Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony by Brian McKinley

TBBManiacKim
Mar 13, 2017
2 min read

I won an electronic copy of this book in the #MTW_2017 event.

Avery Doyle is your average Joe - overweight and with no real goals in life, working in a bookstore to sate his love of anything vampire. In walks Catherine, looking to find information on little known divisions of vampires. After discovering that she really is a vampire, he convinces her to change him. This one action of trying to ‘not be ordinary’ leads Avery on an adventure with unimagined consequences and introduces him to a society where ‘The Game’ seems to be the only thing keeping them (somewhat!) sane.

I love tales of the paranormal – they allow one to imagine a world so different from the one we live in. However, this is not a world I would enjoy living in! I often wonder how I would occupy my time should I be immortal and think about what would keep me from utter and complete boredom. McKinley has devised a world in which the immortal have created ‘The Game’, a pastime of intrigue and mystery where every word uttered, and every deed done is analysed by all to try and judge what the next move will be. It is fascinating and horrific. From the wine cellar to the maze, the lowliest servant to the head of the council, this tale, told from Avery’s point of view, moves through a political maelstrom of epic proportions. I did find the machinations of the characters confusing at times, but that did not stop me from continuing with this extraordinary story. I’m not sure that I like Catherine – I believe that she has a hidden agenda that is going to cause Avery trouble in the future, but that just made me like the story even more! The characters are well-developed and the story flows from one event to the next.

All-in-all, a well-constructed story, which could be read as a stand-alone (but you will want to read the next installment I’m sure!) for readers who enjoy a paranormal tale which has a double-edged ending. Sensitive readers will not enjoy many facets of the violence and should perhaps give this one a miss.

Personally, I do not like the cover which depicts Avery and Catherine as it does not indicate the level of violence and intrigue in this story. However, if I were in a bookstore, I would certainly pick it up for a second look.

Review Rating Writer:: 4/5

Review Rating Cover:: 3/5

More Information:

Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition

Published Date: April 28, 2016

Genre: Paranormal / Thriller