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Crimson Tears #1
The Gift of Blood
Hunger, yearning lesbians, and monstrous love.
Monsters are real, and Ryann is one of them. Chosen as a weapon in a war that is not her own, she finds an outlet for her anger in the fighting pits beneath Toronto, and on the hunt for the vampires that changed her. Whatever the cost, she’ll take back her life, her control—or make them fear the hunger they’ve roused in her.
Burdened by monstrosity, Meg, assassin of the Scorching Dawn, drowns her pain in the blood of her enemies. When the call comes to slay the monster whipping the city’s beasts into a frenzy, she welcomes the hunt. And in Ryann, she finds a violent thirst for blood—and the opportunity to feed her own.
Shadows surround the city. The beasts within cower as the foundations writhe. Drawn to one another by a mutual hunger, Ryann and Meg must learn to trust each other—or perish in the dark.
Monsters are real, and Ryann is one of them. Chosen as a weapon in a war that is not her own, she finds an outlet for her anger in the fighting pits beneath Toronto, and on the hunt for the vampires that changed her. Whatever the cost, she’ll take back her life, her control—or make them fear the hunger they’ve roused in her.
Burdened by monstrosity, Meg, assassin of the Scorching Dawn, drowns her pain in the blood of her enemies. When the call comes to slay the monster whipping the city’s beasts into a frenzy, she welcomes the hunt. And in Ryann, she finds a violent thirst for blood—and the opportunity to feed her own.
Shadows surround the city. The beasts within cower as the foundations writhe. Drawn to one another by a mutual hunger, Ryann and Meg must learn to trust each other—or perish in the dark.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2022
31 people are currently reading
446 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 31, 2022
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club for free in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Oh. My. GOD!!! Based on the page number, and that this is Vaela and Micah's first book, I was a little worried, but I was blown away by how good this was!! I enjoyed every minute of it and am left wanting more- hopefully their next book doesn't take too long to write.
This book includes frequent, smaller references to queer culture that, for me, made the book feel really authentic. I loved Ryann's running commentary on events, but her friends' snarky comments made the world come alive that much more- just like in real life, those who tease their friends find friends who tease them back.
Some of the plot-relevant information started fairly late in the book, but it never felt like things were dragging. Instead, we got to see how Ryann constructs (somewhat by accident) a strong support network after getting turned into a vampire. The romance is definitely a slow burn, but that was honestly really entertaining. The abundance of queer characters made my little gay heart sing <3
Like I said, I'm really interested in the sequel. Without any spoilers, there were some explanations offered towards the end of the book, but I'd love to dive deeper into those plotlines. From the authors' notes, it sounds like they have a lot planned, so I'm definitely going to keep following both of them!
Rating: 5/5
Oh. My. GOD!!! Based on the page number, and that this is Vaela and Micah's first book, I was a little worried, but I was blown away by how good this was!! I enjoyed every minute of it and am left wanting more- hopefully their next book doesn't take too long to write.
This book includes frequent, smaller references to queer culture that, for me, made the book feel really authentic. I loved Ryann's running commentary on events, but her friends' snarky comments made the world come alive that much more- just like in real life, those who tease their friends find friends who tease them back.
Some of the plot-relevant information started fairly late in the book, but it never felt like things were dragging. Instead, we got to see how Ryann constructs (somewhat by accident) a strong support network after getting turned into a vampire. The romance is definitely a slow burn, but that was honestly really entertaining. The abundance of queer characters made my little gay heart sing <3
Like I said, I'm really interested in the sequel. Without any spoilers, there were some explanations offered towards the end of the book, but I'd love to dive deeper into those plotlines. From the authors' notes, it sounds like they have a lot planned, so I'm definitely going to keep following both of them!
September 12, 2022
As a Queer person starved for good lgbtq+ representation I fell in love with this book way before it was published.
My hype was so high and I can say now I finished the book it was well placed.
I'm not going to talk much about the plot because there are many plot focused reviews and I'm not going to write one of those this time.
Let me tell you why I read so happily such a big book.
Imagine all the best tropes, the cute ones, the gay ones the one we rarely have all together in media.
There is such a variety of characters, they come in all gender identities, pronouns, size, shapes, colours, disabilities, abilities just as we all do in real life.
There is genuine poly rep I've seen rarely anywhere if not in Fanfictions, the policules are cute, genuine and caring people loving each other without unnecessary drama
I loved that the main character didn't like acquiring "superpowers" as collateral damage of becoming a Vampire.
Ryann doesn't like to have superpowers as much as she loves her workouts, she has a very human struggle to adapt to such a big change in her life.
The real ppwers of characters in this book is their kindness and compassion.
The reason to keep people going and fighting is that profound desire to protect our loved ones, to be decent individual in a world too often filled with hate and greed.
This book is also so funny, legitimately so funny, I giggled so many times at jokes especially the Queer culture ones
There are many cool fighting scenes.
I'm usually not a massive fight scenes fan but oh boy if I enjoyed Rayann and her friends kicking assess.
Reading thr found family trope in this book is heartwarming and is written as what actually,
someone who decides to welcome who in needs of a safe place and unconditional love and support.
Opening a door firstly to your heart and then to your home.
It was nice to find a baby gay character and see her growing confidence through the book.
Ryann and Vaela book inspired me to exercise more and find motivation to keep pushing to be my true self no matter who you might lose on the way in this process you are going to meet as much amazing people who will accept your true self.
Do yourself a favour and read this amazing book.
My hype was so high and I can say now I finished the book it was well placed.
I'm not going to talk much about the plot because there are many plot focused reviews and I'm not going to write one of those this time.
Let me tell you why I read so happily such a big book.
Imagine all the best tropes, the cute ones, the gay ones the one we rarely have all together in media.
There is such a variety of characters, they come in all gender identities, pronouns, size, shapes, colours, disabilities, abilities just as we all do in real life.
There is genuine poly rep I've seen rarely anywhere if not in Fanfictions, the policules are cute, genuine and caring people loving each other without unnecessary drama
I loved that the main character didn't like acquiring "superpowers" as collateral damage of becoming a Vampire.
Ryann doesn't like to have superpowers as much as she loves her workouts, she has a very human struggle to adapt to such a big change in her life.
The real ppwers of characters in this book is their kindness and compassion.
The reason to keep people going and fighting is that profound desire to protect our loved ones, to be decent individual in a world too often filled with hate and greed.
This book is also so funny, legitimately so funny, I giggled so many times at jokes especially the Queer culture ones
There are many cool fighting scenes.
I'm usually not a massive fight scenes fan but oh boy if I enjoyed Rayann and her friends kicking assess.
Reading thr found family trope in this book is heartwarming and is written as what actually,
someone who decides to welcome who in needs of a safe place and unconditional love and support.
Opening a door firstly to your heart and then to your home.
It was nice to find a baby gay character and see her growing confidence through the book.
Ryann and Vaela book inspired me to exercise more and find motivation to keep pushing to be my true self no matter who you might lose on the way in this process you are going to meet as much amazing people who will accept your true self.
Do yourself a favour and read this amazing book.
June 9, 2022
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
This book follows, Ryann, a professional MMA fighter and future nurse before they are kidnapped, killed, and turned into a vampire. Now she is just trying to figure out how to navigate this new world and why someone(s) are trying to kill her (again!). Along the way she meets other types of vampires, werewolves, and a cute human she can't stay away from.
First, this is a long book. I believe it is in the ballpark of around 1200 pages and for the most part, it does not feel long. The book really gave time for the characters and the world to grow and expand without a bunch of info dumping moments, which is refreshing. The world is absolutely fascinating and I cannot wait to explore it more with future stories. All vampires have different skills/abilities that basically created essentially different species of vampires, and I would love to learn more about that lore.
The characters were fun. My favorite is Kay, a badass sword wielding asexual werewolf in a polyamours relation, that owns the safe haven bar for supernaturals. She was great and I hope there are stories that are in her POV. Ryann, was an enjoyable character to be in the POV of. They were sarcastic, quick witted, and knew how to throw and take a punch. I am excited to see where her and her found family (Kay and company!!) are going in future stories.
As mentioned earlier, this is a long book and there were a few times that I found myself skimming. With Ryann knowing how to fight, many of the fight sequences were fascinating to read and some had me at the edge of my seat, but there were a few that went on longer than what my attention was willing to indulge. In those cases, I would skim to get the basic idea of what happened and then become fully invested once it concluded and the rest of the story picked up. While those fights could have been trimmed down, they did not make up much of the book, leaving most of it to the characters and the found family being created.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and haven't stopped thinking about in the last few days since finishing it. I look forward to all of the possible story ideas that the authors listed at the end of the book and will probably reread this one when those get published. I would recommend this for fans of urban fantasy, vampires, and werewolves.
4.5 Stars
This book follows, Ryann, a professional MMA fighter and future nurse before they are kidnapped, killed, and turned into a vampire. Now she is just trying to figure out how to navigate this new world and why someone(s) are trying to kill her (again!). Along the way she meets other types of vampires, werewolves, and a cute human she can't stay away from.
First, this is a long book. I believe it is in the ballpark of around 1200 pages and for the most part, it does not feel long. The book really gave time for the characters and the world to grow and expand without a bunch of info dumping moments, which is refreshing. The world is absolutely fascinating and I cannot wait to explore it more with future stories. All vampires have different skills/abilities that basically created essentially different species of vampires, and I would love to learn more about that lore.
The characters were fun. My favorite is Kay, a badass sword wielding asexual werewolf in a polyamours relation, that owns the safe haven bar for supernaturals. She was great and I hope there are stories that are in her POV. Ryann, was an enjoyable character to be in the POV of. They were sarcastic, quick witted, and knew how to throw and take a punch. I am excited to see where her and her found family (Kay and company!!) are going in future stories.
As mentioned earlier, this is a long book and there were a few times that I found myself skimming. With Ryann knowing how to fight, many of the fight sequences were fascinating to read and some had me at the edge of my seat, but there were a few that went on longer than what my attention was willing to indulge. In those cases, I would skim to get the basic idea of what happened and then become fully invested once it concluded and the rest of the story picked up. While those fights could have been trimmed down, they did not make up much of the book, leaving most of it to the characters and the found family being created.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and haven't stopped thinking about in the last few days since finishing it. I look forward to all of the possible story ideas that the authors listed at the end of the book and will probably reread this one when those get published. I would recommend this for fans of urban fantasy, vampires, and werewolves.
April 8, 2022
I really liked it! It is definitely as advertised and while it's long, that just means there's way more time to spend with all the characters! They all had lots of personality and even from the get go, I had a really clear picture of who they were. Ryann was my absolute favorite (which isn't much of a surprise since buff ladies kicking ass?? Of course!) and Rachel was also very cute can confirm. Definitely would recommend giving reading it a shot!
July 31, 2022
Don’t hesitate
I had this amazing book on my To Buy list for way too long. I hesitated because of the length. (Stupid) Don’t let that scare you off. This book just really immerses you into Ryann’s world. A world that introduces you to so many likable characters. Honestly it really felt like even though I was reading, I was watching a TV show with all the different scenes/places you get to go. Most of the book was written from Ryann’s point of view, but there were several parts where you got supporting character’s and even the enemy’s points of view, which helped build the whole picture. The balance between action, fighting, friendship building, and family forming was spot on. I was a little surprised after the book being so long, that I didn’t it to end. I mean, the book wrapped up nicely and all, but… I want more. I don’t want to leave these lovable characters behind. I’m so glad there are more books in the works, because I think just about all the characters need their own books.
I had this amazing book on my To Buy list for way too long. I hesitated because of the length. (Stupid) Don’t let that scare you off. This book just really immerses you into Ryann’s world. A world that introduces you to so many likable characters. Honestly it really felt like even though I was reading, I was watching a TV show with all the different scenes/places you get to go. Most of the book was written from Ryann’s point of view, but there were several parts where you got supporting character’s and even the enemy’s points of view, which helped build the whole picture. The balance between action, fighting, friendship building, and family forming was spot on. I was a little surprised after the book being so long, that I didn’t it to end. I mean, the book wrapped up nicely and all, but… I want more. I don’t want to leave these lovable characters behind. I’m so glad there are more books in the works, because I think just about all the characters need their own books.
May 11, 2022
Brilliant
This was a hell of a read. Lots of interesting characters, some cool world building and a really fascinating plot. Looking forwards to more.
This was a hell of a read. Lots of interesting characters, some cool world building and a really fascinating plot. Looking forwards to more.
November 5, 2022
First, a few things that we should make clear. At over 1.1k pages, this is a long book. And it is the first book in a series - while it does wrap up the major plot arc for the story, the rest it leaves wide open for the next book in the series.
But even given that - wow. I really, really enjoyed reading the story. It definitely shows a different aspect of queer culture to what I normally read, and I was engrossed for its entirety, absorbed in the world and its characters, and just wanting to keep reading. When it finished, I really wanted to pick up its sequel and keep reading, though sadly it isn't out at the time of writing this review.
It has your werewolves and vampires, monsters, and mentions of other supernatural entities, in their own communities hidden away from most normal people. The world building is fantastic and if there is another aspect about this story, it is that it is very detailed, especially the combat scenes. Everything is detailed blow by blow for most of them, but given that Ryann is a former MMA fighter, and much of the cast the cast is muscled and buff, it kinda fits.
Ryann's life isn't easy, having everything taken from her, and then being killed and turned against her will, and yet there is warmth, kindness, and friends to be found. And Rachael. Those two are so cute its adorable. The antagonist, on the other hand, really is evil, and every scene in which they are involved makes you hate them even more.
But, yes, great, lengthy, detailed story. Loved it, and looking forward to reading the next one and the other stories by this author. If you like queer supernatural fiction, then this one is definitely recommended.
But even given that - wow. I really, really enjoyed reading the story. It definitely shows a different aspect of queer culture to what I normally read, and I was engrossed for its entirety, absorbed in the world and its characters, and just wanting to keep reading. When it finished, I really wanted to pick up its sequel and keep reading, though sadly it isn't out at the time of writing this review.
It has your werewolves and vampires, monsters, and mentions of other supernatural entities, in their own communities hidden away from most normal people. The world building is fantastic and if there is another aspect about this story, it is that it is very detailed, especially the combat scenes. Everything is detailed blow by blow for most of them, but given that Ryann is a former MMA fighter, and much of the cast the cast is muscled and buff, it kinda fits.
Ryann's life isn't easy, having everything taken from her, and then being killed and turned against her will, and yet there is warmth, kindness, and friends to be found. And Rachael. Those two are so cute its adorable. The antagonist, on the other hand, really is evil, and every scene in which they are involved makes you hate them even more.
But, yes, great, lengthy, detailed story. Loved it, and looking forward to reading the next one and the other stories by this author. If you like queer supernatural fiction, then this one is definitely recommended.
September 19, 2022
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review.
Where to start with this book?! I loved every second of reading it. I'm so glad it was such a long book as I felt I went on this huge journey with the main character Ryann.
Ryan is this super buff pro fighter, who ended up being turned into a vampire because of her strength and abilities as a mortal. She's such a great character because although her life has been difficult, she still has a good heart.
There's such a great variety of queer representation too, that there's literally a character for everybody. Other than Ryann, my favourite character had to be Meg. Her struggles are something I can relate to and you just want to give her a big hug.
My only qualm about this book is the ending. I feel like after such a build up to the final battle, the aftermath was covered pretty quickly. I'd also love to see more POV from Meg and maybe even Logan.
I honestly can't wait until the next book and hope it's already on its way. I'm sure I'll end up reading this book again anyway. It just makes you feel good, it also inspired me to rejoin the gym :D
Where to start with this book?! I loved every second of reading it. I'm so glad it was such a long book as I felt I went on this huge journey with the main character Ryann.
Ryan is this super buff pro fighter, who ended up being turned into a vampire because of her strength and abilities as a mortal. She's such a great character because although her life has been difficult, she still has a good heart.
There's such a great variety of queer representation too, that there's literally a character for everybody. Other than Ryann, my favourite character had to be Meg. Her struggles are something I can relate to and you just want to give her a big hug.
My only qualm about this book is the ending. I feel like after such a build up to the final battle, the aftermath was covered pretty quickly. I'd also love to see more POV from Meg and maybe even Logan.
I honestly can't wait until the next book and hope it's already on its way. I'm sure I'll end up reading this book again anyway. It just makes you feel good, it also inspired me to rejoin the gym :D
April 23, 2023
Ryann is the badass heroine we need
Read Moonlight Love and Witchcraft first. I understood what was happening but there were clearly references to the other story.
This book is so gay in all the best ways. Our heroine is a buff lesbian who fights for money until she is unwillingly turned into a vampire. After stumbling a bit she finds her family in a group of supernaturals that’s mainly lesbians. They’re all just all so cute and just found family is the best.
The kidness Ryann shows to everyone even when things are dark is just wonderful. She’s also a badass, she knows how to fight and how much she can push her body. It’s very believable that she can take on so many tough opponents, she trains and spars regularly
It’s hard to pick a favorite side character, so they’re all my favorite. Kay is the mom friend but she also has a big sword and 2 girlfriends. Meg is so prickly but has a good heart. Carver is so sad but kind. I just love everyone of the main gang and all the tangential people.
This book is something you should save when you need a massive read, this book is huge. It could be three books or bare minimum 2. I enjoyed it all the time but I kept taking breaks because I was just reading so much and I wanted to read other books.
Now I’m off to read the first book of the world
Read Moonlight Love and Witchcraft first. I understood what was happening but there were clearly references to the other story.
This book is so gay in all the best ways. Our heroine is a buff lesbian who fights for money until she is unwillingly turned into a vampire. After stumbling a bit she finds her family in a group of supernaturals that’s mainly lesbians. They’re all just all so cute and just found family is the best.
The kidness Ryann shows to everyone even when things are dark is just wonderful. She’s also a badass, she knows how to fight and how much she can push her body. It’s very believable that she can take on so many tough opponents, she trains and spars regularly
It’s hard to pick a favorite side character, so they’re all my favorite. Kay is the mom friend but she also has a big sword and 2 girlfriends. Meg is so prickly but has a good heart. Carver is so sad but kind. I just love everyone of the main gang and all the tangential people.
This book is something you should save when you need a massive read, this book is huge. It could be three books or bare minimum 2. I enjoyed it all the time but I kept taking breaks because I was just reading so much and I wanted to read other books.
Now I’m off to read the first book of the world
August 6, 2022
Excellent book in all the ways!
I loved that this wasn't a quick read, I got to be immersed in this world for much longer than usual. The representation was great, really, but what made this book stand out was the character development.
Don't get me wrong, the plot was fantastic, I loved how it read like binging a season of a streaming series, but what makes this novel special, and into one I'd like in paper on my shelf one day, is the characters. It wasn't just the main character that was fully developed, or just the main character and their love interest. In fact, the love interest was cool and sweet and all, but the story would have been nearly as engaging without that plotline. The friends and found family get more development and it was never boring. I'm hooked!
I loved that this wasn't a quick read, I got to be immersed in this world for much longer than usual. The representation was great, really, but what made this book stand out was the character development.
Don't get me wrong, the plot was fantastic, I loved how it read like binging a season of a streaming series, but what makes this novel special, and into one I'd like in paper on my shelf one day, is the characters. It wasn't just the main character that was fully developed, or just the main character and their love interest. In fact, the love interest was cool and sweet and all, but the story would have been nearly as engaging without that plotline. The friends and found family get more development and it was never boring. I'm hooked!
October 10, 2025
2.5 stars, dnf at around 35%
Everyone else seemed to love this one, so I don't know if I'm missing something or they are.
It's very slow. This isn't something I'm averse to, and at the start I was quite hyped that the authors were letting the story breathe and characters develop slowly. It's certainly an underappreciated talent in modern writing generally.
But there's a point where slow building becomes meandering. The same basic issues come up again and again in the first few hundred pages, it becomes monotonous.
The biggest issue I have is with the characters however: almost everyone is fast-talking and quippy to the point where quippiness gets very old, and, most importantly, characters that are supposed to be over a century old are indistinguishable in disposition from the characters in their early twenties.
Also it feels like the authors were desperate to represent every possible sexuality and gender combination in a relatively small group of people. It feels more like they went "oh what if this character were asexual?", going through a list to check them off, than building characters qua characters.
The result is that all the characters feel quite same-y: this one is the asexual lesbian werewolf, she's cool and buff! This is lesbian vampire #1, she's cool and buff! This is enby lesbian vampire, they're cool and fast! This is enby vampire covern leader, they're cool and powerful and no-nonsense!
Several of them form a polycule! They all support each other perfectly! They have money so the MC with trauma from being homeless just magically gets a home and money!
Even the century plus old werewolf bears none of the advancements of age: he's a 22 year old who knows more and is a little bit reserved, but that's it.
It's all too easy, it's all utterly artificial. Even with vampires, Toronto is fucking boring.
Everyone else seemed to love this one, so I don't know if I'm missing something or they are.
It's very slow. This isn't something I'm averse to, and at the start I was quite hyped that the authors were letting the story breathe and characters develop slowly. It's certainly an underappreciated talent in modern writing generally.
But there's a point where slow building becomes meandering. The same basic issues come up again and again in the first few hundred pages, it becomes monotonous.
The biggest issue I have is with the characters however: almost everyone is fast-talking and quippy to the point where quippiness gets very old, and, most importantly, characters that are supposed to be over a century old are indistinguishable in disposition from the characters in their early twenties.
Also it feels like the authors were desperate to represent every possible sexuality and gender combination in a relatively small group of people. It feels more like they went "oh what if this character were asexual?", going through a list to check them off, than building characters qua characters.
The result is that all the characters feel quite same-y: this one is the asexual lesbian werewolf, she's cool and buff! This is lesbian vampire #1, she's cool and buff! This is enby lesbian vampire, they're cool and fast! This is enby vampire covern leader, they're cool and powerful and no-nonsense!
Several of them form a polycule! They all support each other perfectly! They have money so the MC with trauma from being homeless just magically gets a home and money!
Even the century plus old werewolf bears none of the advancements of age: he's a 22 year old who knows more and is a little bit reserved, but that's it.
It's all too easy, it's all utterly artificial. Even with vampires, Toronto is fucking boring.
September 18, 2022
This was great fun to read and i'm very invested in several of the characters who I'm hoping will get their own happy romantic bits.
Hint for the Authors: i'd really like to see a short story or more featuring Meg. This is only a suggestion, only if you were maybe thinking of doing something anyway.
Hint for the Authors: i'd really like to see a short story or more featuring Meg. This is only a suggestion, only if you were maybe thinking of doing something anyway.
October 18, 2022
Awesome!!
Great twist on vampires. Different factions and families all jockeying for their place. With some actually good, some borderline, and some downright evil! Oh, and don't forget the werewolves. I'll definitely get the next one!
Great twist on vampires. Different factions and families all jockeying for their place. With some actually good, some borderline, and some downright evil! Oh, and don't forget the werewolves. I'll definitely get the next one!
June 19, 2025
I don't know if I have a rating for this yet. I spent a lot of time re-reading passages in the beginning as I progressed through the book. I know that this was originally a lot longer, so maybe the edit made things less clear/cohesive in this edition. There were a number of things that I really liked about this book and it's creativity. And there were a lot of things I didn't like, including pacing, narrative elements and tone.
6/18/2025 Update:
The Blood Gift takes place in an alternative reality similar to our own except monsters and creatures exist in the world and people are aware of most of them. One night, Ryann, a professional kickboxer, is forcibly turned against her will into a vampire, orchestrated by an unknown entity who's been lurking in the shadows her entire life.
Strong willed and determined, Ryann uses her new power and strength to hunt down those involved with her turning, but without guidance or friends, controlling the hunger she feels is nearly impossible.
As news of Ryann's actions spreads across the paranormal communities, a larger target is placed on her back. With a powerful and skilled assassin tracking her down, more and more trouble finds its way to her.
Overall, The Blood Gift gives YA to New Adult vibes. I found a lot of the internal dialogues and banter cute and funny. Immediately, I was for Ryann and Meg had an instant connection and the most chemistry. They're a lot alike and have so much pain and sadness that they carry. I never really saw Rachel as more than a friend that Ryann had a crush on because she reminded her of someone from her past. And just happened to be into reading up on and watching unique creatures at night.
The found family and friends readers see Ryann gain in this book were one of my favorite parts. Not to mention the way Ryann was unaffected by Meg's natural intimidation and antisocial tactics. The pair really were a natural, shippable couple.
Readers will appreciate the gender fluidity, open minded partnerships and LGBTQIA inclusivity The Blood Gift has to offer. My only quip on this was that I wished the Character Reference notes were put at the beginning of the book rather than the back.
Completing this book took me longer than I was anticipating and longer than it usually takes me to finish a book this long. I want to say first that I enjoyed this book and I would read more from this author duo. The Gift of Blood is creative, unique, imaginative, unpredictable and fun.
Looking back on my notes as I was reading this book I mentioned over and over again how it was a challenge to read this book because I kept getting confused. There was so much information and details in the story that it became hard to keep track of everything.
As strong and consistent the action and narrative was from the first line, I was re-reading previous passages as I progressed in the book. I know that this was a condensed version of the original release that was 1,000 pages I believe.
I went into the book knowing this, so it wasn't too surprising that there were areas that felt watered down or breezed over compared to other parts that felt clearer. This is an important thing for potential readers to keep in mind because up until the 30ish percent point in The Blood Gift, I was still trying to get clues as to where the plot was taking us.
And things semantics when it comes to definitions of the blood gifts; like how many can a person have? Is there a limit? Can anyone have them? And the confusion over when a star wasn't a star when referenced in the book. It's a small detail, but like were they likening stars to hearts? A metaphorical light within a person? Real stars? What?
The ending kinda left me thinking that there may be another installment after this but I'm not sure. However, if this book is continued as a series, I would be interested in reading what happens next.
6/18/2025 Update:
The Blood Gift takes place in an alternative reality similar to our own except monsters and creatures exist in the world and people are aware of most of them. One night, Ryann, a professional kickboxer, is forcibly turned against her will into a vampire, orchestrated by an unknown entity who's been lurking in the shadows her entire life.
Strong willed and determined, Ryann uses her new power and strength to hunt down those involved with her turning, but without guidance or friends, controlling the hunger she feels is nearly impossible.
As news of Ryann's actions spreads across the paranormal communities, a larger target is placed on her back. With a powerful and skilled assassin tracking her down, more and more trouble finds its way to her.
Overall, The Blood Gift gives YA to New Adult vibes. I found a lot of the internal dialogues and banter cute and funny. Immediately, I was for Ryann and Meg had an instant connection and the most chemistry. They're a lot alike and have so much pain and sadness that they carry. I never really saw Rachel as more than a friend that Ryann had a crush on because she reminded her of someone from her past. And just happened to be into reading up on and watching unique creatures at night.
The found family and friends readers see Ryann gain in this book were one of my favorite parts. Not to mention the way Ryann was unaffected by Meg's natural intimidation and antisocial tactics. The pair really were a natural, shippable couple.
Readers will appreciate the gender fluidity, open minded partnerships and LGBTQIA inclusivity The Blood Gift has to offer. My only quip on this was that I wished the Character Reference notes were put at the beginning of the book rather than the back.
Completing this book took me longer than I was anticipating and longer than it usually takes me to finish a book this long. I want to say first that I enjoyed this book and I would read more from this author duo. The Gift of Blood is creative, unique, imaginative, unpredictable and fun.
Looking back on my notes as I was reading this book I mentioned over and over again how it was a challenge to read this book because I kept getting confused. There was so much information and details in the story that it became hard to keep track of everything.
As strong and consistent the action and narrative was from the first line, I was re-reading previous passages as I progressed in the book. I know that this was a condensed version of the original release that was 1,000 pages I believe.
I went into the book knowing this, so it wasn't too surprising that there were areas that felt watered down or breezed over compared to other parts that felt clearer. This is an important thing for potential readers to keep in mind because up until the 30ish percent point in The Blood Gift, I was still trying to get clues as to where the plot was taking us.
And things semantics when it comes to definitions of the blood gifts; like how many can a person have? Is there a limit? Can anyone have them? And the confusion over when a star wasn't a star when referenced in the book. It's a small detail, but like were they likening stars to hearts? A metaphorical light within a person? Real stars? What?
The ending kinda left me thinking that there may be another installment after this but I'm not sure. However, if this book is continued as a series, I would be interested in reading what happens next.
June 2, 2024
It's too damn long. And too mushy
September 2, 2025
the book suffers a bit from its serialization format by the 60% mark but definitely not enough to take me away from the deliciously compelling writing, fantastic characters and their thorny relationships. The worldbuilding is also fun the way Blood is used as food and it burns through when power and energy is used by the vampiric characters is simple and genius. Love feral lesbian vampires with complicated thorny walls between themselves and the people they love especially who also do so much bloodletting and murder times it's so good embrace the vampirism and lesbianism y'all.
August 15, 2023
This was absolutely worth the read. The start took me a moment to sink into the story, but by the second chapter I loved Ryann and each additional character just made me fall even more in love with this story. It was absolutely beautiful how each event made it more and more obvious just how much Ryann was "adopted" into this found family, and her growth was just amazing.
I definitely recommend this book.
I definitely recommend this book.
Read
August 16, 2024dnf at 400 pages.
I'm going to start of by saying as a lesbian I really appreciated the queer rep. And the queer found famliy. But the characters just didn't feel real they just didn't really feel like actual characters often the same statements were said over and over again about each of the characters or said by them not changing much. There were some good internal dialogue from the main character Ryan when she was alone sometimes but that seemed to stop later in the book. It just felt I was reading the same dialogue between characters in different situations. The romance didn't work for me and to be honest. I felt Ryan was a bit condescending to Rachel .
Way, way to much tell not show to the point where it felt like this wasn't a book.
I'm going to start of by saying as a lesbian I really appreciated the queer rep. And the queer found famliy. But the characters just didn't feel real they just didn't really feel like actual characters often the same statements were said over and over again about each of the characters or said by them not changing much. There were some good internal dialogue from the main character Ryan when she was alone sometimes but that seemed to stop later in the book. It just felt I was reading the same dialogue between characters in different situations. The romance didn't work for me and to be honest. I felt Ryan was a bit condescending to Rachel .
Way, way to much tell not show to the point where it felt like this wasn't a book.
February 1, 2024
// a note from the author //
Series Description
Meme about Ryann and Vi from Arcane
Series Description
Meme about Ryann and Vi from Arcane
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