Blood Demons

by Richard Jeffries

BLOODS AND CRYPTS Once again, America is under siege. A devastating terrorist attack has destroyed one of the nation’s most treasured landmarks. With Mt. Rushmore now reduced to a pile of rubble, Major Josiah Key, commander of the secretive Cerberus Unit, is dispatched to hunt down the mastermind the most fanatically evil extremist the world has ever known. And he’s hidden in the most isolated region of the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan.  Climbing to the fiend’s remote, mysterious caves, the four-person Cerberus team encounters bloodless corpses that lead them to confront one of the greatest evils in human the Vetela...unholy creatures who inhabit the bodies of the dead and the source of all vampire legends. Their sole purpose is to guard the terrorist, and with his help, the Vetela, are finally ready to come into the light and lay waste to all humanity.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Blood Demons, author Richard Jeffries brings us a gruesome origin to the vampire stories we know and love so well.

The author weaves together a tale of terrorism (a very unique and compelling one) with that of an ancient hunger. The horror is graphic and visceral.

There’s much here that’s unique. The truth behind our vampires is one I haven’t read before and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, you should note that there’s a distinct military aspect to the book. Military isn’t my favorite subgenre, but I liked our military crew and their relationships and Jeffries pulls no punches when it comes to his characters. Expect some shocks and some heartbreak.

A very solid and fast paced horror story that adds to the subgenre very well!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In South Dakota, a couple throw a child with a bomb off the top of Mount Rushmore and destroys the monument. In the middle east, a secret military unit is exploring a tip that might link to the planned destruction of the monument and find signs of a secret group that may be the original source for the legends of vampires.

In a nutshell, this is the idea behind Blood Demons by Richard Jeffries. It is an intriguing one and I was really looking forward to it. The basic plot is inspired and the combination of military adventure and horror is a nice touch. I really wished it took off but it didn't. I think there is a lot of blame to be spread around for this. But if I picked one it would be characterization. No one character ever become real and this is especially true for the main protagonist /unit leader Major Josiah Green. At least one character should stand out for the reader and it just doesn't happen. Add on some stiff and forced dialogue that doesn't always fit the situation and the desire to root for the characters disappears. Jeffries' demons, The Vetala, fares slightly better mainly due to attention regarding their origins and rituals and a link to vampire legends, but it just doesn't meld well especially when the Mount Rushmore attack, one of the best written scenes in the book, is largely forgotten as rather muddled action scenes in Afghanistan takes center stage.

So all in all I found it to be a choppy book. There wasn't really enough to keep my attention even though I struggled through it. I really cant give it more than two stars which I admit are mainly for what the book could have been rather than what it is.

[Maggies Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gruesome, disgusting life force eating Hindu blood demons team up with an Afganistan terrorist who tries to trap some elite soldiers in a cat and mouse game. But these demons have met their match in this high tech world where a group of ex-military with unlimited resources and brilliant scientists has launched a scheme to rid the world of these evil entities. Author, Richard Jefferies Blood Demon book, is not for the faint of heart with its eye-popping details of bodies ripped apart in minute details that will make your stomach queasy. The only thing I thought that could be done better was the sexual overtones on females. I could see this as a significant cult classic film with beautiful sexpots, rugged men, and devilish demons. This book was sent to me in Kindle format in return for an honest review from #NetGalley.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story starts with a couple setting off a bomb that destroys Mount Rushmore. We then link back to terrorists in Afghanistan. An ancient race of evil creatures called Vetela have joined up with the terrorists. So a team of super soldiers with unlimited resources have gathered to fight the ancient race that gave origins to vampires.

This book reminds me of a B rated sci-fi thriller. You have a disaster that quickly falls to the side as we follow a military team fight against vampires. You don’t really have a lot of character development except for the Vetela because we needed the information to figure out what was going on.

This is not a bad book, just rough. I think with a little bit of revision and smoothing out it would be a good story. If you like made for tv movies for Sci-Fi channel I think you might enjoy this story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[Ashleigh Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that this book had good ideas for making it different to other supernatural styled crime books however did find that some of it didn't make much sense and that I would need to have read the first book to have understood it better which I didn't realise till after I finished this book. I did find as well that it didn't really grab my attention all the way through and at times my mind would wander and I wouldn't really know what was going on in the book. I did think that the way of showing a bombing and how they were sort of looking to be found as well as how they consumed blood was done really well and did make me want to know more.

Full review on www.movieandbooksgirl.com