Review: Bloodline - Kate Cary

Slowly he drew away, letting his hands trace lightly along my throat.  He shuddered.  Then taking hold of my trembling fingers, he whispered, 'You surely are the sweetest soul . . .'

When Mary's childhood sweetheart returns from the war, she barely recognises the boy she fell in love with.  John is tormented by nightmares - not only the horrors of battle, but the grisly midnight exploits of his captain, Quincey Harker.

So when Harker appears in England, Mary is determined to resist his sinister charm.  But Harker's gaze rests on another party - a bride to restore Count Dracula's poisonous bloodline.

As nightmare becomes reality, Mary soon discovers that the Dynasty of Dracula reaches further than she can possibly imagine.

Bloodline Series:
Bloodline
Reckoning

Visit Kate Cary's website for more information

Review:
Mary is working as a nurse in a sanatorium when she recognises one of her patients as a boy she knew as a child.  John was injured during the war and has been sent home to recover but he is struggling with nightmares of his time in the trenches.  Mary wants to find a way to get through to John so she reads his journal to find out what happened to him, the more she learns about Captain Quincy Harker the more sure she is that something strange was going on.  When Harker turns up at the hospital and sets his sights on John's sister Lily it is up to Mary to try and protect her friend and figure out what the captain is really up to.

I'll admit now it's been years since I read Dracula by Bram Stoker but I was looking forward to reading Kate Cary's sequel Bloodline.  I love reading stories based on old classics and Bloodline wasn't a disappointment.  The story is told using journal entries and letters from each of the 4 main characters which was a great way to see the story from different angles and allowed the author to build suspense.  I actually found it really hard to put down because I'd keep thinking to myself "just one more journal entry" and then I'll go to bed!

I really liked Mary, she was probably the most well rounded out of all of the characters and she was very strong and determined.  It soon becomes obvious how much she cares for John and she is worried for his sister Lily.  I didn't like Lily much, she was very weak and needed constant reassurance from those around her but I was impressed with her when she finally found her backbone towards the end of the book.  John was quite sweet but he really annoyed me with some of his actions (I can't really say more without giving spoilers though).  Harker intrigued me and I'm very curious to see what happens with him in the sequel, there is definitely more to him than it first appears.

I really enjoyed reading John's accounts of life in the trenches, the writing was descriptive and made it easy to picture the sights, sounds and even smells that the soldiers were surrounded by.  This was continued throughout the story and helped me create solid mental pictures as the characters journeyed to Transylvania and arrived at the castle.  There was a great twist at the end that I hadn't seen coming but this is where I became more than a bit disappointed with John, perhaps we will see him redeem himself in the sequel Reckoning but I'm not sure if he can!  Either way I'm definitely looking forward to picking up the next book to find out what happens next, I'm also very tempted to dig out my copy of Dracula for a reread in the meantime.

Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review

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