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The Dust of the Earth #2
Blood of the Cradle
Blood doesn’t define her. Power does.
Gwen has always been an outsider, the unwanted witch in a pure-blooded vampire family. But when her flock is slaughtered, Xander vanishes, and Nikki’s telepathic cry shatters her mind, Gwen is pulled into a world far darker than she ever imagined.
As Lilith returns and war brews, Gwen joins a fragile alliance of humans and vampires. On the quest to find the long-forgotten magic that may be their only hope of survival, the lines between enemies and allies blurs. Meanwhile, deep within the Tree of Life, Nikki’s blood feeds ancient roots, her only anchor the memory of the boy she loves.
Together, they must face what prowls the earth… or lose everything to the dark.
In a world ruled by blood, even love comes at a cost.
Gwen has always been an outsider, the unwanted witch in a pure-blooded vampire family. But when her flock is slaughtered, Xander vanishes, and Nikki’s telepathic cry shatters her mind, Gwen is pulled into a world far darker than she ever imagined.
As Lilith returns and war brews, Gwen joins a fragile alliance of humans and vampires. On the quest to find the long-forgotten magic that may be their only hope of survival, the lines between enemies and allies blurs. Meanwhile, deep within the Tree of Life, Nikki’s blood feeds ancient roots, her only anchor the memory of the boy she loves.
Together, they must face what prowls the earth… or lose everything to the dark.
In a world ruled by blood, even love comes at a cost.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2025
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 4, 2025
Blood of the Cradle (book 2 in The Dust of the Earth series) did not disappoint! Fun Easter eggs to our favorite stories (like Lord of the Rings!) included!!
***Spoilers***
After Nikki is out of commission at the end of Dust of the Earth, her BFF Gwen has to take the reigns on fighting evil. With Nikki helping as best as she can, Gwen and a bunch of other awesome characters go kick some serious ass!... And may also get their asses kicked once or twice.
Either way, this book has TONS of character development. Even Tree Nikki grows and learns so much! I especially appreciated the lack of "it's okay! let's bang!" Like... No. it's a dumpster fire, and they need sleep. Gwen, of course, being the exception to that. The action was actioning, the serious was seriousing, and the Lord of the Ring references were *chef kiss*.
After Xander is rescued, he has some serious internal conflict, as well as being super pissed off at Nikki- which is fair. He has a lot to work through by the end, and I'm excited to see him continue to find his feet after so much has rocked his world.
With Nikki escaping her tree prison, she was a literal forest and is now having some serious life crisis. To be fair, she went from being a vampire to being in a tree/being a forest to being a vampire again. It's confusing, okay.
By the end of the book, Lilith is pissed off, looking for vengeance. She took that last hit personally (you'll have to read the book to find out!). And the good guys are in ROUGH shape after their rescue mission to Tree Nikki.
Can't wait for book 3 and to find out how it all ends!
And with all my heart and being. F*** you, Hormin!!!!
***Spoilers***
After Nikki is out of commission at the end of Dust of the Earth, her BFF Gwen has to take the reigns on fighting evil. With Nikki helping as best as she can, Gwen and a bunch of other awesome characters go kick some serious ass!... And may also get their asses kicked once or twice.
Either way, this book has TONS of character development. Even Tree Nikki grows and learns so much! I especially appreciated the lack of "it's okay! let's bang!" Like... No. it's a dumpster fire, and they need sleep. Gwen, of course, being the exception to that. The action was actioning, the serious was seriousing, and the Lord of the Ring references were *chef kiss*.
After Xander is rescued, he has some serious internal conflict, as well as being super pissed off at Nikki- which is fair. He has a lot to work through by the end, and I'm excited to see him continue to find his feet after so much has rocked his world.
With Nikki escaping her tree prison, she was a literal forest and is now having some serious life crisis. To be fair, she went from being a vampire to being in a tree/being a forest to being a vampire again. It's confusing, okay.
By the end of the book, Lilith is pissed off, looking for vengeance. She took that last hit personally (you'll have to read the book to find out!). And the good guys are in ROUGH shape after their rescue mission to Tree Nikki.
Can't wait for book 3 and to find out how it all ends!
And with all my heart and being. F*** you, Hormin!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2025
Hello, people!
Continuing with the second book Blood of the Cradle, I can say that words come out with difficulty.
The story continues, as does the suspense. The author left us at a critical point and all of us who have read the second book in the series are anxiously looking for the third to see the conclusion of the characters and the plot.
I really liked the fact that it gives enough emotion. In essence, it is an explosion of emotions that anything I say pales in comparison.
Her magical pen made me enchanted on every page and with every development of the characters and the story.
Definitely read them!
Many thanks to the author and @lamiaslibrary for the eARC!
This is my honest review!
Continuing with the second book Blood of the Cradle, I can say that words come out with difficulty.
The story continues, as does the suspense. The author left us at a critical point and all of us who have read the second book in the series are anxiously looking for the third to see the conclusion of the characters and the plot.
I really liked the fact that it gives enough emotion. In essence, it is an explosion of emotions that anything I say pales in comparison.
Her magical pen made me enchanted on every page and with every development of the characters and the story.
Definitely read them!
Many thanks to the author and @lamiaslibrary for the eARC!
This is my honest review!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews