Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: A SHADE OF BLOOD (A Shade of Vampire, #2) by Bella Forrest

Title: A Shade of Blood

Series: A Shade of Vampire, #2

Author: Bella Forrest

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: April 8, 2013

Genres: YA, Paranormal

Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz

Source: Received from author for review

Ellen’s star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

In A Shade Of Blood, Bella Forrest transports you deeper into a unique, enthralling and beautifully sensitive story.
Prepare to be lost in its pages…

When Sofia Claremont was kidnapped to a sunless island, uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet, she believed she’d forever be a captive of its dark ruler, Derek Novak.

Now, after months of surviving an endless night, the morning sun may soon rise again for Sofia. Something has possessed Derek’s heart and he offers her a gift no human slave has ever been given in the history of his cursed island: escape.

High school, prom and a chance to move on with her life now await her.

But will she be able to forget the horrors that steal her sleep away at night? … and the feelings that haunt her for that tormented prince of darkness?

REVIEW

Although A Shade of Blood is not as action-packed and suspense laden as A Shade of Vampire, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Sofia and Ben had left The Shade and must go back to their perfectly normal lives; something that proves far more difficult than they had anticipated. Sofia finds herself constantly fretting about and, yes, even pining for Derek Novak. Ben on the other hand, is so mentally and physically scarred by the experience that he just wants revenge on the vampires. At the Shade, Derek, now the ruler, is going out of his mind with longing for Sofia, attempting to restore The Shade to its former military strength and trying to deal with the ever present bloodlust. Matters take a nasty turn when Derek's sister, Vivienne, is taken prisoner by the hunters.

Where the first book in the series, A Shade of Vampire, was a really fast paced book, A Shade of Blood is a slower, comfortably paced read. While still skillfully moving the plot along the author dedicates much more time to world building and character development. After the dramatic events of the first book, all the characters need to take stock, make decisions and come to terms with their circumstances. The author handles this aspect masterfully and the characters actually show growth and development throughout the story so that, by the end of this book, they are well fleshed out and more realistic than ever. She also gives the reader more back story about all the main characters and reveals a few astonishing truths about the families of Sofia and Derek in particular. A few new characters are introduced in this story and persons who played a minor role in the previous book, have a bigger part in this one.

I highly recommend A Shade of Blood to everybody who loves a good vampire story with an amazing amount of depth to it. It would be a good idea however if you could read the first book, A Shade of Vampire, before you read this one. Thumbs up to Bella Forrest for yet another five-star read.