Review: THE BLOOD SINGER by Patrick McNulty

A delightfully comic horror with an engaging protagonist, a solemn and cynical foil as the protagonist's wise ghost mentor, a premise particularly imaginative and engrossing, combines in a very fast page-turning supernatural novel. There's nothing funny about Haden Church's childhood; his mother is horrid and Haden himself is, if not one of a kind, close to it. Haden sees ghosts, they congregate to him, and his abusive mother considers that the work of Satan and believes it her God-given mission to thoroughly exorcise her son. 

As an adult, Haden is in the employ of the Ministry of Wraiths, but he might as well be freelance, he is so obstinate and stubborn, following his own ethical code. When his mentor-companion Moses brings to Hayden the ghost of an elderly lady vitally (and rightly) concerned for her wayward son and her young granddaughter, Haden leaps into the fray irregardless of his personal safety, in order to rescue the child.

This book is a really short, really fun read. Haden is a very unique character: as a kid he can see ghosts, a skill his mother tries very, very hard to beat out of him. After being taken in by the Ministry of the Wraith, he's taught to use those skills to essentially transport himself into a corpse, gaining all of that person's knowledge and memories. There's a downside though: while transporting his consciousness into a corpse, his own body is left vulnerable in a comatose state, and any injury he takes as a corpse transfers to his living body.

I honestly grabbed this book based entirely on the cover. It just caught my eye as I was browsing, and I HAD to read it! At 142 pages, it isn't a huge time-sink either. It would make a great one-sitting book, especially since it moves pretty quickly. I did sometimes get a bit bogged down by the sheer number of missing/extra commas, but given that this is a galley I guess I can't hold it against the book too much.

Its short length was a bit of a downside for me though. The story is fairly well fleshed out, but still I wanted more. I wanted to know more about Nyah's past assignment, about the intervening years between Haden being recruited and when the reader meets him again as a full-fledged Reaper. The author touches briefly on the mysterious Avernus Collective, but they never really get involved in the story. In a way it could be seen as a positive that I want so much more from this book: I'm definitely going to be eagerly awaiting the sequel!

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Patrick McNulty for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Blood Singer.
What a unique storyline. I thought it was well thought out and gets you in from the first chapter. I was happy when I realised that this book is only the first in a series featuring Haden Church. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more.

A relatively short read, but worthwhile reading if you like supernatural, urban fantasy, or dark fantasy. This novella introduces an interesting world with unusual entities, with plenty of room to write further installments, but without an annoying cliffhanger ending. Some aspects of the story and characters could have been given a little more depth, but that could be largely rectified with further, longer books in the series.

Haden is different. He is a young adult working for the Ministry of Wraiths to track down evil. When a worried Grandmother approaches Haden concerning her Granddaughter, Haden and his sidekick Moses are the only people able to help.

The first thing to make readers aware of is that this is only a novella and not a full length novel. I was quite cross about this as I had invested a lot in the story line, characters and urban fantasy world only for it to come to an abrupt end. Personally I loved the book and I am glad that I read it despite its short length but it is something to consider.

The book hits the ground running in the first few lines and doesn't really stop. It doesn't take the author long to get the reader immersed in the world that he has created. Yes, there is lots still to learn but I was hoping to learn about that in the rest of the book! The characters are three dimensional with clear personalities showing very quickly.

I really loved this book. I would be very keen to hunt out further books in the series provided they are full length novels - I am not a lover of short stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley

The Blood Singer by Patrick Mcnulty is a supernatural horror novella, a child of the Ministry of Wrath series. The Ministry is a unique, secret organization that dispatches supernatural entities to fight evil. Hayden Church, a member of the Ministry’s supernatural army, is a reaper, an individual who can resurrect and inhabit dead bodies, so he can battle evil—undercover. The tale begins with a heart-breaking glimpse into Church’s childhood, then rockets right into a quest to save the life of a child. His time is limited, so he must move quickly. Wearing the skin of the child’s grandmother, Church has no other option but to go to the blood singer to gain the information he needs to complete his desperate mission.

The characters in this novella are very well drawn. With an economy of words, Mcnulty manages to create characters that are clear, believable, and for the most part likable. The main character Hayden Church is brave, driven, noble, and charming. He is willing to put his life on the line to save an innocent, all the while preserving a droll sense of humor. Church could be considered similar to the beloved Odd Thomas from the Dean Koontz series. Church’s handler, a wraith named Moses, offers support and companionship. The child’s mother is real, believable, and worthy.

The plot is original, tight, and flies leaving no time for boredom. However, some readers might wish for a longer work that would allow time for subplots and glimpses into Church’s backstory. Readers will no doubt wish to see into Church’s mind to learn who he is as a person, not just as a reaper. As it stands, the adult Church is a cypher, and many readers will be sorry to see this striking tale end so quickly.

Mcnulty’s prose reveals intense visual messaging and strong writing skills. His word choices are concise, and his phrasing is beautiful. His metaphors, visual imagery, and descriptions make the settings and action easy to see. Perhaps his strongest point is his ability to portray emotions and feelings via physical symptoms and actions, not through tell. The Blood Singer is a pleasure to read. The only minor flaw one can mention is the tale’s brevity. Church and the Ministry are so appealing that the ending comes far too soon.

The Blood Singer may not be the first choice for hard-core horror fans who insist on more depth. However, for readers who enjoy skillfully crafted fiction or are simply looking for a burst of scary fun will love this delightful tale of supernatural action.

Patrick Mcnulty is a writer of great potential who deserves watching and will no doubt go on to great literary achievements.

The Blood Singer is highly recommended.

What first caught my attention about this book was the cover. I saw the cover and I knew this book is for me. And it was. Good read, unfortunately a short one.
The story kept me interested, and I was truly curious about what a blood singer is.
The only character we get to now a little is Haden. I feel the other charcters also have interesting past but we get only some hinst nothing else. I sure hope there will be a full novel, I will definitely read it.

I quite enjoyed this short read!! It starts with us seeing Haden as a young child and everything that his parents, particularly his mother, put him through! He is then recruited into a mysterious society called The Ministry. This organisation fights evil and Haden is a reaper, a person who can resurrect and inhabit dead bodies. He is called upon to save a childs life and inhabits the recently dead body of the childs grandmother. But his time in the body is limited and he must call upon an old enemy for help, The Blood Singer. What will her price be?

I liked Haden. He was brave, selfless and willing to do anything necessary. I liked Moses too. Moses is Haden's... handler I suppose you'd call it. He is there to help and advise Haden, even if Haden doesn't always listen to him!!

There was so much to like about this book, but also things to dislike! My biggest complaint is that it was too short and suffered from that fact. The characters weren't as well developed as I'd like and I would have liked to get to know the world more. If it was longer it would have been a 5 star read!!

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to more. I'm intrigued to find out more from the world and characters and am hoping the author can make these longer in the future!!

I received this from Netgalley and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

The Blood Singer was good. I didn't really relate to the characters very much, but the writing was excellent, the plot was fantastic, and I do recommend it!

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

The Ministry is a secret organization that dispatches supernatural entities to fight evil. Hayden Church, a member of the Ministry’s supernatural army, is an undercover reaper, an individual who can resurrect and inhabit dead bodies, so he can battle evil. Hayden is running against the clock to save a little girl. Hayden is a great main character and the story is solid. This is the first of a series, so I'll be checking out the sequels.

Completely gripping from start to finish. This hooked me immediately and I devoured it in one sitting. Fabulous writing and cannot wait to read the next one.