Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
READ THIS SERIES IN ORDER!!!!, February 21, 2007
Magic appears to be returning to the world and wreaking havoc while demons are striking out at the Lupi. Cynna Weaver fears her old teacher, Jiri, is behind the recent demon activity and will have to face her own fears about her past. Rule Turner is under attack on several fronts and the Lupi politics are about to get very hairy. Cullen Seabourne, Lily Yu, Rule, and Cynna will have to work together to face the darkness that threatens them all.
BLOOD LINES is the third book in Eileen Wilks' tales regarding the Lupi. Readers unfamiliar with the two previous novels, as well as the two short stories in anthologies, should read these tales before attempting BLOOD LINES. I had to refer back to the previous stories on more than one occasion while reading BLOOD LINES as the plot is very complex and ties together several loose ends from the prior stories. In particular, the events from MORTAL DANGER and the short story "Originally Human" play a huge role in this book. BLOOD LINES is not a stand alone novel and will leave you completely bewildered if you haven't read the rest of the series.
Eileen Wilks has crafted a world that is multilayered and requires readers to really pay attention to details. BLOOD LINES is not an easy read but it is a very satisfying one for fans of urban fantasy. The intricate details are cleverly interwoven into the fast paced plot that delves deeply into the fantastic supernatural world created by Ms. Wilks. Readers looking more for romance may be a bit disappointed as the romance between Cynna and Cullen is only just in the beginning stages and is not a focal point of the story, although it appears that their relationship will develop further in the next book.
BLOOD LINES is a very intense and compelling story. The sheer depth of the novel is commendable and leaves open so many exciting future possibilities for the characters. The world building is simply incredible as all the various threads are beginning to tie together to form a very intriguing picture. I will be waiting anxiously for the next installment!
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
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51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely yes. 4.5 stars, January 6, 2007
Eileen Wilks is rapidly becoming one of my favorite fantasy writers. Her characters are fresh, fascinating, well fleshed out. She doesn't follow a tried and tired formula in her writing, sometimes its difficult to keep up, simplicity is not her style. I truly enjoy the challenge. I never know exactly where she's going, and the journey is wonderful.
The insight into wolf politics was fascinating, the background of Cynna explained her character beautifully, Rule's grief over the lost part of Lily was poignant. As for Grandmother... every scene that included her was gold.
Four and a half stars rather than five only because this story needs the first two books in the series to really appreciate who the characters are, how they came to this point, and why following this story to its conclusion is a must.
Better - no cliffhangers, just an incredible need to play in this world again.
Note: The "Dear Reader" section at the front of the novel needs to be read, it's from the character, Lily, not the author, and reminds you of the details you need to remember from the other books. A nice touch, actually.
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good story, characters; problems with pacing, March 2, 2007
I am a fan of Eileen Wilks, who I think has great ideas and great command of the language. Her characters are interesting and engaging, too. Unfortunately, I had a huge problem with this book's pacing.
The first two novels in the series, Tempting Danger and Mortal Danger, moved along swimmingly. The short story that set the stage (in the anthology Craving, and very useful prereading for this book) riveted me. This one moved from cliffhanger to cliffhanger in a way that I think was meant to make it a page-turner, but which in my particular case only disengaged me from the action. Just when I was on the edge of my seat with one character or situation, we'd switch to another. I'd lose the urgency of the situation with character a, and by the time we'd get back to it, it would be just a mildly pleasant sense of closure rather than a nail-bitingly tense revelation. I know that this response is at variance with most of the reviews here (and fully expect to be spanked for it), but while I usually read Wilks' novels in a day, this one took me four...and I didn't tremendously enjoy the experience. I'm not giving up on her. I think she is one of the more promising authors in the paranormal adventure field. But I hope that she changes the pacing in her next book. I prefer a graceful arc to the sudden jerk of changing scenes.
A final word to first-time readers: don't be a first-time reader with this one. Wilks will not hold your hand as she weaves older characters and suplots into this story. If you haven't fulfilled the prerequisites, you are likely to be very confused.
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