Books4Tomorrow: QUICK REVIEW: "Black Blood" (Time Spirit trilogy, book 2)

“BLACK BLOOD”

(Time Spirit trilogy, book 2)

by Melissa Pearl

REVIEWED BY: Ellen Fritz

OVERVIEW

Gemma's parents have put enough rules around her relationship with Harrison that she feels like she's living on parole. But she wins one battle—a summer job working for Harrison's step-father. It is the perfect chance to spend the steamy, hot Florida days with her boyfriend. It's also a great distraction from the cellphone hiding in her underwear drawer—her only contact with Gabe, the mystery man who's stalking her.

When she confronts Gabe, he tells her that her parents are not who she thinks they are, and Harrison has the gall to believe him. Surrounded by conflict, Gemma doesn't know what to believe, and it takes a trip back in time for her to glimpse the sickening truth.

Thanks to her parents, she returns to the present to find the love of her life no longer exists. His family line was broken and now, so is she.

This betrayal forces her to seek out Gabe. Setting aside her fear of the truth, she must trust this man and learn what he can teach her... otherwise, she'll never get her boyfriend back.

REVIEW

I would like to begin the review of this excellent book by advising those who have not read Golden Blood, the first in the trilogy, to go back and read that before you read Black Blood. Gemma Heart is trying to enjoy the summer with her boyfriend Harrison Granger, before her senior year. But memories of the strange man on the beach and his warnings haunt and frighten her. Her parents, still not happy with her choice of boyfriend, are also not exactly making things easy for them.

The discovery of who exactly Gabe the mysterious man is, throws Gemma into a turmoil bringing into question who she truly is and who her true family is. More questions arise when her father starts acting secretively and going on missions into the past to retrieve the arrow head necklaces of the electus. And why are these expeditions making Gemma so tired?

The final straw comes when Gemma is forced to go back with her family to change history; thus not only ruining Gemma's dreams, but also altering the lives of countless others.

This brilliantly told story deals with horrific betrayal and extreme selfishness. On the other hand it also shows that true love can survive gruelling tests and frightful disagreements. The characters with their very realistic personalities crept even deeper into my heart during this book. The anxiety and suspense in the story are countered by the tender love scenes between Gemma and Harrison.

The author's habit of stating the time and place of each event helped me understand exactly where I was in the story. All this makes Black Blood a comfortably paced and yet enthralling read. I would recommend this book to young adults and adults alike. After reading this book which is more than deserving of its 5 stars, I can't wait to read the next book and hopefully many more by Melissa Pearl.