Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Thursday, 1 November 2012

Review: The Blood Keeper - Tessa Gratton

For Mab Prowd, the practice of blood magic is as natural as breathing. It's all she's ever known. Growing up on an isolated farm in Kansas with other practitioners may have kept her from making friends her own age, but it has also given her a sense of purpose—she's connected to the land and protective of the magic. And she is able to practice it proudly and happily out in the open with only the crows as her companions. Mab will do anything to keep the ancient practice alive and guard its secrets. But one morning while she is working out a particularly tricky spell she encounters Will, a local boy who is trying to exorcise some mundane personal demons. He experiences Mab's magic in a way his mind cannot comprehend and is all too happy to end their chance meeting. But secrets that were kept from Mab by the earlier generations of blood magicians have come home to roost. And she and Will are drawn back together, time again by this dangerous force looking to break free from the earth and reclaim its own dark power.

My thoughts:

I liked the way this book was written, there was an ease to it and the POV changes worked great. It was also so easy to follow.

The book has 3 POVS. First Mab who is a blood witch and lives on a farm, working with curses and blood. Not your ordinary teen. Then there is Will, a local boy she meets and who ends up involved with it all. And yes romance interest too. Lastly, there is Evelyn who came to the farm long ago. Her POV is not around much as it is in the past, but it's important to the plot. Why I did not know before way into the book. It was a nice little mystery. The one thing I did not like with her POV was that it was in italics, ugh, not fun to read. Luckily she gets a page here and there. And when the shift occurs you get to read the name of the POV. Always good.

This is part 2 in a series, but it works great as a stand alone as the previous book was about someone else.

I do not want to spoil the whole plot but Will and Mab meet. She is the new leader for her kind. She is a free spirit, connected to nature and I liked her. Will was a good guy too.

Conclusion:

There is some suspense as things are going on (I can't say more). A bit of a mystery and chilling spells. Magic is not always kind and that is shown here.

Cover: