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Bloodlands #2
Blood Rules
After the vampire named Gabriel came into her world, Mariah Lyander was forced to face her true nature and admit to the terrible things she had done - things that Gabriel could not forgive.
To redeem herself and recover her own humanity - and Gabriel's love - Mariah sets out on a perilous journey across the haunted land, in search of a rumored cure. And Gabriel, blood-bonded to her, is compelled to follow.
Together - yet not together - they will face danger and death. And what they will find is not a place where monsters can be cured - but one where they are born...
(Description from back cover of mass market paperback edition)
To redeem herself and recover her own humanity - and Gabriel's love - Mariah sets out on a perilous journey across the haunted land, in search of a rumored cure. And Gabriel, blood-bonded to her, is compelled to follow.
Together - yet not together - they will face danger and death. And what they will find is not a place where monsters can be cured - but one where they are born...
(Description from back cover of mass market paperback edition)
298 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 30, 2011
1 person is currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Christine Cody
3 books26 followersChristine Cody is also the author of the urban fantasy Vampire Babylon (w/a Chris Marie Green). Until about six years ago, she was an eighth-grade teacher, but she became a full-time author who has published over thirty-five books under this name as well as the pseudonym Crystal Green. You can follow her occasionally fanatical yen for pop culture on Twitter and Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 23, 2011
*Rating* 3.0
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopia
*Review*
Christine Cody’s Blood Rules is the second book in the Bloodlands series. The Bloodlands series is set in a post-apocalyptic US after wars, terrorism, zealots and crazies have decimated the country leaving it fractured and relying heavily on other countries to support its well-being.
Blood Rules picks up two months after Bloodlands ended with the “monsters” of the New Badlands getting the better of Johnson Stamp and his men after they tried to invade their habitat and steal their aquifer water supply. Even by winning, they lost because the group decided to flee for safer confines while avoiding yet another run in with Stamp and his surviving lieutenant Mags who want nothing better than to eliminate all monsters from existence.
In the first novel Bloodlands, readers were introduced to 23 year old Mariah Lyander who was infected with the were-wolf virus when her family was attacked and killed in Dallas. Mariah has become sort of a pariah or pet psycho because she continually puts her neighbors in jeopardy by shifting when she is under emotional distress or anger and then running out into the open desert. Her relationship with Gabriel has reached a tipping point and it’s become harder to control her anger.
Gabriel is a vampire who came to the new badlands looking for his girlfriend Abby and was angry when he found out the truth about what happened to her. Gabriel and Mariah ended up imprinting on the other so that now they can basically calm the other when distressed. Gabriel was told that he will revert back to being a human if his creator dies. He, at least, has something to look forward to that those like Mariah don’t.
In Blood Rules, Gabriel and Mariah decide that they will travel to one of the hubs, better known as a former city like Denver, and explore the possibility of finding a cure for Mariah’s were virus before it completely takes over her.
This being the second story in the trilogy, it lacks some of the depth that Bloodlands had created. While interesting enough to continue to the last book of the series In Blood We Trust (09/27/2011), it had what I thought were too many points of view.
Readers will continue to journey with Mariah and Gabriel, but Cody has also added the oldster (were-scorpion) and Stamp to the story mix. Cody introduces readers to the mother of all monsters named 562 and the possibility that his/her blood could either cure Mariah, or make her even stronger and something entirely different from what she already is.
Overall, the world building and introduction of several new characters along the way, kept my attention right to the ending which obviously leaves the reader wanting to continue to the last book in the series. For me, I can only hope that Cody doesn’t go off the reservation and add more POV’s to the storyline.
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopia
*Review*
Christine Cody’s Blood Rules is the second book in the Bloodlands series. The Bloodlands series is set in a post-apocalyptic US after wars, terrorism, zealots and crazies have decimated the country leaving it fractured and relying heavily on other countries to support its well-being.
Blood Rules picks up two months after Bloodlands ended with the “monsters” of the New Badlands getting the better of Johnson Stamp and his men after they tried to invade their habitat and steal their aquifer water supply. Even by winning, they lost because the group decided to flee for safer confines while avoiding yet another run in with Stamp and his surviving lieutenant Mags who want nothing better than to eliminate all monsters from existence.
In the first novel Bloodlands, readers were introduced to 23 year old Mariah Lyander who was infected with the were-wolf virus when her family was attacked and killed in Dallas. Mariah has become sort of a pariah or pet psycho because she continually puts her neighbors in jeopardy by shifting when she is under emotional distress or anger and then running out into the open desert. Her relationship with Gabriel has reached a tipping point and it’s become harder to control her anger.
Gabriel is a vampire who came to the new badlands looking for his girlfriend Abby and was angry when he found out the truth about what happened to her. Gabriel and Mariah ended up imprinting on the other so that now they can basically calm the other when distressed. Gabriel was told that he will revert back to being a human if his creator dies. He, at least, has something to look forward to that those like Mariah don’t.
In Blood Rules, Gabriel and Mariah decide that they will travel to one of the hubs, better known as a former city like Denver, and explore the possibility of finding a cure for Mariah’s were virus before it completely takes over her.
This being the second story in the trilogy, it lacks some of the depth that Bloodlands had created. While interesting enough to continue to the last book of the series In Blood We Trust (09/27/2011), it had what I thought were too many points of view.
Readers will continue to journey with Mariah and Gabriel, but Cody has also added the oldster (were-scorpion) and Stamp to the story mix. Cody introduces readers to the mother of all monsters named 562 and the possibility that his/her blood could either cure Mariah, or make her even stronger and something entirely different from what she already is.
Overall, the world building and introduction of several new characters along the way, kept my attention right to the ending which obviously leaves the reader wanting to continue to the last book in the series. For me, I can only hope that Cody doesn’t go off the reservation and add more POV’s to the storyline.
August 19, 2011
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
There aren’t many books who attempt to straddle multiple genres at the same time, and fewer still that actually succeed. Christine Cody’s Bloodlands trilogy is proving to be one of the rare exceptions that manages to blend paranormal, western, romance, and post-apocalyptic genres together in a way that takes the best from each and shows just how good mixing can be.
BLOOD RULES, the second book in the trilogy, picks up shortly after the ending of BLOODLANDS. Mariah and Gabriel are stuck in an uncomfortable situation mixed with guilt, desire, confusion, and resentment. It’s a very tenuous relationship that really comes to life through the shifting POV’s from each character. I only wish more of the story had stayed focused on them and more progress had been made towards a resolution or otherwise a complete break between them.
Once again the worldbuilding in the Bloodlands series continues to impress and astound. We get to movie beyond the little shapeshifter community we met in BLOODLANDS and venture out into the ravaged post-apocalyptic America. New horrors are revealed like the asylums where shifters are experimented on and studied, we learn about indentured water slaves who sell themselves for the precious liquid, and travel to the necropolis where individuals who were disfigured and wracked by the diseases that rose up when the world broke live in isolation from the ‘Healthies’.
But as impressive as the worldbuilding continues to be, what I appreciated most about BLOOD RULES is the mythology development. Werewolves, vampires, mutated creatures, and all manor of shifters from deer to Gila monsters aren’t just explained away by vague references to magic or freak side effects of the planetary changes. There is a fascinating explanation for their origins that looks to only get more fascinating in the next book.
Second books in trilogies are hard. They often serve as little more than setups to the final book and don’t really stand on their own as complete stories. For the most part, BLOOD RULES avoids this pitfall, but it is necessary to have read BLOODLANDS to fully understand and appreciate what happens in this book. It doesn’t have the same impact as the debut primarily because of the multiple point of views introduced in BLOOD RULES and the fact that in expanding the world and mythology, the intimacy that was developed between the characters is somewhat diminished. Despite those minor complaints, I’m already saddled up and ready to revisit this world when the final book in the Bloodlands Trilogy called IN BLOOD WE TRUST is published on September 27, 2011.
Sexual Content:
A scene of sensuality
There aren’t many books who attempt to straddle multiple genres at the same time, and fewer still that actually succeed. Christine Cody’s Bloodlands trilogy is proving to be one of the rare exceptions that manages to blend paranormal, western, romance, and post-apocalyptic genres together in a way that takes the best from each and shows just how good mixing can be.
BLOOD RULES, the second book in the trilogy, picks up shortly after the ending of BLOODLANDS. Mariah and Gabriel are stuck in an uncomfortable situation mixed with guilt, desire, confusion, and resentment. It’s a very tenuous relationship that really comes to life through the shifting POV’s from each character. I only wish more of the story had stayed focused on them and more progress had been made towards a resolution or otherwise a complete break between them.
Once again the worldbuilding in the Bloodlands series continues to impress and astound. We get to movie beyond the little shapeshifter community we met in BLOODLANDS and venture out into the ravaged post-apocalyptic America. New horrors are revealed like the asylums where shifters are experimented on and studied, we learn about indentured water slaves who sell themselves for the precious liquid, and travel to the necropolis where individuals who were disfigured and wracked by the diseases that rose up when the world broke live in isolation from the ‘Healthies’.
But as impressive as the worldbuilding continues to be, what I appreciated most about BLOOD RULES is the mythology development. Werewolves, vampires, mutated creatures, and all manor of shifters from deer to Gila monsters aren’t just explained away by vague references to magic or freak side effects of the planetary changes. There is a fascinating explanation for their origins that looks to only get more fascinating in the next book.
Second books in trilogies are hard. They often serve as little more than setups to the final book and don’t really stand on their own as complete stories. For the most part, BLOOD RULES avoids this pitfall, but it is necessary to have read BLOODLANDS to fully understand and appreciate what happens in this book. It doesn’t have the same impact as the debut primarily because of the multiple point of views introduced in BLOOD RULES and the fact that in expanding the world and mythology, the intimacy that was developed between the characters is somewhat diminished. Despite those minor complaints, I’m already saddled up and ready to revisit this world when the final book in the Bloodlands Trilogy called IN BLOOD WE TRUST is published on September 27, 2011.
Sexual Content:
A scene of sensuality
September 30, 2011
Christine Cody's Blood Rules picks up shortly after Bloodlands. This time around Mariah wants more than anything to be rid of her wolf-self. She's not happy being a were and the things she does as a were. When rumor gets around that there's a possible cure for weres she decides to set out and find it. Gabriel comes along as well, even though he's still not happy with her for what she did.
There's a lot of tension between Gabriel and Mariah. Mariah still cares for him, but she knows he dislikes her at the moment. But Gabriel is still trying to fight his feelings for Mariah. After learning what she did, it cuts him deep, yet feelings for her are still there. He doesn't know what to do.
The pacing of this one was okay I guess. Mariah and Gabriel venture out trying to find the person who knows the cure to weres, but what they don't know is that Stamp is on their tail. He's after all the weres involved in the battle from last time around and he's out for vengeance and won't stop til they're all dead. Mariah and Gabriel have no idea the kind of trouble they're about to get themselves into. Plenty of action and danger.
There's some shockers towards the end of this book, and what makes things a little confusing is that I can't fully comprehend where the storyline is headed. The next one, In Blood we Trust, I believe is the last one. After finishing the book, I just feel like I don't know what Mariah and Gabriel will do next. There's a vague idea on the horizon, but will that be the main part of the next book?
I just didn't enjoy this as completely as I did the first one. Bloodlands had some surprises and fun twists. You really never knew what was going to happen next! This one, while it had some surprises, just didn't have that same excitement. It was still a decent read I suppose, but not as good as the first book.
Overall rating 3/5 stars
There's a lot of tension between Gabriel and Mariah. Mariah still cares for him, but she knows he dislikes her at the moment. But Gabriel is still trying to fight his feelings for Mariah. After learning what she did, it cuts him deep, yet feelings for her are still there. He doesn't know what to do.
The pacing of this one was okay I guess. Mariah and Gabriel venture out trying to find the person who knows the cure to weres, but what they don't know is that Stamp is on their tail. He's after all the weres involved in the battle from last time around and he's out for vengeance and won't stop til they're all dead. Mariah and Gabriel have no idea the kind of trouble they're about to get themselves into. Plenty of action and danger.
There's some shockers towards the end of this book, and what makes things a little confusing is that I can't fully comprehend where the storyline is headed. The next one, In Blood we Trust, I believe is the last one. After finishing the book, I just feel like I don't know what Mariah and Gabriel will do next. There's a vague idea on the horizon, but will that be the main part of the next book?
I just didn't enjoy this as completely as I did the first one. Bloodlands had some surprises and fun twists. You really never knew what was going to happen next! This one, while it had some surprises, just didn't have that same excitement. It was still a decent read I suppose, but not as good as the first book.
Overall rating 3/5 stars
September 23, 2011
Gabriel and Mariah are having relationship issues. Their bond isn't enough to overcome Abby's death. The peace Gabriel is able to give Mariah isn't working, her changes uncontrollable and Gab's bloodlust is becoming less and less manageable. They need a solution to their darker natures. A cure. So the paranormal duo set out on a quest to the hubs to find a cure. But what they find is so much more transforming and terrifying then anyone could have imagined.
Christine Cody returns with Blood Rules the second installment of her Bloodlands series and hits a stumble in her stride. While I thought Bloodlands was interesting for the mix of genres Blood Rules gets bogged down by an overly taylored world. Sure the whole wild west meets a dystopian post apocalyptic sci-fi world sounds cool and was for a while but it just got to be too much. Everything was so stylized it was starting to sound like a bad science fiction flick. There were these complex descriptions of future technology that bored me. Way too much filler. The whole book felt flat. There was quite a bit of action toward the end but it was too little too late by then.
With an increasingly strange world and even stranger storyline Blood Rules is the kind of book you put down and have a hard time picking it back up.
Christine Cody returns with Blood Rules the second installment of her Bloodlands series and hits a stumble in her stride. While I thought Bloodlands was interesting for the mix of genres Blood Rules gets bogged down by an overly taylored world. Sure the whole wild west meets a dystopian post apocalyptic sci-fi world sounds cool and was for a while but it just got to be too much. Everything was so stylized it was starting to sound like a bad science fiction flick. There were these complex descriptions of future technology that bored me. Way too much filler. The whole book felt flat. There was quite a bit of action toward the end but it was too little too late by then.
With an increasingly strange world and even stranger storyline Blood Rules is the kind of book you put down and have a hard time picking it back up.
July 5, 2012
Interesting story about life following the human caused apocalypse where science created monsters and traditional monsters (Vampires, Werecreatures, etc.) band together to protect themselves from human directed extermination efforts. The allegiances formed and the strength of non-traditional associations when facing common threats is an activity well worth exploring. I think some people may say that the demonstrated behavior is typical of a human and even monster's behavior have common roots with humanity. Barring that, it is just a good story and even if the monsters have super strength and accentuated senses, it is still possible to feel compassion for them as they are hunted and eliminated and even cheer for their maybe temporary victories. The question of whether we all or monsters or really human is still unanswered.
March 26, 2012
Sorry, I only made it through about thirty pages of this one. Maybe I came in in the middle of the series, but this just seemed like a strange mix of genres and worlds to me.
I thought it was about vampires and werewolves. I lost some interest when I realized this was set in a post apocalyptic world. I lost even more interest when I started reading about were-elks (and a dog that was communicating telepathically with the main characters or something?). Also, the main character was well into that lovely mental state of 'emo psycho,' and goodness knows I love that state of mind.
(Not.)
I might have forced my way through it if I'd been strapped for books. Instead, I'm strapped for time, so I gave this one a pass.
I thought it was about vampires and werewolves. I lost some interest when I realized this was set in a post apocalyptic world. I lost even more interest when I started reading about were-elks (and a dog that was communicating telepathically with the main characters or something?). Also, the main character was well into that lovely mental state of 'emo psycho,' and goodness knows I love that state of mind.
(Not.)
I might have forced my way through it if I'd been strapped for books. Instead, I'm strapped for time, so I gave this one a pass.
December 5, 2011
As the second book in the series it is a bit of a let down from the first.
Cody still has a great story line, a lot more action going on, and the tension between Mariah and Gabriel is stronger than ever. You are introduced to new characters that change the game in a big way. It will make you feel the Badlanders are justified in their roles in this rebellion.
Unfortunately the tension between Mariah and Gabriel has no resolution and seems to be played out. There are chapters from other characters viewpoints, which can feel as if it retracts from the main story of Mariah and Gabriel. There is still one more book so hopefully things will look up and be resolved.
Cody still has a great story line, a lot more action going on, and the tension between Mariah and Gabriel is stronger than ever. You are introduced to new characters that change the game in a big way. It will make you feel the Badlanders are justified in their roles in this rebellion.
Unfortunately the tension between Mariah and Gabriel has no resolution and seems to be played out. There are chapters from other characters viewpoints, which can feel as if it retracts from the main story of Mariah and Gabriel. There is still one more book so hopefully things will look up and be resolved.
March 5, 2012
Disappointing. Maybe this is because I came in in the middle of the series, but this was nearly unreadable.
I love sci fi, and urban fantasy, and adapt easily to new sets of jargon and language shifts, but this book was really poorly written in that the author self-consciously uses LEET as a separate language, uses terms without defining them in the text, and the story line is really hard to follow.
I also tried to read the third novel in the series, had the same issues with it. I will not be picking up another Christine Cody book, that's for sure.
I love sci fi, and urban fantasy, and adapt easily to new sets of jargon and language shifts, but this book was really poorly written in that the author self-consciously uses LEET as a separate language, uses terms without defining them in the text, and the story line is really hard to follow.
I also tried to read the third novel in the series, had the same issues with it. I will not be picking up another Christine Cody book, that's for sure.
September 27, 2011
I would give this one 3.5 stars, it wasn't bad but it wasn't my favorite either. It just seemed like both leads had major angst over their were identities- something they had no control over and had several years prior to the start of this story to get over. It was really frustrating to read at several points in the story.
June 19, 2012
This is the second book in Christine Cody's Mariah Lyander Series. The first book had enough possibilities that it was worth trying to see if she got her feet under her better in the second book. No such luck. This isn't as good as the first so I'm giving up on the series. Nice idea, poor execution.
September 17, 2011
Book two in the trilogy.
Told from multiple POV's as Mariah and Gabriel hunt for a cure.
Story is getting weirder and weirder...
Concluding book comes out soon - I will read just to get some closure.
This series is dark and bizarre, like nothing I have read before.
Told from multiple POV's as Mariah and Gabriel hunt for a cure.
Story is getting weirder and weirder...
Concluding book comes out soon - I will read just to get some closure.
This series is dark and bizarre, like nothing I have read before.
March 13, 2012
If you're looking for something fresh and original--look no further. This trilogy has twists and turns you won't see coming and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you explore this dark, post-apocalyptic world.
August 12, 2016
An odd book
January 9, 2012
Awesome!! Strange twists, wierd turns and a few heavy breathing moments. Gotta love the characters. Can't wait to read the next one!!
April 30, 2013
this book was pretty decent. I enjoyed the 1st one more. I will continue to read the series
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews