Blood Past

Warriors of Ankh #2

by Samantha Young

From the author of The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy comes a new series with serious attitude... All Eden wants is redemption... but the road to redemption is never an easy one. Travelling to Scotland to find her mother’s bloodline, Eden is soon embroiled in the politics and training of the Scottish Warriors of Neith. It is a world where some stand with open arms ready to welcome her as family, while others keep a wary distance, conspiring against her. Through it all Eden learns of love, friendship, and what it means to be a warrior. Her future has promise... that is until a man she thought was forever gone from her life returns to threaten it all. When the one person Eden loves above all else is endangered, she will have to make a choice. Him... or her? Life is such a bitch... ... but so is Eden when you don’t play nice. YA Paranormal Romance recommended for ages 16 years and up.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Mythology, Urban Fantasy

262 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2011

About the author

Samantha is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee. Samantha has written over 60 books and is published in 31 countries. She writes emotional and angsty romance, often set where she resides—in her beloved home country Scotland. Samantha splits her time between her family, writing and chasing after two very mischievous cavapoos.

Sign up to Sam's newsletter for book updates, exclusive giveaways and freebies - https://authorsamanthayoung.com/subsc...

Find Sam online at www.authorsamanthayoung.com, and on IG, TikTok and FB @authorsamanthayoung

Reviews

[Anzû · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favourite quotes

That little girl inside of her who had dreamed of a father who read bedtime stories, and sheltered her from the evil deeds of the world, wanted to reach out and grab hold of the connection he had declared and never, ever let go. But the little girl who had grown up with a father who murdered people in their basement shuddered with fear and shooed the hope away with a scowl.

“She’s like the Hitler of Scottish pronunciation.”
“I heard that!”
“Good, maybe you’ll stop correcting me every five seconds.”
“Maybe you’ll start pronouncing words correctly and stop embarrassing me.”
“Embarrassing you? I’m sorry if I can’t understand why you people think it’s acceptable to name a street Cockburn Street just because you pronounce it Co-burn Street.”

“They sent babies to do a man’s job.”
“Well, you know what they say about babies.” The soul eater smirked. “What’s that?”
“Don’t underestimate the amount of shit they can bring.”

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really great book.

The storyline is still fantastic. I loved meeting all the characters in Edinburgh. Tobe was so funny.
And yes, I am still completely in love with Cyrus. To be loved by a man like that? *fans face* ;)

I really enjoyed watching Eden become a stronger person and her relationship with Noah is really sweet. I hope to see more of them in the next book :)

Now is it just me or is Darius one scary guy? The wink totally threw me off... LOL
I think he a Valeria would make an incredible couple.

I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends.

[Bri Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha Young has done it again! Another wonderful book to add to her repertoire of works (and I still hold to the statement of her being a genius)!

I enjoyed Blood Past immensely. When compared to the first book in the series, Blood Will Tell , this book had a different feel to it. BWT was super fast-paced, where emotions and plot where constantly being thrown in your face. In Blood Past, you get some more plot and emotions, but it also focuses on the relationships between the characters and is a little mellower in terms of intensity (but this mellow tone is much needed). We get to see the relationship between Noah and Eden grown as Eden slowly forgives Noah and realizes how she feels about him. It takes time for her to come to terms with what happened to her brother and Noah’s role in it, and she does not just forgive and forget. It made her grieving process seem real and I could not help but feel for her.

That is another thing I really liked about this book: the relationship between Noah and Eden and how perfectly played out it was. I love how Eden just does not automatically swoon in Noah’s arms when she forgave him. Another thing I really appreciated was there were chances where they could have tried to make the other one jealous through flirting and whatnot, and THEY NEVER DID. There were no games being played, no awkward third wheel, no trying to use underhanded techniques. Noah knew Eden would not like him flirting with another girl in front of her, so instead of trying to make her jealous, he ignored the girl. Can we just pause here a minute and take a nice, deep breath? Let’s bask in the fresh air! SO GREAT AND SO REFRESHING. Samantha Young, I love you for that.

We also got to know some pretty awesome characters: Cyrus, who takes his protective father role seriously (and it is hilarious the glares he throws Noah’s way), Valeria, the ultimate badass female warrior, October (LOVE HER!), Cameron, Darius, and the list goes on. I really liked almost all the characters (save Teagan- I REALLY do not like him. But then, as the villain, you are not supposed to, so Young has done her job). Great, great, great.

The Warriors of Ankh series will conclude on December 12, 2011 with the release of the third book, Shades of Blood . I am eager to see how it all ends! Why does December 12th seem so far away?????

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I became a brand new person here. Someone I actually like. The kind of person I always wanted to be.” - Eden

This was a good read. It did move slower than the first book Blood Will Tell. Typically the first book in a PNR/UF series has the major set up. However in this book there are a lot of changes for Eden, and quite a few characters added in. Samantha Young has done a great job of establishing each one of the characters in this book. I really enjoyed October, Val, and Cyrus. Grandma Mhairi was great for a few laughs! And of course Eden and Noah are terrific, she sure keeps him on his toes! This was a good second installment to the Warriors of Ankh series.

“My first time was with a guy from school who thinks Iraq is a brand of Mp3 player. If you’ve got someone like Noah Valois sniffing around your heels, then I say kick them up and let him have his wicked way with you.” - October

“You came into my life and changed everything. You changed me, Eden. You’ve brought me down to earth and I needed that. I love being Ankh, I do, it’s a massive part of who I am, but before you… that’s all there was. - Noah

[Gökçe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitabın ortaları falan o kadar eğlenceliydi ki gözümde resmen beşlikti ama ilerledikçe kurgunun zayıflığı daha da göze battı açıkçası. Bazı açılardan Ateş serisine de benzettim fakat bu kitap başarısızdı. Kitabın fantastik kısımları çok yüzeysel ve basit geldi bana ama yine de kendini okutan bir seri. Ayrıca 1.kitabından daha güzeldi kesinlikle.

[Müjde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serinin ikinci kitabı ilki gibi sarmadı beni. Akıcı, okunması kolay bir kitaptı ama kurgu çok basite indirgenmiş.


Duygu geçişleri çok basite indirgenmiş, avlanma sahneleri üzerinden basitçe geçilmiş ve tür değişimi kısmı var ki (kitabı okuyunca demek istediğimi daha iyi anlayacaksınız) sanki yazar, Eden’i diğerlerinden daha ne kadar özel yapabilirim deyip işi abartmış gibi geldi.
Öğrendiği bilgiler doğrultusunda İskoçya yolcusu olan Eden ve Ankh ailesi, Neithlerin dünyasına hızlı bir giriş yapıyorlar. Dost edindikleri kadar aynı zamanda da bolca gizli düşman ediniyorlar.
Açıkçası seriye devam edesim kalmadı ama sırf bu son neye bağlanacak merakım yüzünden serinin son kitabını okuyacağım. Umarım pişman olmam.

[Merve Özcan Özkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martı Yayınları'ndan çıkan Kutsanmış Kan'ı okumuş ancak pek kayda değer görmemiştim. Kısacası sevmemiştim. Ancak Samantha'nın normalde bayıldığım bir yazar oluşu ve serinin sadece 3 kitaptan oluşu içinde "okumalıyım ben bunu." hissi uyandırdı. 2013 istanbul kitap fuarında Martı standında iki kitabı pazarlıkla 15 liraya verdirtince kaderimiz de bağlanmış oldu. (Martı standı çalışanlarına bir öpücük buradan, seneye tekrar görüşeceğiz!)

Eden önceki kitapta geçmişini öğrenmiş ve bir Ankh savaşçısı olmak için Edinburg'a doğru yol almıştı. Hâlâ Noah'a karşı kırgın ve bir ruh yiyicidir. Annesinin soyundan birinin kanı ile Ruh Yiyici statüsünü geride bırakır ve orada tehlikelere karşı Cyrus, Val, Noah ve kuzenini vw ailesi ile yaşamaktadır. Ayrıca hayatında ilk defa bir aile ne demektir onu da tadıyordur. Abisinin Noah'ın eski sevgililerinden biri tarafından öldürülmüş oluşunu ise atlatamıyor, onun kötü birisi olduğunu bildiği içinde kendi içinde çelişkiler yaşıyordur.

Teagan ise sosyopat seri katil kıvamında Eden'i geri almak için Heyet ile iş birliği kurmuş ve Cyrus'un evinden biri ile anlaşmıştır. Eden kendini geliştirmek için dövüş dersleri alıp kuzeniyle sıkı bağlar kurarken hayatı da tehlikededir.

İlk kitabı az çok unutmuş olmama rağmen, ikinci kitabı bitirdikten sonra ilk kitap yorumumu okuyunca fikirlerimin pek değişmediği fark ettim. Gayet tutarlı bir okurum ben. Gene pek etkileyici bir kurgusunun olmadığını düşünüyorum. Ancak kitabın garip bir şekilde akıcı olduğunu da inkâr edemem; üstelik bir kaç kere yüksek sesle bebek gibi kıkırdadım. Val ve Cyrus bu kıkırdamalarımın ana sebebi, çok sevimliler. İlk kitapta da Cyrus'u pek yaşının adamı bulmamıştım ama Val'a bayılmıştım. Samantha bence bu yaş olayının tutturamamış. Gerçi aşk ve tutku sahnelerinde oldukça başarılı. Yetişkin, günümüz türüne geçmesi gerçekten ama gerçekten isabet olmuş. Yaşasın Dublin Caddesi!

Eden'in dövüş eğitimi aldığını yukarıda belirttim. Aklıma takılan bir soru da bu eğitim oldu, eğitimin niteliği değil de süreci. 10 günde sen nasıl Ruh Yiyici arkadaşları avlayacak kadar iyi bir dövüşçü oluyorsun ki? 2 ay 3 ay olsa tamam derim. Samantha'nın buralarda biraz uçtuğunu düşünüyorum. Her ne kadar Ruh Yiyici ve Ankh genleri bir temel sağlasa da... Desteksiz atmış ya. :D Herkes ona kontrol vermekte de çok geniş... 17 yaşındaki bir kıza 2000+ yaşındaki adam söz veriyor? Nerde lan bu memleket, bilet ayırcam!

"Sen benim dünyamı değiştirdin Eden. Ölümsüzlük sensiz hiç hoş değil." (Noah)


Çevirinin de sorunlu olduğunu düşünüyorum, çevirmenin 5~6 yerde kelime seçimini pek beğenmedim. Üşendiğim içinde not almadım bunları, ama kendim için zihnimin bir köşesine not ettim, lazım olur diye. :D Yazım hatası gözüme çarpmadı, ama sayfalar bir hayli kalın. Arada boşluğuma geldiğinde iki sayfamı çevirdim diye kontrol ettiğim oldu.

Ben hâlâ Cyrus konusunda şüphe içindeyim. O yüzden son kitabı merakla bekliyorum. Darius elementi ise aklımın bir köşesinde; Eden ile akraba çıkarlarsa hiç şaşırmam.

3. kitabı da okuyup seriyi bitirmeyi düşünüyorum. Öyle çok hayranı olmadım ancak okutuyor kendisini. Noah ve Eden'in sevimliliği de okutuyor. Ama bazen genç yetişkin mi okuyorum, erotikamı okuyorum ipin ucu kaçıyor. Okuyup okumama konusunu size bıraktım. Aşağıda alıntılar var, bakmadan geçmeyin.

Not: Ruh Yiyici yerine Emici diyip duruyordum yorum boyunca. Harry Potter izledim, ondan olsa gerek.

Alıntılar

"Persepolisli Cyrus ondan hoşlanıyor ve ona gösteriyordu.
Keşke Noah, onun evlatlık kızının da yeniden doğduğunda aynı şeyi yapmasını sağlayabiliseydi." (Noah)

"Eden içini çekti ve gözlerinin indirerek gerginliği kırdı. " Affetmeye hazır değilim."
Noah derin bir iç geçirdi ve dönerek kapı koluna uzandı. "Ben hiçbir yere gitmiyorum. İstediğin kadar bekleyebilirsin. Sonsuza kadar zamanımız var, unutma." (hey gidi playboy Noah nerdesin!)

"...Ruh yiyici Merrit'i buldu ama ben onu kurtarmak için tam zamanında yetiştim. O zaman anlatım işte."
"Neyi anladın?" diye sordu Eden fısıltıyla.
"Ona âşık olduğumu. Onsuz yaşayamayacağımı."
"O ne dedi peki?"
Geçmişi hatırlayan Cyrus kahkahaya boğuldu. "Dedi ki.."Eh bunu anlamam biraz uzun sürdü Persepolisli Cyrus..""

"Bebekler hakkında ne derler bilirsin."
Ruh yiyici sırıttı." Neymiş?"
"Altına ne zaman edeceğini tahmin bile edemezsin." (Bir Buffy gördüm sanki!)

"Hayatımda savaşmadan gitmesine izin vermeyeceğim bir şey var artık." (Noah)

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a major author crush on Samantha Young right now! LOL! She is so amazingly talented and her work is so original it's like a breath of fresh air!

I could not put this book down!! It was so action packed and exciting, I was on my toes the entire book and I'm so anxious for the third book to come out!! I love how we get to hear the story from not only Eden's point of view, but Noah's and Teagen's, and the others. It's nice to get a chapter or two where you get to see into another character's mind... it makes them more real and I feel like I connect to them better as well.

Eden and Noah are seriously so amazing and I love the chemistry between them. I love that Eden took time to heal and forgive Noah instead of just giving in. It made her healing process seem more real and I could relate to her reluctance to trust at first. I do love all the tension between Noah and Eden as well... it keeps us readers on our toes!! I think they're perfect together though I like that they will have obstacles to overcome before life will be near normal for them. I think the obstacles they will face together will bring them closer and seal that bond they have even more. They compliment one another perfectly and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a book with no stupid love triangles and girls with two guys blah, blah, blah!!

One other thing I loved about this book was the Scottish reference to the city of Edinburgh and the pronunciations she gave her U.S. readers (because I found that I said just about every word wrong). It was very cool to get a little heritage lesson into my reading. I loved reading about the shops and how the city decorates and celebrates at Christmas... it made me want to go to Scotland even more than I already do!! I have Scottish heritage in my family and I'm very proud of that... one day I hope to go visit for myself but for now I will dream of it through my books!! I loved that Samantha Young gave me that small insight into a city I hope to one day experience for myself!!

Anyhow, I've said it before and I'll say it again... Samantha Young is A-FRIGGIN-MAZING!! I have no idea why she isn't absolutely huge here in the U.S!? The raw talent and ideas in her work are just phenomenal!! I would buy anything she writes without hesitation!! Plus an added bonus is that her books are inexpensive... don't tell anyone, but I'd pay 10 bucks each if I had to, but the lower prices are a super perk!! I've bought all her books from Amazon for my Kindle and I'm very anxiously awaiting several sequels!!

[Jillian (NetGalley Addict) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hide the entire review because it does have some small spoilers and I don't want to ruin the book for anybody.

I know in my previous review I noted that I think young adult is for 16+, I still believe that and I am really happy to see that it was noted on the book, I just had not seen it. Ok now onto Blood Past the second book in the Warriors of Ankh trilogy, I loved it just as much as the first book. There are many new and interesting characters introduced in this book as well as several new threats to Eden. At the beginning of the book Eden is still a soul eater and she while she know she can trust the Ankh she still does not feel like she can.Eden loves Cyrus and she is very close to Valeria, but she is still mad at Noah for lying to her and she feels like he has betrayed her. They go to Scotland and we meet Eden’s mothers Neith family. The grandmother gives blood and Eden gets it transfused into her and then she starts changing to full Ankh. She has to die to do this and this is the first time that we really see how much Noah loves Eden.Eden wakes up and starts adjusting to her new status as an Ankh. She becomes friends with Tobe and starts to learn how to fight. She is still mad at Noah and trying to get over Romany killing Stellan. Then Noah and Eden’s grandmother get kidnapped by Eden’s cousin and they fly back to the states. Her cousin gives her the choice of killing Mhairi or Noah; she doesn't have to make the decision because Darius shows up and kills all the soul eaters. You got to give Samantha Young some series kudos, she knows how to write. The characters are again very believable and have a lot of depth and personality. Emotions are higher in this book than the last one and we get more romance but it does not over power the story. The book is not just a copy of the previous book with a few new problems thrown in; Eden and Noah have grown a lot and changed. An old problem gets resolved but since its not the focus of the book it does not seem repetitive. New problems keep it fresh and unpredictable. I love the book; anybody looking for a good solid read should pick this book up.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.co...

3.5 stars -- Definitely a solid followup to the first book. Sometimes I thought I knew where this book was going, but at other times I was surprised -- especially about the outcomes of the battle at the end.

I loved meeting more fabulous secondary characters in this installment -- Valeria, October and Cameron were great new friends to Eden. Sometimes I wished for a little more depth to their friendships, but then again, she just met them. And Mhairi/Nana was a hoot!

I also enjoyed the increased romance aspect in this book. I was a bit disappointed in that part in book one, and in the previous series I read by Ms. Young, so it was nice to have more of that in this one. It's funny, though, b/c I felt a stronger connection between Eden and Noah in the first book as friends than I did in this book in some cases. The kisses were definitely hot, but I guess I was just missing some of that glow that I get from other books. I'm not sure...there was just something missing.

Still really intrigued by the mythos of the world, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the conclusion...especially since things happened in this one that I wasn't expecting. I don't really have anything else to say...so I guess while I enjoyed it, it didn't stand out as much as the first book.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one as much as I enjoyed the first Warriors of Ankh book, it was such a wonderful premise and kept me thoroughly intrigued. However, Blood Past has not managed to keep my attention as well as the first, and at times I found myself almost bored.

It is a good story though, and I did enjoy it, but here's where it went down a notch or two:

-Eden's training sessions were quite repetitive and dull
-I wanted more action than I got, the plot just seemed to stay in the one place for too long

BUT, I loved how it was set in Edinburgh. But then, I'm from Edinburgh so I'm a wee bit biased. I could vividly follow Eden as she discovers the city, and all the places she goes to... I've been there! I found this quite exciting.

And Eden and Noah, they are wonderful when they are together, I find myself anticipating the moment when they are interacting, its wonderfully written.

I'm really excited to see how WoA wraps up, it been a series I have really enjoyed so far.

[Ashley Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just have to start by saying thank heaven for my kindle! As soon as I finished Blood Will Tell I needed this book! The Warriors of Ankh series is so awesome and I really enjoy reading Samantha Young's work!
I must say that I was anxiously awaiting something to happen between Noah and Eden! I thought I would go crazy with all the tenson between the two of them. It was so well written and even though I couldn't wait for a little action between the two I am glad that Eden didn't jump into Noah's arms immediately. Waiting was sooo much better!
I am hooked on this series and can't wait to see what comes next!

[★Ruth★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series, enough to make me wanna try out Smokeless Fire & Moon Spell. Eden is a KICKASS heroine and I love Noah as well, definitely book boyfriend worthy :)

[Rachael Grossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha has done it again. Another amazing book. She has a such a way of pulling you right into the book that reality is barely in your periphery. I truly enojy the inner turmoil that Eden faces over the grief of losing her brother and her past life with her family. I also love the growing relationship between Noah and Eden. Thank you Samantha, can't wait to read more in this series.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick read. There was not as much action in this book but the author moved the story along and I still enjoyed all of the characters. I have already bought the next in the series. I can't wait to see how the author winds this one up. I will hate to see the end to this story as I really like Eden and Noah as well as the secondary characters.

[Vichy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't like I didn't like the book, but I didn't think it was something special, either. It takes us to Scotland and in a slow pace, we watch the incredible fast improvement in Eden's training as a warrior. I have a problem with Eden, which I didn't have in the first book. I didn't like her bratty behavior.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Thank you Thank you for such an interesting book!!! The characters just get better and better :) I was laughing one moment and crying the next reading this one. Eden has one heck of a mouth on her and October is right there with her. I can not wait for the next book. Please hurry!

[Marulett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, I was kind of hesitant to start reading since the middle books of sagas are not always good. But this was great!

We get to know a bit more of each character and see Eden change and grow into an amazing warrior.

I look forward to reading the next book!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, although I liked the first one better. I guess I just expected more "action" and story about Eden, and not so much the love story between Eden and Lucas. I am on to book 3 :)

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid 4 stars. The first half was annoying because Eden's attitude irritated the crap out of me, but the last half made up for it. I'm going to put off reading the last book for now, though... Don't really know why.

[Maghon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It just keeps getting better and better. It's just that good!!!

[Brittni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book a lot. It was really good and super funny. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[AH]

Kindle free download 5/9/12.

[Mary Armour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha Young I'm in love :) But why aren't your books longer!!! I need another 300 pages per book <3

[&#x1f159;&#x1d532;&#x1d529;&#x1d537; · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. looking forward to the next one.

[Giulia Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resenha de 2011:
Eu lembro da primeira vez que eu li a sinopse do livro. Não me impressionou e francamente eu não ia ler. Tudo indicava que ia ser mais um daqueles cliches onde a menina boazinha se apaixona por um bad boy e blah,blah,blah.
Então eu li uma entrevista com a autora e eu não sei, simplesmente decidi dar uma chance. De novo eu cai de cara no chão com os meus julgamentos precipitados.
Sim, o livro fala sobre uma menina boazinha (Anna) se apaixonando por um bad boy (Kaidan), mas dizer que a história é só isso é o mesmo que dizer que chocolate é apenas um doce haha (meio sem criatividade para uma comparação melhor).
Acho que foi o primeiro livro que li que se trata sobre o bem e o mal, que realmente mostra os dois lados, mostra a heroína lidando com a tentação, tendo que fazer escolhas dificeis e lutando para se manter fiel aos seus ideais.
Foi um livro que apesar de não ter muita ação, me prendeu desde o começo. A escrita da Wendy Higgins flue, cativa e é intensa. Simplesmente amei. É uma daquelas histórias que nos faz refletir sobre o mundo e que quando acaba ainda continua na sua cabeça por um bom tempo.
Ela criou a relação entre os personagens de forma espetacular. Dava para sentir o amor entre Anna e Patti (sua mãe adotiva), sua amizade com Jay, sua atração pelo Kai saltando para fora das páginas. E eu adorei o jeito que ela lidou com a relação dela e seu pai, foi realistica e natural para o carácter da personagem.
Eu pensei também que me irritaria com a Anna quando eu li que ela era boazinha e estava no meio desse conflito entre o bem e o mal. Instintivamente eu tinha feito uma conexão com a personagem principal de Personala Demons (Frannie?), a quem eu francamente não gostei. Mas novamente eu estava enganada.
Anna apesar de não ser bad-ass (que nem todas essas heroínas aparecendo por ai) é forte de uma maneira totalmente diferente. Ela acredita em seus princípios, e apesar de sucumbir a tentação algumas vezes ao longo da história, ela sabia seus limites, se mantendo fiel a eles. Além do mais ela manteve a esperança quando se viu no meio das intrigas planejadas pelos Dukes.
Os personagens são todos tão reais, tão dimensionais! Não tinha como não querer saber o que se passava na cabeça do Kaidan, do Kape, da Marna, entre outros.
Ah, e a tensão sexual ao longo do livro? HOTT (com dois ts como diria Anna, haha).
A mitologia apesar de não ser tão única, veio com novidades e aborda os Nephillins de um jeito diferente, e talvez até seja mais fiel a original do que outros livros por ai, que nem disse a autora.
No fim, o livro me encantou. Fiquei muito feliz de ter dado uma chance a ele e mal posso esperar para ver o que vai acontecer na continuação.

Amei, amei, amei!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another excellent book by Samantha Young. It has a bit of a different feel than the first book in the Warriors of Ankh series. In the first book Eden was struggling with the animal inside her, the Soul Eater side of her that craved the souls of others. However strong this urge was, however, Eden pushed it back and let her more human side prevail. That book was a story of her struggle to find out exactly who she was. In this book Eden discovers who that is. After being kidnapped/rescued by the Warriors of Ankh she is given the opportunity to cure her dual nature and take her place as an Ankh warrior. So this book is less of a struggle for Eden to figure out how to live with a horrible craving and more about Eden learning to discover her new identity as an Ankh.

Because of the change in emphasis in this book, it feels a bit different as a reader. In the first book Eden was almost a bully in her interactions with others. She showed that dual personality of hers as she was mean-spirited in her treatment of other people, but this often was in order to protect someone else who the bully was mistreating. So it was interesting to read this personality. In this book that personality changes significantly. The Ankh side of Eden's personality takes over as the Soul Eater side is eliminated. The Ankh are A LOT more calm and collected in their interactions with the world, and Eden finds that much of the rage that she grew up with is gone. That is not to say that Eden becomes less interesting or boring as a character. She doesn't. She's just different. Although the rage is missing, Eden still has her sharp tongue and wit to keep her on her toes as she comes to face others who don't think so highly of the inclusion of a former Soul Eater into the ranks of the Ankh. She has some great comeback retorts throughout this book that show that the same strong, feisty girl is there, only now with a more patient and calm demeanor -- usually.

Because of Eden's new and improved personality she is able to enjoy something that she has never really experienced before -- friendship with another girl. Eden has traveled to to Scotland in order to meet with a family with blood ties to her, essential to her eventual transformation to a complete Ankh. There she befriends October, a Scottish girl with as much spunk as Eden. I really enjoyed October's character and seeing Eden come to learn how to trust others and enjoy their company without strain or suspicion.

The romance between Eden and Noah was very subdued in the first book in this series. It was fairly clear that both of them had feelings for one another, but even they were not certain of how deep their feelings ran. All of that is complicated by the events of the ending of the first book when Eden feels as if Noah has betrayed her, a betrayal that cuts even deeper because he was the one person outside her family who she had ever trusted and cared about. So when this book begins Eden is mightily angry with Noah. I won't say much more about the events that will change things for them as a romantic couple, but I will say that Samantha Young paced this relationship perfectly. Although there is a depth of feeling between these two individuals, they don't just go from nothing to eternally overcome with love for one another in a day. It takes time, with the proper amount of suspense, romantic tension, and slow discovery of the true feelings they have for each other. It played out perfectly.

Noah. I don't know what to say about him. I love his character. I think that he is the perfect match for Eden. Just the right mix of over-confidence to the point of cockiness and kindness and concern for her welfare. The mix of the elements of his personality make him a good hero to root for in this interesting world of Soul Eaters and the Ankh who hunt them. Cyrus is a great father-figure character in this book as well, and all of the supporting cast add layers to the story that enhance the book in many ways. Each secondary character shows a different angle of the story line. Not everyone is forthcoming about who they are or how they stand. Friendly people end up being foes. Suspicious characters end up being friendly. Some are asked to choose between family and the ultimate goal of the Ankh. It is all very interesting to read.

Teagan was a fairly good villain for this book. He was a bit too evil for my taste. I prefer the villains in the books I read to be a bit more layered. It makes them more interesting. He seemed too unhinged for me to find interesting. But he did provide an excellent plot line for this story that kept me pushing forward as I read, eager to see what happened next. I almost wish that the final scenes with him had been a bit longer to further explore his demented personality and how it related to Eden. I especially thought that the choice that Eden was offered at that last scene with Teagan was an interesting one to explore. How would that decision have ultimately played out, and what did that say about who Eden was as a character. Things tidied up a bit too nicely there at the end, and for that reason these issues weren't explored as much as I would have liked. But with the way they tidied up. . . Darius. Holy cow! What is that guy? There is definitely more to explore with his reclusive character.

There is obviously trouble brewing in the ranks of the Ankh, and that will be leading up to the events of book three. I can't wait to see how things play out. Eden is now fully an Ankh, but not everyone completely believes this. I couldn't help but think about the trouble anyone has when they have been bad in the past and decide to reform. Sometimes even those who should be most supportive of us decide to sabotage the reformation by holding onto their previous views of who that person had been. I can see that Eden is going to have to fight against that tendency in the Ankh. She's got several hidden enemies, and even some of the people in her immediate circle do not trust her now. It's all leading up to what looks like an interesting third book in the series.

This book is not nearly as dark as the first book in the series. It is helped by Eden's transformation into a less angry character and her removal from the sadism of her soul eater 'family' and the horrible way that her 'parents' treated her. Simply being around the kind Cyrus and her friends October, Cameron, and Noah lead this book into a friendlier territory, even though there are some nail biting moments of suspense and danger sprinkled throughout. I still recommend this book as an original paranormal book for those who are interested in these types of stories.

[Kristina Vallaste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasons for my rating: a lot of the same as the first book.

It could just be me getting desensitized, but I did feel a slight improvement in the characters in this book. Very slight. They're still not going to win any awards with it. I kept getting amazed by how poorly these supposedly powerful and ancient warriors thought through their plans. And the consistent back-and-forth between being great warriors who risk their lives daily, and things becoming a kindergarten-level drama of being pouty and who-not-talking-to-who whenever anyone got hurt was almost entertaining. Though not in the book's favor.

Funnily enough, it was a mix of predictable and unpredictable. Overall, you could pretty well guess what was going to happen, but the little decisions could keep you guessing, because you never knew how much sense someone's actions were going to make. Also, a hinted love triangle at the very end there. I'm hoping that one was an unpredictable, only disguised as plainly predictable.

Compared to the first book, there's not a whole lot of action in this one aside from Eden and Noah's love drama, and then a little bit of a scuffle at the very end.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story went slower on this one, or better less seemed to happen than the first book.
However I still enjoyed it.
I liked seeing Eden interacting with a girl her age, her relationship with Tobe was great from the start.

I enjoyed the transition between Eden and Noah, first she accepted that him hiding the truth from her in the first book had been unavoidable, and they returned friends, but always with Eden aware that her feelings ran deeper than friendship for her, not knowing that Noah felt exactly the same...and then finally they kissed and the rest happened so naturally...
Cyrus while worried never stopped them but I loved how Noah never asked for his permission or blessing.

I was worried that Teagan could steal Noah's soul when he took him but while we lost Tobe's grandma, that didn't happen.

The writing was way better in this one.

[Romy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and all the new characters. Eden goes to Scotland and learns more about herself when she looses her soul eater side. Without the constant hunger she can actually breath and feel freely.

I also love the tension between her and Noah. Eden still is angry with him about his betrayal but at the same time she misses her friend and even wishes there was something more between them, but she does not quickly forget and forgive. She is also still grieving her brother and she still connects his death to Noah, which doesn’t help.
Teagan makes an appearance and even though it did not happen much I hated looking into his perspective, he really was a sick individual. And his obsession with Eden makes him stop at nothing to get her back.