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In 1636, the last blood sorceress was burned at the stake. More than two hundred years later, her blood servant Jax has found her successor. Amanusa at first turns down the opportunity to learn what she perceives as an evil art. But she craves justice, and innocent blood cries out for justice.When Amanusa looses magic on those who've harmed her, she must flee for her life across a devastated Europe with Jax, who is inescapably bound to her by blood and magic. Their journey takes them through zones where everything--including magic--has died, zones populated with strange creatures cobbled together of things left behind by the dead.Needing each other for their very survival, Amanusa and Jax grow ever closer on their journey to discover answers - about magic, blood sorcery, the dead zones, and even love.… (more)
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LibraryThing member aprillee
Amanusa is a half-English, half-Romanian healer/hedge-witch living in a small cottage in the forest in Transylvania. When she was a child her family was killed by the rebels roaming the hills, rebels who still plague her, demanding she tend to their wounds after she learned her skills from the
Into her life stumbles Jax, an Englishman and bound servant to the last blood sorceress who, before she was killed in the 1600's, commanded him to search for her apprentice/successor and give her the knowledge she placed in his head. He has been searching for some two centuries. Blood sorcery has a dark reputation, but Jax explains that what most people believe is untrue; it's a magic that works with life and for life, and any blood used is minimal and must be freely given. Amanusa does not trust men, due to her horrific past with the rebels, but she no longer wants to be prey to the same vicious men--and she also wants justice for her murdered family.
Together, she and Jax face the rapacious rebels and ruthless Austrian Inquisitors--and the danger of the spreading Dead Zones with their mechanical creatures--and flee to Paris, hoping to claim a position among the Conclave of magic users and help them, despite their hatred of blood sorcerers, to save them all from the Dead Zones.
Both Jax and Amanusa grow as characters and their actions and relationship is fascinating and feels authentic. Despite both being damaged, their hearts are good and they both continue to fight for each other and for what is right. Jax's role as a bound servant to blood sorceresses makes for a very different angle than the typical hero. And it is Amanusa who is the focus and the power in their relationship. The secondary characters are all interesting, too, although a few of the villains tend toward the two-dimensional. The world-building is solid, making for a strong fantasy plot that should please those who wish for a more complex story than just the romance.
I was extremely happy to have stumbled upon this book in the bookstore. It was a very satisfying read, full of danger and adventure and magic and a few steampunk elements, as well as a good romance. I was happy to learn that a sequel is in the works as I did not want the book to end and because there is clearly much more to explore in the world and the events and between the two main characters and their friends.
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former local wise-woman.Into her life stumbles Jax, an Englishman and bound servant to the last blood sorceress who, before she was killed in the 1600's, commanded him to search for her apprentice/successor and give her the knowledge she placed in his head. He has been searching for some two centuries. Blood sorcery has a dark reputation, but Jax explains that what most people believe is untrue; it's a magic that works with life and for life, and any blood used is minimal and must be freely given. Amanusa does not trust men, due to her horrific past with the rebels, but she no longer wants to be prey to the same vicious men--and she also wants justice for her murdered family.
Together, she and Jax face the rapacious rebels and ruthless Austrian Inquisitors--and the danger of the spreading Dead Zones with their mechanical creatures--and flee to Paris, hoping to claim a position among the Conclave of magic users and help them, despite their hatred of blood sorcerers, to save them all from the Dead Zones.
Both Jax and Amanusa grow as characters and their actions and relationship is fascinating and feels authentic. Despite both being damaged, their hearts are good and they both continue to fight for each other and for what is right. Jax's role as a bound servant to blood sorceresses makes for a very different angle than the typical hero. And it is Amanusa who is the focus and the power in their relationship. The secondary characters are all interesting, too, although a few of the villains tend toward the two-dimensional. The world-building is solid, making for a strong fantasy plot that should please those who wish for a more complex story than just the romance.
I was extremely happy to have stumbled upon this book in the bookstore. It was a very satisfying read, full of danger and adventure and magic and a few steampunk elements, as well as a good romance. I was happy to learn that a sequel is in the works as I did not want the book to end and because there is clearly much more to explore in the world and the events and between the two main characters and their friends.
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LibraryThing member izzybru
This was my first novel by Gail Dayton and I thought it was fantastic.It's not my normal genre but still I found it very compelling.
LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf
Although Gail Dayton has once again done some fantastic worldbuilding, New Blood is a more simplistic book than her One Rose trilogy. The main characters are well-developed and have solid motivations and backstories, however the secondary and minor characters are rather flat, particularly the
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villians. In particular I was frustrated by the fact that nobody seems to be suspicious of a long-lost magic with a violent reputation unless they also have a problem with women. Still, I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member new_user
New Blood is my first steampunk. For those who don't know, steampunk is fiction involving an alternate vision of the Industrial Age (1800s), usually with more technology or, as in this case, the paranormal. Envision the 1800s if magic had been a fact of life. That's New Blood, perhaps the first
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steampunk romance I've seen. With all that said, New Blood is a solid read, particularly if character development, unraveling mysteries, and action are a priority for you. A good part of the novel involves Jax and Amanusa on a cross-country journey to escape the villains, and while I don't usually enjoy that particular device in literature too much, these moments with only Jax and Amanusa were some of the best in the book for me. The relationship built between these two is natural and unique to them. We don't find here a generic romance formula but a case of circumstance revealing two people's strengths and innermost weaknesses. Naturally, the atmosphere of mortal danger helps to deepen their relationship as they rely on each other to survive. Even as Jax and Amanusa travel together, these characters undergo a personal journey, learning about themselves and their demons and growing as they go on. I thought this was well-written too. Their progress didn't feel contrived; the development was steadily paced, as well it should be at nearly 500 pages, LOL. It was also interesting to read about the other magicians that Jax and Amanusa meet, like Harry, Elinor, and Grey. I thought the care that the author took to develop even these secondary characters and their dilemmas was very well done, and by the end I was ready to read about their adventures. I'll look for them in a sequel. ;)As far as the overarching plot, I felt that the first phase (the bandit camp) did not quite set the scene for the audience. I wasn't sure of the setting or the history between the characters and this phase seemed a little aimless when I saw no indication from the characters that they would eventually move on (dialogue, thoughts, etc.) I was afraid for a little while that Amanusa and Jax would stay there indefinitely. For me, this portion lagged a bit, but the book picked up quickly after this point. I did like the world-building. It was easy to imagine the sinister anti-magic creatures and their danger. I appreciated all the detail taken with the infrastructure of the magicians' society, conclaves and councils, trials and presiding officers and so on. This gave the world more substance, and I definitely liked that the author did not forget the times in which the story is set, including hints of scandal when a magician took a female apprentice, the mode of dress, and of course, the very Victorian title of the magicians' conclave: The International Magicians' Conclave of All Magic, I believe it was.Considering the setting, I could understand Amanusa's struggle for female magicians, but I did feel it became a bit tedious at the end, when the heroine debated with the villains about women's rights. I thought that was a little over the top. I generally prefer any messages or themes I'm taking away from the story to be a little more subtle. I also felt that as a romance novel, the book could perhaps use a little more heat or sexual tension, perhaps a few more of those delightful moments with the finger-licking goodness and Jax's hot eyes, LOL. ;) Overall, however, I enjoyed New Blood. It read a little like an action steampunk flick put to writing, (maybe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?) except with much better character development and I'm looking forward to more work from this author. Show Less
LibraryThing member alanhaley
Didn't even make it past the second page.