Book #54: Blood

Title: Blood (Book one of the Mercian Trilogy)

Author: K.J. Wignall

Date started reading: April 08, 2012
Date finished reading: April 10, 2012

Publish date: September 2011
ISBN: 978-1606842201
Number of pages: 272

Official summary: "Will is a vampire in danger. Heir to the Earl of Mercia, he was brutally attacked and buried in the thirteenth century before he was able to assume his title. Perpetually sixteen, Will’s life has been lonely. He leaves his tomb every so often, adapts to the present day, feeds his bloodlust, and never gets close to anyone. Until now. Waking from a twenty-year slumber, hungry for the blood that sustains his undeath, he meets Eloise — but can’t bear to make her his next victim. Drawn to a girl he can never have, but whose fate seems bound with his own, he feels the need to protect her. But Will has an enemy who will stop at nothing to find him... and he’s closing in." (http://www.kjwignall.com)

How I obtained the book: I got an uncorrected proof copy of the book last year through the newspaper I work for. I'm just now getting around to checking it out.

Memorable quotes:

• "The more that's known about the world, the more people seem determined to search for what is lost or hidden. There are archaeologists, treasure hunters, and ghost hungers -- the legions of the curious -- searching for secrets and the places that hold them. They ignore the possibility that some secrets are best kept, some places better left untouched." ~ Will
• "I do not like the name vampire -- it seems so melodramatic, so fanciful. I have long preferred the word undead." ~ Will
• "I've seen millions die, and I will see millions more. In that regard, death is all I know. ... Death is the backdrop against which I act out my life." ~ Will to Eloise 
• "People can go entire lifetimes and fail to learn important things about themselves. So do not judge me too harshly when I say that I was five hundred years old before I fully understood that my only long-term relationship would be with loss -- it has been the one certainty of my life, that I will lose everyone sooner or later." ~ Will
• "Death wanted me no more than life did. I was forever suspended between those two states and I believed it would always be so." ~ Will
• "Death was as tempting as a warm bed to a sleepy child, but before he surrendered, he had to know the truth." ~ Will
• "God, sometimes you really do talk like a seven-hundred-and-fifty-year-old." ~ Eloise to Will
• "If I didn't taste like dinner, I'd kiss you right now." ~ Eloise
  "If you didn't taste like dinner, I'd kiss you back." ~ Will

My commentary:

• I definitely like the final cover much better than the one on the cover of the uncorrected proof that I got. The cover I have is just white with blood dripping down and simple text.
• This book has a completely different feel to it than the normal teen vampire books. I think that may be mostly because it's told from a male point-of-view written by a male author. Most of the vampire books I read are told from a female POV by a female author, and sometimes a male POV by a female author. This book has a darker tone than many of the other vampire books.
• It makes me somewhat sad that if someone went into a store like Barnes & Noble, I'm sure this book would be lumped into the "teen paranormal romance" section. This book is so much different than other books involving teenagers and vampires, but stores are lumping all those books in together. This book belongs in a "horror" section along with books like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Ann Rice's "Interview With the Vampire." It shouldn't be anywhere near Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series or any of the other sad excuses for horror books. 
• I liked how the author stuck to the "vampires burn up in the sun" myth. Will's skin starts to sizzle when sunlight hits it. There is no sparkling in the sun like the "Twilight" vamps. 
• Will files down his fangs into what looks like normal human teeth. This made me cringe when I read it thinking about how bad that would feel, but it really showed the physical strength that Will possessed. 
• The author also stuck to the "vampires kill people in order to live" myth. There was no drinking blood from people and letting them live. Will kills people and doesn't really feel remorse for it. That is refreshing considering that most modern vampires are portrayed as non-killing now. 
• I'm not sure if the author intended it as a diss at the "Twilight" series or it was just a coincidence, but Eloise and Will have a conversation about a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Will doesn't understand what a vegan is, so she has to explain it to him. He has a thought that he is completely the opposite of a vegetarian because he drinks blood and kills humans. Of course, in "Twilight," the Cullens call themselves "vegetarians" because they only drink animal blood. So in a way, the author was throwing it out there that Will is not at all the same as the Cullens... whether it was intended or not.
• Overall, I was rather impressed with this book. At the newspaper, we get a lot -- and I mean A LOT -- of really horrible books. Normally publishers send us books from new authors or the first in a new series like this one. About 90% of what I've seen come through the office is utter crap. I expected this to end up in the "crap" pile, but I was pleasantly surprised. It isn't really ideal for the vampire fans who are seeking out a vampire love story, but anyone who likes a darker look at the vampire myth should definitely check it out. I had no expectation of wanting to read the future books in the series, but I think I will actually read them once they come out.

Buy on Amazon.com: Blood: Book One of the Mercian Trilogy