Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Review: Gifts of the Blood

Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire
Released: January 01, 2011
Young Adult
Source: Author, in exchange for an honest review
Overall: Flippin' Fabulous!
| Author Website | Goodreads | Twitter |



Caspia Chastain, art student and barista, is gifted (or plagued, if you ask her) with the ability to draw the future, usually at the worst possible times. Her parents are four years dead; everyday she watches her brother Logan fight his cancer diagnosis. Things get worse for Caspia the day she draws an angry stranger framed by planes of light and violent, bloody images. That exact same stranger walks up to her out of nowhere mere hours later knowing things he shouldn't, like her name, her brother's illness, and her strange ability. That's when Caspia discovers her hometown is a refuge for supernatural beings both Light and Dark, and she and her brother find themselves caught up in a war between the two that predates their very birth. In order to protect herself and her brother, she turns to the one who seems to have started it all: the man who walked out of her sketchbook calling himself Ethan.

But Ethan has his own agenda, Logan's getting sicker fast, and Caspia finds that drawing the future isn't the only strange thing she can do. Meanwhile, someone really wants all of them dead. In a town where Dark doesn't equal Evil and Light isn't always Good, Caspia and Ethan find themselves making strange alliances and even stranger sacrifices in order to protect those they love.



My Thoughts:

Gifts of the Blood... Where to start?

Do you ever read a book and you just don't know how to explain it to someone and it sure isn't for a lack of trying? Do you ever enjoy a book so fabulously much that you stumble over every attempt to explain just how much? Gifts of the Blood is one of those books for me, Vicki Keire truly grabbed me within the first few lines.

Gifts of the Blood was full of dynamic characters with real life struggles, issues, and emotions. At times they seemed like they were all over the place but in the end it all made sense to me. While the Gifts of the Blood is based on those that aren't-so-human it doesn't mean that they didn't experience real life emotions and real life experiences.

I could touch base on the characters one by one but I won't, there are simply too many to do so. You may hear that and wonder how a book can accommodate a wide cast of characters but believe me when I tell you that Vicki Keire has done just that. I learned each character and could pick them out of a verbal line up even just after one meeting. Every character had a unique voice which made the many characters acceptable. It didn't stop at having unique voices, each character had strengths and weaknesses and characteristics and situations unique to them.

Gifts of the Blood is a book that blends the people of the dark and the people of the light and where the lines of good and evil were blurred. Take everything you know about Fallen Angels and kick it out the front door then take everything you know about all the other facets of the paranormal and let that be rewritten. Vicki Keire didn't just bring to us Fallen Angels, humans with gifts, and a typical small town with quirks. Vicki Keire gave us her own unique spin on all of thee above and did it with a fabulousness that I absolutely adored with a fabulous attention to detail which made the story come to life.

Do you think it is slightly premature for me to say that Vicki Keire is one of my newest favorite authors ever? No. I didn't think so. When does the third book come out? Wait, did I mention I purchased book number two right I read this one? No? Well, I totally did.

Unique, action and romance packed, full of twists and turns with paranormal characters/places/things(?) coming out of the woodwork, Gifts of Blood is a fabulous start to a fabulous series by Vicki Keire.

On a side note...I don't think I've ever been so taken with a bad character before. In the Gifts of the Blood there is no character off limits to your heart strings. All characters have their own stories who made them who they are.

On an additional side note, making two more than I normally include... I can't remember the last time I felt so emotionally vested to a small group of characters before. The familial bond between three of the characters Vicki Keire introduced us two was absolutely amazing and heart breaking all at the same time. The situation between the three had me sitting on the edge of my seat and my heart pounding throughout the duration of the story.

25 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading Gifts of the Blood as I eat my favorite Halloween candy, Mounds; umm, chocolate and coconut!
    egstanley@gmail.com

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  2. Great Review now i really really cant wait to read it!
    When the kids come home from trick or treating they make the mommy pile of reese cups and mounds lol so those would be my fav

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  3. Love the cover. Thanks for the review. Adding this one to my reading. My favorite Halloween candy is Peanut Butter Kisses and lots of candy bars! LOL.
    Sue B
    katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. would be good if i left my email you got me talking about candy lol

    jyawger@eupen.us

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  5. Hi,

    Here for the Blog Tour, I have two favorite Halloween candies, reese's peanut butter cups and midnight milky way bars!

    Thanks for the fun!

    pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Great review! It really makes me want to read the book :)

    rockchick531 at gmail dot com

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  7. Great review.
    I really like the sound of this book and need to get a copy of it.

    As per request from http://www.vickikeire.com/, since I live in UK we dont tend to have a set halloween candy out for halowween, although I do like Screme Eggs (creme egg with a green yolk instead of an orange yolk)

    mich1980611[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  8. Gift of Blood sounds so interesting. I am looking forward to reading it.
    My favorite Halloween candy is those soft creamy caramel swirl things. I can't remember the name but I know them when I see them.

    koonie2888 at yahoo dot com

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  9. I can't wait to read the book!
    I'm sure I'll be reading and making myself sick eating my reese's peanut butter cups!
    t_manfredi@hotmail.com

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  10. Great review thank you for sharing! My favorite candy is reese peanut butter cups yummy! I can't wait to read this book!
    tishajean@ charter.net

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  11. Can't wait to read this book, it sounds fantastic! My favorite Halloween candy is dark chocolate!

    iarvd@yahoo.com

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  12. Hi!

    I'm here from the blog tour! Thanks for the review!

    My fav halloween candy is pixy sticks! I can't find them any other time of year.

    shiderly77@yahoo.com

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  13. Great review, my favorite Halloween candy is Reese's peanut butter anything.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  14. Hey party people! I had no idea how much this talk of candy was going to make me want some. Must. Have. Reese's. Omg.
    Okay, I have never heard of Screme Eggs before, but that is so cool. I wonder if I can get some in time to give some away this year? Hmm.
    *Great* post! Seriously. This the kind of review you put in your pocket for rainy/icky days. Thanks so much for being such a great hostess! And thanks to everyone for stopping by and commenting.
    Now to stockpile sugar for my emailing goodies blitz!

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  15. I'm here from the blog tour and popped over from Vicki's site to read your review
    My favorite halloween candy are M&M

    darksiry(at)gmail(dot)com

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  16. Was sent over through Vicki's blog. Thanks for sharing your views on this book, it sounds really good, I look forward to reading it myself!
    My favourite Halloween candy is anything chocolate really... KitKat, Hershey's, you name it! :)

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Here from the blog tour. I have always wondered what to do when I tried to explain a book to someone and just never knew where to start. You had a lot to say once you got started. Nice review.

    My "NEW" favorite halloween candy are the White Chocolate Candy Corn M&Ms that came out this year. Fantastic stuff!

    phaedracamille@gmail.com

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  18. I love these tours!!

    Hmm.. my favorite Halloween candy is peanut butter cups!

    Thanks can't wait to read the books!
    Laura

    cardinoles@gmail.com

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. Thank you so much for sharing about Gifts of the Blood. I am enjoying the tour and look forward to reading this book. I am off now to enjoy my favorite Halloween candy - baby Snickers and candy corn - YUM, I'll save you some :)

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

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  21. Thanks everybody so much for making this blog tour so much fun! I enjoyed everyone's comments and hope you all enjoy reading Gifts of the Blood! And thanks again to Stacey Mac for being the Hostess with the Mostest!

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  22. Thanks for the review. My favorite Halloween candy is by far - candy corn!
    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

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  23. Nice review. The book sounds like it would be a really great read.

    This tour been really fun.

    Favorite candy for Halloween? Reeses Peanut butter cups,Mars or Caramilk.

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  24. hi thank you for the review on the gifts of the blood. i have been wanting to read so i hope soon i can.Vicki I love to eat all kinds of choclate and it don't matter lol. Thanks Joannie jscddmj[at]aol[dot]com

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  25. Can't wait to check this out eating all my favorite choclates. Thanks so much!
    a_ariail (at) yahoo (dot) com

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