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Kingdom of Blood and Ash #2
Thirst for Vampire
Vampires destroyed my world. Now I'm going to destroy theirs.
I took it all for granted. I grew up protected in an elite compound, waiting for the day I'd be claimed by an elite and taken to the citadel of lights to begin my training. But after barely surviving my trials, the king discovers I'm renitent - a rare human that can resist his compulsion. Now I'm public enemy #1, hiding out with the rebels in the dystopian wasteland, full of poisonous ash and dangerous beasts.
Our only hope is to discover the ancient antidote my grandfather stole from my vampire fiance Damien, but things go from bad to worse quickly when a chance encounter with a mutid bear turns into a three-way with my worst enemy. But I'm stronger now, and faster. Or so I think.
The truth is so much larger than I ever imagined, but if I find the source of the king's century-old lie, I may be able to reclaim the skies for good and finally drive the vampires into the shadows where they belong.
I took it all for granted. I grew up protected in an elite compound, waiting for the day I'd be claimed by an elite and taken to the citadel of lights to begin my training. But after barely surviving my trials, the king discovers I'm renitent - a rare human that can resist his compulsion. Now I'm public enemy #1, hiding out with the rebels in the dystopian wasteland, full of poisonous ash and dangerous beasts.
Our only hope is to discover the ancient antidote my grandfather stole from my vampire fiance Damien, but things go from bad to worse quickly when a chance encounter with a mutid bear turns into a three-way with my worst enemy. But I'm stronger now, and faster. Or so I think.
The truth is so much larger than I ever imagined, but if I find the source of the king's century-old lie, I may be able to reclaim the skies for good and finally drive the vampires into the shadows where they belong.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2019
146 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 23, 2022
I have come to the conclusion this is not a paranormal romance. That being said, the storyline is riveting! There is drama, those who let you down, those who surprise you, and the long-awaited cliff hanger. Great read!
No romance though, so if you need it to enjoy a read this is not the one for you.
Damien is still on the road going nowhere for me. Truly do not see him as being worthy of Emily. I cannot see how he can redeem himself at this point. Just simply not strong enough for her.
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
No romance though, so if you need it to enjoy a read this is not the one for you.
Damien is still on the road going nowhere for me. Truly do not see him as being worthy of Emily. I cannot see how he can redeem himself at this point. Just simply not strong enough for her.
Happy reading,
DD 🥂
February 16, 2024
Over the course of many months I forced myself to read these books only because I like Derek as a person and as a writing coach, and I thought I might learn a thing or two out of reading his YA fiction. Surely a man with all this knowledge and experience must be an excellent writer himself, right?
Wrong
Those who can’t, teach, and this horribly written series is quite the example of it. I want both to steer readers away from this terrible book and help writers (Derek himself included) avoid the mistakes mentioned below, so this is going to be long. Very long.
Note: This review is a combination of book 1 and 2, and I have no intention of reading the third one.
*********Spoilers ahead.*********
Everything wrong with this book:
POV:
-Emily, the main character, can describe how her own hair shines under the moonlight.
-She can describe other people’s expressions, feelings, and reactions even when she’s not directly looking at them (she can tell when someone behind her back winces, raises an eyebrow or looks angry).
-She can also describe how soft her blankets are even before she’s even awake to notice them.
-Also, she keeps referring to her own complexion as “my milky-white skin”, “my fair skin”, or “my eggshell-white skin”. It’s evident that at least the initial drafts were written in a third person, and were later changed to a first person narrator just to copy popular books from the early 2000’s like The Hunger Games and Divergent.
Book Cover:
-The book cover shows a brunette with bronze skin in a red dress. But Emily is described as pale white and usually wears blue or pink dresses.
Female representation:
-Unless this was written by a 13 year old girl who’s never read anything but tumblr posts and wattpad fan fics, there’s no excuse for the way girls are represented here. To think a man in his 30’s wrote this, a man who by the way has daughters of his own, makes this all the more concerning.
-So in this book, teenage girls are nothing but trophies to be paraded around by powerful, wealthy men, the Elite (this is how vampires are referred to in the story). Elites come once a year to the impoverished compounds to choose a young, virgin girl for a wife, so the girls are not allowed to even date before the choosing ceremony, only after the Elites have decided not to take them. So pretty much, humans get the Elite spoils.
- If they do get chosen, Stockholm syndrome takes over at once and the girls immediately fall in love with their new owners, even if they were terrified of them before.
-The Elite takes his chosen girl to live in his castle (they all have castles), where he gets to decide on her wardrobe, her meals, can force her to attend social events, and can even force her to have sex with him (by the way, they are all minors, Emily is barely 16, and I think the oldest girl is 18). The chosen girls' lives revolve around entirely around their men, they even have to train to become strong enough to protect them (more on that later) and are expected to become an example of beauty, manners, and strength to every other girl out there.
-So all they human girls have to be pretty, subservient, obedient and virginal. On the other hand, the Elite can, and often do, have mistresses, frequent brothels, marry more than once in their lives and can return a girl home to her parents for any reason, at any time, which is supposed to be really bad but is not like the more girls from a given town are chosen, the more favors that town gets or anything. But I guess it's humiliating, so no girl ever wants to go back.
-Girls are always fawning over whoever the alpha male is at the moment. Emily bounces between her elite fiancé Damien and her best friend Trevor, depending on who’s in charge of her life at any given time.
-If the girls are by themselves, they still submit to a hierarchy of power: whenever an Elite woman is not present (even the lowest ranked elite, like a maid) to tell them what to do, the role will fall on the shoulders of the oldest girl on the group. This means that Emily is never the one to suggest which path to take or where to go; she relies on either any elite female or older girl to make all the calls for her.
-When a men is present, either human or elite (including in fighting squads or search parties) girls become quiet and submissive, following the lead of any man around even if he is weaker, younger or less experienced than they are. Emily justifies her passiveness by saying she wants to hide her powers so she won’t frighten people, but...I mean, they only keep her BECAUSE of her powers, they need to understand the extend of her abilities, but no, she just won't show them if there's a man around.
-Not a single woman in this story is truly in charge of anything in her own life. Just because they fight in puffy dresses (which they often do) does not make this a female empowerment story.
The Choosing:
The whole point of having a choosing ceremony is so that The Elite have a constant supply of fresh blood and don’t need to hunt humans for food. Okay, fine. But, Elites are all sterile and can’t breed anyways so there’s no need for them to choose ONLY young, virgin girls. Literally, anyone would do. Why going thru this whole "choose a bride" thing if marriage is pointless anyway?
-Why is choosing reserve for male Elites only? Don’t female Elites need fresh blood as well? Can a female Elite choose a virgin male as well? Apparently not.
-If humans have no saying on the matter regardless, why are there no Elites choosing same sex partners? Can we just choose a healthy boy or girl from town and send them every year as an offering instead of going through all this?
The Trials:
-So after choosing a poor, underage, virgin girl, the male Elite takes her to the fancy Capital to marry her. However, before the wedding, the girls need to prove their worth by fighting each other to death in an absurd Hunger Games-like event which is also televised across the country. So they have to train to not only survive the trials but also become strong enough to protect their husbands should the need arrive.
-Why, though? Each Elite has his own army, why do they need to turn the girls into their personal bodyguards? And why do they need to make the girls fight each other to death? Just so they die in the arena and the Elite can go hunt for another virgin next year? Don’t they need the girls to stay alive so they can feed on them? Isn’t it an unnecessary waste of blood to get a girl brutally murdered on screen for amusement?
The Plot:
-Emily’s motivations are whatever the plot needs it to be. They change by the chapter, and conflicts are usually resolved as soon as they arise. For instance, in book one it takes almost 4 chapters to establish her motivation is to save her sick mother. She never gets around doing anything about it other than thinking of some convoluted plans involving spitting on a napkin, but then the choosing ceremony happens and it gets in the way. After getting chosen and taken to the Capital, she is so dazzled by her Elite fiancé and the splendors around her that she forgets completely about her mother and her new goal becomes to seduce her fiancé and win the trials. It takes her WEEKS to remember that she wanted to help her mother, and then all it takes to resolve this plot point is to ask Damian to help her. And he does. But none of it matters because her mother gets immediately killed by the bad guys anyways.
-King Richard (the main bad guy) takes Emily’s younger siblings hostage but like, they are taken to a palace and they don’t even know they are hostages, so….who cares? For all intends and purposes, they now have a better life than they ever did at the compound. But then Emily’s new motivation becomes to rescue her siblings. Instead, she joins some rebels humans who want to overthrow the Elites and her new goal becomes finding a cure for vampirism, which, you know, fine, that’s a worthy goal, but why, tho? So she can turn Damian human and feel a little less guilty about marrying him?
- Emily’s family members are nothing but props, they don't even have personalities; her siblings don’t even have dialogs! It’s never believable that she cares about them, or humanity for that matter, all she cares about is saving Damian and even if she fails, she is also conveniently in loved with Trevor so it's a win-win for her eitherway.
Evident revisions:
-It’s quite evident when the author came up with an idea to advance the plot, only to realize he hadn’t established it earlier, and proceed to work his way back to shoehorn it in whenever possible. Maybe I'm the only one who notices this, but it's like he wrote the scenes out of place (which is fine) but then had to figure out how to connect them. For example, there's a scene where a tavern brawl takes place and the situation escalated so much, the author had to retroactively insert a new character who only shows up that one time to save the girls and get them out of the situation. But it was so evident when he introduced the new character (by way of Emily spotting him briefly at the distance) just so that it would make sense form him to be the one who would intervene later on. Like I said, maybe because I'm also a writer I can spot this little details, but this happened so much so often that it became quite evident and it bothered me.
World building:
-The author could not decide what type of world he wanted to write about: fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi, paranormal, so he wrote them all. Sometimes we live in a post-apocalyptic world where nothing of the past remains except a few pieces of technology (like electric pumps), other times we live in fully futuristic cities with enough resources to build tracking devices that can also perform constant blood-work on the wearer.
-In a single setting, such as Damian’s castle, we switch between having electrical lights to using candles (in a library, of all places).
-Animals are supposed to be poisonous mutations due to radiation, yet Emily hunts them for food.
-Vampires, werewolves, telepathy, mind control, and powers inherited through bloodline exist, but are explained away as science magic.
-Rebels sometimes have guns and bombs, other times the same group of rebels have nothing but swords and arrows.
-Sometimes we have cars and motorcycles, other times we have horses and carriages. It is as if the author kept forgetting what type of tech each faction was supposed to have and just wrote whatever sounded coolest at the time.
Strange LGTB inclusions:
-The only two female characters romantically involved with each other are not white, american girls (the story is supposed to take place in a post-apocaliptic America). One is black and the other albino, both come from far away territories like the North Pole or an island. They are also portrayed as more promiscuous than the pure, pristine, virginal, American Emily. So, it's like the author says that being lesbian is okay, provided you are not a white american.
-Thomas, an Elite clearly portrayed as a flamboyant, fashion-loving queer vampire in one chapter, gets turned into a 100% straight, macho man by the next. The first time we see him is hinted at the fact that Thomas had feelings for Damian and only married to keep appearances; that later on gets changed to them being simply really good friends who barely interact with each other for the remainder of the story. So non-white lesbians are okay, but gay man ARE NOT OKAY WE DON'T DO THAT HERE
Continuity issues:
-Damian’s eyes switch from green to blue at least twice across the story.
-At one point King Richard is called King Robert.
-Emily keeps forgetting she hates the red birthmarks on her hands and goes from being obsessed to keep her gloves on, to not wearing them for days.
-Emily keeps saying Damian doesn’t love her even though every time they are together he tells her, explicitly, that he does.
-Emily claims she has read every book in her town at least three times so she has an extensive knowledge of the world, but can’t recognize normal everyday items such as hair brushes.
-Emily is able to recognize marble, satin, and silk just by looking at them but doesn’t know what a motorcycle is.
-Peasants are supposed to be extremely poor and malnourished yet they have eggs, bacon and coffee almost every week (again, animals are supposed to be poisonous).
-The sun hasn’t shone in almost a century but people still farm and grow crops somehow.
-It’s only been 100 years since humanity devolved into this war between vampires and humans, yet we have entirely new civilizations with complex organized religions and political systems that would have otherwise take hundreds of years to form.
-There’s no one old enough to pass down knowledge from before the wars (I think the oldest human in the books was said to be in his early 50’s).
-An asian woman becomes a doctor and a scientist capable of replicating vaccines and complex pieces of engineering just by reading books.
-One of the vampires uses her mind control powers to trick some characters into eating rotten food FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT. If so, how did none of them get sick enough to sense something was off?
-There are a few sex scenes which are extremely uncomfortable to read considering the character’s age, but I think it’s more an issue of the delivery, of how a man tries to portray female arousal that really comes across as a more of a male fantasy than anything else.
-Emily knows werewolves are human and can be turned back into people, yet still refers to them as beasts or monsters and has no problems killing them whenever she encounters one.
-Emily has no agency: things happen to her instead of because of her actions. Whenever she acts on her own, she usually makes things worse yet takes no accountability for it (other than feeling guilty) and her actions either never get discovered or are immediately forgiven.
-Each new reveal is more absurd than the last, and is usually delivered using dialogue exposition (the bad guy even goes on an evil monologue at some point) or by Emily getting a dream/vision that explains/solves everything.
-Damien’s insta crush for Emily is explained by saying she is the granddaughter of the man he was best friends with years ago, who she also resembles a bit. Make that what you will
This has been really long, and barely scratches the surface of everything that’s wrong with these books. If you are 18+ and want a better love story about vampires farming humans for blood, go read the korean webcomic “Blood Bank”. It’s intended for mature audiences, yet the themes, character development and plot are much better handled in around 61 chapters than these books ever could in over 1000 pages.
Wrong
Those who can’t, teach, and this horribly written series is quite the example of it. I want both to steer readers away from this terrible book and help writers (Derek himself included) avoid the mistakes mentioned below, so this is going to be long. Very long.
Note: This review is a combination of book 1 and 2, and I have no intention of reading the third one.
*********Spoilers ahead.*********
Everything wrong with this book:
POV:
-Emily, the main character, can describe how her own hair shines under the moonlight.
-She can describe other people’s expressions, feelings, and reactions even when she’s not directly looking at them (she can tell when someone behind her back winces, raises an eyebrow or looks angry).
-She can also describe how soft her blankets are even before she’s even awake to notice them.
-Also, she keeps referring to her own complexion as “my milky-white skin”, “my fair skin”, or “my eggshell-white skin”. It’s evident that at least the initial drafts were written in a third person, and were later changed to a first person narrator just to copy popular books from the early 2000’s like The Hunger Games and Divergent.
Book Cover:
-The book cover shows a brunette with bronze skin in a red dress. But Emily is described as pale white and usually wears blue or pink dresses.
Female representation:
-Unless this was written by a 13 year old girl who’s never read anything but tumblr posts and wattpad fan fics, there’s no excuse for the way girls are represented here. To think a man in his 30’s wrote this, a man who by the way has daughters of his own, makes this all the more concerning.
-So in this book, teenage girls are nothing but trophies to be paraded around by powerful, wealthy men, the Elite (this is how vampires are referred to in the story). Elites come once a year to the impoverished compounds to choose a young, virgin girl for a wife, so the girls are not allowed to even date before the choosing ceremony, only after the Elites have decided not to take them. So pretty much, humans get the Elite spoils.
- If they do get chosen, Stockholm syndrome takes over at once and the girls immediately fall in love with their new owners, even if they were terrified of them before.
-The Elite takes his chosen girl to live in his castle (they all have castles), where he gets to decide on her wardrobe, her meals, can force her to attend social events, and can even force her to have sex with him (by the way, they are all minors, Emily is barely 16, and I think the oldest girl is 18). The chosen girls' lives revolve around entirely around their men, they even have to train to become strong enough to protect them (more on that later) and are expected to become an example of beauty, manners, and strength to every other girl out there.
-So all they human girls have to be pretty, subservient, obedient and virginal. On the other hand, the Elite can, and often do, have mistresses, frequent brothels, marry more than once in their lives and can return a girl home to her parents for any reason, at any time, which is supposed to be really bad but is not like the more girls from a given town are chosen, the more favors that town gets or anything. But I guess it's humiliating, so no girl ever wants to go back.
-Girls are always fawning over whoever the alpha male is at the moment. Emily bounces between her elite fiancé Damien and her best friend Trevor, depending on who’s in charge of her life at any given time.
-If the girls are by themselves, they still submit to a hierarchy of power: whenever an Elite woman is not present (even the lowest ranked elite, like a maid) to tell them what to do, the role will fall on the shoulders of the oldest girl on the group. This means that Emily is never the one to suggest which path to take or where to go; she relies on either any elite female or older girl to make all the calls for her.
-When a men is present, either human or elite (including in fighting squads or search parties) girls become quiet and submissive, following the lead of any man around even if he is weaker, younger or less experienced than they are. Emily justifies her passiveness by saying she wants to hide her powers so she won’t frighten people, but...I mean, they only keep her BECAUSE of her powers, they need to understand the extend of her abilities, but no, she just won't show them if there's a man around.
-Not a single woman in this story is truly in charge of anything in her own life. Just because they fight in puffy dresses (which they often do) does not make this a female empowerment story.
The Choosing:
The whole point of having a choosing ceremony is so that The Elite have a constant supply of fresh blood and don’t need to hunt humans for food. Okay, fine. But, Elites are all sterile and can’t breed anyways so there’s no need for them to choose ONLY young, virgin girls. Literally, anyone would do. Why going thru this whole "choose a bride" thing if marriage is pointless anyway?
-Why is choosing reserve for male Elites only? Don’t female Elites need fresh blood as well? Can a female Elite choose a virgin male as well? Apparently not.
-If humans have no saying on the matter regardless, why are there no Elites choosing same sex partners? Can we just choose a healthy boy or girl from town and send them every year as an offering instead of going through all this?
The Trials:
-So after choosing a poor, underage, virgin girl, the male Elite takes her to the fancy Capital to marry her. However, before the wedding, the girls need to prove their worth by fighting each other to death in an absurd Hunger Games-like event which is also televised across the country. So they have to train to not only survive the trials but also become strong enough to protect their husbands should the need arrive.
-Why, though? Each Elite has his own army, why do they need to turn the girls into their personal bodyguards? And why do they need to make the girls fight each other to death? Just so they die in the arena and the Elite can go hunt for another virgin next year? Don’t they need the girls to stay alive so they can feed on them? Isn’t it an unnecessary waste of blood to get a girl brutally murdered on screen for amusement?
The Plot:
-Emily’s motivations are whatever the plot needs it to be. They change by the chapter, and conflicts are usually resolved as soon as they arise. For instance, in book one it takes almost 4 chapters to establish her motivation is to save her sick mother. She never gets around doing anything about it other than thinking of some convoluted plans involving spitting on a napkin, but then the choosing ceremony happens and it gets in the way. After getting chosen and taken to the Capital, she is so dazzled by her Elite fiancé and the splendors around her that she forgets completely about her mother and her new goal becomes to seduce her fiancé and win the trials. It takes her WEEKS to remember that she wanted to help her mother, and then all it takes to resolve this plot point is to ask Damian to help her. And he does. But none of it matters because her mother gets immediately killed by the bad guys anyways.
-King Richard (the main bad guy) takes Emily’s younger siblings hostage but like, they are taken to a palace and they don’t even know they are hostages, so….who cares? For all intends and purposes, they now have a better life than they ever did at the compound. But then Emily’s new motivation becomes to rescue her siblings. Instead, she joins some rebels humans who want to overthrow the Elites and her new goal becomes finding a cure for vampirism, which, you know, fine, that’s a worthy goal, but why, tho? So she can turn Damian human and feel a little less guilty about marrying him?
- Emily’s family members are nothing but props, they don't even have personalities; her siblings don’t even have dialogs! It’s never believable that she cares about them, or humanity for that matter, all she cares about is saving Damian and even if she fails, she is also conveniently in loved with Trevor so it's a win-win for her eitherway.
Evident revisions:
-It’s quite evident when the author came up with an idea to advance the plot, only to realize he hadn’t established it earlier, and proceed to work his way back to shoehorn it in whenever possible. Maybe I'm the only one who notices this, but it's like he wrote the scenes out of place (which is fine) but then had to figure out how to connect them. For example, there's a scene where a tavern brawl takes place and the situation escalated so much, the author had to retroactively insert a new character who only shows up that one time to save the girls and get them out of the situation. But it was so evident when he introduced the new character (by way of Emily spotting him briefly at the distance) just so that it would make sense form him to be the one who would intervene later on. Like I said, maybe because I'm also a writer I can spot this little details, but this happened so much so often that it became quite evident and it bothered me.
World building:
-The author could not decide what type of world he wanted to write about: fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi, paranormal, so he wrote them all. Sometimes we live in a post-apocalyptic world where nothing of the past remains except a few pieces of technology (like electric pumps), other times we live in fully futuristic cities with enough resources to build tracking devices that can also perform constant blood-work on the wearer.
-In a single setting, such as Damian’s castle, we switch between having electrical lights to using candles (in a library, of all places).
-Animals are supposed to be poisonous mutations due to radiation, yet Emily hunts them for food.
-Vampires, werewolves, telepathy, mind control, and powers inherited through bloodline exist, but are explained away as science magic.
-Rebels sometimes have guns and bombs, other times the same group of rebels have nothing but swords and arrows.
-Sometimes we have cars and motorcycles, other times we have horses and carriages. It is as if the author kept forgetting what type of tech each faction was supposed to have and just wrote whatever sounded coolest at the time.
Strange LGTB inclusions:
-The only two female characters romantically involved with each other are not white, american girls (the story is supposed to take place in a post-apocaliptic America). One is black and the other albino, both come from far away territories like the North Pole or an island. They are also portrayed as more promiscuous than the pure, pristine, virginal, American Emily. So, it's like the author says that being lesbian is okay, provided you are not a white american.
-Thomas, an Elite clearly portrayed as a flamboyant, fashion-loving queer vampire in one chapter, gets turned into a 100% straight, macho man by the next. The first time we see him is hinted at the fact that Thomas had feelings for Damian and only married to keep appearances; that later on gets changed to them being simply really good friends who barely interact with each other for the remainder of the story. So non-white lesbians are okay, but gay man ARE NOT OKAY WE DON'T DO THAT HERE
Continuity issues:
-Damian’s eyes switch from green to blue at least twice across the story.
-At one point King Richard is called King Robert.
-Emily keeps forgetting she hates the red birthmarks on her hands and goes from being obsessed to keep her gloves on, to not wearing them for days.
-Emily keeps saying Damian doesn’t love her even though every time they are together he tells her, explicitly, that he does.
-Emily claims she has read every book in her town at least three times so she has an extensive knowledge of the world, but can’t recognize normal everyday items such as hair brushes.
-Emily is able to recognize marble, satin, and silk just by looking at them but doesn’t know what a motorcycle is.
-Peasants are supposed to be extremely poor and malnourished yet they have eggs, bacon and coffee almost every week (again, animals are supposed to be poisonous).
-The sun hasn’t shone in almost a century but people still farm and grow crops somehow.
-It’s only been 100 years since humanity devolved into this war between vampires and humans, yet we have entirely new civilizations with complex organized religions and political systems that would have otherwise take hundreds of years to form.
-There’s no one old enough to pass down knowledge from before the wars (I think the oldest human in the books was said to be in his early 50’s).
-An asian woman becomes a doctor and a scientist capable of replicating vaccines and complex pieces of engineering just by reading books.
-One of the vampires uses her mind control powers to trick some characters into eating rotten food FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT. If so, how did none of them get sick enough to sense something was off?
-There are a few sex scenes which are extremely uncomfortable to read considering the character’s age, but I think it’s more an issue of the delivery, of how a man tries to portray female arousal that really comes across as a more of a male fantasy than anything else.
-Emily knows werewolves are human and can be turned back into people, yet still refers to them as beasts or monsters and has no problems killing them whenever she encounters one.
-Emily has no agency: things happen to her instead of because of her actions. Whenever she acts on her own, she usually makes things worse yet takes no accountability for it (other than feeling guilty) and her actions either never get discovered or are immediately forgiven.
-Each new reveal is more absurd than the last, and is usually delivered using dialogue exposition (the bad guy even goes on an evil monologue at some point) or by Emily getting a dream/vision that explains/solves everything.
-Damien’s insta crush for Emily is explained by saying she is the granddaughter of the man he was best friends with years ago, who she also resembles a bit. Make that what you will
This has been really long, and barely scratches the surface of everything that’s wrong with these books. If you are 18+ and want a better love story about vampires farming humans for blood, go read the korean webcomic “Blood Bank”. It’s intended for mature audiences, yet the themes, character development and plot are much better handled in around 61 chapters than these books ever could in over 1000 pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
March 29, 2020Available for preorder
Publication date: April 3oth
*blocks user that rated without reading*
Publication date: April 3oth
*blocks user that rated without reading*
July 26, 2020
Wow!!!
I read Taste when it first came out and have been patiently (kind of) waiting for Thirst to make its debut... the wait was certainly worth it!!! I couldn’t put it down and finished in a couple of days (would have been much sooner but toddlers rule the day when I’m not working)! The twists and turns kept me hanging on... I couldn’t wait to turn each page for more. Looking forward to reading part three!! This was a fantastic read!
I read Taste when it first came out and have been patiently (kind of) waiting for Thirst to make its debut... the wait was certainly worth it!!! I couldn’t put it down and finished in a couple of days (would have been much sooner but toddlers rule the day when I’m not working)! The twists and turns kept me hanging on... I couldn’t wait to turn each page for more. Looking forward to reading part three!! This was a fantastic read!
April 1, 2025
I’m actually liking this YA Dystopian PNR that is slowly building into an interesting story. Nothing different to the typical formula when reading this genre and most plot twists are predictable but still having a good time while I listen to the audiobook when walking.
October 26, 2025
3.5/5
I missed Damien sooooo much :(((
I missed Damien sooooo much :(((
July 27, 2020
A long awaited for book which did not disappoint, the story revolves around a dystopian world dominated by Elites who keep humans in compounds to provide their blood which the elites need to retain their immortality and for which in turn they provide an elixir. Ash covers the sky as it pours down and kills everything it falls on, people are required to wear masks if they venture outside the compounds where the air is cleared of ash through purifying machines. The King believed that his theory of live together or die apart was beneficial for both races, however a resistance has been getting stronger as more humans demand they be free, and are turning into rebels and living in the wild with all it's dangers. Emily is one of the chosen, and she was chosen by Prince Damien to be his bride, however King Philip his father realises that she is a renitent, and cannot be compelled by him and he tries to get her killed and he also holds her two siblings in his custody as guarantee, she won't turn against him. Emily escapes the Citadel of Light with Damien's help and joins the rebels and from thereon the story becomes one of survival of the fittest as the rebels run for their lives in search of an antidote to reverse the power of the elites. Emily risks her life many times and in the Lurks discovers more than she bargained for and knew she had to be the one to save humanity. The King, once a scientist must have gone crazy, and his evil machinations for absolute power knew no bounds and he was not going to let anyone stand in his way, but in Emily he had found his challenge! This 2nd book in the series is one big thrill from start to finish, Emily is a real kick ass heroine with her heart in the right place and a tremendous amount of courage. This series reminds me of the Hunger Games Series but with the Elite being vampires. I cannot wait and hope we do not have to wait for the 3rd book as long as we did for this one as the story ended on such a cliffhanger.
September 13, 2021
This is a Dystopian tale that felt like it may have borrowed from Hunger Games a bit much, but was just different enough to make it tantalizing. Still, the taste of something borrowed would seep into the story from time-to-time... up and until I got into the story.
Thirst, the second installment, ends on a cliffhanger like it's predecessor. The third installment of the trilogy (I think) is scheduled to be released towards the end of 2021.
Emily has escaped the Citadel, leaving Elite Prince Damien, her fiance, behind. She's joined the ranks of the rebel forces, but she struggles with her attraction to Damien and her friend Trevor. This portion of the series finds Emily on a quest for answers, and a potential cure. It has push and pull in a love-triangle of tension... as she tries to figure out to which of her love interests her heart belongs.
The story is great. I love the dystopian world where this takes place, and the story woven into the pages of this book. I couldn't put the book down, and I'm rather vexed I have to wait for the ending. Grrrr.
The book leaves the reader with some intense feelings of the confusing love-life of Emily has taken us... and wow, the climax of the book is something surreal.... with the secret of Damien's mother looming like a tantalizing plotline for the next book... and the changes to the world have opened up some interesting changes in the character dynamics.
Can't wait to see how this ends... and I hope it ends.
I do have to say, though, I was utterly distracted by the numerous grammar and spelling errors throughout the book. They were so many, that I had to start highlighting them as I read. Very distracting, but I was already invested in the story...
Thirst, the second installment, ends on a cliffhanger like it's predecessor. The third installment of the trilogy (I think) is scheduled to be released towards the end of 2021.
Emily has escaped the Citadel, leaving Elite Prince Damien, her fiance, behind. She's joined the ranks of the rebel forces, but she struggles with her attraction to Damien and her friend Trevor. This portion of the series finds Emily on a quest for answers, and a potential cure. It has push and pull in a love-triangle of tension... as she tries to figure out to which of her love interests her heart belongs.
The story is great. I love the dystopian world where this takes place, and the story woven into the pages of this book. I couldn't put the book down, and I'm rather vexed I have to wait for the ending. Grrrr.
The book leaves the reader with some intense feelings of the confusing love-life of Emily has taken us... and wow, the climax of the book is something surreal.... with the secret of Damien's mother looming like a tantalizing plotline for the next book... and the changes to the world have opened up some interesting changes in the character dynamics.
Can't wait to see how this ends... and I hope it ends.
I do have to say, though, I was utterly distracted by the numerous grammar and spelling errors throughout the book. They were so many, that I had to start highlighting them as I read. Very distracting, but I was already invested in the story...
October 21, 2020
Picks up where the first book left off and is more action packed. We have Trevor who is just more than expected. Damien who risks everything to help Emily and finds truths that hurt him and yet Emily doesn’t think about the affect those are having on him really. She is a little bit compassionate but not to much so. She becomes more one minded in this book. She wants to take down the vampires and get to the truth more than anything else. Damien does not really factor much in her thoughts as much as the truth does. This vampire shows her trust, understanding and love and is going through alot and sacrifices alot to help her. that is the one part that sticks in my craw when it comes to Emily. She only cares about one thing and doesn’t see past that well she does for Trevor. I love the sacrifice of Damien at the end. How he is who I thought he was. The last part to me felt a little forced and doesn’t really tell us much about the between from that dramatic ending to then. It’s rushed. OVerall the book was fast paced, kept you on your toes and rooting for Damien. I rooted for Damien more than Emily because of all he was going through. You wanted DAmien and Emily to overthrow Damien’s dad of course but it was Damien who really keeps you in this story for me. I loved the adventure of discovery and truths revealed. I love the emotion Damien goes through and his growth. How much he loves and respects Emily. I didn’t always feel Emily felt the same though. I love his sacrifices and how he wants to do what is right. A good story from beginning to end on taking down evil and the sacrifices that are made for the greater good.
July 26, 2020
This book was a long time coming. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. This book is low on action, heavy on inner musings of Emily.
Emily is not a hero I can get behind. I know she's a reluctant upstart,but she spends most of this book stumbling around from place to place, learning pieces of massively important information and doing nothing with them (until the end). She never once makes a plan, nor does she spend any of her time training or learning some new skills to help. There is an over reliance on the elixir, which seems to become a convenient plot point to show how "different" Emily is as a half-elite, but it's not consistent.
I know the main point of this story is to turn off the ash and kill the king so that the humans can live freely again, and now that has been achieved in book 2, what is the possible direction for book 3?
Emily is not a hero I can get behind. I know she's a reluctant upstart,but she spends most of this book stumbling around from place to place, learning pieces of massively important information and doing nothing with them (until the end). She never once makes a plan, nor does she spend any of her time training or learning some new skills to help. There is an over reliance on the elixir, which seems to become a convenient plot point to show how "different" Emily is as a half-elite, but it's not consistent.
I know the main point of this story is to turn off the ash and kill the king so that the humans can live freely again, and now that has been achieved in book 2, what is the possible direction for book 3?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2020
Thirst starts where Taste stops. I loved Taste, but I like Thirst just as well. The world building is fantastic. At times It was a little too realistic as there are mirrors of today's real world issues. I did find myself getting irritated with Emily waffling between Trevor and Damien. I understand why, but I still kept encouraging her in my mind which one I hoped she chose. The build up in the last few chapters still doesn't prepare you for the edge of your seat climax. It helps to read Taste before Thirst, things are explained well enough for this to be a stand alone. There is supposed to be a third title coming in this series. I don't see how it can top this book, but I am eagerly waiting to be proven wrong.
November 29, 2020
Thirst For Vampires ( Kindom of Blood and Ash Book 2)
What a brilliant second book and read. Emily is now being treated as a terrorist and being hunted as is Jazmine and Camina the other chosen. Damian had done nothing to help as he felt she had betrayed him. Still Emily was been protected as were the others. Trevor had joined the resistance and also was helping them. This story has more twists and turns to it. But flows from start to the end.
D.S. Murphy did an amazing job writing this second book cannot wait for the next one.
Recommend definitely
What a brilliant second book and read. Emily is now being treated as a terrorist and being hunted as is Jazmine and Camina the other chosen. Damian had done nothing to help as he felt she had betrayed him. Still Emily was been protected as were the others. Trevor had joined the resistance and also was helping them. This story has more twists and turns to it. But flows from start to the end.
D.S. Murphy did an amazing job writing this second book cannot wait for the next one.
Recommend definitely
April 27, 2022
Wow! So many things happening in this book. Also, I was pleasantly surprised at all the side quests and things that happened that I hadn't anticipated (don't want to spoil). Side note: the part where they were doing playback of when the infection/infestation happened and they were trying to pull a curfew and was all "my body, My choice" I was like wow...what a premonition for 2020! (This was written before Covid so I just thought it was crazy)🤪. I can't wait to see what's on the horizon (buh dum tiss) for Emily and her band of heroes.
November 12, 2022
After the fiasco at the trials, Emily escapes with the rebels and ends up at their hidden sanctuary. But not for long as she gets a clue to where the formula for the cure is. Hoping to prevent an ill-conceived rebel attack, Emily sets out on a journey with an odd assortment of friends to search for it. On their dangerous journey they discover more than they expected or wanted to.
Footnote: 1) How did they expect children and old people to get to their 2d refuge?
Fave scenes: getting rid of the bracelets, the berry trick, April’s hidden room and Sam’s three tests.
Footnote: 1) How did they expect children and old people to get to their 2d refuge?
Fave scenes: getting rid of the bracelets, the berry trick, April’s hidden room and Sam’s three tests.
August 9, 2023
What a exciting trip as Emily is forced to join the rebellion along with two other of the Chosen. None of the girls wanted to rebel against the elite but were forced because they were working as a team. Now on the run trying to find the most peaceful way to prevent a all out war between humans and the elite vampires. Conditioned all their lives to believe they needed the weekly drops of vampire blood to prevent illness and be stronger. Not realizing it was a addiction. Making humans subservient to vampires. Now they have to end the rule of King Richard.
July 28, 2020
Worth the wait!
I waited for this second book in this series and it was well worth the wait. The characters are great and it picks right back up where book one left off. There was plenty of excitement and it quickly pulls you in so that you can't put it down. There was not a cliff hanger but, I can't wait until book three so I can see what happens to everyone and how what was done changed things.
I waited for this second book in this series and it was well worth the wait. The characters are great and it picks right back up where book one left off. There was plenty of excitement and it quickly pulls you in so that you can't put it down. There was not a cliff hanger but, I can't wait until book three so I can see what happens to everyone and how what was done changed things.
August 15, 2020
Thirst for Vampire book 2
As with the 1st novel this was suspended filled the crew continue their quest to kill King Richard and have camps and humans live together without dominance and controlled in compounds. Another page turner and marathon read as I couldn't put it down. Their adventure is full of twists and turn. Will they find the formula to kill the Vampire tyrant king.
As with the 1st novel this was suspended filled the crew continue their quest to kill King Richard and have camps and humans live together without dominance and controlled in compounds. Another page turner and marathon read as I couldn't put it down. Their adventure is full of twists and turn. Will they find the formula to kill the Vampire tyrant king.
August 16, 2020
Kingdom of Blood and Ash Book 2
Wow,what an ending to the second book.I was really hoping Emily would get back together with Damien.Their world will change now because of Emily.I can't wait to read the next book,I hope the new world they have introduced everyone to is a lot better.
Wow,what an ending to the second book.I was really hoping Emily would get back together with Damien.Their world will change now because of Emily.I can't wait to read the next book,I hope the new world they have introduced everyone to is a lot better.
March 24, 2021
Even better than the first book.
I loved that Emily is getting more and more comfortable in her own skin. She has developed into a strong and independent woman. At times fearless. The different kind of love she has for Trevor and Damien is interesting. Curious to see which she chooses.
I loved that Emily is getting more and more comfortable in her own skin. She has developed into a strong and independent woman. At times fearless. The different kind of love she has for Trevor and Damien is interesting. Curious to see which she chooses.
April 14, 2022
Volcano
This is a good series. It still seems to be going slow. I have enjoyed it and would recommend it. I wish I could have gotten Audible with this book. It was 24.95. I don't tell what is in the books I read. That's for you to read and find out. Off to the next book in the series.
This is a good series. It still seems to be going slow. I have enjoyed it and would recommend it. I wish I could have gotten Audible with this book. It was 24.95. I don't tell what is in the books I read. That's for you to read and find out. Off to the next book in the series.
May 7, 2023
The thrilling second instalment in the series. It was a little confusing as I had such a long gap since reading book one, but I soon caught up. Emily is on the run with a group of her friends and rebels, trying to find a cure for the Elite. But what she discovers is much more than she ever expected.
July 18, 2020
**Loved this book**
I've waited a long time for part 2 and it did not disappoint!!!! I missed Damien for most of the book and was sad when he showed up!! I can't wait for the next book! I CHOOSE DAMIEN!!!!
I've waited a long time for part 2 and it did not disappoint!!!! I missed Damien for most of the book and was sad when he showed up!! I can't wait for the next book! I CHOOSE DAMIEN!!!!
August 16, 2020
This book is so intense! There is so much going on all the time and so much action (and yes, some romance) that you never want to put the book down! I loved it and I'm bummed we have to wait so long for book 3!
August 28, 2020
I've been hooked on this series since Taste. It's one of my favorite dystopian fantasy books. The story is full of action, the plot is intricate and the heroine, Emily is strong and perseveres despite a lot of obstacles. The ending was epic. I can't wait for the next book.
May 3, 2021
Awesome
Really loved these two books, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 3 and hoping the heroine ends up with the one she loves although she had to betray.. definitely a good read
Really loved these two books, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 3 and hoping the heroine ends up with the one she loves although she had to betray.. definitely a good read
July 30, 2023
Still feels Hunger Games-ish but with vampires. The vividness of the world and characters kept me reading and it was a good end to this chapter in the story. The story continues in two more books but with a different protagonist. May finish sometime but not right now.
December 20, 2023
I didn't like this one as much as the first, but it was still a good read. It had more spice than I prefer (though not nearly as much as some people read 😆). The story was interesting, and I hope the third book is even better!
January 24, 2024
A bit of a sophomore slump
This one was not as unputdownable as the first book. Don't get me wrong I still liked it and will be continuing with the series, but I feel like this one was missing something. Maybe it was a lack of Damien?😂
This one was not as unputdownable as the first book. Don't get me wrong I still liked it and will be continuing with the series, but I feel like this one was missing something. Maybe it was a lack of Damien?😂
Read
October 12, 2024I’m not even gonna rate this because I did not enjoy it as much as the first one. I don’t even wanna talk about it. It wasn’t bad, I was just pissed the whole time. But I was gooped and gagged sometimes!
October 12, 2020
Must read!!
Looking forward to this author's next adventure in this series!Read both this weekend!!Amazing characters and lots of action.Hats off to you for this great read!
Looking forward to this author's next adventure in this series!Read both this weekend!!Amazing characters and lots of action.Hats off to you for this great read!
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