Friday, February 10, 2017

Book Review: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Release Date: November 1st, 2016
Read: December 30th 2016-January 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Wolf by Wolf, #2
Format: ARC, 481 pages
Source: BEA 2016




Description from GoodReads:


   There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.

   For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

   But in the midst of the chaos, Yael’s past and future collide when she comes face to face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths and one question hangs over them all—how far can you go for the ones you love?


Review:


   Why was she always the only one left?
   Wolf by Wolf was one of my favourite books of 2015, it surprised me with its hint of fantasy in the story that was obviously historical fiction. I went to BEA 2016 with only four books that I wanted to leave with, Blood for Blood was one of them, and I certainly did leave with it. With not wanting the series to end, I put off reading my ARC until roughly two months after it's release. Eventually I knew that I was going to have to read it.
   Blood for Blood was not what I was expecting, for all the hype I heard, and with everything that happened in the first book, I had some high expectations for its sequel. Unfortunately, the book didn't meet those expectations. Where Wolf by Wolf was planned out, and had direction, I found Blood for Blood didn't. I kind of feel like Graudin didn't really have a solid solution when it came to the ending of the series, especially with how it all went down. I understand that people had to die in the end, the story takes place in WWII, so they kind of have too. But with Wolf by Wolf we had the book take place throughout different terrain because of the race, with this one, it was all over the place with no purpose.
   Although I found the plot of Blood for Blood to be a bit disappointing, I loved that Yael was her same old self, the same as she was in the first book. Even when things were tough, she was still true to herself. I really liked how she still kept up with the tattoos when the whole thing was over. In the first book, I also felt myself connecting with Felix. In this one, I couldn't have hated him more. There was a rather large shift when it came to his character, and I just couldn't get over it. What I loved about him was just gone, and so I just wanted his parts to be over.
   I didn't love Blood for Blood, and when I think about it, I get a disappointed feeling. Having only read this series by Ryan Graudin and none of her others, I probably wouldn't pick up any more of her books if it wasn't for how much I enjoyed Wolf by Wolf. Hopefully in the future, I'll enjoy her next books more. 

Rating:


Favourite Quote:


"Fear is not an excuse, fear is being human."

"Talking a life takes something from you."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:


Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, World War 2, War, Shapeshifters



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