What do you think?
Rate this book
Chronicles of the 13th Tribe #1
For Blood & Glory
Sefira Carrington is no stranger to tragedy. The death of her father as well as the curious mental decline and subsequent imprisonment of her mother, have left her truly and utterly alone. Despite her misfortune, she has managed to carve out a decent life for herself. She’s found a good family, friends and at sixteen, she’s finally realizing a semblance of normalcy.
That is, until she moves to Southern California. Strange things begin to happen. Things that become increasingly difficult for her to ignore. Suddenly, she finds herself thrust into a supernatural underworld that defies human comprehension. In this new world, a war is raging and in a cruel twist of fate, Sefira is somehow at the center of it. Something’s coming, and it will force her to reevaluate everything she’s ever been told and unearth the demons she thought she’d left behind.
Once she travels down this road, there’s no turning back….
That is, until she moves to Southern California. Strange things begin to happen. Things that become increasingly difficult for her to ignore. Suddenly, she finds herself thrust into a supernatural underworld that defies human comprehension. In this new world, a war is raging and in a cruel twist of fate, Sefira is somehow at the center of it. Something’s coming, and it will force her to reevaluate everything she’s ever been told and unearth the demons she thought she’d left behind.
Once she travels down this road, there’s no turning back….
- GenresFantasy
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2019
13 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra A. Hendricks
1 book13 followersCassandra Hendricks is a Southern California married mother of God-sends for kids. As a child, she dreamt of writing and becoming a spy. She abandoned both endeavors to get a "real" job. After graduating from Pepperdine University and USC Law School, she's right back where she started only this time, she's living her dream--hoping to elevate voices of color in the world of fantasy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 4, 2019
For Blood and Glory, was a roller coaster of a book. The story begins with a group of people finding a woman adrift in the middle of a large body of water. Shortly thereafter, our character Lyrica wakes up in the hospital and this book really begins to draw our attention. There are new born babies, secrets, deception, and displays of power normally reserved for the X-Men. Our story then flashes forward and we see a bit more into the mystery of Lyrica's life.
Our story then takes a quick turn and we no longer follow Lyrica's story, but her daughter Sefira. The switch was pretty abrupt and at first I was confused, but as we dove deeper in Sefira (love that name by the way) and her past, we were able to glean more into Lyrica's story and the journey that the first few chapters began for us. We follow Sefira as she makes new friends who were an interesting squad that I would have loved to see more of. Sefira even meets, a boy who takes her FISHING!! It's a small spoiler but it is now by dream date idea and I had to share it. While we spent a lot of time with Sefira's friends, high school enemies, and love interested Kaetano (our fisheman!), we also get to know Sefira's new family. I really love Sefira's relationship with her mom and sister, but man that brother of hers. I do wish we, as readers, could have spent a bit more time with Sefira's family, the relationship between Sefira and her mother was pretty solid, but I wish we could have had flashbacks or something to help us understand the hatred her brother had for her and how she came to bond with her sister.
One of the biggest characters that come in to play is Blythe. What a handful, and I say this knowing that I would probably act a lot like her. Like Sefira, Blythe is also going through some strange developments, but she's come to understand them better than Sefira has. It's almost a slight stretch of the imagination how well shes come to adapt to these changes with so little knowledge, but it didn't bother me too much. Sefira was definitely the protagonist of this story but I would kill for Blythe's backstory. I don't even feel like I can tell you why without revealing some truths that are better left read about in the book. But I have a feeling we'll read more about her past in the sequel.
I liked this book. I'm a fan of urban fantasy so this was right up my alley. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that it's appropriate for younger teens, something that's been an important topic in the Teen Librarian world.
To check out more of my book reviews, visit my blog here
Our story then takes a quick turn and we no longer follow Lyrica's story, but her daughter Sefira. The switch was pretty abrupt and at first I was confused, but as we dove deeper in Sefira (love that name by the way) and her past, we were able to glean more into Lyrica's story and the journey that the first few chapters began for us. We follow Sefira as she makes new friends who were an interesting squad that I would have loved to see more of. Sefira even meets, a boy who takes her FISHING!! It's a small spoiler but it is now by dream date idea and I had to share it. While we spent a lot of time with Sefira's friends, high school enemies, and love interested Kaetano (our fisheman!), we also get to know Sefira's new family. I really love Sefira's relationship with her mom and sister, but man that brother of hers. I do wish we, as readers, could have spent a bit more time with Sefira's family, the relationship between Sefira and her mother was pretty solid, but I wish we could have had flashbacks or something to help us understand the hatred her brother had for her and how she came to bond with her sister.
One of the biggest characters that come in to play is Blythe. What a handful, and I say this knowing that I would probably act a lot like her. Like Sefira, Blythe is also going through some strange developments, but she's come to understand them better than Sefira has. It's almost a slight stretch of the imagination how well shes come to adapt to these changes with so little knowledge, but it didn't bother me too much. Sefira was definitely the protagonist of this story but I would kill for Blythe's backstory. I don't even feel like I can tell you why without revealing some truths that are better left read about in the book. But I have a feeling we'll read more about her past in the sequel.
I liked this book. I'm a fan of urban fantasy so this was right up my alley. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that it's appropriate for younger teens, something that's been an important topic in the Teen Librarian world.
To check out more of my book reviews, visit my blog here
May 4, 2019
Biased, yes--but it's a great book! If you've grown tired of vampires and werewolves, give it a try! It's filled with magic, mystery and intrigue. Think you'll like it!
May 13, 2019
Wonderful start and character development with a rushed ending
For Blood & Glory starts off with a bang as a group of teenagers find a pregnant woman in the water. This woman is taken to a hospital and treated, though, through the eyes of a nurse, things seem a little wonky with her test results as well as how the other professionals treat the poor woman. Fast-forward fifteen years and we're following the woman's daughter, Sefira, and her life as a highschooler living in a new town with her adopted family and having to rebuild relationships and status. However, this is no simple coming-of-age story, for Sefira starts to discover that there is more to her and her birth family than meets the eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the characters and how each of them had a distinct personality and voice, even the minor characters such as Sefira's friends. I've read other books were even main characters all seem to blend together into one cohesive being that has the same voice. One of my favorite characters is Blythe, who is introduced in about halfway through. There is definitely no one else like her and she has a unique way of handling various situations.
A couple of times during the book there were some world/plot-specific words thrown around that I didn't quite understand. An explanation of these words seemed to be missing, or at least I must have missed it. Also, toward the end of the book, there was a large information dump of the more supernatural facets of the world. A mean a large information dump. But even then, it left more questions rather than answers. Granted, I'm intrigued to see what happens next in the sequel, which is good. Yet, I don't think that it really closed the chapter on this book very well.
Overall, I really liked it For Blood & Glory and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Hendricks.
For Blood & Glory starts off with a bang as a group of teenagers find a pregnant woman in the water. This woman is taken to a hospital and treated, though, through the eyes of a nurse, things seem a little wonky with her test results as well as how the other professionals treat the poor woman. Fast-forward fifteen years and we're following the woman's daughter, Sefira, and her life as a highschooler living in a new town with her adopted family and having to rebuild relationships and status. However, this is no simple coming-of-age story, for Sefira starts to discover that there is more to her and her birth family than meets the eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the characters and how each of them had a distinct personality and voice, even the minor characters such as Sefira's friends. I've read other books were even main characters all seem to blend together into one cohesive being that has the same voice. One of my favorite characters is Blythe, who is introduced in about halfway through. There is definitely no one else like her and she has a unique way of handling various situations.
A couple of times during the book there were some world/plot-specific words thrown around that I didn't quite understand. An explanation of these words seemed to be missing, or at least I must have missed it. Also, toward the end of the book, there was a large information dump of the more supernatural facets of the world. A mean a large information dump. But even then, it left more questions rather than answers. Granted, I'm intrigued to see what happens next in the sequel, which is good. Yet, I don't think that it really closed the chapter on this book very well.
Overall, I really liked it For Blood & Glory and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Hendricks.
March 12, 2019
I was provided a free ARC for this book, but I didn't even really read the blurb before I dived in.
So of course I was taken by surprise in a flurry of several good ways.
The prologue set the stage very nicely. Some readers might be saddened because after the prologue it becomes a very different book, but in a good way. Despite this being a coming-of-age story that engages in some of the usual YA tropes, I never felt that this story was overindulgent in certain things like say, pushing so much of the character's self-worth on a certain love interest. In fact, I kinda liked the focus on the protagonist's search for family with some shades of romance in the background.
Semi-vague spoilers follow:
If there was anything that I really liked, it was how despite this being a fantasy piece, the author decided to eskew exploring those fantasy trappings/places in favor of setting up character development for its main characters first. As such, this book kinda feels like a first mini-season of a tv show, but in the best way. The awesome first season that has no filler, setting the stage for more seasons, but perhaps being the gold standard that other seasons may not be able to match(looking at you Riverdale).
So yeah, in short, I really enjoyed it and it's a 4-stars for me. The last few chapters could have been a little longer so as it didn't need to feel too rushed at the end, but those are the only faults I can see so far.
I do tend to judge my interest from books by the book covers they show, so I have to say, I think the book does deserve a better book cover, because if I had seen that book cover in a shop, I probably wouldn't even give the book a second glance. It's just too generic for me, in contrast to the engaging, dynamic content inside.
So of course I was taken by surprise in a flurry of several good ways.
The prologue set the stage very nicely. Some readers might be saddened because after the prologue it becomes a very different book, but in a good way. Despite this being a coming-of-age story that engages in some of the usual YA tropes, I never felt that this story was overindulgent in certain things like say, pushing so much of the character's self-worth on a certain love interest. In fact, I kinda liked the focus on the protagonist's search for family with some shades of romance in the background.
Semi-vague spoilers follow:
If there was anything that I really liked, it was how despite this being a fantasy piece, the author decided to eskew exploring those fantasy trappings/places in favor of setting up character development for its main characters first. As such, this book kinda feels like a first mini-season of a tv show, but in the best way. The awesome first season that has no filler, setting the stage for more seasons, but perhaps being the gold standard that other seasons may not be able to match(looking at you Riverdale).
So yeah, in short, I really enjoyed it and it's a 4-stars for me. The last few chapters could have been a little longer so as it didn't need to feel too rushed at the end, but those are the only faults I can see so far.
I do tend to judge my interest from books by the book covers they show, so I have to say, I think the book does deserve a better book cover, because if I had seen that book cover in a shop, I probably wouldn't even give the book a second glance. It's just too generic for me, in contrast to the engaging, dynamic content inside.
March 13, 2019
So, I received this book as an ARC and I must say, I'm blown away. I enjoyed this book so much that I read it twice. Apparently, the author made some updates and I really like what she did. Character development is something she focuses on which is nice because the story is told from multiple points of view. And many of the characters are of color. Yeah! Nice to see some diversity. As far as pacing goes, I couldn't put the book down and that's saying a lot. I don't want to give away the ending. Let's just say I can't wait for the next book!
February 16, 2019
I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book before the official release, and this might be the best book I've ever read in my life. Fell in love with the characters and storylines. Wont spoil anything, but I can't wait to have more people to talk about the book with and I'm practically counting down days for the rest of the series!
June 24, 2019
This book is excellent, I loved the story, it has everything, action, romance, it makes me feel a lot of emotions. At first it was a little confusing but at the end everything became clear.
Este libro es excelente, ame la historia, tiene un poco de todo, accion, romance, me hizo sentir muchas cosas. Al principio era algo confuso, pero al final todo se aclaro.
Este libro es excelente, ame la historia, tiene un poco de todo, accion, romance, me hizo sentir muchas cosas. Al principio era algo confuso, pero al final todo se aclaro.
March 21, 2019
Note: This review based on the ARC, some changes may exist in the final copy.
This was an enjoyable and solid entry to a fantasy series that has a lot of potential. It was a bit slow moving at times and I am impatient to find out more about the lore and history around the characters. It seems like it's going to have an interesting and unique take on the magic/fantasy element to it, but very little is revealed so far in this first book. I love Blythe and I am really intrigued by the character that is revealed towards the end of the book. Now that the character backgrounds have been thoroughly established and explored, I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here with the rest of the series.
This was an enjoyable and solid entry to a fantasy series that has a lot of potential. It was a bit slow moving at times and I am impatient to find out more about the lore and history around the characters. It seems like it's going to have an interesting and unique take on the magic/fantasy element to it, but very little is revealed so far in this first book. I love Blythe and I am really intrigued by the character that is revealed towards the end of the book. Now that the character backgrounds have been thoroughly established and explored, I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here with the rest of the series.
February 27, 2025
I need more!! I went into this blind with this new to me author and narrator. And boy, was I surprised and impressed. It was more than I expected.
I may have picked this based on the stunningly beautiful cover and the genre I was in the mood for, but the gem hiding inside kept me coming back for more.
This had a great gradual build up into an EPIC storyline where I didn’t want to stop. The details were graphic, the characters were unique, the world building was on par.
I’m getting ready to purchase the paperback to read it again and share with my daughter. I need someone to talk to about it.
Darren took an already amazing story and brought it alive to a level that exceeded my expectations. The detail and diversity he acted out had me visualizing the scenes and characters perfectly. All I can say is the author and narrator are meant to work together. They compliment each other nicely.
I’m now anxiously waiting for the next in The Chronicles of the 13th Tribe. I need more now!
I highly recommend this read/listen.
I may have picked this based on the stunningly beautiful cover and the genre I was in the mood for, but the gem hiding inside kept me coming back for more.
This had a great gradual build up into an EPIC storyline where I didn’t want to stop. The details were graphic, the characters were unique, the world building was on par.
I’m getting ready to purchase the paperback to read it again and share with my daughter. I need someone to talk to about it.
Darren took an already amazing story and brought it alive to a level that exceeded my expectations. The detail and diversity he acted out had me visualizing the scenes and characters perfectly. All I can say is the author and narrator are meant to work together. They compliment each other nicely.
I’m now anxiously waiting for the next in The Chronicles of the 13th Tribe. I need more now!
I highly recommend this read/listen.
June 8, 2020
Without given away to much of the book. It will definitely having you asking or second guessing who's who in your everyday surrounds. I love the suspenseful, Sci-Fi and magical thriller to the end. A must read....
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews