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The Blood Between Us
Family secrets turn deadly in this edgy page-turner about the insidious limits of labels and the ties that bind just a little too tightly, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.
Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn’t easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn’t want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together.
Now, after years apart, Adrien and Grace are forced to reunite at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers. Being back around everyone he used to know makes Adrien question the person he’s become, while being back around Grace makes him feel like someone he doesn’t want to be.
For as much as Adrien wants to move on, someone seems determined to reopen old wounds. And when Adrien starts to suspect that Grace knows more about their parents’ deaths than she let on, he realizes there are some wounds no amount of time can heal. If Adrien isn’t careful, they may even kill him.
Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn’t easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn’t want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together.
Now, after years apart, Adrien and Grace are forced to reunite at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers. Being back around everyone he used to know makes Adrien question the person he’s become, while being back around Grace makes him feel like someone he doesn’t want to be.
For as much as Adrien wants to move on, someone seems determined to reopen old wounds. And when Adrien starts to suspect that Grace knows more about their parents’ deaths than she let on, he realizes there are some wounds no amount of time can heal. If Adrien isn’t careful, they may even kill him.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2016
23 people are currently reading
2708 people want to read
About the author
Z Brewer
21 books303 followersZ Brewer is the NYT bestselling author of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, as well as The Slayer Chronicles series, Soulbound, The Cemetery Boys, The Blood Between Us, Madness, and more short stories than they can recall. Their pronouns are they/them. When not making readers cry because they killed off a character they loved, Z is an anti-bullying and mental health advocate. Plus, they have awesome hair.
Z lives in Southern Illinois with a husband person, one child person, and three furry overlords that some people refer to as “cats”.
Z is represented by Michael Bourret of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Management.
Z lives in Southern Illinois with a husband person, one child person, and three furry overlords that some people refer to as “cats”.
Z is represented by Michael Bourret of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary Management.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
May 27, 2016
"How do you think I should have been treated? Like some kind of long-term houseguest?"
"Like their adopted son." She picked up her napkin and held it to the corner of her eye. It was a ploy for sympathy that she had used in the past, but there were no tears there. Not even the threat of tears. "Not like their actual son."
Adrien is the adopted son of the Dane family; although his parents and everyone else have always treated him like he was actually related to them by blood, his sister Grace has never truly accepted him into the family and it's her life-long mission to make his life as miserable as possible. Their parents die at an unfortunate lab accident when they're fourteen, and Adrien uses this as his way to escape his sister, transferring to a boarding school in California and rebuilding his life. During his senior year, his godfather pleads with him to return to the Wills Institute and finish high school closer to what was left of his family — but it's a series of anonymous text messages that suggest that his sister might've had something to do with the explosion that killed their parents that really makes Adrien change his mind and move back to the East Coast to settle the mystery that's been plaguing his mind for the past four years, once and for all.
I think this might be a case of "it's not you, it's me."
The synopsis had me instantly drawn to this. I'm a sucker for family dramas, especially those involving siblings, and I came into this expecting a mystery that took my breath away. Unfortunately, from the very beggining I thought there was something a little off about the story.
First, there was the writing, which wasn't bad, it just didn't impress me. This book is written very matter-of-factly, and there's nothing particularly wrong with that, I'm just not into it. I like my prose to be a little more poetical. The author also does something that is one of my biggest turn-offs when reading: he tells us something that happened, rather than showing. In this case, at one point of the story Adrien states the following:
Once, I'd even seen [Grace] do so when I'd been visiting Josh myself, so there was no way she'd been in the radio station.
Except he's only visited Josh at the radio station once before, maybe twice, and in none of those times he's seen Grace anywhere near it. Why couldn't the author have included her in one of the scenes, in order to make a reference to it later, instead of just making up visits we've never seen happening to make all of pieces ~fit perfectly~ into the story? I like to watch a plot unfold, not to have it laid out in front me all ready and done.
Second, the characters. This was what completely destroyed the book for me: I hated everyone. Alright, not everyone — Viktor, who was Adrien and Grace's godfather, and his husband Julian were okay, but they were in the book to act as the patronizing father figures rather than to be well-developed, tridimensional characters, so I don't care about them. Grace was such a huge bitch, it was almost comical at times. Her attempts at comebacks when interacting with Adrien were just pathetic, sorry. The author tried to make her into this sassy/witty mega-bitch, but honestly, it a fail.
Then we have Adrien, the narrator of the book. I absolutely loathed him. I think the book was written in a way that would make us feel sympathetic towards him, being a orphan (twice) and having a bitchy sister, but he just annoyed me. For starters, he had no discerning personality whatsoever. He was just so bland and erratic; in one chapter he was sarcastic, in the other he was serious and didn't have time for your shit. Also, he was incredibly condecesding and had this mighty air of I'm-so-much-smarter-than-you whenever he interacted with someone else, it was no wonder to me that Grace hated his guts. I myself felt like punching him a couple of times. There was a particular instance where a girl wanted to make out with him, but he turned her down, and because she was upset he instantly assumed she was a slut because of daddy issues.
The sight of her grappling with rejection made me feel sorry for her. She was pretty, and probably a very bright person to be at Wills in the first place, but all her worth seemed tangled up in the physical affection she could offer. It made me wonder what her relationship with the men in her life were like.
I won't go into detail over how misogynistic that was, because if I do I'll never shut up. Also, it's ironic because, earlier in the book, there's this:
"Don't tell me—you took a psych class last semester, didn't you?" I rolled my eyes. "You're not going to start analyzing me now, are you?"
Grace can't analyze him after taking a psych class but he feels fully comfortable doing that to people he's met for a grand total of ten minutes? Okay. Add "hypocrite" to the list of things that annoyed me about him.
(Also, this is more of a personal pet peeve, but it angered me nevertheless: newsflash, taking a psych class doesn't automatically make you a psychiatrist or a psychologist! I'm a psych major and whenever someone says something like this, it pisses me off endlessly. ALSO, there was this:
I snorted. "Sounds more like social psychology than communication."
Julian locked eyes with me. "You don't consider the two linked, Mr. Dane?"
"I don't consider them at all, actually. As I'm sure you know, I prefer the actual sciences."
So because he's not a fan of psychology or communication, he feels the need to go around diminishing both areas? GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, ADRIEN. THIS IS WHY NO ONE LIKES YOU!!!!)
Ahem. Anyway. And to top it all off, the mystery was so boring. I didn't care about Grace's mysterious walks at night because, most of the time, Adrien was too busy feeling sorry for himself for having no friends (he does have them, he just treats them like shit)/no family (again, same thing, his godfather is amazing but he's a little shit towards him) and doesn't go investigating enough. And the way it was all tied off... it was SO unrealistic.
So, in the end, there's nothing that was the least enjoyable for me during The Blood Between Us. I'm not someone who gives out a lot of 1 star ratings but, try as I might, I couldn't find something to like in this one.
January 11, 2018
I really, really did not enjoy The Blood Between Us as it was quite literally all over the place. All throughout the novel I kept feeling like Zac Brewer had either too many or too few ideas about what he wanted this story to be. Is it a murder mystery? Sometimes. A tragedy? Sort of. A family drama? I guess. A coming of age story? Kinda. A romance novel? Maybe.
Angles enough and yet none of them managed to hold my attention. I suppose this is because even though so much happens throughout this book, Brewer never really takes the time to really go into depth about all the different situations the narrator finds himself in. Adrien is adopted and yet we are never told what it is like to be given up for adoption by your parents and growing up in a family that you are not related to by blood. His adoptive parents die in a fire when he is only twelve and yet we never learn more about how he tries to deal with this, how this effects his friendships, his love life, his education, or how, and if, he mourns them. Adrien has a bad relationship with his sister but apart from one example from years and years ago we never see what exactly it is about these two that makes them hate each other so much. He gets a lot of weird and scary text messages from an unknown number and yet he never gets frightened, or annoyed and never really tries to find out who is sending them. He kisses his male best friend but then the reader never gets any type of insight into how this makes Adrien feel, if he had any experience kissing boys before that, if he ever had or has any doubts about his sexuality.
It was too much and not nearly enough. Instead of taking the time to allow Adrien to work through these really promising and interesting aspects of the story, Brewer spends most of the pages of the book on describing Adrien's half-hearted friendship with a girl called Caroline, whom we never learn anything about except that she knows something about a Greek myth, and describing how to blow up a bathtub. This makes him a very passive narrator and really kept me from feeling close and connected to him.
On top of all of that, the ending is a terrible disappointment. Much like the rest of the book, it came from nowhere and went pretty much nowhere. No foreshadowing, no hidden hints that make you go, 'wait a minute...', no reading back and thinking that you could have known if you'd read this or that part just a little bit better. If you blink, you will literally miss this ending. Such a shame because I was really looking forward to this, the cover is gorgeous and I had high hopes for The Blood Between Us but I will not be recommending this.
Angles enough and yet none of them managed to hold my attention. I suppose this is because even though so much happens throughout this book, Brewer never really takes the time to really go into depth about all the different situations the narrator finds himself in. Adrien is adopted and yet we are never told what it is like to be given up for adoption by your parents and growing up in a family that you are not related to by blood. His adoptive parents die in a fire when he is only twelve and yet we never learn more about how he tries to deal with this, how this effects his friendships, his love life, his education, or how, and if, he mourns them. Adrien has a bad relationship with his sister but apart from one example from years and years ago we never see what exactly it is about these two that makes them hate each other so much. He gets a lot of weird and scary text messages from an unknown number and yet he never gets frightened, or annoyed and never really tries to find out who is sending them. He kisses his male best friend but then the reader never gets any type of insight into how this makes Adrien feel, if he had any experience kissing boys before that, if he ever had or has any doubts about his sexuality.
It was too much and not nearly enough. Instead of taking the time to allow Adrien to work through these really promising and interesting aspects of the story, Brewer spends most of the pages of the book on describing Adrien's half-hearted friendship with a girl called Caroline, whom we never learn anything about except that she knows something about a Greek myth, and describing how to blow up a bathtub. This makes him a very passive narrator and really kept me from feeling close and connected to him.
On top of all of that, the ending is a terrible disappointment. Much like the rest of the book, it came from nowhere and went pretty much nowhere. No foreshadowing, no hidden hints that make you go, 'wait a minute...', no reading back and thinking that you could have known if you'd read this or that part just a little bit better. If you blink, you will literally miss this ending. Such a shame because I was really looking forward to this, the cover is gorgeous and I had high hopes for The Blood Between Us but I will not be recommending this.
August 15, 2020
"Like a minivan? Like a mom-mobile?
It was all he could do not to spit soda out of his nose. Hell no! Like one of those giant monstrosities from the seventies with the ridiculously huge murals painted on the side. Like Zeus throwing lightning at a village of psychedelic angels or Satan having barbecue with a group of pigs. You know. Something messed up like that."
This was a really enjoyable read. It was all over the place but for some reason it worked. The Boarding School drama was at its peak, the mystery was bizarre, and the sibling rivalry was hilarious but shocking at times. It had a lot of funny moments all while keeping you guessing. I was surprised a few times but in a good way.
An ending can make or break a book but this one didn’t bother me like other books have done. The ending came in like freight train and ended very quickly. It was wrapped up in a neat little package within a couple of pages. I wish the ending wasn’t rushed and it did hold me back a bit. But overall, this was really amazing.
The Blood Between Us was the novel drama that I needed in my life right now. This quick read will keep you glued to its pages and interested to finish it all in one sitting. The author knows how to capture an audience and now I can’t wait to read more by them.
It was all he could do not to spit soda out of his nose. Hell no! Like one of those giant monstrosities from the seventies with the ridiculously huge murals painted on the side. Like Zeus throwing lightning at a village of psychedelic angels or Satan having barbecue with a group of pigs. You know. Something messed up like that."
This was a really enjoyable read. It was all over the place but for some reason it worked. The Boarding School drama was at its peak, the mystery was bizarre, and the sibling rivalry was hilarious but shocking at times. It had a lot of funny moments all while keeping you guessing. I was surprised a few times but in a good way.
An ending can make or break a book but this one didn’t bother me like other books have done. The ending came in like freight train and ended very quickly. It was wrapped up in a neat little package within a couple of pages. I wish the ending wasn’t rushed and it did hold me back a bit. But overall, this was really amazing.
The Blood Between Us was the novel drama that I needed in my life right now. This quick read will keep you glued to its pages and interested to finish it all in one sitting. The author knows how to capture an audience and now I can’t wait to read more by them.
August 13, 2018
I received a free copy of this book from Harper Teen in exchange for an honest review on my YouTube channel. All opinions are my own.
March 27, 2016
The Blood Between Us by Zac Brewer *3 Stars*
My Review:
The Blood Between Us is told from the point of view of 18-year-old Adrien, who is the adopted son of a respectful chemist. Adrian’s sister, Grace, is the queen B of Wills Institute, and she enjoys telling Adrian that they are not blood related. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, Adrien moves to a boarding school in California, far away from Grace and the Wills Institute.
But 4 years later, when another tragedy hits home, Adrien is forced to move back East, face Grace, and an anonymous texter, who implies that Grace was responsible for the explosion that kill their parents.
As the story progresses and Adrien moves back to Wills Institute, he is roomed with a new student, Quinn, who besides old-timer best friend, Josh, is the only friend Adrien has. The rest of the school despises him for fleeing to Cali, and leaving Grace to grieve alone.
At Wills, Adrien spends his time trying to uncover the truth behind his parent’s death, at the same time he is also trying to understand his more than friendly feelings toward Josh, and an undeniable attraction toward his chemistry partner, Caroline.
When I read the first couple chapters of this novel I was hooked. The voice stood out to me as strong and intelligent, plus I liked the initial tension that the anonymous texter created. However, the rest of the story failed to live up to those first three chapters. The tension subsided for most of the story only present toward the end and resolved too quickly.
I found Adrian unique, from his robust vocabulary to his actions. Some readers might say that he didn’t sound his age, but seeing that he’s an Ivy League prep-school student, I expected him to have a rich vocabulary and a more serious tone to his personality—That being said, there were several scenes in which I could hear the author’s voice trying to educate teenagers about alcohol drinking and sexual behavior, and it seemed forced. I also had problems with dialogues, they sounded unnatural and awkward at times. Adrien’s actions make him seem very arrogant and kind of a jerk, but his thoughts show a confused and broken boy. Grace, as all of the other secondary characters, was flat and 2 dimensional. I didn’t care of any of them, and honestly, they all sounded the same.
After reading the synopsis, I had high expectations for this novel and it failed me. It was just an OK read. 3/5 Stars.
I received this ARC from HarperTeen in echange of an honest review and this does not affect my opinion on this review.
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My Review:
The Blood Between Us is told from the point of view of 18-year-old Adrien, who is the adopted son of a respectful chemist. Adrian’s sister, Grace, is the queen B of Wills Institute, and she enjoys telling Adrian that they are not blood related. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, Adrien moves to a boarding school in California, far away from Grace and the Wills Institute.
But 4 years later, when another tragedy hits home, Adrien is forced to move back East, face Grace, and an anonymous texter, who implies that Grace was responsible for the explosion that kill their parents.
As the story progresses and Adrien moves back to Wills Institute, he is roomed with a new student, Quinn, who besides old-timer best friend, Josh, is the only friend Adrien has. The rest of the school despises him for fleeing to Cali, and leaving Grace to grieve alone.
At Wills, Adrien spends his time trying to uncover the truth behind his parent’s death, at the same time he is also trying to understand his more than friendly feelings toward Josh, and an undeniable attraction toward his chemistry partner, Caroline.
When I read the first couple chapters of this novel I was hooked. The voice stood out to me as strong and intelligent, plus I liked the initial tension that the anonymous texter created. However, the rest of the story failed to live up to those first three chapters. The tension subsided for most of the story only present toward the end and resolved too quickly.
I found Adrian unique, from his robust vocabulary to his actions. Some readers might say that he didn’t sound his age, but seeing that he’s an Ivy League prep-school student, I expected him to have a rich vocabulary and a more serious tone to his personality—That being said, there were several scenes in which I could hear the author’s voice trying to educate teenagers about alcohol drinking and sexual behavior, and it seemed forced. I also had problems with dialogues, they sounded unnatural and awkward at times. Adrien’s actions make him seem very arrogant and kind of a jerk, but his thoughts show a confused and broken boy. Grace, as all of the other secondary characters, was flat and 2 dimensional. I didn’t care of any of them, and honestly, they all sounded the same.
After reading the synopsis, I had high expectations for this novel and it failed me. It was just an OK read. 3/5 Stars.
I received this ARC from HarperTeen in echange of an honest review and this does not affect my opinion on this review.
Website: www.alinemattosreview.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2...
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#alinemattosreview #alinemattosbooksreviews #yabooks#yabook#bibliophile
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April 7, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was an okay story, but it seemed to take a long while to get going.
Adrien was an okay character, and the way his sister Grace behaved towards him was pretty awful. Telling him that he shouldn’t have been treated as a proper son, he should have been treated differently because he was adopted was quite mean, and I could understand why he didn’t like her.
The storyline in this was about Adrien and Grace and the feud between them, and later in the story we did get a bit of mystery with regards to some anonymous text messages telling Adrien that Grace was doing something behind his back. This mystery element seemed to be introduced quite late in the story though, and the lack of it in the first half made it seem like nothing was really happening.
We did get a little bit of romance, and we did get a sort-of love triangle too. This wasn’t a big part of the storyline really though.
The ending to this was okay, and things seemed to come to a head quite suddenly, and really late in the book, and it wasn’t quite what I expected to happen.
6 out of 10
“How do you think I should have been treated? Like some kind of long-term houseguest?”
“Like their adopted son.” She picked up her napkin and held it to the corner of her eye. It was a ploy for sympathy that she had used in the past, but there were no tears there. Not even the threat of tears. “Not like their actual son.”
This was an okay story, but it seemed to take a long while to get going.
Adrien was an okay character, and the way his sister Grace behaved towards him was pretty awful. Telling him that he shouldn’t have been treated as a proper son, he should have been treated differently because he was adopted was quite mean, and I could understand why he didn’t like her.
The storyline in this was about Adrien and Grace and the feud between them, and later in the story we did get a bit of mystery with regards to some anonymous text messages telling Adrien that Grace was doing something behind his back. This mystery element seemed to be introduced quite late in the story though, and the lack of it in the first half made it seem like nothing was really happening.
We did get a little bit of romance, and we did get a sort-of love triangle too. This wasn’t a big part of the storyline really though.
The ending to this was okay, and things seemed to come to a head quite suddenly, and really late in the book, and it wasn’t quite what I expected to happen.
6 out of 10
December 17, 2016
I enjoyed my time reading this, but I did have some problems with this novel. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and I really think the mystery element to this story was unnecessary. I feel I would have enjoyed this story more if it had just been a contemporary novel about siblings coming to terms with the death of their parents and the terminal illness of their guardian, or if the mystery had been a bigger part to the plot. The writing was good, and most of the characters were not likable BUT that's not something that bothers me. If you're looking for a really quick read then definitely pick this one up.
July 15, 2016
I am going with a 3.5, the story was excellent except the ending was rushed and not filled out. Not very satisfying at all. Kudos for me having zero clue as to who the culprit was, but if felt like an afterthought and almost didn't seem to fit with the story as a whole.
November 16, 2018
The premise of this book is Lemony Snicket lite: siblings orphaned by a suspicious fire that kills their scientist parents. They’re taken in by guardians who seem decent but may not be, and shipped off to boarding schools where their parents’ murderers may be hiding in plain sight. The villain(s), if they exist, are after the orphans’ fortune, their parents’ work, and/or the siblings’ lives.
The characters, meanwhile, are more John Green. There’s the token John Green girl-who’s-not-like-other-girls, popular girls who are misguided bitches, jocks who are jerks, male friends who could be interchangeable except for their very specific interests, and the John Greeniest of John Green characters, the protagonist!
Adrien Dane is the adopted son of genius scientists. He’s super smart, but he slacks off at school. Girls think he’s “hot” and “arrogant,” even though he’s just a normal, relatable narrator guy! He rebels by wearing his tie unknotted and texting in class, but really he’s a good kid. He doesn’t drink. He adores his dad’s old car, Maggie (creepily personified as a girl who loves to have all kinds of wild fun). And of course, he’s way more articulate than the average teenage boy. When a model-esque rich girl is shocked that he rejected her, she accuses him of being gay or asexual. Without hesitation he responds, “My personal life, my orientation, the choices I make, and the genetics I’m predisposed to are none of your damn business, and I think this conversation has reached its conclusion.” Just what I would have said when I was 18!
John Green protagonists are essentially Mary Sues: well-intentioned, well-read, good-looking and yet still relatable teen boy geniuses whose obnoxious traits are packaged as endearing quirks. And like many John Green protagonists, Adrien thinks he’s a lot more enlightened than he really is. For instance, when that hot girl is offended by Adrien’s rejection, he assumes it’s because “all her worth seemed tangled up in the physical affection she could offer.” Adrien knows nothing about this girl, yet he’s ready to psychoanalyze her whole life. He says, “It made me wonder what the relationships with the men in her life were like. Did she have a bad relationship with her father, her uncles, her brothers? Were there no men in her life she could relate to? Was she seeking that connection by kissing strange guys in the dark?”
Adrien probably thinks he’s being compassionate and reflective by considering this girl’s motivation. But his conclusions are so judgemental (“she always pursues men!” when he’s known her ten minutes; he also seems to assume that a woman pursuing a man is bad; a woman pursuing multiple men is bad; a woman using her body for validation or personal pleasure is bad and broken) and sexist (it must be a lack of good men! it can’t be anything else!).
Something similar happens when Adrien interacts with the most multi-dimensional female character, a classmate who attracts his interest when she thinks of a chemistry solution before he does. “In hindsight, I should have thought of it first. It was so obvious! But I hadn't, and she had. It made me wonder what else was rattling around in that head of hers - a curiosity I hadn’t felt before about anyone else, whether male or female or whatever other gender someone identified as. She was unusual, and I liked unusual things. Not that she was a thing.” Adrien is going out of his way to sound politically correct, and that’s great, but it still feels like an afterthought, especially given his treatment of this classmate. He asks her out, and she says sorry, no, not interested. He asks why - why sorry, why not interested. “‘I’m sorry because it’s the polite thing to be when you turn someone down for a date. And I’m not interested in being an accessory to a great mind when I have one of my own.’” That’s a pretty cool line. What’s not so cool is Adrien’s emotional response: “I shook my head, confused and a little more than annoyed.” Confused is a weird enough reaction when this girl has been so straightforward, but annoyed? “A little more than annoyed”?
Adrien’s most contentious relationship is with his sister Grace. They’re the same age; Grace is the biological child of Adrien’s adoptive parents. They’ve always been competitive, but Adrien cites three specific incidents that brought them to the acrimonious tension they share as high school seniors. Most recently were their parents’ suspicious deaths, which Adrien secretly thinks Grace (although only thirteen at the time) may have deliberately caused. In third grade, there was the accidental death of their family dog, which Adrien inadvertently caused. And at age nine or ten, there was a debate over a flower that turned violent. Grace claimed the flower was one kind, while Adrien knew it to be something else. Grace “ignored” Adrien, who started to yell, causing Grace to hum a song she knew her brother hated. They were “just kids,” and the interaction sounds like typical sibling stuff. Until Adrien escalated things.
As a sibling, I understand the frustration and fury Adrien felt in that moment. I’ve let my temper get the best of me too, even when I was way older than nine or ten. But to pick someone up by their throat and scream into their face… That’s NOT standard kid stuff. That’s a serious anger issue. And it seems that, like the case with the classmate, it was brought on by an inability to control someone else - in both instances, a female he feels he has to compete with. All I wanted to do was shut her up and make her listen by whatever means I could.
Adrien admits, “I was wrong to do it. I had known it then; I still knew it now. I never touched her again, either, though there’d been plenty of times I felt the same urge to shut her up for a moment and make her listen.” And, again, I get that feeling. I get making a mistake. But that instinct - that “same urge to shut her up for a moment and make her listen,” plus always linking his opinion with “reason,” is a dangerous pattern that seems to follow Adrien around from one person to another, uninvestigated.
It’s that last part that really bothers me. There are so many interesting reasons why Adrien might have these issues. (Did he have a bad relationship with his father, his uncles, his brothers? Were there no men in his life he could relate to?!) My favorite parts of narration are those that investigate Adrien’s issues with identity. His ambiguous sexuality is a recurring subject, one that never gets “resolved” (which I like!) but could certainly exacerbate his feelings of isolation and need for control in other areas. There are some really interesting but brief remarks about his life pre-adoption, and the way that impacts him is not explicitly explored. It’s definitely a huge factor in his hostile relationship with Grace. Sibling rivalry and jealousy is maybe THE major theme of this book. Adrien mostly applies it to Grace, who refused to view him as a full member of the family, but it’s clear he’s also jealous of her biological status. He’s in class one day when he realizes just how much Grace has grown to resemble their mother.
Isolation is another recurring theme, and it’s unclear how much of it here is self-imposed. Adrien mistrusts Grace; Grace mistrusts Adrien. The Dane family was not at all fine before the fire, but when their parents were alive, it was easier for the siblings to feel like part of something. With just the two of them, cut off from each other, each sibling feels like the victim of the other, who inevitably got more of what they want.
Adrien inherited his father’s old car and Grace has his unfinished work. But as the book progresses, the role of their mother gets more attention. Grace has her mother’s eyes, and Adrien has his memory of her. Of who she was; of who he wanted her to be.
Incredibly, this is the mother Adrien inherits. At the end of the book, there are two lines that make me forget all the bland characters, the forced musical references, and the questionable tropes in this work, because it represents so much growth for both brother and sister, and it’s done in such an understated way:
At the end of the book, Adrien has become the mother he wants, and he’s become that for the sister he was convinced he didn’t need. These characters are far from fixed, and this book is far from perfect, but there's something really redeeming in a little moment like that.
The characters, meanwhile, are more John Green. There’s the token John Green girl-who’s-not-like-other-girls, popular girls who are misguided bitches, jocks who are jerks, male friends who could be interchangeable except for their very specific interests, and the John Greeniest of John Green characters, the protagonist!
Adrien Dane is the adopted son of genius scientists. He’s super smart, but he slacks off at school. Girls think he’s “hot” and “arrogant,” even though he’s just a normal, relatable narrator guy! He rebels by wearing his tie unknotted and texting in class, but really he’s a good kid. He doesn’t drink. He adores his dad’s old car, Maggie (creepily personified as a girl who loves to have all kinds of wild fun). And of course, he’s way more articulate than the average teenage boy. When a model-esque rich girl is shocked that he rejected her, she accuses him of being gay or asexual. Without hesitation he responds, “My personal life, my orientation, the choices I make, and the genetics I’m predisposed to are none of your damn business, and I think this conversation has reached its conclusion.” Just what I would have said when I was 18!
John Green protagonists are essentially Mary Sues: well-intentioned, well-read, good-looking and yet still relatable teen boy geniuses whose obnoxious traits are packaged as endearing quirks. And like many John Green protagonists, Adrien thinks he’s a lot more enlightened than he really is. For instance, when that hot girl is offended by Adrien’s rejection, he assumes it’s because “all her worth seemed tangled up in the physical affection she could offer.” Adrien knows nothing about this girl, yet he’s ready to psychoanalyze her whole life. He says, “It made me wonder what the relationships with the men in her life were like. Did she have a bad relationship with her father, her uncles, her brothers? Were there no men in her life she could relate to? Was she seeking that connection by kissing strange guys in the dark?”
Adrien probably thinks he’s being compassionate and reflective by considering this girl’s motivation. But his conclusions are so judgemental (“she always pursues men!” when he’s known her ten minutes; he also seems to assume that a woman pursuing a man is bad; a woman pursuing multiple men is bad; a woman using her body for validation or personal pleasure is bad and broken) and sexist (it must be a lack of good men! it can’t be anything else!).
Something similar happens when Adrien interacts with the most multi-dimensional female character, a classmate who attracts his interest when she thinks of a chemistry solution before he does. “In hindsight, I should have thought of it first. It was so obvious! But I hadn't, and she had. It made me wonder what else was rattling around in that head of hers - a curiosity I hadn’t felt before about anyone else, whether male or female or whatever other gender someone identified as. She was unusual, and I liked unusual things. Not that she was a thing.” Adrien is going out of his way to sound politically correct, and that’s great, but it still feels like an afterthought, especially given his treatment of this classmate. He asks her out, and she says sorry, no, not interested. He asks why - why sorry, why not interested. “‘I’m sorry because it’s the polite thing to be when you turn someone down for a date. And I’m not interested in being an accessory to a great mind when I have one of my own.’” That’s a pretty cool line. What’s not so cool is Adrien’s emotional response: “I shook my head, confused and a little more than annoyed.” Confused is a weird enough reaction when this girl has been so straightforward, but annoyed? “A little more than annoyed”?
Adrien’s most contentious relationship is with his sister Grace. They’re the same age; Grace is the biological child of Adrien’s adoptive parents. They’ve always been competitive, but Adrien cites three specific incidents that brought them to the acrimonious tension they share as high school seniors. Most recently were their parents’ suspicious deaths, which Adrien secretly thinks Grace (although only thirteen at the time) may have deliberately caused. In third grade, there was the accidental death of their family dog, which Adrien inadvertently caused. And at age nine or ten, there was a debate over a flower that turned violent. Grace claimed the flower was one kind, while Adrien knew it to be something else. Grace “ignored” Adrien, who started to yell, causing Grace to hum a song she knew her brother hated. They were “just kids,” and the interaction sounds like typical sibling stuff. Until Adrien escalated things.
The heat of anger burned through my veins. She couldn't just listen to reason, to me. She’d rather shut me out than admit that she was wrong. Before I realized what I was doing, I had picked her up by the throat and screamed into her frightened face. I'm not a violent person. I never have been. I'd much rather talk my way out of a disagreement than fight my way out. But on that day, with Grace’s smug little face in front of me humming that irritating song, all I wanted to do was shut her up and make her listen by whatever means I could.
As a sibling, I understand the frustration and fury Adrien felt in that moment. I’ve let my temper get the best of me too, even when I was way older than nine or ten. But to pick someone up by their throat and scream into their face… That’s NOT standard kid stuff. That’s a serious anger issue. And it seems that, like the case with the classmate, it was brought on by an inability to control someone else - in both instances, a female he feels he has to compete with. All I wanted to do was shut her up and make her listen by whatever means I could.
Adrien admits, “I was wrong to do it. I had known it then; I still knew it now. I never touched her again, either, though there’d been plenty of times I felt the same urge to shut her up for a moment and make her listen.” And, again, I get that feeling. I get making a mistake. But that instinct - that “same urge to shut her up for a moment and make her listen,” plus always linking his opinion with “reason,” is a dangerous pattern that seems to follow Adrien around from one person to another, uninvestigated.
It’s that last part that really bothers me. There are so many interesting reasons why Adrien might have these issues. (Did he have a bad relationship with his father, his uncles, his brothers? Were there no men in his life he could relate to?!) My favorite parts of narration are those that investigate Adrien’s issues with identity. His ambiguous sexuality is a recurring subject, one that never gets “resolved” (which I like!) but could certainly exacerbate his feelings of isolation and need for control in other areas. There are some really interesting but brief remarks about his life pre-adoption, and the way that impacts him is not explicitly explored. It’s definitely a huge factor in his hostile relationship with Grace. Sibling rivalry and jealousy is maybe THE major theme of this book. Adrien mostly applies it to Grace, who refused to view him as a full member of the family, but it’s clear he’s also jealous of her biological status. He’s in class one day when he realizes just how much Grace has grown to resemble their mother.
I missed my mom, and it pained me that even a small part of her would live on forever in Grace. I had nothing from our parents. Nothing tangible, nothing physical. I was just an abandoned boy, adopted by strangers and then abandoned again. Even with a sister, I was totally alone.
Isolation is another recurring theme, and it’s unclear how much of it here is self-imposed. Adrien mistrusts Grace; Grace mistrusts Adrien. The Dane family was not at all fine before the fire, but when their parents were alive, it was easier for the siblings to feel like part of something. With just the two of them, cut off from each other, each sibling feels like the victim of the other, who inevitably got more of what they want.
Adrien inherited his father’s old car and Grace has his unfinished work. But as the book progresses, the role of their mother gets more attention. Grace has her mother’s eyes, and Adrien has his memory of her. Of who she was; of who he wanted her to be.
In that moment, all I wanted was my mother.
Not that she’d been the most warm or loving parent. My mom had always been enveloped in her work, and a huge supporter of independence in her children. But what I’d always wanted her to be was what I closed my eyes and wished for as I lay there on the ground. Her hand brushing the dirt and leaves from my hair. Her kiss on my brow. Her kind words telling me that everything would be all right.
What I wanted was a mother whom I had never known. A mother I would never have.
Incredibly, this is the mother Adrien inherits. At the end of the book, there are two lines that make me forget all the bland characters, the forced musical references, and the questionable tropes in this work, because it represents so much growth for both brother and sister, and it’s done in such an understated way:
Grace laid her head on my shoulder and cried. I brushed her hair from her brow and placed a gentle kiss there, the kind I’d always hoped our mother would give me in a moment when I’d needed comforting.
At the end of the book, Adrien has become the mother he wants, and he’s become that for the sister he was convinced he didn’t need. These characters are far from fixed, and this book is far from perfect, but there's something really redeeming in a little moment like that.
June 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, such a great story. I also loved how the lgbtq+ side of the story was ”smooth” and not forced as it can be in some books/stories. It didn’t take up the main plot at all and instead it was just cute and just, there. Like it should be. Hard to explain lol but you get it.
July 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I think the characters were believable, if a little strange. The story had me hanging on the whole way through and I liked the fact that the author never had to put a label on the main character in any respect, because he was just a person. I enjoyed watching the characters develop and see new characters introduced throughout the story.
September 28, 2017
I did not totally enjoy this story. Sad to say it really lost speed as the book went on and I became bored. 2.5 star read...
Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
I went into this story rather blind and I have to say that may have worked in my favor as I did not have super high hopes.
Adrien is the adopted son of two respected chemists that die tragically in an accident. Adrien’s sister, Grace, is the model of perfection and never does anything wrong. She loves reminding Adrien that he has been adopted and not really her sibling. After the tragic loss of his parents, Adrien moves to a new boarding school in hopes of starting over… without his Queen B of a sister, Grace. After four years, more heart breaking news shatters what is left of Adrien’s family and he goes back home to tend to matters. Along the way, he starts receiving cryptic texts from someone he doesn’t know, telling him that Grace is up to not good and may be responsible for their parents’ death. Adrien quickly spends all of his time trying to solve the mystery of what really happened on that fateful day and if Grace really did have anything to do with the death of their parents.
The first few chapters of the book hooked me. They were gritty, intense, and full of mystery. Sadly, that momentum did not hold up as the book progressed. Instead, the pace slowed to a crawl and it became frightfully boring. The interactions between Adrien and the other characters soon felt forced and awkward, like two strangers trying to rehearse a love scene. None of it felt believable or honest.
My opinion of Adrien changed as the story went on. I started out really cheering for him, but soon felt he was the biggest jerk on the planet. His actions were arrogant while his inner monologue made him appear to be a different type of character. I had a hard time trying to figure out exactly what type of character he was supposed to be: broken and suffering boy or arrogant, privileged son? Don’t get me started on Grace and the other characters. They all felt flat and lifeless, as if they were written on the extreme side of their personas. Meaning, they were just too much and none of them relateable.
There were tough topics within this book that I was not prepared for: underage drinking and wild sexual behavior. Now granted, these are not new to the YA genre, but it felt as if the author was trying to use this forum – his book – to discuss the problems with these topics and how they should be addressed more in real life. Uh.. okayyyyyy… I agree but it did not need to come across as preaching in the book.
I wanted to enjoy this story more than I did, but it just was not in the stars. I wish there had been more tension and mystery, more suspense. I gave this story 2 stars because it was a quick read, but it was not a solid read.
Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
I went into this story rather blind and I have to say that may have worked in my favor as I did not have super high hopes.
Adrien is the adopted son of two respected chemists that die tragically in an accident. Adrien’s sister, Grace, is the model of perfection and never does anything wrong. She loves reminding Adrien that he has been adopted and not really her sibling. After the tragic loss of his parents, Adrien moves to a new boarding school in hopes of starting over… without his Queen B of a sister, Grace. After four years, more heart breaking news shatters what is left of Adrien’s family and he goes back home to tend to matters. Along the way, he starts receiving cryptic texts from someone he doesn’t know, telling him that Grace is up to not good and may be responsible for their parents’ death. Adrien quickly spends all of his time trying to solve the mystery of what really happened on that fateful day and if Grace really did have anything to do with the death of their parents.
The first few chapters of the book hooked me. They were gritty, intense, and full of mystery. Sadly, that momentum did not hold up as the book progressed. Instead, the pace slowed to a crawl and it became frightfully boring. The interactions between Adrien and the other characters soon felt forced and awkward, like two strangers trying to rehearse a love scene. None of it felt believable or honest.
My opinion of Adrien changed as the story went on. I started out really cheering for him, but soon felt he was the biggest jerk on the planet. His actions were arrogant while his inner monologue made him appear to be a different type of character. I had a hard time trying to figure out exactly what type of character he was supposed to be: broken and suffering boy or arrogant, privileged son? Don’t get me started on Grace and the other characters. They all felt flat and lifeless, as if they were written on the extreme side of their personas. Meaning, they were just too much and none of them relateable.
There were tough topics within this book that I was not prepared for: underage drinking and wild sexual behavior. Now granted, these are not new to the YA genre, but it felt as if the author was trying to use this forum – his book – to discuss the problems with these topics and how they should be addressed more in real life. Uh.. okayyyyyy… I agree but it did not need to come across as preaching in the book.
I wanted to enjoy this story more than I did, but it just was not in the stars. I wish there had been more tension and mystery, more suspense. I gave this story 2 stars because it was a quick read, but it was not a solid read.
November 1, 2016
I like what The Blood Between Us was trying to do, but it felt like too many elements and not enough space. Adrien's been on the outs with his sister Grace for years—because he's adopted, she doesn't acknowledge him as a full member of the family—but since their parents died, they've lived on opposite sides of the country. Now Adrien's back, at the request of their guardian, at the boarding school where their parents taught...but he has an ulterior motive: to find out if Grace had a hand in their parents' deaths and whether she's passing off their father's research as her own.
Or, ostensibly that's why he's back. It hit me midway through the book that Adrien only really gets to the school halfway in, which doesn't leave a whole lot of room for plot development at the school. There are a lot of hints of Evil Grace Is Evil, but they're by and large not really followed up on; instead we get a fair amount of Adrien figuring out who he's interested in dating and so on. I like how sexuality is treated here: casually, in that Adrien doesn't get worked up about whether he's interested in boys or girls or both (or neither or other or...) but just gets on with it...but I was markedly less interested in the romance end of things than I was in the premise.
This is presented as a story about family, but when it comes down to it, it's...mostly not. There's a moment when Adrien and Grace are paired together for an extended class project, and I thought something might come of that—but it doesn't. It's just hard to care about whether or not they reunite as siblings when we really learn very little about Grace that doesn't come from Adrien's cynical commentary. (I did, however, find it amusing that Adrien—who's supposed to be the slacker who doesn't care about grades—is in all sorts of advanced classes, some at a higher level than Grace, who's supposed to be the super driven one.)
Aaaand then the plot twist...what to say about that? It belonged in a different book, maybe. I'm not a huge fan of big twists at the end anyway, but this just felt...random.
Glad the library had it, glad I read it, aaaaand moving on now. Two and a half stars.
Or, ostensibly that's why he's back. It hit me midway through the book that Adrien only really gets to the school halfway in, which doesn't leave a whole lot of room for plot development at the school. There are a lot of hints of Evil Grace Is Evil, but they're by and large not really followed up on; instead we get a fair amount of Adrien figuring out who he's interested in dating and so on. I like how sexuality is treated here: casually, in that Adrien doesn't get worked up about whether he's interested in boys or girls or both (or neither or other or...) but just gets on with it...but I was markedly less interested in the romance end of things than I was in the premise.
This is presented as a story about family, but when it comes down to it, it's...mostly not. There's a moment when Adrien and Grace are paired together for an extended class project, and I thought something might come of that—but it doesn't. It's just hard to care about whether or not they reunite as siblings when we really learn very little about Grace that doesn't come from Adrien's cynical commentary. (I did, however, find it amusing that Adrien—who's supposed to be the slacker who doesn't care about grades—is in all sorts of advanced classes, some at a higher level than Grace, who's supposed to be the super driven one.)
Aaaand then the plot twist...what to say about that? It belonged in a different book, maybe. I'm not a huge fan of big twists at the end anyway, but this just felt...random.
Glad the library had it, glad I read it, aaaaand moving on now. Two and a half stars.
May 7, 2021
This was lukewarm for me. The beginning intrigued me, and I was ready for a quick and easy YA murder mystery, but … I'm not sure what I got instead?
In short, Adrien's adoptive parents perished in a fire, leaving him with his adoptive sister, Grace, who hates him for seemingly no reason. He leaves for four years, but comes back to his old school because his godfather has a terminal illness and doesn't have long to live. Once back at his old boarding school, Adrien faces issues regarding Grace, his parent's death, and his friendships.
Where do I even begin? There were so many different plotlines running simultaneously, it's like the author couldn't decide what to pick, and this resulted in none of the storylines being deepened, instead giving readers cursory and weak plots.
Adrien struck me as a bit of a 'pick me' boy most of the time, and his inner monologue bored me after the first few pages.
And the ending. No spoilers, but it was an ocean of WTF moments and not in a good way. It was unrealistic even for YA and there was ZERO character development by the end, or, rather, the characters suddenly got over their years worth of trauma and issues in the space of about five pages.
It was just confusing, irritating and just a whole lot of missed opportunities. It had potential, but it was not fulfilled, unfortunately.
In short, Adrien's adoptive parents perished in a fire, leaving him with his adoptive sister, Grace, who hates him for seemingly no reason. He leaves for four years, but comes back to his old school because his godfather has a terminal illness and doesn't have long to live. Once back at his old boarding school, Adrien faces issues regarding Grace, his parent's death, and his friendships.
Where do I even begin? There were so many different plotlines running simultaneously, it's like the author couldn't decide what to pick, and this resulted in none of the storylines being deepened, instead giving readers cursory and weak plots.
Adrien struck me as a bit of a 'pick me' boy most of the time, and his inner monologue bored me after the first few pages.
And the ending. No spoilers, but it was an ocean of WTF moments and not in a good way. It was unrealistic even for YA and there was ZERO character development by the end, or, rather, the characters suddenly got over their years worth of trauma and issues in the space of about five pages.
It was just confusing, irritating and just a whole lot of missed opportunities. It had potential, but it was not fulfilled, unfortunately.
October 15, 2018
To start on a good note: the cover is really pretty. I really struggled with this book. The concept was pretty interesting, but it was horribly done. It felt like the author had four or five different stories they were trying to smush together. All the characters were stupid and I hated them. Also, the mystery wasn't given as much time as it should have been... most of the book is just dumb drama. I wanted to like this book, truly. But the writing wasn't good and the characters were awful.
July 27, 2017
Would have given it 3 stars except for the resolution (will warn when spoilers begin).
Adrien was adopted by Grace's parents who were both brilliant scientists. However, Grace has despised Adrien ever since he let their dog get killed when they were little kids. She is a master at passive aggressiveness so no one notices what a bitch she is to her brother.
When they're 13 and attending a fancy boarding school, both parents die in a lab explosion at their house. It is written off as an unfortunate accident. Adrien decides he wants to be free from Grace once and for all, and convinces their uncle to let him move to a different school across country.
Four years later, he's about to start his senior year of high school when he gets a call from his uncle. He's dying of cancer and wants Adrien to transfer back so that he and Grace can reconcile before he dies. Adrien is resistant, but almost immediately starts receiving anonymous text messages hinting that Grace was responsible for their parents' deaths and is now working to claim Dad's work as her own. That convinces Adrien to agree to come for a month so he can find out if the allegations are true.
Once he gets back to his old school, he realizes that Grace is now the Queen Bee and has poisoned the well against her brother. He is ignored, verbally abused, and beaten up by her loyal minions, but honestly he's a bit of an obnoxious prick himself so it's hard to feel much sympathy for him. But he does discover that Grace is definitely up to something. But did she really murder their parents just to further her own ambitions?
WARNING SPOILERS FOLLOW
Until the last few chapters the story worked fairly well. Naturally, Grace turns out to be innocent, but the guilty party is such a stretch it's hard to take it seriously. He turns out to be Adrien's new roommate, who coincidentally also happens to be be Grace's half-brother. His mother had an affair with their Dad and Quinn is their son, but Dad blew her off and refused to acknowledge him. Evidently he had to be banging Quinn's mom at the same time his wife was pregnant with Grace since they're the same age. Then Dad made things worse by adopting Adrien.
So Quinn decided their parents had to die. Being a 12 year old criminal mastermind at the time, he snuck into their lab and switched labels on chemical containers so they'd conveniently blow the lab apart during their next experiment.
Fast forward a few years. He decides that Adrien and Grace need to suffer as well so he transfers to their school and starts sending Adrien the anonymous texts to convince him to come home (he overheard their Uncle in the hospital talking about trying to get Adrien to come home but that doesn't explain how he managed to get his phone number).
So he claims that he grew up eating Ramon noodles in poverty, but somehow he's able to pay the tuition to transfer into their snooty boarding school his senior year. And coincidentally he winds up living with the guy he intends to screw over so he can play him like a violin.
Okay, maybe I could live with a red herring murderer, except for the ending of the story. Look away now unless you want to see the MOST IMPLAUSIBLE SERIES OF EVENTS NECESSARY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
OKAY, YOU WERE WARNED...
They have a big chemistry demo where teams are supposed to blow up an iron bath tub in the middle of the soccer field using chemical reactions (my high school chemistry class was never this much fun). It's worth 70% of their grade so it's a big deal, and lots of people show up to witness the fun.
Just as Adrien and his partner start their reaction, he realizes that someone has messed with the labels of their chemicals and they're about to create Armageddon by accident. A bunch of people are wounded by the resulting shrapnel. He decides that Grace was the guilty party so he suddenly stomps off to her room to confront her. Note that until now he has stayed away from her like the plague. He barges in, only to find her conked out on her floor. Quinn jumps him from behind, using chloroform to knock him out.
So somehow Quinn's plan relied on Adrien stomping in on his sister, just as he has her knocked out. There's no explanation of how he got into Grace's room and that none of her loyal minions were around [more on that in a minute]. So if Adrien hadn't come blundering in at just the right moment, it's unclear what Quinn's fall-back plan was; possibly do Grace in and incriminate Adrien for her death?
BUT NOW COMES THE TOTAL BULLSHIT FACTOR...
They are in a boarding school dormitory, one with no elevator and steep steps that Adrien complains about the workout his thighs get from. Quinn is Adrien's size, not a particularly big or muscular guy. And, as noted above, Grace is a social butterfly with friends frequently circling around her.
And yet, somehow, Quinn manages to sling both Adrien and Quinn over his shoulder, lug them down the steep steps, and then carry them out to the parking lot to Adrien's car AND NOBODY NOTICES ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS! IT JUST GETS TOTALLY GLOSSED OVER HOW HE PULLED THAT OFF; ONE MOMENT ADRIEN'S GOING DOWN FOR THE COUNT AND THEN HE WAKES UP WITH A KNIFE AT HIS NECK INSIDE HIS CAR. TOTAL HORSESHIT WORTH THE LOSS OF A STAR FOR INANITY.
And even better, Quinn has taken the time to fuse the front doors closed after lugging Adrien and Grace down and stuffing them into their seats. His master plan: make Adrien drive off a cliff in a murder-suicide. Quinn plans to roll out of the car at the last moment and report the sad tale of their demise. He gives Adrien an incentive to comply by stabbing Grace, so naturally that pisses him off and he wrecks the car at the last moment instead (like anyone is going to voluntarily drive off a 750 foot cliff). Evil Quinn rolls out right off the cliff, landing far enough down to make a final 'f* you' speech before diving off into oblivion.
So up until the last couple of chapters this was a three star book, but the ending doomed my rating for it.
Adrien was adopted by Grace's parents who were both brilliant scientists. However, Grace has despised Adrien ever since he let their dog get killed when they were little kids. She is a master at passive aggressiveness so no one notices what a bitch she is to her brother.
When they're 13 and attending a fancy boarding school, both parents die in a lab explosion at their house. It is written off as an unfortunate accident. Adrien decides he wants to be free from Grace once and for all, and convinces their uncle to let him move to a different school across country.
Four years later, he's about to start his senior year of high school when he gets a call from his uncle. He's dying of cancer and wants Adrien to transfer back so that he and Grace can reconcile before he dies. Adrien is resistant, but almost immediately starts receiving anonymous text messages hinting that Grace was responsible for their parents' deaths and is now working to claim Dad's work as her own. That convinces Adrien to agree to come for a month so he can find out if the allegations are true.
Once he gets back to his old school, he realizes that Grace is now the Queen Bee and has poisoned the well against her brother. He is ignored, verbally abused, and beaten up by her loyal minions, but honestly he's a bit of an obnoxious prick himself so it's hard to feel much sympathy for him. But he does discover that Grace is definitely up to something. But did she really murder their parents just to further her own ambitions?
WARNING SPOILERS FOLLOW
Until the last few chapters the story worked fairly well. Naturally, Grace turns out to be innocent, but the guilty party is such a stretch it's hard to take it seriously. He turns out to be Adrien's new roommate, who coincidentally also happens to be be Grace's half-brother. His mother had an affair with their Dad and Quinn is their son, but Dad blew her off and refused to acknowledge him. Evidently he had to be banging Quinn's mom at the same time his wife was pregnant with Grace since they're the same age. Then Dad made things worse by adopting Adrien.
So Quinn decided their parents had to die. Being a 12 year old criminal mastermind at the time, he snuck into their lab and switched labels on chemical containers so they'd conveniently blow the lab apart during their next experiment.
Fast forward a few years. He decides that Adrien and Grace need to suffer as well so he transfers to their school and starts sending Adrien the anonymous texts to convince him to come home (he overheard their Uncle in the hospital talking about trying to get Adrien to come home but that doesn't explain how he managed to get his phone number).
So he claims that he grew up eating Ramon noodles in poverty, but somehow he's able to pay the tuition to transfer into their snooty boarding school his senior year. And coincidentally he winds up living with the guy he intends to screw over so he can play him like a violin.
Okay, maybe I could live with a red herring murderer, except for the ending of the story. Look away now unless you want to see the MOST IMPLAUSIBLE SERIES OF EVENTS NECESSARY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
OKAY, YOU WERE WARNED...
They have a big chemistry demo where teams are supposed to blow up an iron bath tub in the middle of the soccer field using chemical reactions (my high school chemistry class was never this much fun). It's worth 70% of their grade so it's a big deal, and lots of people show up to witness the fun.
Just as Adrien and his partner start their reaction, he realizes that someone has messed with the labels of their chemicals and they're about to create Armageddon by accident. A bunch of people are wounded by the resulting shrapnel. He decides that Grace was the guilty party so he suddenly stomps off to her room to confront her. Note that until now he has stayed away from her like the plague. He barges in, only to find her conked out on her floor. Quinn jumps him from behind, using chloroform to knock him out.
So somehow Quinn's plan relied on Adrien stomping in on his sister, just as he has her knocked out. There's no explanation of how he got into Grace's room and that none of her loyal minions were around [more on that in a minute]. So if Adrien hadn't come blundering in at just the right moment, it's unclear what Quinn's fall-back plan was; possibly do Grace in and incriminate Adrien for her death?
BUT NOW COMES THE TOTAL BULLSHIT FACTOR...
They are in a boarding school dormitory, one with no elevator and steep steps that Adrien complains about the workout his thighs get from. Quinn is Adrien's size, not a particularly big or muscular guy. And, as noted above, Grace is a social butterfly with friends frequently circling around her.
And yet, somehow, Quinn manages to sling both Adrien and Quinn over his shoulder, lug them down the steep steps, and then carry them out to the parking lot to Adrien's car AND NOBODY NOTICES ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS! IT JUST GETS TOTALLY GLOSSED OVER HOW HE PULLED THAT OFF; ONE MOMENT ADRIEN'S GOING DOWN FOR THE COUNT AND THEN HE WAKES UP WITH A KNIFE AT HIS NECK INSIDE HIS CAR. TOTAL HORSESHIT WORTH THE LOSS OF A STAR FOR INANITY.
And even better, Quinn has taken the time to fuse the front doors closed after lugging Adrien and Grace down and stuffing them into their seats. His master plan: make Adrien drive off a cliff in a murder-suicide. Quinn plans to roll out of the car at the last moment and report the sad tale of their demise. He gives Adrien an incentive to comply by stabbing Grace, so naturally that pisses him off and he wrecks the car at the last moment instead (like anyone is going to voluntarily drive off a 750 foot cliff). Evil Quinn rolls out right off the cliff, landing far enough down to make a final 'f* you' speech before diving off into oblivion.
So up until the last couple of chapters this was a three star book, but the ending doomed my rating for it.
February 23, 2017
I've never read a book by Uncle Zac that I didn't like, and The Blood Between Us is no exception. It's a dark and raw book, and very matter-of-fact and honest about what it is. In coffee terms, it's a cup of espresso - a tiny but potent shot or two right to the veins. It reminded me a lot of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect, especially with the familial bad blood (insert the Bastille song here) and the mysteriously deceased scientist parents. However, this mystery wasn't quite the driving force that Patterson's was, for which I'm grateful because it allows for this short but sweet book to delve into some interesting character development. Two characters, however, stood out from all the rest.
Let's start with Adrien. He's my second-favorite of Uncle Zac's protagonists thus far - sorry, Adrien, but Vlad Tod will always hold a special place in my heart. (And speaking of Vlad, I'd like to think this book and CoVT take place in the same universe, if only because of the Psycho Slasher Chainsaw Guy From Hell movies these books have in common.) I see a lot of myself in Adrien, though - particularly his science-geek side (which, sadly, I've mostly abandoned since I left high school, the better to concentrate on my ongoing supernatural-writing efforts) and his lack of care for his appearance, as he prefers to dress casually and in unkempt threads. Hell, I'm sure I'll be taking another page out of his book and wearing my current pair of Chucks until they're really most sincerely dead. Why? Because we're cool like that, that's why.
And let's not forget Josh. I swear, in his first scene when he's introduced while working the school's radio station, he poses a serious threat to Peter Parker's status as my secret twin.
Seriously. I first did a double take because I've written my own MC's best friend establishing his personality by getting into a DJ booth to play music tailor-made to attract his own love interest. And when Josh name-drops Panic! At The Disco - the same band I wrote into my DJ-booth scene! - among so many other great bands, I finally realized why I've had so much trouble getting my book published.
My book and I just aren't worthy. *bows before Uncle Zac*
But outside the realm of cool characters and "I understood that reference" moments, there were more than a few moments that made me go roughly like this:
Namely, pretty much every word out of Grace's mouth. No wonder Adrien leaves her the first chance he gets. Then there's a certain kiss scene, one I kinda saw coming only because of the way early publicity for this book highlighted the "label" theme - and while we're at it, I have to say this book has perhaps the best depiction I've ever seen of an adolescent male figuring out his sexuality. It deals less with Adrien's confusion about himself (something I could have done with a little less of at Adrien's age), and more in his acceptance that he's not done determining his self-identity. And of course, there's the climax, perhaps the biggest shocker of a twist in Uncle Zac's history. No spoilers, of course, but let's just say it made me drop an F-bomb in full view of my open bedroom window. Hope nobody on the street heard that, not that it's likely with the construction next door, haha...
And here I thought Uncle Zac had a tough act to follow after The Cemetery Boys. Nope. The Blood Between Us has raised the bar so much higher.
Let's start with Adrien. He's my second-favorite of Uncle Zac's protagonists thus far - sorry, Adrien, but Vlad Tod will always hold a special place in my heart. (And speaking of Vlad, I'd like to think this book and CoVT take place in the same universe, if only because of the Psycho Slasher Chainsaw Guy From Hell movies these books have in common.) I see a lot of myself in Adrien, though - particularly his science-geek side (which, sadly, I've mostly abandoned since I left high school, the better to concentrate on my ongoing supernatural-writing efforts) and his lack of care for his appearance, as he prefers to dress casually and in unkempt threads. Hell, I'm sure I'll be taking another page out of his book and wearing my current pair of Chucks until they're really most sincerely dead. Why? Because we're cool like that, that's why.
And let's not forget Josh. I swear, in his first scene when he's introduced while working the school's radio station, he poses a serious threat to Peter Parker's status as my secret twin.
Seriously. I first did a double take because I've written my own MC's best friend establishing his personality by getting into a DJ booth to play music tailor-made to attract his own love interest. And when Josh name-drops Panic! At The Disco - the same band I wrote into my DJ-booth scene! - among so many other great bands, I finally realized why I've had so much trouble getting my book published.
My book and I just aren't worthy. *bows before Uncle Zac*
But outside the realm of cool characters and "I understood that reference" moments, there were more than a few moments that made me go roughly like this:
Namely, pretty much every word out of Grace's mouth. No wonder Adrien leaves her the first chance he gets. Then there's a certain kiss scene, one I kinda saw coming only because of the way early publicity for this book highlighted the "label" theme - and while we're at it, I have to say this book has perhaps the best depiction I've ever seen of an adolescent male figuring out his sexuality. It deals less with Adrien's confusion about himself (something I could have done with a little less of at Adrien's age), and more in his acceptance that he's not done determining his self-identity. And of course, there's the climax, perhaps the biggest shocker of a twist in Uncle Zac's history. No spoilers, of course, but let's just say it made me drop an F-bomb in full view of my open bedroom window. Hope nobody on the street heard that, not that it's likely with the construction next door, haha...
And here I thought Uncle Zac had a tough act to follow after The Cemetery Boys. Nope. The Blood Between Us has raised the bar so much higher.
May 7, 2016
This. book! OMG .... I really had NO idea what to expect when I started reading The Blood Between Us but I can tell you, I loved every. Single. Word. I could not put this book down, y'all. I FLEW through it, it was that compelling and gripping. Adrien? I loved him. Loved everything about him from his don't fuck with me attitude, to his heartache and devastation at the loss of his parents, to his questioning his sexuality. Books from a male narrator, a young one at that, are rare in YA especially, and it was an absolute joy getting this book solely from his point of view. Mind you, it would have been intriguing to hear from Grace (Oh, man is she ever a piece of work!) or maybe even Viktor, but Adrien's voice is so strong, so authentic, that I was engrossed from start to finish.
The pace of this book is frenetic, there is SO much going on, but it never feels overwhelming. Glossed over in parts, sure, (and the ending is QUITE abrupt) but again, none of that really took away from my utter enjoyment of this book. Is there an air of the unrealistic in the book? Absolutely, but again, it takes nothing away. And honestly, the world is a crazy place sometimes so maybe things aren't as farfetched as they might first appear.
This book was fun. It's intense and gripping and at parts humorous and sad and tender. I highly recommend ... and whatever you do, DO NOT skip over the author's note at the beginning. It's one of my favorite parts of the entire book! I can't wait to read more from Zac Brewer!!
Full review to come on:
www.swoonyboyspodcast.com
The pace of this book is frenetic, there is SO much going on, but it never feels overwhelming. Glossed over in parts, sure, (and the ending is QUITE abrupt) but again, none of that really took away from my utter enjoyment of this book. Is there an air of the unrealistic in the book? Absolutely, but again, it takes nothing away. And honestly, the world is a crazy place sometimes so maybe things aren't as farfetched as they might first appear.
This book was fun. It's intense and gripping and at parts humorous and sad and tender. I highly recommend ... and whatever you do, DO NOT skip over the author's note at the beginning. It's one of my favorite parts of the entire book! I can't wait to read more from Zac Brewer!!
Full review to come on:
www.swoonyboyspodcast.com
November 27, 2016
Ok the only reason that this book got this rating was because I was curious about the sibling animosity. It was so intense between Adrien and his step sister Grace that I was sure that there had to be some mega sordid tale there. The problem with this book is that it never got around to Adrien properly investigating the issues between them. He would talk about what he was thinking about but never followed through to get anything done. This book was mostly about Adrien coming back into his old school and integrating back in with his god father and his husband. Like after 100 pages I was getting kind of concerned with the plot and it's purpose. By the time that we reached less than 80 pages from the end, I knew it was going to be a shit show.
As for characters, the only ones I liked were Adrien, Julien ( god father's husband), Viktor (god father) and Josh. Characters I didn't like and thought were a waste of space and time Grace, Caroline (Adrien's lab partner) and Quinn. God they were just useless characters. They didn't help advance the story. They didn't build up our main protagonist's character. Nothing. Just space filler. Totally disappointed in this book cause it could have been something really great with better plot development and more substantial main and supporting characters.
As for characters, the only ones I liked were Adrien, Julien ( god father's husband), Viktor (god father) and Josh. Characters I didn't like and thought were a waste of space and time Grace, Caroline (Adrien's lab partner) and Quinn. God they were just useless characters. They didn't help advance the story. They didn't build up our main protagonist's character. Nothing. Just space filler. Totally disappointed in this book cause it could have been something really great with better plot development and more substantial main and supporting characters.
July 3, 2017
The only thing I liked was the ending. There was a ton of unnecessary reality-TV-style drama, introductions to characters, settings, feelings, and plot devices with little explanation, and the villain came out of literally nowhere. Looking back, I can find no evidence of anything pointing to the villain. A kind of lame book, all in all.
May 27, 2018
The characters were flat and unlikable, and almost nothing happening for the majority of this book. The ending was way too rushed, and I don't know why. The only positive thing I can say about this book is that I was a little surprised at who the "bad guy" was. I never once predicted it to be the person it was. Other than that, I really didn't like this one.
August 17, 2016
I have mad respect for Brewer. The Vladimir Tod books were awesome and I loved Cemetary Boys but this book just was not for me. I guess I was just expecting something else. Something entitrely different from what was written.
August 18, 2016
I wanted to like this book more, but I did not. It ended so abruptly and not in a good way, not even in there's going to be a sequel way, just book over, the end. The premise was good, but the writing did not hold up. Sorry, but I won't be recommending.
August 16, 2017
2.5 stars. The story was mostly good, but was way too rushed at the end. Like the author just gave up on the story.
December 30, 2023
This book was almost a DNF for me. I listened to this as an audiobook and I just kept hoping that they would get to the point. This story seemed really interesting, with two siblings who hate each other. Their parents die causing the brother to suspect the sister. I genuinely just wanted to know how it ended and barely made it through.
A majority of the book was not necessary at all and very confusing. It took forever to get to the plot and just was not for me.
A majority of the book was not necessary at all and very confusing. It took forever to get to the plot and just was not for me.
April 8, 2020
I read this book for the Popsugar challenge, and honestly don't think I would have finished it otherwise.
The book was messy written, weird and not that exciting.
A lot of things happened, yet it felt like nothing really happened at all, and I really didn't like the main character, which made it even harder to enjoy the book.
The book was messy written, weird and not that exciting.
A lot of things happened, yet it felt like nothing really happened at all, and I really didn't like the main character, which made it even harder to enjoy the book.
December 30, 2025
the story felt rushed towards the end. even with the buildup, it personally didn't reach my expectations.
July 6, 2023
rep; adrien (mc) is implied pansexual.
i enjoyed this. i liked adrien, i felt he deserved a lot better from pretty much everyone. i didn’t think the way he was treated and the way his feelings were constantly invalidated was fair at all. i didn’t care for everyone pushing him to make an effort with his sister, grace, and basically absolving her of all responsibility for the way things were between them and telling him that he has to be the one to make an effort, to extend an olive branch. even more infuriating was adrien’s best friend, josh, giving him horrible advice about the bullying and physical abuse he endured from people at school because of his sister. his advice was to ignore all of that and smile and laugh and again, make an effort, with these people to make up for the lies and hate grace spread and fueled about him while he was away. that’s shit, because adrien shouldn’t have to bend over backwards and kiss ass to make people like him again, when he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place. ugh. i liked that adrien didn’t like coffee. in pretty much every show, movie, book, even fanfiction, teens drink nothing but coffee. and apart from me finding it unrelatable because coffee tastes like shit, to me it’s unrealistic because i have never encountered that in my life, ever. to me, that is a completely made up thing for teens to do in fiction to seem more mature. as if water or juice or soda are just little kid things. they’re drinks for fucks sake. get over yourselves. also, adrien humming going to hell by the pretty reckless made me smile.
i didn’t care for viktor being sick and then dying. queer rep is important to me, so i found viktor dying to be completely unnecessary. it ultimately didn’t add anything. sure, viktor being sick is what made adrien come home, but his illness didn’t have to be that severe, he didn’t have to actually die in the end.
i didn’t care for adrien’s little internal speech about charity, a girl who makes a move on him to set him up to be jumped, being baffled by his rejection being a result of her daddy issues. that kinda made me go, wow okay fuck you guy. because every girl who enjoys casual sex and/or seeks approval from others must have major daddy issues and lack a male figure in their lives. his immediate assumption that she basis her self worth in the physical affection she can give others because she didn’t expect him to reject her was very dickish. i mean, he only flirted with her and went outside with her to hook up, why on earth would she expect him to, you know, hook up with her? *eye roll*
charity’s comment about him being an “asexual freak” for not wanting to hook up with her pissed me off. could’ve done without that acephobia. as well as adrien’s reply of, “because i won’t kiss you before getting to know you, i must only be attracted to the same gender or not interested in sex at all?” asexuality is not defined by “not having/wanting/liking sex.” please stop spreading that. that line could have easily been, “because i won’t kiss you before getting to know you, i must only be attracted to the same gender or not attracted to any gender at all?” that would be more in line with asexuality. i’m so sick of this “you’re not interested in/haven’t had/don’t obsess over/put much value in sex? you must be asexual.” shit. that isn’t what it fucking is. it’s a sexuality, that people don’t just choose or can change, that is defined by not experiencing sexual attraction to any gender.just like any other sexuality/romantic orientation, it is about attraction. yes, no or little sexual attraction can lead to a lack of or lowered interest in sexual activity. but asexual people can have all sorts of different sex drives and sexual lives. for fucks sake.
now, i will admit that the only reason i read this is because i saw someone say that the main character is pansexual, and that it isn’t outright said in the text, but the author confirmed it before? regardless, i definitely read adrien as pansexual.
boyfriends. girlfriends. whatever i might be into.
a curiosity i hadn’t felt about anyone else, whether male or female or whatever other gender someone identified as.
i haven’t been able to find the post that someone said the author confirmed adrien being pan in, but even without it, i feel like adrien is definitely an implied/hinted pansexual character. he didn’t seem to put much thought into gender when it comes to his attraction to people, that it wasn’t a factor at all. and i very much liked how it just was. he didn’t have any freak out moment, or struggle, he was just cool with it and the way he talked about it was just very relaxed and i appreciated that.
all in all, i enjoyed this. i do wish it had been longer, i do think it was resolved/ended too suddenly, i do feel that grace is the worst and adrien shouldn’t have reconciled with her at the end. but it was still good. each chapter kept me interested, i didn’t find my thoughts wandering or anything. it was just too damned short. i could’ve done with another hundred or so pages, to be honest.
i enjoyed this. i liked adrien, i felt he deserved a lot better from pretty much everyone. i didn’t think the way he was treated and the way his feelings were constantly invalidated was fair at all. i didn’t care for everyone pushing him to make an effort with his sister, grace, and basically absolving her of all responsibility for the way things were between them and telling him that he has to be the one to make an effort, to extend an olive branch. even more infuriating was adrien’s best friend, josh, giving him horrible advice about the bullying and physical abuse he endured from people at school because of his sister. his advice was to ignore all of that and smile and laugh and again, make an effort, with these people to make up for the lies and hate grace spread and fueled about him while he was away. that’s shit, because adrien shouldn’t have to bend over backwards and kiss ass to make people like him again, when he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place. ugh. i liked that adrien didn’t like coffee. in pretty much every show, movie, book, even fanfiction, teens drink nothing but coffee. and apart from me finding it unrelatable because coffee tastes like shit, to me it’s unrealistic because i have never encountered that in my life, ever. to me, that is a completely made up thing for teens to do in fiction to seem more mature. as if water or juice or soda are just little kid things. they’re drinks for fucks sake. get over yourselves. also, adrien humming going to hell by the pretty reckless made me smile.
i didn’t care for viktor being sick and then dying. queer rep is important to me, so i found viktor dying to be completely unnecessary. it ultimately didn’t add anything. sure, viktor being sick is what made adrien come home, but his illness didn’t have to be that severe, he didn’t have to actually die in the end.
i didn’t care for adrien’s little internal speech about charity, a girl who makes a move on him to set him up to be jumped, being baffled by his rejection being a result of her daddy issues. that kinda made me go, wow okay fuck you guy. because every girl who enjoys casual sex and/or seeks approval from others must have major daddy issues and lack a male figure in their lives. his immediate assumption that she basis her self worth in the physical affection she can give others because she didn’t expect him to reject her was very dickish. i mean, he only flirted with her and went outside with her to hook up, why on earth would she expect him to, you know, hook up with her? *eye roll*
charity’s comment about him being an “asexual freak” for not wanting to hook up with her pissed me off. could’ve done without that acephobia. as well as adrien’s reply of, “because i won’t kiss you before getting to know you, i must only be attracted to the same gender or not interested in sex at all?” asexuality is not defined by “not having/wanting/liking sex.” please stop spreading that. that line could have easily been, “because i won’t kiss you before getting to know you, i must only be attracted to the same gender or not attracted to any gender at all?” that would be more in line with asexuality. i’m so sick of this “you’re not interested in/haven’t had/don’t obsess over/put much value in sex? you must be asexual.” shit. that isn’t what it fucking is. it’s a sexuality, that people don’t just choose or can change, that is defined by not experiencing sexual attraction to any gender.just like any other sexuality/romantic orientation, it is about attraction. yes, no or little sexual attraction can lead to a lack of or lowered interest in sexual activity. but asexual people can have all sorts of different sex drives and sexual lives. for fucks sake.
now, i will admit that the only reason i read this is because i saw someone say that the main character is pansexual, and that it isn’t outright said in the text, but the author confirmed it before? regardless, i definitely read adrien as pansexual.
boyfriends. girlfriends. whatever i might be into.
a curiosity i hadn’t felt about anyone else, whether male or female or whatever other gender someone identified as.
i haven’t been able to find the post that someone said the author confirmed adrien being pan in, but even without it, i feel like adrien is definitely an implied/hinted pansexual character. he didn’t seem to put much thought into gender when it comes to his attraction to people, that it wasn’t a factor at all. and i very much liked how it just was. he didn’t have any freak out moment, or struggle, he was just cool with it and the way he talked about it was just very relaxed and i appreciated that.
all in all, i enjoyed this. i do wish it had been longer, i do think it was resolved/ended too suddenly, i do feel that grace is the worst and adrien shouldn’t have reconciled with her at the end. but it was still good. each chapter kept me interested, i didn’t find my thoughts wandering or anything. it was just too damned short. i could’ve done with another hundred or so pages, to be honest.
May 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! The climax/plot twist was a bit meh, in my opinion, but to me that didn't really matter; the story itself was intriguing and I kept wanting to read it.
March 16, 2025
I liked this one a lot in the beginning, but it has some topics I don’t agree with so I will probably get rid of this one
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