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Descendants of Terene #2
Dark Blood
Return to the land of Terene where fate is determined by blood.
After defeating the Highfather, Ara ventures into the uncharted Ghost Mountains in search of answers to his past. But what he finds in this harsh new land will put him to the ultimate test.
Competing in a series of deadly trials, Ara must fight not only for his own survival—but for the fate of all Terene.
All while a growing darkness threatens to consume him.
After defeating the Highfather, Ara ventures into the uncharted Ghost Mountains in search of answers to his past. But what he finds in this harsh new land will put him to the ultimate test.
Competing in a series of deadly trials, Ara must fight not only for his own survival—but for the fate of all Terene.
All while a growing darkness threatens to consume him.
451 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2020
7 people are currently reading
20 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2021
I rather enjoyed this this book and it is a worthy follow up to the first in the series, Good Blood. While there were a few things I did not like while reading I think overall the author has improved in writing and feel between the first and second book. I'll keep spoilers out of most of the review. It will be obvious when I start speaking of spoilers.
Writing:
The writing is clear and concise, while describing each scene with plenty of detail to allow you to imagine what is happening. I do not recall any point in the book where the wording or descriptions of the book led to confusion. A few places could have used a bit more description. I would have liked a bit more elaboration on the place where Ara spends most of his time so that I could get better vision.
Story:
The story is compelling in a way that makes it easy to keep turning the pages and stay up too late reading. While different from the first story, I feel like a lot of the changes in tone and pacing are necessary as the characters themselves grow. The interactions between the characters create believable conflict and while I disagree with some choices made by the characters, I found them realistic. My main complaint with the story is that the swapping between POV characters was jarring at times.
Lastly thanks to Billy Ketch Allen and his Good Blood book. I write D&D campaigns as the DM for my group, and Good Blood inspired an arc in the campaign.
SPOILER TERRITORY BELOW
In addition to spoilers for Dark Blood, there will be minor spoilers to Mark Lawrence's Red Sister trilogy and Ryan Kirk's Nightblade trilogy.
There were aspects of Dark Blood that were reminiscent of a few other series I've read. The most notable is Ara's struggle against the dark blood reminded me of Nona from Red Sister. A similar internal battle of control takes place through the series, inciting a fury and darkness in the character. As I quite recently finished the Red Sister trilogy it was hard to not compare the two events. This has left me with unexplained questions as to the dark blood in Ara. Why does the darkness have a voice? Is it a manifestation of Ara's self? I did not get the impression that Ara had a hidden darkness in him. Perhaps in subsequent books there will be answers.
I was also reminded of the Nightblade trilogy by the Royals. In the Nightblade books there is a society hidden away of people with super human abilities. Why the societies themselves are quite different, the way they are hidden has some similar vibes.
Writing:
The writing is clear and concise, while describing each scene with plenty of detail to allow you to imagine what is happening. I do not recall any point in the book where the wording or descriptions of the book led to confusion. A few places could have used a bit more description. I would have liked a bit more elaboration on the place where Ara spends most of his time so that I could get better vision.
Story:
The story is compelling in a way that makes it easy to keep turning the pages and stay up too late reading. While different from the first story, I feel like a lot of the changes in tone and pacing are necessary as the characters themselves grow. The interactions between the characters create believable conflict and while I disagree with some choices made by the characters, I found them realistic. My main complaint with the story is that the swapping between POV characters was jarring at times.
Lastly thanks to Billy Ketch Allen and his Good Blood book. I write D&D campaigns as the DM for my group, and Good Blood inspired an arc in the campaign.
SPOILER TERRITORY BELOW
In addition to spoilers for Dark Blood, there will be minor spoilers to Mark Lawrence's Red Sister trilogy and Ryan Kirk's Nightblade trilogy.
There were aspects of Dark Blood that were reminiscent of a few other series I've read. The most notable is Ara's struggle against the dark blood reminded me of Nona from Red Sister. A similar internal battle of control takes place through the series, inciting a fury and darkness in the character. As I quite recently finished the Red Sister trilogy it was hard to not compare the two events. This has left me with unexplained questions as to the dark blood in Ara. Why does the darkness have a voice? Is it a manifestation of Ara's self? I did not get the impression that Ara had a hidden darkness in him. Perhaps in subsequent books there will be answers.
I was also reminded of the Nightblade trilogy by the Royals. In the Nightblade books there is a society hidden away of people with super human abilities. Why the societies themselves are quite different, the way they are hidden has some similar vibes.
December 22, 2020
(4.5)
The second book in a series really sets the stage, letting you know what to expect going forward. Will the characters remain static from book one? Or if the Author decides to push the envelope, will the changes be positive ones? I loved Ara and his journey in Good Blood, and had been anticipating it's continuation all year.
I'd expected the narrative to pick up sometime after Ara's ascent up Ghost mountain, but instead Dark Blood opens prior to Ara's awakening in chapter one of Good Blood. We catch a glimpse at the person Ara had been, through the eyes of his brother Tiehn, and he's almost unrecognizable. Then we jump forward to the final day of Ara's climb, as he advances into the unknown, attempting to find answers at last. But before he can uncover what he is, Ara must first understand who he was.
If I were to attempt to encapsulate the storyline of Dark Blood in a single word I'd choose reformation.
Personal reformation for Ara, as he undertakes to merge the person his people remember, and the ally his friends in lower Terene believe in, into the man he needs to become.
Institutional reformation for Spade and her fledgling government, that is determined to overcame centuries of trauma, to finally unite as one people and drag Terene out of the dark ages.
The cast has expanded with new characters joining old favorites. I loved watching each of them attempt to find their voice, while dreading their potential failure. Good Blood's greatest strength was Allen's world building, which is in full effect here. With a new society, that embodies the harsh land it calls home. Differentiating between right and wrong is a much trickier proposition in Dark Blood, and with the stakes this high, our heroes can't afford a misstep.
This book made me feel a full range of emotions. I'm very glad that I was lucky enough to stumble across this series As after two consecutive strong novels, it feels like I've struck gold. I'd recommend The Descendants of Terene to any fan of the fantasy genre.
The second book in a series really sets the stage, letting you know what to expect going forward. Will the characters remain static from book one? Or if the Author decides to push the envelope, will the changes be positive ones? I loved Ara and his journey in Good Blood, and had been anticipating it's continuation all year.
I'd expected the narrative to pick up sometime after Ara's ascent up Ghost mountain, but instead Dark Blood opens prior to Ara's awakening in chapter one of Good Blood. We catch a glimpse at the person Ara had been, through the eyes of his brother Tiehn, and he's almost unrecognizable. Then we jump forward to the final day of Ara's climb, as he advances into the unknown, attempting to find answers at last. But before he can uncover what he is, Ara must first understand who he was.
If I were to attempt to encapsulate the storyline of Dark Blood in a single word I'd choose reformation.
Personal reformation for Ara, as he undertakes to merge the person his people remember, and the ally his friends in lower Terene believe in, into the man he needs to become.
Institutional reformation for Spade and her fledgling government, that is determined to overcame centuries of trauma, to finally unite as one people and drag Terene out of the dark ages.
The cast has expanded with new characters joining old favorites. I loved watching each of them attempt to find their voice, while dreading their potential failure. Good Blood's greatest strength was Allen's world building, which is in full effect here. With a new society, that embodies the harsh land it calls home. Differentiating between right and wrong is a much trickier proposition in Dark Blood, and with the stakes this high, our heroes can't afford a misstep.
This book made me feel a full range of emotions. I'm very glad that I was lucky enough to stumble across this series As after two consecutive strong novels, it feels like I've struck gold. I'd recommend The Descendants of Terene to any fan of the fantasy genre.
December 25, 2020
Dark Blood: Epic fantasy meets the Hunger Games.
Allen picks right up where he left off in this new high-stakes adventure set in the blood-run land of Terene. Ara, Geyer, and Cambria are called back to action, but this time they each have their own battles to fight. Allen creatively weaves parallel storylines that both delight and frustrate — in a good way— making this book hard to put down. If you're looking for clever twists, interesting characters, and a spectacular conclusion reminiscent of Empire Strikes Back, this is the sequel for you.
Allen picks right up where he left off in this new high-stakes adventure set in the blood-run land of Terene. Ara, Geyer, and Cambria are called back to action, but this time they each have their own battles to fight. Allen creatively weaves parallel storylines that both delight and frustrate — in a good way— making this book hard to put down. If you're looking for clever twists, interesting characters, and a spectacular conclusion reminiscent of Empire Strikes Back, this is the sequel for you.
October 5, 2025
Dark Blood begins where Good Blood ended, and it expands the scope of the story and the world of Terene. But at its core, this is still Ara’s journey. Ara went through a lot in Good Blood and, unfortunately for him, his life doesn't get any easier here.
Enjoy!
*Also, if you haven’t read the prequel story “Requiem for House Octavian,” I’d recommend reading it between Good Blood and Dark Blood. It’s not essential, but it does fill in some of the backstory discussed in Dark Blood. You can find a free copy on my website www.billyketchallen.com
Enjoy!
*Also, if you haven’t read the prequel story “Requiem for House Octavian,” I’d recommend reading it between Good Blood and Dark Blood. It’s not essential, but it does fill in some of the backstory discussed in Dark Blood. You can find a free copy on my website www.billyketchallen.com
February 14, 2021
Good little book. Excited to see where the Author goes as he gets more experienced. You can really see some influences of themes and little Easter eggs from authors like Robert Jordan. I felt the first book was a tad better. This one felt a tad rushed towards the end. I think this will end up being a favorite quick series after it’s said and done.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews