It was a good book, I like fantasy, so it was entertaining.

I also liked the characters, but sometimes their dialogues and interactions felt a bit forced.

On the other hand, the story takes a while to like and get interesting, although the fantasy world generated by the author helps a lot to make you want to continue reading, since its characters (although some may have certain cliché characteristics) captivate you.. .

*I won't be posting this book on my blog, as I did not like this book at all.*

13%, that's as far as I got in this book... This was so bad. This book needs a lot of work and I can't believe it was approved to be published. Perhaps further along in the story I might have found something worthy of positive feedback, but the beginning was so bad that I just couldn't get through it and I had to DNF it.

The main character was bland, uninteresting and has no clear personality whatsoever. Any other character that was introduced were barely described and I forgot their names as soon as I was done reading the page.

The writing felt as if this was a newbie writer who didn't quite understand how to write a book, but this is an author who has written several books so they should know how it works.

All my DNFed books get one star from me and if I gave out half stars this disaster would get one.

** I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Of the Blood is a YA Vampire Fantasy book that employs almost every young adult trope out there. It is full of cliche's and eye rolling moments.. but I have say that ... I honestly loved it!! For some reason they worked for me in this book. The world building was interesting, the magic was great, I was completely invested in the characters and their backstories, and the plot was presented nicely. The story was engaging, fast paced, but did not feel rushed. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and cannot wait to read the next book.

What started out good and enjoyable ended at a different rate for my opinion. First, a lot had happened in the book, although some may find this a good twist. But for me it just lack the enjoyment I was looking for. I love vampire books, the premise of the book was also good. I just don't like that the main character lacks the characteristic I was hoping for. Yes, she is gullible, but I just hate how she was portrayed as a very naive young girl.

I wished it would get better. There are cases when the story felt very dragging. And at times interesting. But it consistently changes from interesting to slow read. Overall, I just felt the book is just not for me.

I am on the fence with this book. There is a lot to like, or even love, about this book. Vampires have fallen these past few years, with so many trying, honestly failing, at trying to cash in on the success of Twilight. This book is not that kind of Vampire.

This book takes Vampires back a little to what they used to be. A little scary, and dangerous. While I can't speak fully on Tristan, since he's really not in this book much, Roehl is that dangerous and scary Vampire. He's a decent villain, but at times he comes across a little, for lack of a better word, cartoonish in his villainy. He's clearly unhinged.

I like that witches also are part of this book, Witches and Vampires actually have a lot of ties in mythology and it's nice that this book acknowledges that to a degree. I look forward to finding out more about this world in future books.

I really like Calla as the main character. She is smart, headstrong, and resourceful. She's also selfless and kind. It's nice and rare that a character has all these traits.

There are a lot of characters introduced in this book who are mostly only briefly on the page, and I wish they had more page time to get to know them better. Also, there was a lot of information given very quickly, that felt a little like info-dumping, and took me out of the story a little. It didn't feel that organic, just people standing there explaining things to Calla when they just mentioned time was short, and it wasn't made clear they were walking or running while anything was being explained to her.

This series has a lot of potential to be great. I would love for Vampires to have a comeback.

Honestly, it started off a bit generic but it took a turn for the better.

Here we have a tale of a young, clueless girl. At a birthday party for her, organized by her best friend, she sneaks out into the night to be alone. Only to come face to face with Trystan Vladu, handsome stranger, and unbeknownst to her, vampire prince.

Everything goes nuts from there and follows along the line of the synopsis.

What worked for me and what I was not expecting was that despite the close connection Calla she feels with Trystan. This is truly Calla's journey. Though there are plenty of hints of romance, the story focuses almost entirely on Calla's search to find out who she is in relation to the family she never knew she had. She is not tied down to any one person. Calla makes new friends wherever she goes and experiences life freely. The quote on quote hero is more there for background and support. He tries to save her from the evil prince but when she decides she must do things her way and on her own, Trystan does not interfere. He respects her decision and I respect that. I do think, in the end, she will return to him. That he will ultimately be where she makes her home, but I suppose only time will tell.

There is still a lot to unpack in this world and a lot of adventure to be had, so I am looking forward to where this journey takes her.

DNF.

Geezus on a cracker, wtf am I reading?

"Who are you?" I breathed. This was something I needed to know before things went any further.

"A dark knight come to protect you. A knight who can pleasure you beyond anything you've ever imagined."

...

...........

................

...are you fcking kidding me?

I got to 10%, and how that even happened, I'm not sure.

This book is...odd.

It's set up like a historical fantasy where there is a port town, surrounding islands, carriages, etc. I immediately think of girls in corsets who feign propriety and men who court them. Big ships of traders and pirates, with extravagant balls being thrown and masquerades.

Like maybe it's a fancy Tortuga where things are more wealthy and less...scummy.

But how this book really reads is like a teenage YA Vampire story set in present times, with a female lead as dull as a plank of wood. The girl is boring, boy-crazy and doesn't seem to really have a personality. She make decisions, but the decisions don't feel like the actual choices she would make. She doesn't feel developed at all, and more of just a puppet being told what to say and do.

The romance happens in less than 10% of the book and it is beyond awkward, weird and uncomfortable. I kept thinking to myself 'Am I supposed to be enjoying this? Like, who TF is this guy? Am I supposed to be rooting for him?' Because the way this quick as hell make-out session between Calla and mysterious-brooding-typical-fantasy-dream-guy comes together, literally just falls out of the sky and into a bedroom and I'm just over here like...WHAT?!

Oh, and when our girl finds out she's a vampire now, her first reaction goes from "OMG I HAVE FANGS" to "At least I look okay" in .25 seconds.

#priorities

I just didn't like this at all, so I DNF'd. My intention wasn't even to be this brutal, but come on...how am I one of the only people feeling this way? I just don't get it.

I’m so sad. It’s so hard for me to not give a stellar review, and I feel awful, but I just can’t not give feedback on an ARC I REALLY tried to get into.

THIS WAS SO PROMISING. And I was SO EXCITED, so maybe this is just a me thing, and I’m being way too hard to please these days (I’m starting to see my favourite books are shifting away from YA).

I just could not get past the MC who, in my personal and honest opinion, is a total Mary-Sue *paraphrasing* “why does the Vampire Prince want ME ? I’m nothing and no one and ugly and yet he’s here to save my life”. But then “NO he’s does NOT get to make my decisions for me, I’m not a damsel in distress” (um yes girl you ARE and that’s FINE- you don’t have to be perfect, let a trained Vampire Cadre save your ass without being ungrateful). Literally 95% of my comments on this dialogue are pertaining to that (although there were some redeeming things in between). Not to mention it dragged a bit for me with lots of this dialogue and back-and-forth plot. Like, there is so much going on. And so many characters thrown in for bits and pieces.

I DNF at 35%. I tried to stick with it as the other early reviews were so wonderful, but my review can not be totally reflective of the story due to that. It just wasn’t for me

To begin with I just want to say how amazing I feel the story is so far, I am eager to read the next books in the series and see where else this story will take me! I was hooked from Chapter one all the way through till the end. I felt that I could truly hear, see and smell everything that was described throughout and my emotions towards the characters are very strong. The book is very well written with beautiful in depth descriptions where necessary. The emotions I now have towards the characters were all built up slowly but very well and i won't soon forgot any of these emotions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I thank the author, the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this for my honest review

I've been in such a mood to read fantasy lately. Just to escape the realities of our "normal". I got Of The Blood as an ARC from Netgalley and dived in. It started off really good but by the end I felt that Calla (the MC) fell out of character and it went a bit too corny with the sea dude and whatnot. I love the insta-romance between Calla and Trystan and will pick up the second just to get more of that.

This book was very fast paced and fairly lyrical in its telling. It had a great premise and flow/pacing and was slow in very few places. I enjoyed this vampire tale very much and I can not wait until the next one. The characters were fabulous and the twists and turns worked well for the story. The romance was spot on and yep I need book two like yesterday!!

I can certainly see the appeal of this title, as the world is desperately craving a vampire romance resurgence. It's easy to read, quick-paced, and chock full of action, plot development, and vampiric shenanigans. Unfortunately, it just missed the mark for me personally since it almost immediately latched onto a trope that I cannot get over - heroines being worshipped and fought over by strangers for no apparent reason other than a lackluster personality and a tropetastic hidden destiny. Unfortunately, I could not get immersed or interested in the story when the (literal) bond between the characters felt so contrived.

Thank you to netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Calla's story starts on her birthday when a mysterious stranger visits her and tells her that her life is in danger. To keep things brood and without spoiling much for readers Calla becomes the "chosen one" trope in her own adventure story. Overall I felt like her character was a little bland, she was likeable but only because she doesn't have much defining characteristics about her. She's generic, but the other characters in the story are awesome, they are strong, clever and fun. I really liked them, more than I liked Calla unfortunately. I loved the politics but Calla's story and specialness felt a little forced, it happened quick and there wasn't really any lead up for the reader to learn things in advance, and i would have enjoyed a typical "chosen girl" story with more lead up, she got thrust about the whole book and I was a little tired of that. Maybe this book would have been better for me if the author had written from multiple perspectives from the characters I loved *cough*Kylan*cough*Melania*cough*Brone*cough*Sabine* I do think there's a lot of room for me to change my feelings on Calla and the story. Normally I love books which are stereotypical quiet girl attracts hottest guy ever and gets thrown into quest and power, etc... but lately I've reading really powerful books with strong female characters and Calla just isn't that.

I know a lot of book reviewers review based on characters, world building and story. I enjoyed the world building a lot! I thought it was modern but also medieval in feel and it just super appealed to me. I also mostly enjoyed the plot, besides the things relating to Calla, I loved the politics between kingdoms.

I do think that this book was enjoyable and maybe I'll give it a finish or reread when I'm in a different mood.

This is a vampire story in line with the new trend of returning vampires. However, this novel does it differently. In fact we are met by a classic fantasy setting in which vampires exist. I very much enjoyed this twist, as usually vampire novels take place in our world and they are more urban/supernatural fantasies. I overall enjoyed this story, however the more I grow up, the more I have a difficult time accepting when a male protagonist takes agency away from a female protagonist for protective purposes (or for any purpose, really). So that took away from my enjoyment of the book unfortunately. I do see how this story can be appealing to teenagers (I am thinking Twilight here), but at the same time, as a Librarian, I would like to see a story where the female protagonist is given that choice; especially when intimacy scenes are involved. I just want girls and boys to see where healthy decisions are made, and unhealthy choices are not glorified. Therefore I have to lower my rating for this one.

I need more! I started this on my lunch break whilst working from home and I had to take the rest of the day off because I couldn't put it down. I love the twists and turns through out the book and the open ended finish. It's great to see a strong female lead that can stick up for herself without having to use her sexuality too. This is a YA/Teen book but I am out of that age range and would recommend this to anyone.

This book was a DNF for me. I think it just was not the book for me. I can definitely see the appeal of this book to many readers

enjoyed this book so much! captured me from the beginning and held my interest all the way to the end. will definitely be following Cameo Renae!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. I had been in a book slump for a while, but this book kicked me right out of it. I must say that I am a stickler for a good romance and i prefer my books to have romance in it, but this book was not solely a romance, it was so much more and it was amazing. This book tells the story of a girl who is thrusted into a world of vampires and witches, a world that she had no idea existed. Calla is a very strong character, one that can most certainly take care of herself, which was really refreshing to read about. Other than the main character we have an amazing array of side characters that really bring the story to life, especially the dreamy vampire prince Trystan and the flirtatious pirate Sebastian. This book takes you on a fantastical adventure and i cannot wait for the next book! If you are a fan of fantasy, romance, and adventure, then make sure to check out Of the Blood!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity!

I requested the ARC of this because the plot had intrigued me right away and then because I was going to meet the author at an event so I wanted to read something of hers.

From the very beginning I was captured by the story and by the protagonist, Calla's transformation happened for a specific reason.
Inside the story we will find captivating characters and a historical line that keeps the reader glued to the pages.

Of The Blood there are also beautiful guys who try to draw Calla's attention, protagonists that make the story sparkling.
We have the beautiful and mysterious Trystan, Roeh, the evil criminal and five other powerful warriors who will have to protect Calla.
Our young protagonsite is a brave and loyal person, one of the classic heroines to idolize.

Of the blood is a fantasy/paranormal with scenes of romance that perfectly incorporates scenes of magic and "vampirism".
There are also some magical creatures and Nyx is one of my favourites, a little magic messenger.

Of the blood is really a nice book that kept me glued to the book! I can't wait to continue the series.

This review might be a big one but is SPOILER FREE! YAY!

Thankyou to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Of The Bloody by Cameo Renae in exchange for an honest review. I didn't read the blurb before launching into this one and I think I'm glad that I didn't. I've come to learn I have less expectations and a more interesting read if I just jump into books. I won't overview the synopsis here because it's easily seen on this page but this book could have been AMAZING, if it were written with a little more...finesse. I keep thinking that if Nora Roberts or Sarah J Maas got their hands on this book and re-written it, it would be an absolute hit and would sell out everywhere. I say that because the plot is so, so good. I haven't read such a fun and exciting plot in a long time. So much happens! Our main character Calla, goes through an absolute roller-coaster in this book and I can't believe it all fit inside such a short book without feeling rushed.

However, there were some things that just didn't work out for me. There simply wasn't enough world-building. We are thrown straight into the action at Calla's birthday party but the world-building really lacked. I thought after the strong action at the start, maybe it would then lead us on a trail of information and discovery to get a better feel of the world, but it didn't really happen. I was actually confused at one point if this was set in our world, or in a completely fictional one. I also had difficulty working out if this was in times hundreds of years ago, or now. I know after reading the book its set in a fictional world when everyone was still using horses and carts to get around, but so many things contradict this, with phrases like "does that pick up line work on other girls?" and "still hit on you" as well as other very modern phrases that someone hundreds of years ago wouldn't have used. It made me feel like the author is either quite young (to be up with all the teenage jargon) or forgets the time she is writing in.

Another thing that I felt let the world-building down was not being very imaginative with the worlds (which is surprising considering the amazing imagination needed to create the great plot). My biggest point on this is when Calla meets a member of Trystan's cadre who is of Asian descent, and she thinks to herself that he had to have come from the predominately Asian country of Asiatica. I just feel like that is not very imaginative. I don't know why the Asian country had to be called Asiatica. But that's a small issue, and just something I found a little amusing which others may find completely reasonable.

Some adjectives were used far too often; growled was used in basically every chapter and almost felt like every page. Bastard was also over-used and all Calla seemed to use towards characters she was angry at or hated. My other big issue was the fact that this book seems to be aimed at the very younger end of the YA scale, but the sexual part of the relationships were far too mature in my opinion. For example, "libido", "peg between his legs", "He paused and gave me a look that would make any woman strip bare. 'To douse myself in cold water. You wicked, wicked woman.", "I won't ravish you", "'Love, my vital limb is stronger than ever, especially with you tucked in my bed'". and the list goes on. I just found the sexual innuendos far too mature for the younger group of YA readers this seems aimed at. These innuendos were thrown at Calla with nearly every male character she meets, who are also always over 6 foot tall, handsome, flirty and wants to sleep with her whilst also professing their eternal protection. Every guy seemed described as the same and for all of them to be attracted to her and have feelings for her so fast, just doesn't really seem realistic even for a fantasy novel.

Trystan's feeling of a 'bond' with Calla all from seeing her name on a piece of paper, and him then putting so much effort and resources into was a little strange too, but I liked that Calla mentioned how unrealistic that is, and handled that quite well. The bond with Trystan was also one of the things that came across as a little too coincidental in terms of how the plot points worked out. Sometimes things just worked out too easily. For example, when Calla fell into the water, it was Kai who happened upon her and saved her, who happened to be the son of the Aquatic man who was saved by Calla's grandfather and therefore treats her like a princess. These things weren't issues or anything that took away from the book, just something I noticed. The romance with Trystan wasn't overly believable either but I am sure this will develop in the next book. I actually loved her being with Sebastian! These issues all together gave the impression of a very new debut author, but with some smart editing, it could come up even better and become a 5 star read.

Whilst there were some issues from my points above, there were absolutely some points I thoroughly enjoyed. As I already noted, I really, really LOVED the plot and all the exciting things that happen. The best parts were always when Calla was travelling, especially on the pirate ship. Her writing also seemed to improve a lot towards the end of the book, which makes me excited for the next installment. There are some great side characters that take over the book at times, including Markus, Sabine, Spring, Summer, Trystan's cadre and Sebastian. These characters really grabbed onto the story and forced themselves into the spotlight and I love that. There are also some very attractive male characters in the book that my 16 year old self is very impressed with. I am thoroughly in love with Sebastian and want Calla to get together with him and pursue a story with their relationship and the adventures on his pirate ship. If she doesn't, maybe I can magically transport myself into the book and take him for myself! He is so likeable, has a lot of sass, all whilst being sweet and caring and protective of Calla. Markus is also so much fun and I love how he turns into a big, squishy marshmallow with Sabine. I loved everything about the book from when Markus, Sabine and Calla step food onto The Damned. If the book was focused more on this aspect of the novel and less time and plot development spent in the castle where Calla is kept hostage, I would jump for joy, let out a very girly squeal and demand an artist draw something with Sebastian for me to keep on my book shelf. That's how fun and engaging this part of the novel is. I highly recommend pushing through to the end if you're struggling with the first half of the novel. It gets far better and Sebastian and Kai are well-worth the wait.

If Renae doesn't include Seb and his pirate ship and Kai and his underwater royal world in the next book, I will demand a re-write because they are amazing and make the plot and settings so much more enthralling.

Overall, whilst there are some issues and a protagonist that I can't quite get behind, there are many redeeming qualities in this book and some seriously addictive side characters that you can't help but adore. The plot is something I absolutely love and the travelling themes in this book are fantastic. I can't wait to read more about Kai's aquatic world and Seb's pirate travels, and I think even if a book has some problems but leaves you wanting to read more, then that is definitely a positive and a sign of a good story.