Aleksandra's Corner: "Red Blooded" by Amanda Carlson

Sep 8, 2014

"Red Blooded" by Amanda Carlson

Posted by Aleksandra at 6:00 PM

Title: Red Blooded

Author: Amanda Carlson

Series: Jessica McClain, #4

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: September 9th, 2014

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from September 6th to September 7th, 2014, from the eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

Jessica is going to Hell.

After settling a fragile truce between the vampires, werewolves and witches, the last thing Jessica wants to do is face the demons head on. But when the Prince of Hell kidnapped her brother, he set into motion a chain of events that even Jessica doesn't have the power to stop.

Now, Jessica must go into battle again. But Hell is a whole new beast -- new rules, more dangerous demons, and an entirely foreign realm. And when Jessica is dropped into the Underworld too soon, without protection or the help of her friends, she must figure out just how powerful she can be... or she will never make it out alive.

My Thoughts on the Book:

Red Blooded is a great addition to the awesomeness that is the Jessica McClain series! Even though Red Blooded might not be as amazing as the previous books, Amanda Carlson showed again that she's amazing at world-building & creating lovable & interesting characters.

I have to admit that the first half of the book I absolutely loved. It was so amazing, the expanding of the world was crafted perfectly, and I loved the Underworld the author imagined. It was scary, interesting, fun & beautiful.

As for the second part of the book, even though I enjoyed it immensely, and it was kinda great, it wasn't as awesome, but I still had a blast finishing this book, mostly because of my love for the characters (yes, I kinda adore them), and it was one entertaining ride.

The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger part. It was unnecessary, definitely not a good cliffhanger, and it's not like the reader learns anything knew, to be honest. I can't even call it a cliffhanger, it kinda totally sucked.

The story starts soon after Cold Blooded ended. Jessica & the gang are getting ready for their newest rescue mission - their trip to Hell to save Tyler - when Jessica accidentally ends up in Hell without her backup. She's alone, and must try to survive (and maybe find Tyler) long enough until her backup arrives.

I've actually forgotten how much I love Jessica as a character. There's just something about her that I totally adore, and she makes me laugh, too! Also, there's a new character in this book, that from the moment Jessica met, I kinda adored. Lily is one scary, awesome, dangerous & intriguing supernatural. And despite what happened in this book, I still think she's one fascinating character.

As for the story, it was really, really good. Definitely not what I expected before I started reading Red Blooded when it comes to the way story developed & what exactly happened, but still action-packed, fast-paced, interesting & so entertaining! So, yes, there were a few surprises along the way, even though I knew something wasn't quite right, because I knew that someone is pulling the strings, and I loved learning more about why & how something happened previously, though nothing quite shocked me. I think I had so much fun, that I just went along for the ride, instead of trying to figure out what will happen next ;) That's rare for me, but it happens now & then, and it happened with this book.

I was also left surprised by some of the characters that showed up again, and I was bummed & kinda missed the characters that didn't. I knew that probably not all of them would be present in this book, but I still absolutely & thoroughly missed them. Hopefully, they'll be more present in the following book Pure Blooded. But, I absolutely adored Jessica, Rourke, Ray, Danny, Tyler, Naomi & Marci once again.

That's all I'm going to say about this book. No more details, you'll just have to read it for yourself & see why I adore the series. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book Pure Blooded.

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, with extensive & amazing world-building, that intertwines lots of different supernatural beings & their societies in a way that mind-blowingly works, and it's action-packed, funny, full of danger, chaos & mayhem, and entertaining, as well as full of awesome characters that you won't be able to stop yourself but love, and with interesting & intriguing storyline, then Red Blooded & the Jessica McClain series is for you, and I can't recommend it enough!