Review: Blood by K.J Wignall

Blood by K.J. Wignall


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:
"I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me."

Back in the 13th Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia. He never lived to inherit his title, struck down by a strange illness and buried beneath the city walls. But Will was not dead, and only now, seven lonely centuries later, does he begin to understand that there was a reason for all of this, that he has a destiny. To find it though, he will need help, and as ever, he will need blood.

Blood is set over the span of just a few days, and tells the story of Will Mercia, who is a vampire in the traditional sense of the mythology- closer to Bram Stoker's Dracula than the vampires of Twilight. He emerges from his crypt in an old church (now a tourist attraction) for a span of a few weeks every 20 years or so, needing blood, and he is stronger than humans and has the power to influence them with his mind.


Will emerges from his hibernation for a short period coming out only at night-time, hungry at first, and so starts hunting down someone who wouldn't be missed- like a homeless person. However, the homeless drug addict that Will finds on this latest trip outside leaves a notebook with a cryptic message for Will, a prophecy or a warning, and a picture of a girl with a message. Things are different this time up on the surface, someone seems to know who Will really is and sets traps to attack him.


Through a twist of fate Will finds the girl in the picture- Eloise- who is living rough, and convinces her that they are connected through the prophecy in the homeless man's notebook. Will faces the possibility that the person who bit and transformed him all those years ago has come back, and the mystery surrounding this elusive person drives the story toward a tense climax. This book also has a gothic feel to it, not only with Will's crypt and the church, but the flashbacks into the past and a time of witch burning and feuds between noble families. This is mixed in with a more modern style, and the start of a budding romance between the two lead characters. We have a bubbly and strong 16-year old girl, and the stuffy 12th century earl-turned-vampire.


I liked this book and felt that it had potential- but for me, it lacked a spark, and left me confused as to was the enemy and why, and what had actually happened! There are so few characters in this story but they aren't really developed or memorable and I just couldn't connect with them. I also like a little romance in any story, and this one was very downplayed. The writing just wasn't captivating enough and I didn't feel completely connected to the world or mythology of the story.


Also, this book is obviously intended to be part of a series, and so there is a cryptic epilogue at the final page intended to entice you to want to find out more. However, I felt the book worked fine as it was and that the epilogue was unnecessary and was just confusing because it wasn't explained. I did like this story but there was nothing spectacular about it and I doubt it'll stand out in my mind in a few weeks time. I would maybe recommend it to younger teens?

Thanks to Egmont publishers and Netgalley for the review copy.