Blood Eternal

Read Time: 2 Minutes

Ancient enemies from before the dawn of time? Yep! After bouncing around the world in Blood Demands, this instalment spends more time digging into the past as part of uncovering what exactly is going on, and why Noosh and her new vampire family is being targeted.

There’s a heavy focus on history, philosophy, religion, and the deeper lore of the Am’r, particularly through Bagamil’s backstory and others like him, which had me hooked.

It’s clear a huge amount of thought and research has gone into this, and probably the strongest entry so far. The lives of some of the Am’r stretch back multiple millennia, back to the very dawn of when the first of their kind arose among the human civilisation of the time.

I don’t want to say too much as a way to avoid spoilers, but these backstories that help flesh out the greater world of the Am’r were extremely well written. It felt grounded in reality and plausible enough to be real while layering in the supernatural evolution of the first vampires. I loved these deep visits to the ancient world.

Because a large part of the story is reflection, told through characters recounting events rather than actively living them, it does feel a little slower in pace than the first two but certainly not to its detriment.

This one leans into the sophisticated and sexy side of vampire life, but also how perilous it is as they mostly can’t ever get along. There is still plenty of action, tension, vampire-grade violence and gore (Noosh does still manage to be a trouble magnet), and of course the steamy parts that seem to get hotter as the series goes on.

The character depth and dynamics remain a highlight of these books. Noosh continues to juggle her relationships with Sandu and Bagamil without the story forcing her into a neat little box. Her ongoing struggle with what she’s becoming adds a bit more weight beneath all the sex, blood, and banter.

I love how much time Raven has obviously spent on building out the lore and the world of the Am’r. The world they exist in is so richly described and possessing a depth that gives even minor characters realistic personas that feel fully fleshed out with backstories of their own.

On the whole, it’s a more introspective entry than previous with less action and more lore. I’m on board with the deep worldbuilding and ancient vampire history, and I think you’ll have a great time. More to come? Absolutely, Noosh is just getting started!

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