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Book ReviewsThe Living Blood |
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Book: The Living Blood
Written by: Tananarive Due |
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5
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Heartpounding Suspense!
Rating:
5 / 5
This book took my breath away. Just like it's predescessor,I found myself reading for hours on end, unable to stop and gasping for air. These 2 novels are the best books I've read, ever!!
A Well Done Supernatural Thriller
Rating:
4 / 5
The Living Blood is a well-written and intelligent supernatural thriller. Despite some of the misleading reviews below, it has nothing to do with Vampires. You should note that this book is a sequel to My Soul To Keep. However, the plot is self-contained and it is not necessary to read My Soul To Keep in order to fully appreciate this book.
I'm not going to spend time summarizing the plot because the product description does that.
The heroine is strong and the little girl is cute. Most of the characters and their motivations are believable. The pacing is just right, slow enough for good character development but fast enough to keep your attention. The depictions of the great ancient churches of Ethiopia are dazzling.
For me, the most satisfying aspect of the book was learning the origin of the Blood. The answer is imaginative and thought provoking.
At just over 500 pages, the book has a number of subplots. Some of these subplots are detached from the main story, but none so much so that you'll want to skip ahead. My favorite subplot involved Lucas Shepard, who races around the world trying to track down a dose of The Blood to save his dying son before it's too late. Shepard ironically happens to be a world famous microbiologist, and Due does an excellent job of portraying his internal angst over the inability of his science to cure his son. Both Dr. Shepard and his son are endearing characters who give the book emotional depth.
I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 for three reasons. First, I thought the battle for control of the Blood should've been more high-stakes. If a small clinic in Botswana were giving away free doses of a cure-for-everything, it would hardly remain a secret. The struggle for it would be monumental. Second, I thought the book would've been a better read if Due had spent more time exploring the fascinating Life Brothers, or at least their leader Khaldun. I finished the book with so many unanswered questions about them. (Was the Blood given to Khaldun or did he take it?) Finally, some of the loose ends in the book were distracting. For instance, Due never bothers to explain who The Bee Lady is or why she's after Fana. But overall, this was a wonderful book that I highly recommend.
Hallelujah!
Rating:
5 / 5
Tananarive Due has brilliantly broken new ground for Black Authors. Not since Stephen King's book IT has a novel made such an impact on me. As a black writer in this genre all I can say is Tananarive has set the standard of excellence and I can only HOPE AND PRAY to be half the author she is!
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