Blood Books

by Alicia Lloyd

One student. One librarian. A murder to solve.

When Mrs Landom is killed, librarian Miss Brenston and bookworm Myla are trapped in the school library with a body, a murder weapon, and a twisted murderer to unveil.

With the killer still inside the school, they must solve the case to survive. The question is… how will they get out alive? And most importantly…

Who killed Mrs Landom?

Genres: Mystery

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2025

About the author

Alicia Lloyd is a 18 year old author who has worked endlessly to achieve writing books. She has been writing books since 12 and published at 16 and has currently published seven books, soon to be eight. Alicia's aim is to give others the escapism she got from books and achieve her dream of having people read her book and enjoy it just as much as she did writing it.

Alicia Lloyd's work has been compared to the likes of Enid Blyton, Holly Jackson, Sarah Crossan and Sue Wallman.

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I'm not usually a goodreads user, I usually just read the book and move on, however, this author in exchange for an arc wanted reviews so I downloaded this to help!

I read this book over a week, I'm a slow reader, because this book is a short but jam-packed 140 something paged novella. Novella's tend to have a reputation for not being very good but this book was good and went over my expectations. The text messages and images were a nice though and added to the escapism. I loved the characters of Myla and Miss Brenston, the library setting is usually not seen and was a great choice.

Props! 5 Stars.

[idk ꨄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So…this book. I can’t really describe how excited I was when I discovered I’d be getting an ARC- yes I did indeed jump around with joy.
This was an incredible improvement from Murder Board, Alicia’s first novel. This book was easy to get through, and a nice read- got especially tense during the last 20%.
The writing style has really improved here from Alicia’s last book and I enjoyed this one so much more.
‘Blood Books’ follows Myla and her school librarian as they are trapped in a school, using their knowledge to narrow down suspects and find the killer before it’s too late.
Now, here are some things that I (personally) think could’ve improved on.
Firstly, I feel this book could’ve been pushed to be a longer novella or a novel. I have seen another review about this and I personally agree. The characters could’ve had a better mystery and a little more backstory so they didn’t feel one dimensional.
Here are some questions I had throughout the book and how I might’ve suggested they be solved
Q- Why were they investigating the murder? Couldn’t they have just taken the moment to try and escape?
A- this is where backstory could come in. Myla could be someone with a very hero driven character, and perhaps if a murder has happened previously she was solving she would feel driven to remain and solve it.
Q- Where was everyone else during the day?
A- Again, backstory and extra plot. If Myla had been dealing with bullies, they may have trapped her in a locker or cupboard on last day of the term. That way perhaps Miss Brenston could let her out and as they’re in the library the lights cut out.
As for character, I think having just Myla and Miss Brenston made the characters a little undeveloped. Perhaps if Myla had some friend/s we would get to see a little more character and worry as the friend would be closer to her. This could’ve been expanded to a novel for this too.
I also feel it suited very low YA to middle grade. Most YA have more than one plot line in there books- a subtle romance plot, a subtle prophecy plot or something. YA also has several plot twists consistently while this did not.
I honestly feel what this book possibly could’ve had was some close beta readers- people Lloyd knew the book would be safe with as they’re commented on it. That way it could be shaped better before arcs with more perspectives.
Overall, I do recommend this book. Alicia Lloyd has true passion and the last 20% really emphasised that she really does have incredibly potential.

[Alice magical library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was extremely fast-paced and it was very gripping.

Myla is the biggest bookworm, and her library is her safe sanctuary. Until it isn’t. She comes to school normally one day when she gets locked in the library with no food and water, and is stuck with the librarian and a dead body. Will she solve the case like all of those that she has read before it’s too late?

I really enjoyed this book! It was an amazing thriller, however I do feel like it was a bit too fast paced. Other than that, this book was absolutely brilliant! I really enjoyed Alicia’s writing, and I cannot wait to read more of her books. I definitely recommend this book, as although it is quite short, it is so gripping and horrifying!

[Kenzy M. Adel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was given to me in exchange for a review.
So, in the very first pages before all the murder happened, it felt relatable and kinda deep, but when the action kicked in, it was not it.
To be frank, the plot is great, could be a bestseller ,BUUT the writing style doesn't give the complexity the plot deserves. I felt nothing with the characters. no stress. no suspense. no nothing.
I was just an outsider to the events of the story.
So, there's that, and the fact that I feel like all the character reactions and overall responses and actions to murder and being chased by KILLERS is really out of place.
a minute they're scared and an hour they're nonchalant and acting as if this is all a game.
there is no real stress, uncertainty, and the kind of unexpected revelations being in those kinds of situations gives.
There's also the fact that this book wrapped up extremely quickly with only 82 pages. I didnt get to understand the character's on a deeper level, emphasize with them, or even get anything that differentiates them from a random girl and librarian.
Not to mention, the killers are pretty dense and random. there's no intrigue, cruelty (other than the literal murder they commited), or terror I feel from them. They are just there like randomly deciding to murder a math teacher.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of arc reading this book, I received it yesterday evening and finished this morning, other than to sleep I couldn’t put it down, whilst I loved murder board and it was a five star for me I did enjoy this one a little bit more! The plotting and style has definitely improved and the mixed media added such a nice element to the book! I loved the setting, the characters and the twists, definitely recommend!

[Ashley Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another awesome, quick thriller from a super talented author! The story is about a young bookworm who’s just enjoying her day at the library when she suddenly finds a body. Total chaos follows, and she teams up with the librarian to catch the killer. The plot is super fun, with a great build-up and an awesome ending. It’s a clean, easy-to-read mystery that’s perfect for anyone who loves a good whodunit. I totally recommend it to readers of all ages!

[Abigail Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Was such a good read. Make sure to keep up the good work Alicia

[R.J. Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun in-between book and I enjoyed trying to figure out the murders. I can see that the author has quite a lot of talent and I think as time goes on she will rise to be one of the greats.

[molly ⸆⸉ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

this wasn't really my cup of tea tbh
I did like the ending though
but I did feel like most of the plot was skipped and I'm really not sure why they didn't just call the police?!
also wouldn't the safe guarding issues be a major concern ?!! ik there literally against death but still

[Belinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

this author has potential, with some very good and creative metaphors and well thought out writing. however, it could have benefited from a lot of editing.

[Stxdyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable read! Again, notable mention of my new discovery that I actually enjoy YA. Now I found this book to be really toeing the line between three and four stars by the end for me and so I leave my final decision at 3.5 stars, though rounded up for easier review purposes. I found the characters enjoyable and the backstory both of the villains to be sufficient enough to be understandable and well fleshed out (despite my constant need for endless backstory and yearning for longer books when I read short books). While the main character Myla really stuck out to me as a strong character and I found her character arc to be enjoyable and admirable, I though Miss Brenston to be a slightly less developed and less enjoyable character due to her absence in times of need and her lack of insight that she provided in the overall plot. I liked how Myla could handle it though surely Miss Brenston should have contributed more/been less damsel in distress throughout as the adult in that situation. Moreover the plot was slightly hazy at times (or perhaps I’m too much of a realistic) though the uncertain passage of time and the logistics of how a school was just left to them did stay in my mind throughout plaguing a bit of the overall plot and resolution. Overall, however, this demonstrates SUCH an improvement in Alicia Llloyd’s writing style and her ability to creating a gripping plot cannot be ignored (and her ability to write character development with enough background provided for such a short book is insanely impressive!)

[J.M. Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Books was just as gripping and incredible written as Alicia’s other books that I’ve read. I enjoyed it from the very beginning, I loved Myla’s character (and also the name Myla but that’s not important). I enjoyed that Myla and Miss Brenston worked together and they both were scared but held it together for each other. It all seemed so realistic and gripping.

Blood Books is definitely worth a read, you won’t regret it :)

[Liv Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

For starters thank you to Alicia for choosing me as an ARC reader, I think this is my fav of Alicia's books so far, the way it was written was brill and I loved the concept, recommend definitely!

[Leslie Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. The story was thrilling and the text message bubbles and blood-splatteted notes were a great touch. I can't wait to read more from this talented young author.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book and have a physical copy on the way. Such a fun read.

[Chloe ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic!

Very fun, keeps you on your toes, and definitely has some interesting characters! I'm obsessed with Alicia's books, I'm such a fan now hehe

[Arianna Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I can’t believe this was written by a teenager! This was such a good thriller and it kept me hooked the whole time.

[Faith Fawcett · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ 3.75

This is definitely Alicia's strongest 'murder mystery'-esque novel and I enjoyed it for sure! It was such an engaging and refreshing premise, something I've never seen done before, and I loved how the two protagonists interacted with one another. Seeing Myla and Miss Brenston go through such an ordeal but stick by each other was honestly so beautiful, especially when you compare how much Myla was struggling at the beginning.

While I do think that Alicia is strongest with her verse fiction and children's stories, I have seen improvements here from her last one in this genre. It's clear how passionate she is as a writer and I know that her books will just keep improving as she gets older. She will always be a 'must read' author for me!

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is certainly one of Alicia's strongest books! this was such an easy and much loved read. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and was hooked with the storyline. I think Alicia could do with a little more detail to describing her characters as I felt I couldn't really picture how the characters looked in my head but never the less it was a book i really enjoyed and would really reccomend.