The Children and The Blood Book Review

As I venture into the world of book reviewing, I've been fortunate enough to have received and read some wonderful books.

This next book is such a book. It's nothing like I've ever read before. Just when I think a genre has been done several times over, +Megan Joel Peterson has done something different with it and I loved it!

Synopsis: 
A forgotten life.
A secret war.
Eight years ago, an exploding gas main killed Ashley's family and left her with a childhood she can't remember. 
Eight years later, the forgotten past is behind her and life on her isolated farm is all she knows. 
Until that past comes looking for her.
Until men with superhuman powers hunt her down in the night, determined to take every she loves away from her again. 

Title: The Children and The Blood
Series: Book One of 'The Children and The Blood' series
Author: Megan Joel Peterson
Publisher: Self Published (February 6, 2013)
Format: Paperback; ePub; Kindle/Mobi; 350 pages
Genre(s): Young Adult; Urban Fantasy
Locations Available: Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Apple; Kobo; Smashwords


What usually grabs my attention of a book is the title, then either the synopsis or cover. But usually the title is the first thing. When I got this book for review and saw The Children and The Blood, it intrigued me. One doesn't normally think of children and blood going together unless a child's hurt. However, knowing that the book was an Urban Fantasy novel, I decided I had to learn more.

Then the cover got me. It's so simple. Nothing fancy at all but just as intriguing. When I read the synopsis, I wanted to learn more about Ashley and her family and what happened to her. And boy was I in for a ride!

Within the first few paragraphs of the story, my attention was caught. Immediately, there was turmoil and anguish. Megan didn't waste any time getting into the action of it. She gives us a teaser of the present in her prologue and then back tracks to the past of just a few hours. It was well done as I wasn't confused on what was happening in the timeline progression of the story.

Once we get to learn more about Ashley and what happened to her family, you can't help but feel the sadness and pain that her dad and sister has lived with.

*I will put a spoiler alert warning here but try not to give too much away.*

This story is about magic, plain and simple. Magic. However, Megan does something completely different with it. I certainly have not read a book about wizards in this manner at all. I enjoyed it tremendously. It was simple and new. We get to learn that Ashley and her sister come from a wizard family but yet are quite different than wizards. Hmmm...

It's also about survival and learning who you are inside you and what you are capable of doing in order to keep your loved ones safe.

During the course of losing her family, yet again, Ashley meets some outcasts called Hunters. They take her in and teach her about the magic world that surrounds her.

The story is also told from the point of view of another integral character to the story, Cole. Cole becomes the unlikely hero who saves Ashley and her little sister. They become separated and that's when Ashley meets the Hunters. Cole assumes the role and responsibility of guardian to Ashley's little sister. He takes care of her as they both learn about the magical world.

Both parties go on an adventure trying to hide and stay one step ahead from the wizards and pretty much just trying to stay alive.

This book finished with a jaw dropping cliff hanger! It ended NOT how I was expecting and certainly NOT who I was expecting to see. I suspect that we will get to know more about what and who Ashley, her little sister and Cole are in the upcoming book, Taliesin Ascendant. I loved the ending cause it has me anxiously awaiting the next book.

Do I recommend this book? Heck yeah, I do. I can always tell a book is good when: I can't put it down; My emotions are all over the place; I can't wait for the release of the next in line book of the series; and when I get really sad that the story has finally come to an end.

It's a young adult urban fantasy story that just takes on a ride from the beginning up to the very end.