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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.
498 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 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.
May 23, 2026
I loved that BotC had dual POV. Gwen is my favorite character of the series and I really enjoyed getting her perspective, struggles, and snarky comments. I felt so connected with her as a character- especially in her relationships with the other characters.
The story picks up where book 1’s cliffhanger leaves off but the switch in character POV is a bit maddening, as a reader, but it helped build anticipation and relatability to Gwen and Theo as they figure out what to do. When we do get glimpses from Nikki’s POV, it is usually to reveal vital information. I enjoyed the way the dual POVs helped keep readers informed of what everyone was doing while also giving us context and history of the world Vayle has created.
The ending had my heart racing, it was one of the most stressful battles I’ve read but it was so well done and set readers up to anticipate an intense and heartbreaking final book.
Vayle has a unique ability to change the tone of each book to fit the character’s POV while also making it still feel like a cohesive world/story. I am so excited for the addition of Xander’s POV in Book 3.
The story picks up where book 1’s cliffhanger leaves off but the switch in character POV is a bit maddening, as a reader, but it helped build anticipation and relatability to Gwen and Theo as they figure out what to do. When we do get glimpses from Nikki’s POV, it is usually to reveal vital information. I enjoyed the way the dual POVs helped keep readers informed of what everyone was doing while also giving us context and history of the world Vayle has created.
The ending had my heart racing, it was one of the most stressful battles I’ve read but it was so well done and set readers up to anticipate an intense and heartbreaking final book.
Vayle has a unique ability to change the tone of each book to fit the character’s POV while also making it still feel like a cohesive world/story. I am so excited for the addition of Xander’s POV in Book 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2026
⭐ 5/5
🌶 2/5 - (Behind closed doors)
📖2/3 (trilogy)
I have no idea what hurt me more, book one or book two. I don't even know what to say because I'm still in shock at that ending. This book was fantastic! It kept me on the edge of my seat, I bit all my nails to the bone, I screamed, I cried, I considered messaging the author 239840239 times to make sure the characters would be okay. It was a very chill read.
I absolutely love/hate when an author has no qualms about putting her characters absolutely through the ringer and Morgan Vayle has no qualms about torturing both her characters and her readers.
I will say I was promised "SOME balm" for book 3 for everything we were put through with the first two books, so that's reassuring... or terrifying, depending on how you feel about her all caps "some"... I'm choosing the smart choice and being scared.
Speaking of people making choices, Gwen made several in this book that made me want to throttle her. But I also can't throttle her (not just because she's fictional) because I would 100% make every single choice she made in a heartbeat. You want me to listen to the wise old Made Vampire, who definitely knows what she's talking about, when she tells me to take it slow, when I, a mere mortal with ADHD, want to be the very best there ever was as quickly as possible to save the world? Nah. I'd 100% not listen and make my little tornadoes in my hands, and no one will ever stop me.
All jokes aside, I do think Gwen is one of the most relatable characters I have ever read. She's so grumbly and realistic. If my BFF got caught up in this whole mess, Gwen's attitude of "I hate everything that's happening, but I'm going to save her anyways because I love her" would 100% be what I felt. I really love how Morgan displays this friendship that is more like a family bond between Gwen and Niki, and shows how others don't really understand it, but that doesn't matter to them. It's so sweet and kind of sad how much they have had to rely on each other and everything they've been through. I'm really excited to see more in book three and am really rooting for everyone's happy ending!
(Do you hear that, Morgan? Happy ending. please... I'm begging you, let my girls rest lol)
🌶 2/5 - (Behind closed doors)
📖2/3 (trilogy)
I have no idea what hurt me more, book one or book two. I don't even know what to say because I'm still in shock at that ending. This book was fantastic! It kept me on the edge of my seat, I bit all my nails to the bone, I screamed, I cried, I considered messaging the author 239840239 times to make sure the characters would be okay. It was a very chill read.
I absolutely love/hate when an author has no qualms about putting her characters absolutely through the ringer and Morgan Vayle has no qualms about torturing both her characters and her readers.
I will say I was promised "SOME balm" for book 3 for everything we were put through with the first two books, so that's reassuring... or terrifying, depending on how you feel about her all caps "some"... I'm choosing the smart choice and being scared.
Speaking of people making choices, Gwen made several in this book that made me want to throttle her. But I also can't throttle her (not just because she's fictional) because I would 100% make every single choice she made in a heartbeat. You want me to listen to the wise old Made Vampire, who definitely knows what she's talking about, when she tells me to take it slow, when I, a mere mortal with ADHD, want to be the very best there ever was as quickly as possible to save the world? Nah. I'd 100% not listen and make my little tornadoes in my hands, and no one will ever stop me.
All jokes aside, I do think Gwen is one of the most relatable characters I have ever read. She's so grumbly and realistic. If my BFF got caught up in this whole mess, Gwen's attitude of "I hate everything that's happening, but I'm going to save her anyways because I love her" would 100% be what I felt. I really love how Morgan displays this friendship that is more like a family bond between Gwen and Niki, and shows how others don't really understand it, but that doesn't matter to them. It's so sweet and kind of sad how much they have had to rely on each other and everything they've been through. I'm really excited to see more in book three and am really rooting for everyone's happy ending!
(Do you hear that, Morgan? Happy ending. please... I'm begging you, let my girls rest lol)
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!
June 22, 2026
A great sequel to Dust of the earth. I loved the multi pov I think it kept the pace of the book really well. I loved seeing things from Gwen's pov and the Luis you have my heart. My favorite of the series so far. Morgan did a great job depicting the journey, Gwen and crew went on to find Lilith and trying to rescue Nikki and Xander. It felt realistic, like yes, we have to stop and eat or sleep, and we don't always get along or see eye to eye. The world building, lore and action scenes were easy to follow and understand without feeling lost or overwhelmed.
Thank you to the author for a gifted copy all opinions are my own.
Thank you to the author for a gifted copy all opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews