I just finished reading this book and I absolutely loved it!! The author did a great job in shaping the characters and story line, and the narrative just flowed so easily. There are also some secrets that are revealed throughout the story, and the final ending (title chapter called "The Beginning") was really creepy and cool.

The story takes place throughout the American west, primarily in Arizona, Texas and Colorado. We follow a mother, Rebecca Carter, and her teenage daughter, Moonflower, as they travel across the country. Moonflower has a strange illness that leaves her eternally hungry...for blood. FBI agent Marc Donner is hot on their trail but has no idea what he's in for. He makes a lot of idiotic choices (at least in my opinion) and I was not surprised where he ended up.

There's a flashback part of the story where we see Rebecca as a 16 year-old, pregnant with a young rich kid's baby. We see the rich kid's father come to the house, and offer Rebecca's father a check to never talk to or see them ever again. Her father does not respond the way you would think, and Rebecca is delighted.

She has the baby and names her Monica. They do okay for a while, then Monica gets lost in the woods. Rebecca finds her, and she comforts her daughter as she lays dying in her arms. Then, the next night, her daughter returns but is "different". Eventually, they leave their home and are moving from place to place trying to satiate the hunger. They meet someone who had a similar situation with his mother, and Moonflower learns there are several others like her.

I just loved this book, the storyline, the characters...I felt like I was right there in the story. I want to thank the author, the publisher, Netgalley, and Edelweiss+ for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

Stuart Neville delivers an evocative, brutal, and deeply emotive novel that overflows with intrigue. This is a story that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished, and I have no doubt it will be a major success upon publication.

The standout elements are the unforgettable characters Neville creates and develops so masterfully. At its heart is a captivating exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, layered with emotional depth and complexity. Adding to the tension is a troubled detective whose pursuit drives the story forward in compelling ways.

Simply brilliant—I highly recommend this book!

2.5 stars? With the caveat that this isn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t personally enjoyable.

And I feel like it could have been. Some of the chapters are told in case files. One of the main characters is an FBI investigator. It’s kind of reminiscent of XFiles, if Mulder was an utterly unlikeable alcoholic and Scully was not around.

The other issue I struggled with here, was that this was massively spoiled for me. Just looking at the genres on this book reveals what makes it “horror” instead of crime fiction (feels more like crime fiction). And so a lot of the mystery and intrigue that I feel like could have propelled the early narrative were lost on me.

Aside from that, the other two main characters, Rebecca and Moonflower- I sort of wish hadn’t been included? For starters, I do not understand why the daughter is called Moonflower. This isn’t set in the 70s. She has an actual name. It was bizarre and kind of jarring when I heard the name because I didn’t find it believable. It’s not a nickname. It’s not shortening anything. It was just weird (no offense to any Moonflowers out there…)

If we were just following the detective I think the intrigue would have been much higher, as we pieced together the mysterious clues and bizarre happenings. Instead of following Rebecca and Moonflower and dancing around the subject.

Lastly, and perhaps one of the main reasons I did not enjoy this book: it heavily involves pedophiles and abusers. Entrapping them, interacting with them, etc. I just don’t want to read about it. It’s gross. The detective character kept making bizarre excuses why men hanging out with teenagers alone shouldn’t be prematurely judge because they aren’t all bad? Huh? I’m sorry but if you’re a man hanging out alone with a teenager in a secretive way, I can’t imagine any situation in which your intentions are good.

There are legitimate ways of doing this if you are, like the one example in the book, lonely because your own child died: volunteering, coaching sports teams, mentorship, etc. none of it involves hanging out in shady chat rooms pretending to be 15 so you can meet up with them later and reveal your true identity. Why was this even included? Who felt the need to say it? I think it was an attempt to humanize this otherwise unlikeable character but, what a bizarre soap box to stand on.

So the premise was good, the execution was off-kilter for me. I did like the ending.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital galley I received for review. Please note the version I listened to was purchased on Audible. The audio and narration was well done.

This is a great story! I wasn't expecting the ending and was engrossed in the story. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Stuart Neville, Soho Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is intense! A mother and daughter, on the run with no money, no food, and a haunting secret to protect. The unfolding story keeps you hooked, making you desperate to find out what happens next. As each detail is revealed, I found myself both shocked and utterly captivated, chilled to the core.

How far would you go to protect your child? What would you be willing to do? These are the questions that will linger, especially if you’re a parent. The ending feels inevitable, like it couldn’t have played out any other way.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC. Possible spoilers **
I kind of went into this book blind so I was not expecting a “creature” book of any kind! I am so torn on my feelings about this one. I don’t have very strong feelings one way or the other I suppose. I guess it just felt lacking to me and a bit repetitive. I either want more from the detectives story or more from the mother daughter like their past how many years they’ve been on the road trying to survive. The current back and forth stuff got a bit weak and repetitive to me and I’m not the biggest fan of a cat and mouse chase. With that being said I did enjoy the writing itself a lot. There were a lot of beautiful passages and as a mom I understand wanting to do everything for your kid! I think this was an interesting story and worth the read it just fell a little flat for me.

I wanted to read this because I've seen a few horror movies I enjoyed with this general plot. Child has "unusual" problem, parent tries to protect child even though there are monstrous consequences... This was fun, but I don't feel it added anything or was unique to the lore. People who enjoy creature horror will probably like this. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #SohoPress for the book #BloodLikeMine by #StuartNeville. Who doesn’t love a serial killer, people on the run and some supernatural all together in a book? I sure do. The FBI is hunting a serial killer that drains all the blood from their victims. Rebecca and her daughter Moonflower, Monica, has been on the run for years. What do all these people have in common? What is the secret Rebecca is hiding?

This is one of those books that does not go in the direction you think it will. And I love that about it.

Rebecca is a single mum on the run with her teenage daughter, who she wont let get close to anyone. And on their trail is a FBI agent, Donner, who is determind to catch his "man". But this chase will take them all on a journey they will never forget, and that will change them all for the rest of their lives.

Thank you Netgalley, Soho Press | Hell's Hundred and Stuart Neville for the e Arc of Blood Like Mine.

Blood like mine is a psychological thriller with some great horror elements. Set at 3 separate first person POVs, we follow the journey of Rebecca and her daughter, Moonflower on the run from someone or something sinister. The 3rd POV is of FBI Special Agent Marc Donner, on the hunt of a serial killer. who prolifically drains the body of all their victims of blood. These two narratives start drawing closer and closer together we get a gruesome thriller of cat and mouse.

I love narratives like these. This is my first read of Stuart Neville's even though Ive seen his name in reading circles so I will be picking up more of his books in the future, The plot pace and structure was medium and constant. Drawing you in with details of the 3 MC's and their surrounding areas and who they come in contact with. It's gripping and I found that I just wanted to keep reading and not put it down. There is some quite gruesome and graphic scenes within this storyline that is well detailed but not too heavy. The horror elements, mixed in with the thriller elements mixed very well and made for a great gripping read.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between both Mother and Daughter, the protection the daughter needs but also the freedom and visa versa.

I had the pleasure to also listen to the audio book.in which Elizabeth Rodgers and Michael Braun did a fantastic job.

4.5 stars for Storygraph. 4 stars on Amazon, Goodreads and Netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for the ARC.

This is a story about two strong forces of obsession, unable to let go of the past and unable to accept the change in front of them, with a young girl/monster caught in between them. It's pretty clear what she is, not far into the book, but reading about how she continues to change even after so long like that was exciting. All the main characters are really compelling, you get why they're stuck in their minds like that, you feel bad for them in a way, but also can tell how bad things will continue to get, so you continue to read for that fatal, final collision.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6748155379

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e4f102fa-a5bc-4567-b852-d06a3cf9575f

Check out this review of Blood Like Mine on Fable. https://fable.co/review/55378419-418b-4da3-b765-dbfa28cc0c1f/share

Rebecca and her daughter Moonflower are on the run. But why? From what?

Special Agent Dinner is hunting down a serial kilker.

These two stories crash together in a spectacularly twisted way.

A dark game of cat and mouse with a wicked ending.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

It has been a red hot minute since I have really, genuinely enjoyed a horror novel, and particularly a creature feature like this was. This was a fabulous blend of horror and crime, and it committed to the journey far more than a number of recent novels in the same vein had.

I so appreciate a novel that leans into the darkness of the child horror trope, and this book had lashings of 'Let The Right One In' and some of the other bits and pieces in the genre. The serial killer angle was also fantastic, and took some brilliant twists and turns as it went.

Moonflower and her mother, Rebecca, were interesting and sympathetic, and you could see their story through the lens of the investigation hanging over the whole of it. I also loved Donner's character, and I found him a really good hard-boiled detective that partly played into the tropes of the genre, whilst also venturing out of them slightly. It also doesn't shy away from the darker elements in the story, and I am a big fan of a realistic view of a situation like this.

I'm trying my absolute best not to let too much out of the bag about this one, but it was absolutely fantastic. It's incredibly rare for me to find a book up to perfect, but this one was, and it was spectacular.

The relationship between the mother and daughter is powerful and carries the plot. Who wouldn’t want a mother like Rebecca? This book is fast paced and continues to ratchet up the suspense until the explosive ending. This made me question myself rooting for a vampire! The character development was strong and left you with clear and distinct images of the separate characters. As far as timeline, you learn of the past through a series of letters from mother to daughter. It was well done and carried the plot forward. I’m dying to know what happens next and would love a second part to this book! Highly recommend.
Also, huge shoutout to Netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review..

I will always say yes to a book where the synopsis implies that it takes place in a dark, cold, isolated setting. Something about this type of book really unnerves me. Throw in a serial killer, a woman on the run protecting her daughter, and an FBI agent in hot pursuit, and I am sold. This book ended up completely different from what I expected when I read the synopsis, but it worked. It's also going to make this a tough one to review because I don't want to spoil anything (though it becomes pretty obvious what is going on a few chapters into the book).

The book focuses on three characters: Rebecca Carter, her daughter Monika (aka Moonflower), and detective Marc Donner. Rebecca is a no-nonsense single mother who will stop at nothing to keep her daughter safe. When they find themselves in a desperate situation on a snowy highway in the mountains, Rebecca's determination to stay under the radar is shot when she runs off the road into a snowbank, and an older gentleman stops to help her. She refuses his help, but he gets a pretty good look at her, and she is afraid her cover may have been blown.

Special Agent Marc Donner has been hunting down a sadistic serial killer who drains their victims of blood and then severs their spinal cord. A man was recently found dead in the area, and his wounds match those inflicted by the suspected serial killer. When he questions the older man who found the body (the same man who stopped to help Rebecca), he decides he needs to speak with her, setting off a chain of events that changes the trajectory of the lives of our main characters.

At the heart of the story is Rebecca's determination to protect her daughter, and this soon turns into a cat-and-mouse game between Rebecca and Agent Donner, adding an extra layer of excitement to the story. As their paths draw closer and closer, the tension becomes almost unbearable. Neville's writing is sharp and fast-paced, keeping readers hooked until the last page.

It's the characters that really make the story. Rebecca is a tenacious mother, and I respected her need and desperate determination to protect her daughter. She sacrificed so much for her, and it was heartbreaking at times to see the lengths she would go to keep her safe. Agent Donner is also an interesting antagonist - mainly because we know he is only doing his job, and in the real world, he would be the good guy, while Rebecca and Moonflower would be the dreaded enemy.

The book alternates between the three main character's perspectives, and then peppered amongst the narrative are letters written by Rebecca that have been collected by the FBI and are being used as evidence. All this weaves together to give us a complete story of what happened to Moonflower, why she and Rebecca are on the run, and the hunt to track them down. I really wanted Rebecca and Moonflower to be ok, but we know their situation will not have a happy ending - though it did have a surprising one!

Even though it felt familiar due to hints of "Let the Right One In," I was still totally invested in this story, and much of that had to do with how fast-paced it was. I read this in a single sitting and had a lot of fun doing it. It's a rollercoaster of a book that had me rapidly flipping the pages until the very end.

Overall, I found this to be an engaging, fast-paced thriller that held my attention until the end. If you like questionable characters you care about, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse that will keep you rapidly flipping the pages, this might be a good one to add to your Halloween TBR.

I thought the mother/daughter story was very compelling. Their POV chapters were the best. I loved the insert of the journal entries. The story was good overall and very readable. I will be recommending this title. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to check out this book.

I was expecting this book to be a typical cat and mouse story between an FBI agent and a serial killer. Then it took a turn I was not expecting, which I can't explain for spoilers, but trust me when I say it was A TURN. I found said turn and its impact on the world really interesting, but the story focused more on the characters than that, and since I was not very connected to the characters, it was not as enjoyable as it could have been.

I did find the mother-daughter relationship angle between Rebecca and Moonflower to be a very interesting take on things for a crime story, and their motivations were perfectly clear to me. The FBI agent, Donner, though, I did not understand. Maybe it's just me but if I'd seen some of the things he saw in this and was told to drop the case I'd be like "for sure, that's none of my business" and move on with my life. Alas, I guess that would not be as interesting of a book, so he had to make terrible choices instead. If you're in the mood for a crime story with a twist this might be up your alley, and it's a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

**3.5 stars**

This was an original take on the vampire tale. Action packed all the way thru, it will appeal to horror fans and thriller fans alike.

The fbi agent was a bit annoying and a bit of a stereotype. I liked how the past was explained in journal entries from Rebecca to Moonflower. Rebecca was trying to fly under the radar and not be memorable but she does some stupid things that are the opposite of that.

Overall this was a page turner, I couldn’t stop listening to the last 50% until I was done. The ending was really good and I wonder if there will be another book.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion**

Rebecca Carter is on the run, accompanied by her daughter Moonflower. Special Agent Marc Donner is on the hunt for a serial killer of sex offenders. How their paths intersect is the core of Stuart Neville’s new novel Blood Like Mine.

Unfortunately for this reader, Blood Like Mine didn’t fulfill its promise. While a decent read, I found the characters to be superficial. Even the deep bond between Rebecca and her daughter to me seemed forced. As for the horror element, the author really didn’t strike any new territory in his version of an old horror theme.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of the novel.

"You need...blood like mine..." #bloodlikemine by @stuartnevilleauthor is one of the best books I've read in 2024. Taking a favorite myth (certainly one of mine) and giving it a new spin, it's quite the feat. Desperation oozes from this tale, and it's sad and heartbreaking. And chilling. And I loved it.
Highly recommend. Read it.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC of #bloodlikemine.