Book Review of Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh Book 1) by Samantha Young

Synopsis:

What would you do if you were born to be a predator? Would you fight your natural instincts or give in to your nature? 

Eden is a soul eater closing in on her Awakening. Her family has convinced her that soon she will have to take a life in order to save her own. It’s a decision Eden doesn’t want to deal with even as her hunger for souls grows stronger every day.

To complicate her impossible position, new guy in school Noah Valois’ determination to befriend her puts Eden in touch with a humanity she’s never known. Addicted to his company, his friendship and affection, she becomes more and more terrified that giving into her hunger will mean losing him forever…

… But when she discovers that Noah is not what he seems, his betrayal forces her to face two choices. One will offer her revenge and the destruction of a boy she loved. The other may offer her a life of eternal redemption…

Review:


Blood Will Tell by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Warriors of Ankh series. I downloaded this book, I am ashamed to say, nearly two and a half years ago when it was free, but never found time to read it until now. I am seriously kicking myself for not reading it sooner, because I LOVED it!

Eden Winslow is not a normal teen. She is a soul eater, or soon to be, once she goes through her Awakening ceremony. I liked this character a lot. She has a lot to deal with. She is scared, but determined to resist impulse to take a soul. However, it's not easy when your only friend is a temptation.

Noah Valois is a fantastic character and is also not your average teen. He is a little enigmatic at times, but I suppose being a Warrior of Ankh, a little mystery comes with the territory. Being friends with Eden is a complication he never expected, but can he save her before she makes a terrible mistake?

This is a fantastic YA paranormal romance. The story is basically good versus evil, but with a twist. The Warriors of Ankh are a group of immortals that protect mankind from the "Blessed" - soul eaters to you and me. However, there is a complication in the form of a rebel faction of Neith (human warriors that fight along side with the Ankh) wanting to kill Eden because of who she is. The story is told through both Eden's and Noah's point of view. Once I started to read this book, I struggled to put it down! This book is an amazing roller coaster ride of excitement, danger and romance. There are some really interesting characters in this story. Stellan is Eden's brother, and her rock in an emotional sea. I liked him very much, even though he too is a soul eater. Teagan, Eden's cousin, on the other hand, is a loathsome character, with very little in the way of redeeming features. He, along with Eden's parents, are characters that made me angry. I very rarely get angry, but their behaviour towards Eden really raised my ire. If these were real people, I would probably be sent to jail for their murder - that's how angry I became.
The story was full of twists and turns, some of them shocking, and some violence. The scenes were well written, and I could picture them quite clearly in my mind's eye. It was interesting to see how Eden's character grew through the story. I liked her in the beginning, but by the end of the story, I was in awe of her strength of character and bravery. I was disappointed when I reached the end of the book, as I wanted to keep reading. I will have to download the next book in the series, Blood Past, and try not to take so long to get to read it!

Samantha Young has written a wonderful story, with characters that come alive on the page. I love her fast paced writing style, and the story flowed wonderfully. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last.

I highly recommend this book (and series) if you love older YA (15+) or Paranormal Romance genres. - Lynn Worton

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