Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

Title: Blood Bound (Unbound #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Source: Purchased; Ebook 329 pages

By blood, by word, by magic…

     Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

     But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

     Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

My Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 

-->Yet another fabulous novel by Rachel Vincent, as well as an extremely promising start to a new series! The "Skilled" world Vincent creates in her new series, Unbound, is completely different than anything else I've ever read. In this fresh addition to the urban fantasy genre, some people have the ability to see the future, travel through shadows, track someone based on only a name or blood sample, or always know whether or not someone is lying to them. These are just a few of the dozen or so Skills a person may be lucky (or unlucky) enough to have. In a addition to that, all it takes is an oath and a drop of blood to create a bond so strong that one could die trying to break it – tattoos are no longer just aesthetic, but instead are the grim markings of a person’s pledge to another.
How does Vincent come up with stuff like this? It’s brilliant, and once again I must commend the ever-astonishing creativity of authors. I was instantly wrapped up in the story, which besides being totally unique, was jam packed with twists, turns, action, and suspense (as per usual with Vincent’s adult novels). This was one of those gripping stories that keeps you awake until four or five in the morning until you finish the book because you simply cannot put it down [I’m speaking from experience here, hehe *sly smile*]. I give Blood Bound an A+ for originality and plotline.

I also give Blood Bound an A+ for characters and character development. Liv Warren is a total kick-butt chick (very reminiscent of Faythe Sanders, for those of you who have read Vincent’s other adult series, Shifters), Cam Caballero is an adorably sexy drool-worthy dreamboat, Ruben Cavazos is one of those villains that you just loveee to hate, as well as many other interesting less prominent characters – the list goes on and on.

The only aspect of Blood Bound that wasn’t a home run was the alternating POV narration. While it was definitely necessary to have both Liv and Cam as narrators –many details were contingent upon the fact that one character knew something that the other one didn’t- the writing just didn’t flow seamlessly. I often found myself reading the first paragraph or two of a new chapter, getting confused, and then reading the same paragraphs over again realizing that the POV had switched to the other character. Hopefully this is something that will be smoother in Shadow Bound, the next installment of the series.

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 *Check back tomorrow for a giveaway - 

a chance to win your own copy of Blood Bound!*

Cover Musings: I really like this cover, especially the interlocking rings in the title (which ties into the story). However, I think I prefer the UK Cover

Warnings: adult (not YA); lots of violence & profanity; some sex

Next in Series: Shadow Bound

Books Like This: Stray by Rachel Vincent; Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Also just a quick question (for my curiosity): To those of you who have read the book already, which Skill would you most like to have? [Traveler, Seer, Jammer, Blinder, Binder, Tracker, Reader, etc...]

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Source: Library; Paperback 472 pages

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My Rating: 5 stars (favorite!) ★★★★★ & ♥
My Thoughts (mini-review):
I read this book a couple of months before starting The Babbling Bookworm, and even then it wasn't a "new" book, but I thought it still deserved some bloggy love for being an incredibly awesome read... hence this mini-review! I'm warning you in advance, it's going to be very informal and stream-of-conscious-ish.

The concept of Gracelings, people graced with a certain skill (cooking, sewing, fighting... could be anything!) and identified by having two different colored eyes, was super fresh and original! I LOVED it! Furthermore, Cashore did an excellent job at world-building - I felt like I was really there along with Katsa. Honestly, this book was what inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at creative writing. I was absolutely amazed at how Cashore was able to create such vivid images out of nothing! I also very much enjoyed the romance in Graceling; it wasn't cliche, and was absolutely adorable ♥. And Katsa was a great easy-to-love character; who doesn't like a badass kick-butt chick?

I recommend this book very highly!

Other Books Like This: Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness Quartet

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blood Bound 

(Mercy Thompson Series #2)

Author: Patricia Briggs

Source: Library; Paperback 292 pages

Interest: series; Vampire Challenge; 50 States Challenge; Shifters Challenge

Official Blurb:

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦

My Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 

I’ll admit that after reading Moon Called, I was a little bit skeptical about the series. I thought it was good, but not as great as everyone made it seem. Though I was nervous that the series had been over-hyped, I decided not to make the rash decision to dismiss the series completely - & I’m so happy that I gave Blood Bound a go; it was pretty awesome!

This book brings meaning to the words action-packed: the major conflict arises right in first chapter, and doesn’t get resolved until the last few pages. I also enjoyed the element of mystery that played a huge part in the book; I love books that make me try and figure out things along with the protagonist, but I hate when it’s too predictable. Luckily, this book wasn’t predictable at all, and kept me guessing the whole time! I can’t wait to read the next one.

      

Also, on a side note: if there were “teams” for this series, I’d totally be Team Adam! I hope his and Mercy’s relationship evolves more in the next book *crosses fingers*

 

Previous in Series: Moon Called

Next in Series: Iron Kissed

Books Like This: Rachel Vincent's Shifters Series

Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent - Review

This isn't necessarily a "just-read" review (although I did finish the last book of the series fairly recently), but I have really enjoyed Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, and I wanted to spread the word to any of you who might not be familiar with it yet [and as I've said, I've been cooped up in my house due to the snow, so I've got a lot of free time on my hands lol]. I'll try and present this in a semi-organized manner, seeing as it's different than an ordinary review for a single book... well, here goes:

Book One: Stray

My Rating: 5/5 stars & ♥ (favorite) ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 
I stumbled upon Stray when I was browsing B&N's website for cheap e-books (*shrugs* hey, I'm a currently-jobless college sophomore; I'm on a pretty low book-budget lol) to read on my brand-spankin'-new NOOK & the first thing that I noticed was the awesome cover [I'll admit it... I'm a cover whore. I'm ten times more likely to read a book if it has a cover that catches my eye].

As if the hot cover wasn't enough of a selling point, I proceeded to read the book blurb, which turned out to be just as intriguing:

     "I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

      Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

     I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

     This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them…."

 After reading the book, I knew this was gonna be a series that I'd absolutely love. First off, I liked the idea of werecats versus the commonplace (yet still cool) werewolves. Faythe is a strong, kick-butt heroine, which I loved. The plot was action-packed, and the characters were all people I wish I knew in real life (well... maybe not every character; I definitely would not want to meet any of those rogue werecats). I wanted to be a werecat [member of the South Central Pride, of course]. I was hooked!