3 out of 4 stars
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The Blood Queen by S. J. Bach is a novel in the science fiction and fantasy genre.
After the murder of her mother's boyfriend, Olivia and her mother are placed under the protection of the FBI. Olivia believes her life cannot get anymore complicated, but she soon finds out just how wrong she is. When her mother is abducted and Olivia's life is threatened, fate sends Olivia crashing into the path of a mysterious and fiercely protective man named Rhys. While with Rhys, Olivia discovers just how much she does not know about the world and the creatures in it, and she learns that Rhys is not just an average human man. In her journey of discovery, Olivia comes to realize humans are not the only things in the world she should fear.
The Blood Queen is the first book in the Lamia Race series. The book starts off strong. I was hooked by the mystery surrounding the Lamias, and I wanted to plow through the book, so I could get answers to all of my questions. The writing style is great. Bach provides great details and definitely "shows", not "tells", readers everything. There is a definite flow to the writing. The pacing of the plot is quick, but questions are drawn out just long enough to create tension and intrigue. Bach's talent for crafting interesting stories shines through the pages of this book.
The characters are mostly very likable. Olivia is a strong female lead most of the time, but I found that she comes across as whiney and immature in certain areas of the book. When she argues with Rhys, the language she uses is very, very immature. She is 18, so it does makes sense for her to sound and act young, but I did catch myself rolling my eyes when she would try to insult Rhys. Rhys is a great male lead. He is strong, but he does not impose his will onto Olivia, which is refreshing because a lot of stories about strong men involve the men taking all of the power away from female characters. The minor characters all play important roles, and they are developed and well-rounded. The minor characters are a welcome addition in certain scenes because they prevent conversations between Olivia and Rhys from stalling the plot.
The one criticism I do have is that the ending felt rushed.There are a lot of big events packed into a very small number of pages. A lot of these events are meant to have large impacts, but their impacts are barely felt. There is enough action at the end for Bach to have created another story, and I think it would have been better if Bach had done just that, instead of trying to fit too much into the ending.
I give The Blood Queen by S. J. Bach 3 out of 4 stars. If the ending hadn't been so rushed, I would have given this book 4 stars without hesitation. I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and fantasy and romance. This book is great for anyone interested in reading about supernatural creatures as well. I have not looked to see if the second book in the series is available yet, but if it is, I will read it in the near future.
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The Blood Queen
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