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Descendants of Terene #1
Good Blood
Is his blood a gift to the world, or a curse that could destroy it?
In the world of Terene, fate is determined by your blood. For Descendants carrying the healing blood of their ancestors, it is a life sentence. Enslaved by the ruling nobles, their blood is harvested to both power the nation and keep them weak. But after centuries, the bloodline is dwindling.
The Highfather of the Faith seeks an alternative to rule the world. Against him, a band of cutthroat rebels fights to free their people. Caught in the middle is one boy on a desperate journey to uncover his past. In his veins, he holds the power to change the world.
But he doesn’t know it yet...
In the world of Terene, fate is determined by your blood. For Descendants carrying the healing blood of their ancestors, it is a life sentence. Enslaved by the ruling nobles, their blood is harvested to both power the nation and keep them weak. But after centuries, the bloodline is dwindling.
The Highfather of the Faith seeks an alternative to rule the world. Against him, a band of cutthroat rebels fights to free their people. Caught in the middle is one boy on a desperate journey to uncover his past. In his veins, he holds the power to change the world.
But he doesn’t know it yet...
- GenresFantasy
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2018
32 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Billy Ketch Allen
6 books29 followersBilly Ketch Allen grew up in Fallbrook, California and studied creative writing at Cal State Northridge. He plays professional beach volleyball during the day and writes books at night.
His books include the fantasy series The Descendants of Terene and the coaching guide's Coach Your Brains Out and the Inner Knight.
Learn more about what Billy is up to on his website www.billyketchallen.com
His books include the fantasy series The Descendants of Terene and the coaching guide's Coach Your Brains Out and the Inner Knight.
Learn more about what Billy is up to on his website www.billyketchallen.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 10, 2019
You ever read a book and become totally invested in the expectations of certain moments? Like the MC finally saying screw this or a certain plot line finally coming into play? Waiting for certain information to be divulged or seeing if your guess on the plot twist was right? That's what this book was for me, a series of expectations that kept me reading and interested in the outcome.
Just read the premise of the book, descendants of royals with magical blood that are now enslaved and having their blood used to heal various ailments to make a profit. Will they rise back to glory and make it past oppression? What makes their blood special? How did they let themselves go from ruling a nation to being enslaved? How does their blood effect the economy and the people making a profit off of them? Is anyone's blood as strong as the previous royals or is it all degraded? I had to know more.
The story starts off with a pretty standard trope of the MC not being able to remember anything about his past. This allows for some pretty good worldbuilding that doesn't feel forced, but it also let the author refer to the MC as "the boy" for 25% of the book. But even through this, I could feel while I was reading the story that I needed to know how all of this was going to play out. In this regard the story did it's job, it never had any pacing issues and it kept me fully intrigued throughout.
There is a couple of different pov's in this book and it'll switch frequently in the middle of a chapter. I actually enjoy this style of writing instead of every chapter being a single pov. It helps the book to not feel like it's dragging to get to certain parts. The MC goes through A LOT in this book. It's a pretty brutal coming of age. Be prepared for it to seem like there is no way out or any hope at all. The other pov's also have a hard time but it's a lot more bearable than the MC. I enjoyed each of them. The author managed to play around with my emotions in a couple of different parts of the book.
There isn't really any standard magic in this book. It all centers around the descendant's blood, it makes them faster/stronger and able to heal wounds incredibly fast. It can also be used to heal others, the stronger the bloodline the stronger the results. The royals of old could heal wounds instantly and were worth 50 regular bloods in a fight.
In the end I was satisfied with this book but also let down in some ways. The story was nice, the pacing was great, the characters were good, and the action scenes were well written. BUT, I feel like none of the big questions ever made progress in being answered. The ending also wasn't as explosive as I was expecting, but it did end on a cliff hanger that made me really want to read the next book. I feel like I MIGHT know the main plot twist. I would definitely recommend this book, if you can overlook the phrase "the boy" being mentioned a lot in the first 25% of the book, there is a really solid story waiting for you.
Just read the premise of the book, descendants of royals with magical blood that are now enslaved and having their blood used to heal various ailments to make a profit. Will they rise back to glory and make it past oppression? What makes their blood special? How did they let themselves go from ruling a nation to being enslaved? How does their blood effect the economy and the people making a profit off of them? Is anyone's blood as strong as the previous royals or is it all degraded? I had to know more.
The story starts off with a pretty standard trope of the MC not being able to remember anything about his past. This allows for some pretty good worldbuilding that doesn't feel forced, but it also let the author refer to the MC as "the boy" for 25% of the book. But even through this, I could feel while I was reading the story that I needed to know how all of this was going to play out. In this regard the story did it's job, it never had any pacing issues and it kept me fully intrigued throughout.
There is a couple of different pov's in this book and it'll switch frequently in the middle of a chapter. I actually enjoy this style of writing instead of every chapter being a single pov. It helps the book to not feel like it's dragging to get to certain parts. The MC goes through A LOT in this book. It's a pretty brutal coming of age. Be prepared for it to seem like there is no way out or any hope at all. The other pov's also have a hard time but it's a lot more bearable than the MC. I enjoyed each of them. The author managed to play around with my emotions in a couple of different parts of the book.
There isn't really any standard magic in this book. It all centers around the descendant's blood, it makes them faster/stronger and able to heal wounds incredibly fast. It can also be used to heal others, the stronger the bloodline the stronger the results. The royals of old could heal wounds instantly and were worth 50 regular bloods in a fight.
In the end I was satisfied with this book but also let down in some ways. The story was nice, the pacing was great, the characters were good, and the action scenes were well written. BUT, I feel like none of the big questions ever made progress in being answered. The ending also wasn't as explosive as I was expecting, but it did end on a cliff hanger that made me really want to read the next book. I feel like I MIGHT know the main plot twist. I would definitely recommend this book, if you can overlook the phrase "the boy" being mentioned a lot in the first 25% of the book, there is a really solid story waiting for you.
January 3, 2022
Owned TBR Reading Challenge 27/26
Allen wrote a book the gripped me from the beginning. His world building is subtle and his magic system simple, yet I was immediately fascinated with the implications and could see the world (and all of its conflict) unfold before me. The pacing of the book was a bit uneven. (We could’ve lived in the climax a little longer). There are still questions left to be answered and I’m sure they will be in Dark Blood. If you are into fantasy, give this one a try!
Allen wrote a book the gripped me from the beginning. His world building is subtle and his magic system simple, yet I was immediately fascinated with the implications and could see the world (and all of its conflict) unfold before me. The pacing of the book was a bit uneven. (We could’ve lived in the climax a little longer). There are still questions left to be answered and I’m sure they will be in Dark Blood. If you are into fantasy, give this one a try!
October 5, 2025
Being my first book, this was a long process (hopefully the rest come faster!), but I’m proud of the finished story. I believe it’s a book I’d want to read, both the younger and current me. I hope you enjoy it, too.
April 19, 2022
In this gripping fantasy tale, the reader is transported to a different land that faces the problem of unbalanced power we often see in history. Not only did this book re-spark my love for the genre, but it made me ponder the inner strength we often under-utilize. 10/10 book; I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
February 28, 2019
Really entertaining—I couldn’t put it down! Clever premise, too. I’m looking forward to the sequel.
January 20, 2019
Don’t usually read fantasy but What a fast paced, action packed book this is! Hoping book 2 comes out soon!
January 10, 2020
I found this novel browsing through the fantasy options available on kindle unlimited. As I’d never heard of the author before I didn’t really know what to expect. The summary lead me to believe this would be the fairly standard fantasy coming of age story and that was just fine by me.
I was dead wrong, this story wasn’t anything like I had assumed. The dynamic that the land of Terence revolves around has lead to a bizarre and horrific civilization. The main character knows less about the world than the reader does, which allows us to learn a lot through his eyes. Many of the character archetype are familiar, but the individuals behind them feel unique and endearing. Good Blood reminded me a bit of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, but with a less sophisticated writing (which is more than fine for a debut novel).
I had recommended this book to two friends before finishing the first hundred pages and will likely continue to do so. I’m excited to continue this series and look forward to experiencing me by Allen as he continues his new career.
I was dead wrong, this story wasn’t anything like I had assumed. The dynamic that the land of Terence revolves around has lead to a bizarre and horrific civilization. The main character knows less about the world than the reader does, which allows us to learn a lot through his eyes. Many of the character archetype are familiar, but the individuals behind them feel unique and endearing. Good Blood reminded me a bit of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, but with a less sophisticated writing (which is more than fine for a debut novel).
I had recommended this book to two friends before finishing the first hundred pages and will likely continue to do so. I’m excited to continue this series and look forward to experiencing me by Allen as he continues his new career.
February 28, 2019
Fast paced and thrilling
A well developed plot that races along from one exciting scene to the next. Through Allen’s well chosen words Terene becomes real and it’s heroes believable.
A well developed plot that races along from one exciting scene to the next. Through Allen’s well chosen words Terene becomes real and it’s heroes believable.
October 3, 2021
Blood
Book was an enjoyable read. It was interesting to watch Ara. But I felt there parts missing. His reaction to certain things were glossed over. Little bit more depth would have nice.
Finally it made as if normal humans were vampires. Only in this case vampires were numerous and didn’t have any special power , but drinking the special blood allowed them to live longer.
Book was an enjoyable read. It was interesting to watch Ara. But I felt there parts missing. His reaction to certain things were glossed over. Little bit more depth would have nice.
Finally it made as if normal humans were vampires. Only in this case vampires were numerous and didn’t have any special power , but drinking the special blood allowed them to live longer.
November 8, 2018
Torture ,torture and further torture.
June 17, 2020
I haven’t read a fantasy book in a while, so this was fun to read!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews