisfy fans of the genre.
An unpredictable vampire thriller with just enough action, romance, and politics to keep readers on the hook.Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9781649379726
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though it falters a bit under its own weight, this series still has plenty of fight left.
In this long-awaited fifth installment of Shannon’s Bone Season series, the threat to the clairvoyant community spreads like a plague across Europe.
After extending her fight against the Republic of Scion to Paris, Paige Mahoney, leader of London’s clairvoyant underworld and a spy for the resistance movement, finds herself further outside her comfort zone when she wakes up in a foreign place with no recollection of getting there. More disturbing than her last definitive memory, in which her ally-turned-lover Arcturus seems to betray her, is that her dreamscape—the very soul of her clairvoyance—has been altered, as if there’s a veil shrouding both her memories and abilities. Paige manages to escape and learns she’s been missing and presumed dead for six months. Even more shocking is that she’s somehow outside of Scion’s borders, in the free world where clairvoyants are accepted citizens. She gets in touch with other resistance fighters and journeys to Italy to reconnect with the Domino Programme intelligence network. In stark contrast to the potential of life in the free world is the reality that Scion continues to stretch its influence, with Norway recently falling and Italy a likely next target. Paige is enlisted to discover how Scion is bending free-world political leaders to its will, but before Paige can commit to her mission, she has her own mystery to solve: Where in the world is Arcturus? Paige’s loyalty to Arcturus is tested as she decides how much to trust in their connection and how much information to reveal to the Domino Programme about the Rephaite—the race of immortals from the Netherworld, Arcturus’ people—and their connection to the founding of Scion, as well as the presence of clairvoyant abilities on Earth. While the book is impressively multilayered, the matter-of-fact way in which details from the past are sprinkled throughout will have readers constantly flipping to the glossary. As the series’ scope and the implications of the war against Scion expand, Shannon’s narrative style reads more action-thriller than fantasy. Paige’s powers as a dreamwalker are rarely used here, but when clairvoyance is at play, the story shines.
Though it falters a bit under its own weight, this series still has plenty of fight left.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781639733965
Page Count: 576
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.
A woman from a matriarchal society kidnaps a prince from a neighboring kingdom, planning to force him into marriage.
Five hundred years ago, the wife of the abusive king of Amarra prayed to her goddess for mercy; in return, the goddess granted every woman in the country the ability to rule over men. Amarra’s queens have governed with vengeance ever since, creating a fiercely violent matriarchy. Now, 21-year-old Olerra Corasene, a gifted military strategist and powerful general, is competing with her cunning and devious cousin, Glenaerys, to be the next queen. Since Glen is trying to secure the throne by currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time-honored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good-looking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king’s eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he’s treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He’s dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can’t understand Sanos’ objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller’s first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women’s rage.
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379375
Page Count: 368
Publisher: FEIWEL
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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