A review by Nalini Haynes
Ava Sykes isn’t afraid of a fight: she’s a bouncer at a night club. The Blood In The Beginning isn’t hers. Yet. But her stalker wants to change that.
In the beginning, Ava works as a bouncer at your run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic night club then she’s head-hunted for a more upmarket club. She’s a kick-ass chick quite literally: she may be a bit on the short side but she can kick your ass any day. And that’s before she realizes her non-human heritage.
Life on the seedy side of town hasn’t changed much but, when half of LA fell into the water during ‘The Big One’, all the survivors lost loved ones. And now you can go scuba diving and treasure hunting in a brand-new reef. Which Ava does, against her will.
I love this reimagining of vampires and a world that isn’t just the old ‘take today, add supernatural creatures’ recipe. Furthermore, Kim Falconer was writing feminist fantasy and gender-flexibility before it was fashionable so I expect good things from this series.
There are a few issues with the plot — like why ram a door when you could walk straight through? — but the characters are engaging, pacing is good, and who doesn’t love the mental image of a naked man-god striding around the city? In my mind he’s Chris Hemsworth aged 40 to 50 with added muscles and longer hair. But that’s just me. I digress.
I expected a romance with some added plot (cue my romance-reviewer pseudonym) but Blood In The Beginning is a fun fantasy romp with added sexiness via love interests as a sub-plot. It kept me turning pages and left me wanting more.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
ISBN: 9781489210197 (paper)
ISBN: 9781489210654 (ebook)
Format: paperback
Imprint: Mira (Harlequin)
