Moon Child

By Blood #0.5

by Tracy Banghart

Before Emma's adventures in Oxford, her best friend Diana came face-to-face with a killer...

Diana Calvert is so over high school. Who cares if Olivia hates her? And David needs to forget about having a crush on her STAT. Even Emma’s crazy fashion choices can’t keep Diana entertained. All she can hope for is a dance scholarship to a college as far away as possible from too-small, too-boring, too-nothing-ever-happens New Freedom, PA.

Then Diana meets Nicholas Woodhaven. He’s pale, angry…yet weirdly charming. The more time they spend together, the more she wonders who – or what – he really is. Because he isn’t anything like the other guys she knows. Not with the whole only-going-out-at-night thing. And living with his creepy aunt. And not going to school.

Just when Diana thinks she’s got Nicholas all figured out, people in her small, nothing-ever-happens town start dying. She has to wonder – can she trust him? And even more alarming – could she be next?

A murder mystery with a paranormal twist, Moon Child is best read under the covers with a flashlight...if you dare!

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2013

About the author

Tracy Banghart grew up in rural Maryland and spent her summers on a remote island in northern Ontario. All of that isolation and lovely scenery gave her the time to read voraciously and the inspiration to write her own stories. Always a bit of a nomad, Tracy now travels the world Army-wife style with her husband, kids, and pets.

Reviews

[Jen (jenslostinthepages) ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be a normal paranormal book that I'd just enjoy. *smacks forehead*  I read her Rebel Wing Series and thought that it was spellbinding, intricately crafted, and I became completely addicted.  I will admit that I forgot about that when I was a few chapters in, since I started out a little disjointed.  Dianna made some decisions I definitely questioned, there was a lot of characters introduced at first and it took me a while to become completely absorbed.  But then me and this book just clicked . And by 40% there was no way I was putting my Kindle down to sleep, it was too much fun!

Sadness sits in the lines of his face like an old friend. There’s regret there too and a sense of resignation in the set of his mouth. “Diana, there’s a lot about me you don’t understand. I told you when we met that I don’t have friends. I don’t—I can’t—Let’s just say my life isn’t normal. I am different. I have had to do things…differently.”

Before I jump into this story, I have to tell you about a common element across her books.  Her stories capture strong female friendships and she has quite the knack for writing twists that make you question how you never caught something, because the clues are there it's just that I never see them ack!  And both of these elements, which I loved in her other series, shined brightly in this book too!

He steps even closer and my legs tangle with his. My wobbly, fear-weakened knees give and we tumble to the ground. I feel pain now – the gravel digs into my back, my butt, my thighs – but it doesn’t matter. I wrap my hands in his hair and pull his face even closer. His hips grind into mine and I think I cry out, softly, as a stone presses into the tender flesh at the base of my spine. This moment we share: it feels like anger, or passion…maybe even despair.

We started out the book with Diana attending her church youth group meeting at night.  And let it be known that I usually struggle when religion makes a way into a story, even a little bit.  YET I never once struggled, it flowed perfectly and was actually a great setting.  I don't think you'll ever get me to say that in any other book lol.  Anywho, they were going to play a game in the adjoining graveyard.  And while Diana was out there trying not to have the living daylights scared out of her, she tripped and was caught by a stranger.

“If you’re that clumsy,” he adds, “probably shouldn’t be walking around graveyards after dark.” The corner of his lip quirks, his skin crinkling like paper.

Ohhhhh enter Nicholas.  He was mysterious with not wanting to reveal anything about himself.  He was sweet with the gestures he did for Diana.....what he brought her and her friend, when he met her best friend for the first time, oh my gosh it was beyond adorable!  And yet I wasn't entirely sure of him at first.  Not because I was questioning whether he was a good guy or bad guy, come on now it's me we're talking about and I love both haha, but it was the comments that made me pause.  Like in the quote above about skin wrinkling like paper.  Weird right?  But those thoughts disappeared from my mind when we got to spend more time time with Nicholas.

“Come on. I don’t bite,” he whispers. I want to laugh. If he only knew the irony.

So Diana, being from a small town where everything is always the same, got a little obsessed with Nicholas.  He was infuriating at times, sweet at other times and he was this huge mystery while always being hot. Diana slowly started to learn about Nicolas and his odd ways when, BAM, a murder happened in her tiny town.

Eventually my breathing slows. I crumple to my knees and then find myself sitting cross-legged on the grass next to the entrance of school. In the rain. The wind blows my wet hair against my face, but I don’t have the energy to brush it away. Instead, I turn my face to the sky and close my eyes and let the rain fall softly onto my skin. I can’t tell if I’m crying.

So I thought I had the murderer pinned down and a few other things too but *shakes head*, my guessing skills were not good.  Not good at all lol.  Usually I pride myself for figuring things out pretty quickly - like two things that happened in the final book of Divergent, I was so proud of myself.  But yeah.  That so didn't happen this time.  That's twice now that Tracy Banghart has gotten me!

Moon Child was a quick, fun read that was filled with an adorable first love, strong friendships and a few great twists.  The story-line and characters completed creeped up on me, and I'm so glad they did because this book was just what I was looking for!  And just so you know, I liked Diana.  And I loved the friendships she had in her life, since they felt so real and true.  My favorite female friend of hers was Emma.  She was so quirky with her ways and thoughts.  I adored their friendship, even during their up and downs.  But my favorite friendship was between Diana and Nicholas.  I loved watching it unfold into something more.  They were at times awkward, adorable and so sweet.  Here's hoping you enjoy this book just as much as I did!

P.S. I still have a few questions though.  I'm one of those neurotic people that likes almost everything wrapped up in a tiny bow.  I know, I'm weird.  So I'm wondering....HUGE spoiler so don't click unless you've read this book..... Why did he go for the neck? And why were the bodies drained of blood? Is that explained in the next book?.

P.P.S Goodreads says that this is Book #2 YET it's actually a prequel to book #1 since it happens beforehand AND on the authors website it shows this book first.  Just wanted to mention this in case you are wondering why I read "#2" first. :)


This review was originally posted on Star-Crossed Book Blog

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Lauren (Northern Plunder) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was first posted on Northern Plunder, if you want to see more reviews please click here.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of By Blood for part of a book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion on the book!

I know now before I even start typing this review that I'm going to struggle with what to write and what not to because holy frak, I really enjoyed it - which always means I struggle with the review - but also I really don't want to give anything away! *cries internally*

First up, Moon Child is about Diana and basically her boredom with her small town, wanting to escape and to live a more exciting life.

Fortunately, she gets just that kind of life without stepping a foot outside of New Freedom.

Unfortunately, its not exactly the type of excitement she wanted.

It all starts the night she meets Nicholas Woodhaven. In the graveyard. At night.
He's pale skinned, wearing all black and cold to touch.
She continues to have chance encounters and meetings with him too, always at night.

You see where I'm going with this. Good.

Nicholas is great, apart from well, when he's not. He's a bit mysterious, not only in the way he acts but with what he's willing to share, and how he answers questions, this of course only makes him more appealing because Diana (and myself) want to know "why?"

WHY?

Heh, good question. But there are more important things going on here than this mysterious boy no one has met in such a small town.

Murders.

Yeah, that's right. People are getting brutally murdered, their necks mutilated and drained of blood.

Creepy huh?

This certainly isn't day to day happenings in a small town. You can put two and two together and get four if you want, or you can be in Diana's shoes (and mine) and honestly believe mysterious lil' Nicholas wouldn't be the cause of such things. Would he?

But ah yes, I love love love this book even though my heart was pretty much torn out and stomped on a bit (and neatly replaced and bandaged up) and I really recommend it because you'll probably end up kicking yourself a little bit for not making a few obvious connections, or maybe just not willing to believe them.

Haha this is great because if you haven't read the book and you're reading this you're totally going to think a few things and not be sure until you read it and on edge like I was. I feel evil, its a great read though and I really recommend it.

P.S. Don't worry the killer is caught and dealt with

P.P.S. Extra kudo's for Firefly reference.

P.P.P.S. I didn't say the V word.

[Dale Ibitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I was blown away by this book. The characters real and very-well drawn, I could picture each and every one of them going through their lives. Emotions were spot on.

Diana is so easy to relate to. Small town girl who wants to get out of dodge before the I's are dotted on the words "eighteenth birthday". Nicholas is charming in his bad-boy mysterious ways, very swoon-worthy for the younger crowd.

Pacing and plotting are terrific. I read this book wondering the whole time who was behind the murders, what was up with Nicholas and crazy-as-a-coot grandmother, wanted to kick one or two people to the curb (especially nosy, over-bearing mamas. Grrr!), and just wanted to keep on reading!

If you think you know the answers to these questions, think again. You won't know until you read it.

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the book tour at my blog, for a giveaway. Just click the banner below.


This book was really interesting to me, and this review is harder to write than the first book, as there are such unknowns in it, and that’s what made it so good, so do not want to spoil that for you.

I will say that the book is written really well, and keeps you wondering. Just like the first book, this one has the paranormal element to it, which I love. Nothing is what it seems at all, and you will be pleasantly surprises near the end.


This book actually follows Dianna, a friend of Emma from the first book, and takes place before the first one, which is a bit confusing. Anyway, I liked Dianna a lot, and liked Nicholas a lot, he was fascinating for sure.

To sum it up, it’s a fun, suspenseful, addictive story, that if you’re like me and love the paranormal, you will love this too.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5. I actually liked this one a tad better than book one, By Blood.

I received this book from the author for my honest review.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received this book for free in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

So, again, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book. It was interesting to read a book from Diana's point of view, after seeing her in Emma's book, but - to be honest - if I'd read this book first, I would have been a bit reluctant to read Emma's book. She kind of irritated me here.

I had kind of mixed feelings about Diana's relationship with Nicholas. There was something almost cliched about it, at least at first.I did like them together, though, and certain things made sense when they were revealed.

I did think that there was a bit of skipping over of time periods. I prefer to see how a relationship grows, rather than get told of its changes in a summary. I did like the fact that the relationship didn't become the only focus of Diana's life. I don't like reading about obsessive relationships.

The writing on the whole was really good and made it easy to picture what was going on in my mind, especially with the Halloween outfits - they sounded pretty cool. I did notice a lot of missing question marks, though.

The whole vampire angle was pretty interesting - and it did seem to showcase the vampire craze that seems to have hit so many teenage-aged and older girls.

There was something I only saw coming right before it happened and although not all of the loose ends were tied up, I still think it makes sense.

I think this is a really good young adult book and I would recommend it and also read other books by this author.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read By Blood (#1), picking this book up was an easy decision. This read really took you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and shocked me at every turn. It’s a mix of paranormal (sort of), romance, YA, and a good mystery. Yes, it’s a little dark, but it has grit and realness to it that I find I enjoy in good books.

Diana is Emma’s friend (remember? From Book#1?). She’s a dancer with a hippie mom and a hopeless crush on some guy she just met in the cemetery. As if meeting Nicholas in the cemetery wasn’t enough of a red flag, he only meets her at night, is very standoffish, and has super pale skin. After she relays all these facts to Emma, she makes the natural (for her) jump to deducing that Nicholas is a vampire. From there on out, the book just gets stranger and more mysterious. There’s a murder mystery trapped inside this YA romance that had me guessing until the big reveal.

This book really had me convinced of one thing only to slap me in the face with the grim reality of the situation. No spoilers, but I felt like we really were put in Diana’s shoes on this one. We got to feel her betrayal and shock and embarrassment first hand. If you’re looking for a unique spin on your typical paranormal YA romance book, this is the book for you. It can certainly be read as a standalone, or as a companion to the first book.

[Rebecca McKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

While this is the second book in the series, it's not necessary to have read the first book before this one! In fact, since this book falls chronologically before the first book, some people may prefer to read this one first.

I have to say, I really liked Diana. I enjoyed the fact that she had much more of a healthy, typical family than so many characters in books - I found it rather refreshing. I say typical, but really the family has enough quirks to keep them interesting. . . .

Now, from the blurb, I'm guessing you jumped to the vampire conclusion. Well, it had been a while since I'd read the blurb when I picked up the book, so I got to the part where things were leaning in that direction. My response: Seriously, another vampire book? But then there was a fun twist that made it more interesting, and kept it from falling into the way-overdone same-ness that so many books these days have.

That said, I'm not big into spoilers, so I'm not going to say much more. I will say this: while Moon Child isn't one of my all-time favorite books (that list is very hard to crack into), it was interesting, and there's a decent chance I'll read it again. Ms. Banghart is a great storyteller, which means she could probably write a good book with any theme. I'm interested to see what she does next!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana is so over her boring small town life and waits for the day that she can leave. While doing a youth group game she stumbled and Nicholas breaks her fall. Nicholas new and is nothing like anyone she's ever known. There are two murders in town and things don't seem to look good for Nicholas.

Being that I hadn't read the description I wasn't sure what to expect. I had first thought that this book was a continuation of Emma's story when its really another friend of Emma's and before she makes her trip with her mothers family. Since the first book was great I expected nothing less when it came to this book and I was right. Like the first there is a short of Paranormal/Supernatural theme to it. But nothing is what it seems and you'll get a surprising twist towards the end. I was pleasantly surprised when it came nearing the end. I wish I could say more but I don't want to spoil the book. At first when I was reading this I already felt like I've read many other books like this one but just you wait you'll be surprised with how this book turned out.

Overall I loved the book and think you lovely readers will enjoy this book as much as I did. 4 of 5 stars!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Child follows the story of Diana. She's so over high school and can't wait to get out of her boring town. She hopes that getting a dance scholarship will be her ticket out of town......

Then Diana meets Nicholas. He’s mysterious, angry, but still has a charming appeal to him. Diana finds herself wanting to know more about him. Nicholas isn't like the other guys she knows and his behavior makes her question if there's more to him than what meets the eye........Just when she thinks she’s figured out Nicholas, strange things start happening and people start dying. And Diana finds herself questioning everything......

Moon Child started off a little slow for me, but once I got into the story, I really enjoyed it. This book has a paranormal feel to it, but nothing is what it seems. I loved the mystery surrounding the story, the romantic moments between Nicholas & Diana, and I loved the twist at the end.

Moon Child was a very quick read for me. And I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

****I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review****

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy Banghart is the kind of writer you can trust to make smart choices and, once again, she does just that with Moon Child, her companion novel to By Blood. A clever, surprising and original novel, Moon Child puts a new spin on a story that readers, at first, might be momentarily fooled into thinking they've heard before. It’s hard to review this one without giving things away, because what I admire so much about Moon Child is how Banghart brings something totally new to a genre that’s been mined to the point where something new seemed near impossible. To avoid spoilers, what I will focus on is how Banghart’s characters once again live and breathe as well-drawn, three dimensional, conflicted individuals, how the dialogue is always sharp and unique to character, and how the descriptions are (as they were in By Blood) lush and vivid. A quickly-paced, engaging read that delivers on all levels, Moon Child makes the mythical human, and in doing so makes the human that much more magical and intriguing.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading By Blood, I was expecting to read a book with a high level of creativity and intelligence. I was not disappointed. This book has heart, intrigue, uncertainy, edge and really great characters to build all this around.

As a grandmother to a ten year old girl, I would not hesitate to recommend for her in another year or so. As a young girl, I remember dreaming of falling in love and the passion of forbidden kisses shared in spots that would be unique. Ms. Banghart strikes just the right balance for young teens. It took me back to my own moments of first discovery. I thank her for that.

I hope she continues to write about these characters. I have become attached to Emma and Diana and I want to know what happens next. They have become dear to my heart.

[Myra Espino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Child, it's also great. The concept is good and the mystery of the events is well written. I love how it kept me interested on the events, story and characters. The characters, I loved Diana and Nicholas personalities, they are just right and I love how they kept me intrigued especially at Nicholas.
For me this book is rather interesting than the first book (By Blood), the mystery and all. What I liked the most was on how the story ended, it's just the way I liked. I'm not disappointed with the books over-all content. Great read and interesting with full of mystery that will really made you guessing.

Ms. Tracy did it again, good job! Great read and worth reading!

[Vanessa Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Moon Child by Tracy E Banghart! The story pulls you in from the get go. A paragraph in and BANG! I was totally hooked. Very moody and dark (it opens in a cemetary) but balanced deliciously with a good dose of humour and romance. Diana is so refreshingly likable as the heroine and Nicholas is one of the most intriguing male characters I have read in a long time. His 'secret'(and all round hot-ness)kept me turning the pages!!!
Oh, and I read it in one night because I simply could not stop :)

[Vicente Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

So once again, a non YA reader enjoys a YA book. Tracy tells another well-crafted story that actually engaged me. It's a very simple (and not-so-simple) slice-of-life story that isn't dripping with sap or overuse tropes found in so many books these days. The characters a "real" teenagers, and told from their eyes in their words, making them believable. The biggest surprise was me not seeing the ending coming the way it did. I'm usually quick to pick up on the clues, but I'll admit to being caught flat-footed this time. I look forward to whatever comes next, Tracy!

[Jennifer Walkup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Child is a great book! The second in this series from Banghart and like By Blood, Moon Child has got a nice little mystery that keeps you guessing. We're led through dancer Diana's view of her boring town until two very interesting this happen. She meets the new boy in town, and an awful crime occurs. Most of the book is her unraveling what both those things mean for her, and hoping the two don't intersect. A satisfying resolution and a fast, fun read!

[Dalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank the author Tracy E. Banghart for giving me this book for an honest review. Tracy has done it again, a very fascinating read. This time the story follows Diana, Emma's friend. The character development and world building are great. Tracy has a way with keeping you wanting more when you read her stories. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very very good book, and the only reason it took me so long to finish it was I became ill with another round of cancer. This is a must read, must buy book. It is beautifully written and comes togther so perfectly.

[Martha Banghart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I read it visiting our Summer home on lake temagami. I was transported to another place and explored new characters and prepared me for the world of the sequel By Blood. Fun read for all ages.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Goodreads giveaways.

Please check out my review at www.bookalyst.com

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a copy for review in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed By Blood and was really excited to start Moon Child right afterwards. While I really enjoyed By Blood, I think Moon Child didn't quite reach the same level of enjoyableness as the first book.

I enjoyed reading Moon Child, but I also had some issues with it. I finished it fairly quickly, but I just expected more from this book because the first book was so good. There wasn't as much mystery as in the first book. The storyline was interesting, but it was predictable quite often at the end there are some nice twists later on in the book. Part of this book is about a murder mystery, but while normally with such kind of books I keep guessing who the murderer will be, I didn't do that in this book. There weren't enough hitns and actualy the police didn't know anything at all, the murdered really could be anyone. The murder mystery just didn't pull me in, there where no suspicions and I didn't have any speculations either as result of that.

If I am correct this book is supposed to take place before By Blood where Emma leaves for England. So I was a bit surprised when I read this book, that I can't remember eny of these events being mentioned in By Blood.

A big part of this story felt horribly cliché and predictable. I was really glad when later on in the story there were some plot twists and surprises.

I did like Diana, she was a nice character. Although sometimes it did feel like Emma acted in this book how Diana acted in By Blood and in some scenes I didn't feel like Emma was the same character I got to know in By Blood. And also the other way around, Diana didn't felt like the same person as in By Blood. I did like Diana in in this book, she was a strong character and could stand up for herself. She makes some stupid mistakes along the way, but overal she felt real and believeable. I still didn't get a good idea of who Helen was, even though these 3 are quite close the focus is more on Emma and Diana in this book. Also Diana tells Emma quite a lot of what is going on, but in By Blood Emma keep almost everything a secret from Diana, which really surprises me because they seem really close in this book.

I did like the romance in this book more than in BY Blood. I like Nicolas and their romance felt genuine. I liked Diana and Nicolas together, their romance was really sweet and done really well. I do wonder what happened to Nicolas as I don't remember him being mentioned in By Blood.

To conclude: I enjoyed Moon Child, but it just missed something to make it more than okay for me. I did like the story, but I kept comparing it to the first book in this series and trying to make connections between these two books. I liked the story and mystery better in BY Blood, but I think the romance was done better in this book. I also think Diana is a great character.

[Tee loves Kyle Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh lord Moon Child is an EPIC follow up to By Blood. I loved By Blood and I loved Diana's friendship with Emma so when we get to have Diana story I was excited!

Diana is so glad high school is over. High school was a drag and she is excited to be going to college. She is hoping to get a scholarship for her dancing that will take her out of her podunk town. She is so over Olivia hating her and David having this crazy ass crush on her. Then with all of her craziness going on she meets a guy Nicholas Woodhaven. Nicholas is a little weird and awkward because she only sees him at night wondering to herself why that is. She has never seen him at school and he lives with his aunt who everyone thinks is crazy as hell.

But the more time Diana spends with Nicholas the more she sees there is something there. Yes he is weird and yes he only comes out at night but she looks past it. Then something weird starts to happen in her town. People are being murdered and there is no explanation for it. Nothing ever happens in her town and she is not sure why these murders are happening but she knows one thing she needs answers because she fears she may be next.

What will Diana do? Will she figure it out? Will the killer come after her next? Will Nicholas reveal who he is to Diana? This is a great sequel and I need more from Tracy because this world is so intriguing!

[Bobbie Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really torn on how to review this book. As you can see I rated it 3 stars - deep down once I got past the feeling I was stuck in a Twilight experience where the boy is drawn to the girl's scent - I really wanted to give it more like three and a half stars.

This book is called By Blood 2 however outside of some characters the books are not really related. Moon Child actually takes place prior to By Blood.

Diana meets a mysterious boy Nicholas that nobody in her small town has ever seen or heard of. Trying to stay spoiler free - Nicholas is very mysterious and seems to show up only at night and in the most interesting ways. The reader is led down a path but this author is really good at knocking the socks off the reader just when you begin to say "this is too much like another book I have read". So that is what makes it hard for me - I got frustrated as I kept saying to myself this is too much like Twilight - but not enough to stop reading and I am so glad I didn't stop - the twist is a really good one :).

But that frustration is what leads me to rate this book at 3 1/2 stars.

I do like this author and look forward to reading her new release Shattered Veil.

[Yzabel Ginsberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I got this book from NetGalley some time ago, in exchange for an honest review.)

A quick read, although nothing out of the ordinary if you're used to YA romance with a "paranormal" twist—which is probably the reason I found it "average" and nothing more. Someone who's not as used to such plots as I am may appreciate it more.

The characters are the usual mix we tend to see in YA stories. A bit of slut shaming in the beginning, but it doesn't go on, and it's not shown as "OK" later on, so I'm all good with that. At some point I was afraid it would turn all Twilight-like, but... let's just say there's a twist on that, and at least this made me smile (even though the characters weren't amused, of course), because it made me enjoy the story more this way.

As for the mystery/killer-on-the-lose plot was unfortunately too predictable (again, for me; maybe it'd work better for someone else).

In the end, it wasn't a bad novel; it was even a fast-read, perfect for those moments when I want an easy story to go through... only nothing more.

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy Moon Child quite as much as By Blood. I had a much more difficult time relating to Diana than I did to Emma - her family life seemed just way too perfect. I wasn't surprised that Emma thought Diana's new boy interest was a vampire, he certainly made it seem believable. But with a killer on the lose draining women and girls of their blood before killing them, he makes the perfect suspect.

This book seemed to be mostly about Diana trying to figure out how to ask Nicholas about his life as a vampire and took longer to get into the real story. The murders were almost a backseat rider in the story even though they were the most interesting part. About half way through things begin to get really interesting though and it takes off from there. Not quite enough suspense spread throughout for my taste.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this is book #2 it is a stand alone and things happen before the first book...
This book i couldn't really get into it...I read til about 10% left then skimped through some of it til i found out the way the story ended to have some type of closure..
I think the only thing i liked about this book was a twist in it..I didn't see it coming and was kind of shocked about it...

what i didn't like about it was the main character, Diana...She was SO dumb at times and not the brightest crayon in the box.. She wouldn't listen to her friend even though it kind of made sense..But one person spoke on thing and she believed that right away.. She annoyed me so much that i couldn't stand reading through the book.. I was constantly rolling my eyes at her..
I probably wont read the other book By Blood..

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love how this series makes you think it is supernatural when it is not, that there are realistic exmplanations and not like every other whiny YA book out there. Diana was a little annoying at first but I loved it when she met Nicholas and became more adventourous. I also totally called it when I found out who the killer was! Although I wonder what the pastor's sons thought of the situation with him and their sister. I really liked his book, and I missed Emma although Helen was annoying.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

While technically the second book in the series, the events in Moon Child happen before By Blood and I decided to read this book first. I really enjoyed Moon Child. The book is pretty well written and the plots does keep you guessing. The relationship between Diana and Nicholas did seem a tad cliche to me though. Whether or not you are a paranormal fan, I think fans of YA in general will enjoy this story. I will definitely be going on to read By Blood next!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get into as felt i knew the story already

Found it to be very Twilight Fanfiction type ( This might just be me )

Would say it is more aimed at Teens and Young Adults