Bloodthorn by Tamara Grantham
Crimson Tree Publishing (c) 2016
ARC E-book
Fantasy
Reviewed by Leah
This cover does not disappoint. I am content.
Summary:
After ten months of nursing a broken heart, Olive Kennedy no longer believes in fairy tales. Which would be just fine, if the fairies didn't arrive on Earth with the tale of a creature no one is certain exists. A creature that feeds off of dark energy, and might be a shapeshifter committing the murders of Olive's unique set of clients.
Working at the Texas Renaissance Festival in the hopes of scraping together enough to live off of, Olive never expected for bodies to drop in her lap, Fairies asking for her help on the recommendation of her stepfather, the Sky King, or that her ex––King Kull of the Wults––might be playing bodyguard to her royal guests. None of which will cease plaguing her life until she retrieves the Fairy Starstone––an object that absorbs all of the dark magic uttered by Fairies, so that they can cast nothing but good, pure spells.
As the death toll rises, and a new drug reveals itself in every case, Olive learns that this mysterious creature, the bloodthorn, has set its eyes on her and her magic. Feeling like a piece moved about on a game board, Olive knows that not all is as it seems, but she can't figure out how to break the pattern.
Even Kull's luck might not get her through this time.
Initial Thoughts:
Well, I mentioned the cover, right? Okay, then we're good there. My initial reaction was, of course, utter glee that I was able to read this as an ARC. Then it was a whole new refreshing experience being able to immerse myself in the Olive/Kull/Faythander adventures once more.
Characters:
Olive is an emotional wreck in this installment. If you've read Spellweaver then you know why. She has good reason to be angry all the time. Even if it does last ten whole months, and her employer is beginning to question her ability to help clients when she's so unwilling to help herself. Add a dash of magic disobedience, and she's not in the best of moods. Throw in the man who broke her heart and another demand to save Faythander, and Olive is a little on the weary side. And it brings out a whole different woman than the one we've dealt with before.
Kull has also undergone dramatic psychological shifts in the past ten months. So much so that the people who once worshipped him now avoid him like the plague. Having inherited the crown of the Wults, he has to think politics all of the time. Though being on a rough-and-tumble adventure for the sake of the Fairies, it brings out a little more of his old self.
(As a nod to a brief side character that I am praying I see more of, I'd just like to say that Grandamere is fabulous!)
By the way, I am waiting for Brent to reveal his bad guy status. Even though he might prove to be an ally at some point, and not all that evil, I still dislike him. Very much. For eternity. I don't care how much he proves me wrong.
Plot & Setting:
The setting is once more basking in Texas while melding with Faythander. Wherever Olive is, you're there. You feel the change when she goes from Earth Kingdom to her home world, and it's the little things that let you journey with her. Setting is very important, and this is always done well in these books.
The plot here was very specific in what it had to do, and it did it. As Olive followed her leads, she did so with a single-mindedness of a desperate woman. The answers she needs are within reach at all times, and she knows it well. Of course, there are also new questions that need answering by the time this journey has reached its end.
Writing Style:
I chose to do a reread of Bloodthorn while I was coming off of an Ilona Andrews binge. Wise move on my part. While the voices are different, there is a bit of a similarity in style that made this the perfect 'hair of the dog'. Olive could have been best friends with some of the snarky, witty, ferocious women in the Andrews universe. Though there are so many darker moments in this book than in previous experiences, Olive still has a witty retort, or exacerbated remark at hand to fight back. Even when she is struggling, it is always with the idea that she'll keep moving forward. It is a style of writing and characterization that I absolutely love.
Overall Opinion:
This book offers more sides to both Olive and Kull, and even a few side characters, than we have previously seen, which brings with it a whole slew of emotions. The adventure and mystery surrounding them carry the reader away and leave them hungering for more. It is a book I very much enjoyed, and one I will always recommend. (After you read the first 2.)
