Review Detail

"We are what we make outselves, not what others want to make us." ~Kadee Obsidian, Bloodkin.

Kadee is a member of the Obsidian Guild. She's half human and half Serpiente, but was raised with human parents until she was kidnapped and taken to the world of Midnight. I've been reading the amazing worlds of Amelia Atwater Rhodes since I was a teen, and I continuously follow her new work. Bloodkin picks up where BLOODWITCH left off.

What I loved:

BLOODWITCH introduced us to the inside of Midnight through the eyes of Vance, the quetzal shapeshifter raised as a slave and turned into a prized member of the world once his rarity was revealed. BLOODKIN takes us to the aftermath of book 1. We get to see a new side of the world through the Obsidian Guild, a group of mostly Serpiente nomads who live life in the woods and bow to no king.

Kadee seems to be torn between her loyalty to Obsidian, and the prophecy they've been working towards, and her own self discovery. She has this urge to find the family she was take from, but has also tasked herself to play delegate between one shapeshifter nation, the Shantel, and the vampire court of Midnight.Through Kadee we can see hints of every character's intentions, while still maintaining a connection with Kadee as an individual protagonist.

While navigating the worlds of the Serpiente, Shantel, Obsidian, and Midnight, Kadee manages to stay true to herself. The Maeve'ra Trilogy deals with human slavery. Book 1 takes place from someone who was raised as a slave. Book 2 deals with the other side of the slave trade. While Kadee wasn't a slave, she still had a hand to play in the slavery of others. Her struggle with the choices made by the people around her is very real. In an attempt to keep peace, or to stop an entire nation from going up in flames, Kadee ends up taking part in flesh trading. Which isn't something she sees herself as, and is equally repulsed when she ends up taking residence in Midnight proper for a night.

What left me wanting:
I wished there was more action that just the last thirty pages. Still, it's important that the life changing decisions happening between the different courts need to be heavily discussed.

Final Verdict:
Amelia Atwater Rhodes weaves a mystery that is subtle, but packs a hard action punch at the end. Kadee is a heroine worth admiring and rooting for. I can't wait for the next installment.