Review of Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand
Summary from Goodreads:
I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.
Now, all I can do is accept the truths that are staring me in the face. One, Werewolves do exist. And Two, I was born to kill them.
The Review:
Dirty Blood was an enjoyable read for me. Heather captured my interest from the beginning and I found that I looked forward to my “reading time” each day. The reader is pulled into the supernatural world rather quickly and I liked that. Tara learns more than she bargained for when she has a run-in with an angry wolf and her whole world quickly changes. She meets Wes, learns the truth about her heritage, and is forced into a hidden world all in the matter of a couple of weeks. Tara is a strong character that readily accepts her new fate and I’m looking forward to see what will happen with her. Let’s talk about Wes…I liked him. I think Heather did a nice job expressing his internal struggles to obey his orders or help Tara understand. That being said, I didn’t fully believe the connection between Tara and Wes. It started out exciting and good, but then very quickly turned to “I love you” and “I love you too” that I just didn’t believe. And then there were the talking wolves. I am a huge fan of fantasy (of all kinds) and enjoy reading books that challenge me to ignore the rules of reality…but I got stuck on the wolf-speaking-like-a-human thing. As creative and fun as the rest of the book was, I guess I’d hoped for more. However, the overarching plotline was well developed and set the stage for the series. Despite my hang-ups, Dirty Blood was a fun read and I’m excited to see how the series progresses.
The Good:
I really liked the title. Oh, and the werewolves. I love them and it was nice to read a book revolving around that species.
The Issue:
Three major things for me: 1) the wolves spoke like a human when in wolf form; 2) insta-love that I didn’t feel fully invested in; and 3) a little Twilight-ish with the mind reading and the “protecting the virtue” type story lines.
The Rating:
4 stars. Looking past the talking wolves, it was a story that kept me reading and had me purchasing the second book right away.
Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.
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