Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin

Another book to suffer from the Sophomore Slump.

I absolutely loved Serpent & Dove and have had this one on my TBR list since. I was super excited when my British Best friend said, “let’s buddy read Blood & Honey.” Unfortunately, the longer I’ve been away from finishing it, the more my feelings go from “that was really good” to more “that was just ok.”

To be completely honest, from the very beginning I was concerned about how I was going to feel when I was done. I felt a little disconnected and wasn’t really feeling what was happening with Lou’s character development. Reid also continued to irritate me a little as well, being a little too whiny at times. I really felt that everyone (except Coco) changed. Who are these people?

The new characters that were introduced in this book are fantastic. I absolutely loved Claud Deveraux and his little traveling acting troupe. From the beginning, he is cloaked in smoke and mystery. I think the mystery surrounding this “collector” is why I was so drawn to him. I wanted so badly to figure out who he was and why he knew the things he did and surrounded himself with the people that he did. I will say that I am not disappointed at all, although I still have a lot of questions about him when the book ended.

“What you are now is not what you’ve always been, nor is it what you always will be. You are a snake. Shed your skin if it no longer serves you. Transform into something different. Something better.”

There is just so much more to the characters. The depth of their characterization including their motivations, beliefs and abilities cause plot events to not be completely predictable. Toulouse and Thierry are two of my favorites as well. They are members of the troupe and impact Reid’s own development. Then there are characters like La Voisin and Nicholina. Nicholina, for whatever reason, made me giggle every time her crazy self came onto the scene.

The plethora of characters drive the plot. As the band of witches and fugitives try to find allies to complete their mission of killing Morgane, we experience a very effective ebb and flow of action scenes and staging/development scenes. The action is page turning good when we have those peaks. From the first big scene in the bar, to the woods with the werewolves, and finally to the ending. But, I found it was really only those three scenes that really kept the pages turning. Otherwise it just felt like one more chapter where not a whole lot was happening.

We continue to see more world building and more of the depth of prejudice against all magical or ‘unnatural’ powers and species.  But we also see what some people will do for those they love. While Lou wasn’t my favorite in this book for how she was being portrayed and developed on the pages, I respected the motivations behind her actions and her reasons for using her magic the way she did.

The magical aspect of the world building is also enhanced in this sequel. As a reader we learn a lot more about the different types of magic, for example the blood witches, like Coco, are quite creepy in how they use their magic and how blood is involved. But, more importantly, we learn the toll that it takes on a person when they use it or use it too fiercely. Nature needs a balance, there is in essence a price. At the end of the day, I feel this was the most important aspect of the entire book.

The climatic ending is very well done. We see our questions about Claud answered even though it leaves more questions, we see a confrontation of all parties including Morgane, and we see  the casualties of lives as a result of the conflict. The surprise betrayal and twist on the last two pages of the book were unexpected, and it sets up an interesting book 3. .

Where does it land on my bookshelf?

This was a struggle for me to really determine its proper placement. In the end I’m placing it on the middle shelf. Top of the middle shelf, but I just wasn’t as invested in this one as I was in book 1, but I still loved the concept of the plot, the new characters, and the cliffhanger of an ending. It is a solid and effective fantasy with all the elements that you would want to see. As long as you can get over Lou’s character development being a little all over the place and Reid being a little whiny, and focus on the world, the conflict and the other characters, it’s not a bad read. Just wish there was more of the original characters I loved and more than just those three super big, powerful scenes. I will eventually read book 3, but it’ll probably be a little while.

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Brand New Website for book lovers: www.tinyurl.com/desertbookshelf It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more!

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.