Book Review: Blood Ties Book Two: Possession
- Author
- Jennifer Armintrout
- Grade
- B
Armintrout writes a fascinating novel with enough fangs and romance for any lover of vampire novels.
In the first book in Armintrout’s Blood Ties series, readers were introduced to Carrie Ames, a young woman who had been turned into a vampire by the wicked Cyrus, and her lover Nathan, a vampire who has been coerced into joining an anti-vampire movement.
The second book takes a whole new direction that might jar readers of the first in the series. In Possession, Nathan becomes possessed, and is hunted by Carrie, who wants to find and stop him before the body count can climb too high. Carrie’s point of view has less action than in the first novel, which may be disappointing to some readers, as she is the main character. However, new characters Max and Bella bring action, sexual tension, and comedy to the novel. Bella is a shapeshifter and assassin sent to kill Nathan, and Max is Nathan’s friend who wants to keep Bella from succeeding.
Meanwhile, Cyrus, who had been a vampire in the first novel, has been turned back into a human, and finds readjustment to mortal life difficult. Cyrus and a woman named Mouse are held captive in a church by members of the same vampire gang Cyrus used to rule. Readers may be disappointed by this arc, as Cyrus is no longer the spoiled, rich, and menacing villain the reader grew to know in the first book. These days, Cyrus finds himself mired in human emotions, like grief and love, that he hasn’t had to cope with in a long time. And, after a tragedy involving Mouse, he also gets a big dose of another emotion that is foreign to vampires — guilt.
Armintrout does a great job of moving the story along when it features Max and Bella because they provide a more fun and action-oriented side of the story while the other characters wrestle with much darker emotions. But the parts with Carrie, Nathan, and Cyrus sometimes drag.
This book jumps straight into the story without stopping to recap what happened before or to explain who all the characters are and their relationships with one another. This will confuse those who happen upon this book before realizing it’s a sequel. Still, the novel is fast-paced and interesting enough to leave readers wanting more, and anyone who reads this one first will want to go back and find the first one.
The third novel in the series, Blood Ties Book Three: Ashes to Ashes, is scheduled to come out August 1, 2007, so you won’t have to wait long to find out what happens next!
Copyright . Published 4 May 2007 in What’s New.
Reader comments
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I read both “Possession” and its predecessor, “The Turning”. Sadly, I really wasn’t impressed by either. In fact, to show just how unimpressed I was with “Possession”, I put it down midway through the book…and didn’t pick it up again until over a month later when I happened across it again. It wasn’t HORRIBLE – there were some good moments – but it just didn’t capture my attention and it seemed like the ending was kind of rushed. If you’re looking for a good new paranormal series, try Vicki Petterson’s “The Scent of Shadows” and “The Taste of Night” – no vampires, but lots of creepy things and action (and gore – you’ve been warned) and a terrific butt-kicking heroine.
permalink — 4 May 2007, 17:52