This book took me by surprise. The reveal was certainly not what I expected and was a unique turn to a story. The hunt for a serial character took quite a turn!

This was also a story about a lot of damaged characters. I was not sure if I should cheer anyone on or not. I was intrigued by all the traveling that happened with the characters being on the run. This book felt more thriller than horror and I can see it fitting both genres. It absolutely had a horror aspect. I thought the author did a great job of describing the scenes especially the one at the police station.

I did wish for a different ending but overall it was a satisfying ending. Makes me wonder about a sequel. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book and review.

Special Agent Marc Donner is on the hunt for a serial killer who severs the victims spinal cords and drains their blood. Agent Donner believes the unbelievable that a mother and her young daughter are at the core of these killings but can he live long enough to prove it. Rebecca Carter and her daughter, Moonflower, travel the country side hunting “ just the right” victims for their prey serving a purpose only known to them.

TW/CW: Language, abortion mention, teenage pregnancy, covid mention, drinking, smoking, death by suicide, child abuse, toxic relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
On a snowy December night, single mother Rebecca Carter drives her van into a snowbank to avoid hitting an elk on a desolate mountain highway. She is at the end of her rope, out of money and food. Still, she refuses help from a man in a pickup truck—Rebecca’s adolescent daughter, Moonflower, is on the run from a grisly secret, and the last thing they can afford is to be remembered by anyone they meet.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Marc Donner of the FBI has spent the better part of two years hunting down a gruesome serial killer who drains victims of blood before severing their spinal cords, leaving a trail of bodies throughout the American West. As Agent Donner’s investigation brings him closer and closer to where Rebecca and Moonflower are hiding out, in the foothills of Colorado, the life that Rebecca has fought so hard to hold together for her daughter becomes increasingly imperilled.
Release Date: August 6th, 2024
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 384
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Writing
2. Atmospheric
3. Characters written well
4. Loved twist of Moonflower being a powerful being

What I Didn't Like:
1. 1,000 times that Moonflower says she's hungry
2. I hated the characters
3. Repetitive at times

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Omg they tried to pay Rebecca off so she wouldn't try to do anything for child support or claim her child as his.

Moonflower is a vampire and is the one that has been killing men that are trying to sexually abuse girls.

Weird letter to write to your 8 year old daughter for the future. Wr

I was so annoyed that Rebecca forces herself to stay at guffrie's house. I get that he was pretty much trying to sleep with Rebecca in the beginning but after she explained she wasn't interested he pretty much backed off. So then Rebecca acts like she can't trust him because he pulled a gun on her because he was asking her to leave. She's eating all this food her daughter's eating all the bloody has and then she's frustrated because he wants her to leave his house.

Wow and I guess it just ends like that.

Ending of Rebecca denying Moonflower to make her immortal remind me if the ending of Midnight Mass.

Final Thoughts:
This book reminded me of an opposite version of Night's Edge.

If you have ever been annoyed at how a parent thinks they are allowed to have whatever they want then Rebecca's actions will annoy you to no end.

I think I liked this book more in the beginning than at the end. For me it felt at times fair repetitive we were always just trying to get moonflower food and we would just cycle through that. Add in the detective following them constantly and him raving and talking about trying to find the person and it all just felt like we were repeating the same scenes over and over again.

I enjoyed the writing style and I feel like the author did a good job at making things atmospheric as well as making the characters more alive. I unfortunately did not like the characters. Rebecca was insane. Moonflower was absolutely annoying. The detective seems like he had no personality other than finding this killer so much so that he lost his family, so that felt like his only personality trait.

I did like the twist that Moonflower was something bordering on a dog/ werewolf I suppose.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Hell's Hundred for the ebook copy and Recorded Books for the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a wild ride! This compulsively readable page-turner gets off to a heart-pounding start, and doesn't let up for a single moment. Single mom Rebecca and her daughter Mayflower are on the run, living out of their van with a set of rotating stolen licence plates, stealing food where they can, and trying to evade the authorities.

Meanwhile, hardboiled detective Marc Donner has been pursuing a serial killer for years – a case that's driven him apart from his family. A vigilante is leaving behind a trail of murdered men, predators who target young girls online and abuse them. When he finally gets a solid lead, he drops everything to pursue it, including his hopes of reconciling with his wife and kids.

What starts out as a classic thriller set-up takes a startling turn. The cat and mouse game is on – and for once, I could say that I had absolutely no idea where this story was going. Donner is a pitiful figure, blinded by his obsession, acting rashly to prove his case. Rebecca is similarly desperate, trying to keep her daughter safe at any cost. As they hurtle towards certain disaster, what are they willing to sacrifice?

This was an incredibly engaging read and a compelling mirror of two parents, two families, both torn apart whether by circumstance or consequence. I was hooked from the start, and in the oversaturated thriller market, a fresh new twist is always welcome. Highly recommended – I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville is one of the best horror novels I’ve read all year!
I got so engrossed in this story. I loved the writing style. I honestly found it hard to put down.

5/5✨

I don't know what I expected with this book, but whew...it was so much better than I thought it would be. I loved the overall story, the author's ability to make it always seem tense for all of the characters, and the fact that we were still unsure about Moonflower throughout most of the book helped create the suspense.

This is my first Stuart Neville novel and I am excited to look for more to read!

Thank you Netgalley & Hell’s Hundred for an eARC 🔥


The story's about Rebecca and her daughter Moonflower, who are on the run from some pretty bad people. They're trying to stay under the radar, but it's hard when you're constantly looking over your shoulder. I loved how Neville portrayed their relationship - Rebecca's a total mama bear, willing to do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, and Moonflower's this adorable, brave kid who's trying to navigate this crazy situation.

Meanwhile, Agent Donner's on the hunt for a serial killer who's always one step ahead. I loved how complex his character was - he's got his own demons to fight, but he's determined to bring this killer to justice.

But what really got me was how anxious I became while reading this book. There were moments when I was so tense, I felt like I was going to run right through the ceiling! Neville's got this way of building tension that's just masterful. I was completely invested in the story, and when things got intense, I was right there with Rebecca & Moonflower, feeling their fear and panic.

What really drew me in was the writing. Neville's descriptions are so vivid🔥And the pacing? Perfect. It's like a rollercoaster ride, with twists and turns that keep you guessing.

I also appreciated how Neville explored some deeper themes, like the bond between mothers and daughters, and the consequences of trauma. It added this whole other layer of depth to the story.

Blood Like Mine is a must-read for anyone who loves a good thriller. It's addictive, twisty, and totally engrossing 🔥

This was an interesting book. It was not quite like anything i have read lately. It grabs you from the first page, and nothing is really as it leads you to believe.

Rebecca is a happy high school student with the boyfriend of her dreams, but when she becomes pregnant, her young life is forever changed. In the end, she keeps her child and loves her with every fiber of her being. But something is different about Moonflower. Mother and daughter traverse the back roads in a dilapidated van. Can they outrun the terrible thing that dogs their every move? Fans of horror and psychological fiction will eat this up.

Thanks to the RBmedia and Netgalley for this eARC.

📚 In “Blood Like Mine”, Stuart Neville ventures into the chilling realm of horror fiction, weaving a sinister tale that will grip your heart with a tight fist.

Set against the desolate backdrop of the American West, this relentless thriller takes readers on a blood-chilling highway pursuit—one where desperate measures collide with gruesome secrets.

On a snowy December night, single mother Rebecca Carter finds herself stranded on a mountain highway. Her van is stuck in a snowbank, and she’s out of money and food. But Rebecca refuses help from a stranger in a pickup truck. Why? Because her adolescent daughter, Moonflower, is on the run, hiding a grisly secret that the world will never be ready to accept.

Rebecca and her daughter can’t afford to be remembered by anyone they encounter.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Marc Donner has been relentlessly tracking a serial killer who drains victims of blood before severing their spinal cords. As the bodies pile up across the American West, Donner’s investigation leads him ever closer to Rebecca and Moonflower, who are hiding in the foothills of Colorado. As the stakes rise, the line between predator and prey blurs, and noone is safe.

Stuart Neville’s storytelling prowess shines bright in this dark, emotion-laden tale. The characters leap off the page, and their struggles are palpable.

Rebecca’s fight to protect her daughter becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, and the tension builds relentlessly as the story barrels forward to its conclusion.

Neville’s unexpected twists will leave you breathless, as you are propelled toward the story's unpredictable ending.

“Blood Like Mine” is a haunting journey through darkness, where survival means staying on the move and out of sight. Neville’s blend of horror, mystery, and suspense creates a gripping narrative that defies easy categorization. Highly recommended for those who crave originality and a visceral reading experience.

I LOVED this book, I greedily consumed every word, reading it in one sitting.; it left me hungry craving MORE. I have my fingers crossed, hoping that this wonderfully talented author makes this book the start of a new blockbuster series.

Note: This story would make a mesmerizing movie.

If you are a Stephen King fan, or a fan of intelligent, thought provoking scary stories pick up a copy. Actually, imagine a Stephen King-esque horror story coupled with a tale of heart-wrenching depth, and you come close to Neville's masterclass in storytelling that this haunting novel is...

I started this book at 8 am before work started it. I then finished it by 9 that evening. It is absolutely compulsively readable with short enough chapters that I didn't find myself wandering after a day of work. There is not a single character in this that I liked. They are all garbage. And I loved it.

This was a good book and I really enjoyed it. I went into not knowing if it was going to be a good read. I was very pleased with and enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Wowza! What a fantastic and thrilling book! Blood Like Mine had me hungry for more. I devoured the pages, fully engrossed in this thrilling pursuit across the American West. From the very first page, my interest was piqued. I wanted more and Stuart Neville delivered.

Rebecca Carter is a single mother who will stop at nothing to keep her daughter, Moonflower safe. They are on the run and do their best to not draw attention to themselves. They do not want to be remembered, they just want to survive and stay safe. They have a HUGE secret and need to keep under the radar.

Special Agent Marc Donner of the FBI has been on the hunt for a serial killer who always appears to be one stop ahead of him. He will stop at nothing to catch this killer!

Woohoo! This one was off the hook. I loved this cat-and-mouse that had me rooting for all of the characters! I felt for them all. Rebecca loves her daughter and wants to keep them safe. She has devoted her life to their survival. Moonflower listens to her mother, trying her best to do as she is told, and tries not to draw attention to them. Agent Donner is a good yet flawed man who has made mistakes in his life. But make no mistake, he will not be deterred in his pursuit of justice.

Whew! This book had just about everything that I enjoy in books. There is mystery, a thrilling investigation, horrific scenes, and endearing flawed characters. I enjoyed the tension, the danger, the mounting suspense, the relationships, and the vivid descriptions.

I found this wonderfully written book to be well thought out, perfectly paced and addictive. So bloody good!

Spoiler-free review
Blood Like Mine mesmerized me. It’s an intimate book, guiding me into my own darkness and questions about how far I’d go if my choices were limited to drastic ones.  

The ferocity and complexity of the mother-daughter bond drives the action. Their tense roadtrip juxtaposed with an FBI agent's hunt for a serial killer compelled me to keep reading. 

Combining supernatural horror and crime thriller, it delivers an immersive reading experience. It's gorgeously dark, fully engaging, and perfectly orchestrated.

Favorite things: 
Character dynamics on both side of the law fraught with resentments, pain, loyalty, and love
Well-written, earned violent scenes
Perceptive and empathetic, with strong and relatable female and male characters
Connection to nature, sensory details, and the inner worlds of the principle characters

Overall:
This is a remarkably smooth read--a novel with depth that makes itself felt from the beginning. It's one of my top three reads of 2024 so far. Highly recommended for readers of Horror, Supernatural Thrillers, or Paranormal Crime Fiction.

Thank You, NetGalley and Soho Press for the eARC for consideration. These are my opinions.

The author did a great job of keeping the reader in the dark for as long as the story would allow. This was a very enjoyable read, one of those books where you tell yourself you can read one more quick chapter before going to bed - and then end up reading half the book.

Fans of both crime dramas and horror/supernatural fiction will love this. I was interested based on the synopsis of the book, but the story became so much more than the brief description. I'm still trying to digest the story and keep wondering what happens after the last page. Will there be a sequel?

3.5⭐️

it’s a weird one. i didn’t like any of the characters, but i think that was supposed to happen. the story is still very confusing, we didn’t really get any answers at the end.
i did enjoy the book but felt very unfulfilled

Simply put, this book is EPIC! Sure, some of the ideas are familiar: think Lindqvist's Let The Right One In, think Cronin's The Passage - but in Stuart Neville's hands, the result is a fresh take on the creepy child horror trope, turning it upside down and giving it a superb realistic spin from the ground up. The story rests on a deeply moving mother-daughter relationship, which is being presented bit by bit, somewhat as a puzzle, through several terrific action scenes, heart-breaking letters, and introspective journal entries. The book is not a slow burn, however: once it's clear why both mother and the child are on the run, the introduction of an FBI agent obsessed with catching them drives the plot forward very fast, and the reader has to turn the pages as quickly as they can in order to catch up! Thematically, the book touches on guilt, regret, obsession, and raises some brilliant questions on the meaning and the cost of parental love. Rebecca, the mother, is a compelling character, especially since she's the one discovering the most about herself through this episodic journey. Her genuine sense of sacrifice, her authentic voice, and even her dishonesty, most of all to herself, makes for a memorable character I wouldn't mind seeing again. In sum, this is NOT a book you take a gamble on: it's an addictive, terrifying adventure all horror readers simply must read and experience for themselves!

A completely readable horror thriller that I enjoyed the hell out of. So engrossed was I by this book, that I’m naming it my favourite read of the year.

You feel for the characters. Rebecca, Moonflower, Donner. They’re all in impossible situations. One of the many things I liked about this book is how the author depicts the struggle each character goes through to deal with the weight of it all. There is no real happy ending here. If there was, it would have diminished the book.

Absolutely brilliant and not to be missed Five stars, A+ all the way. Read it.

Wow!! This book!! A mother and daughter on the run.. Out of money and out of food with a terrifying secret to hide. The way that this story unfolds keeps you invested because you just have to know what’s coming next. As the details are revealed, I was shocked and intrigued and downright chilled to the bone.

What lengths would you go to to protect your child? What would you be capable of doing? These are the questions you will ask yourself if you have children. The ending was one that you almost couldn’t see it happening any other way.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.

I really like a bit of genre cross-over, when done well, and Blood Like Mine does it well! Its really tricky to review without some sort of spoiler so I will phrase it as the mystery that surrounds the characters in this story goes beyond your typical police procedural...

At first when I started on the book I was a little worried it was going to be bleak (and oblique) and a little long-winded - it was just something about the setting and the prose, however I needn't have worried, Neville adroitly provided sufficient grounding and detail (including backstory) with a quick pacing that never made reading this book a slog.

I think this was setup for a sequel - however it reads more like a origin story for future books rather than a direct continuation of the story if that makes sense. I'm kind mixed about that because Blood Like Mine is such a good book on its own, I'm not sure it needs more material, BUT because its so good I am also hopeful for more books?