Review: Blood by K.J. Wignall

Blood (Mercian Trilogy # 1)

By: K.J. Wignall

Publication Date: September 5, 2011

Publisher: Egmont Books

Pages: 288

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 Thirteenth Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia, although he never lived to inherit his title. In the centuries that follow, Will has led a lonely life, learning to deal with whatever the present day throws at him, always searching for answers but never finding any. Until this time, when he awakens after a 20-year-slumber, hungry for the blood that sustains his undeath, when it appears that he is finally getting a glimpse at why he exists. He does indeed have a destiny, and an enemy, but revealing that fate will be a matter of trust...

Blood is about a vampire named Will, who if he hadn’t “died” at age 16, would have become Earl of Mercia. Since his death in the 1200’s, Will has been completely alone, never meeting another like himself. Every few decades or so, he leaves the tomb he was buried in, feeds, spends a little time in the ever changing world and then goes back into hibernation. He does not understand anything about his kind, and he has no idea who turned him, or why he was chosen to suffer.  When he wakes this time, Will feeds from and kills a man named. Jez. Before Jez dies he tells Will, “You need the girl, the girl needs you”. On Jez’s wall and in his notebook are drawings of the girl that Will is destined to meet. After leaving Jez’s apartment, he meets Eloise, the girl from the drawings. Now it is up to Will and Eloise to figure out what happened to Will centuries ago, and to find out who is still after him today.

I loved Blood! It was completely unlike any vampire book I have read. The story was original and fascinating. I was not able to put it down until the very last page! The writing flowed nicely, and there were no parts that dragged on.

I loved Will. He was such a sad character. But even though he was lonely and felt like a monster, he was good. He was kind and thoughtful and really cared about humanity, especially Eloise. Eloise pissed me off a little, but the way she was there for Will like no one else ever had really changed my opinion of her. Will and Eloise were so cute together and I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom into something more.

Blood leaves you with an “Oh shit” kind of cliffhanger, and I can not wait for the second book in the series! I highly recommend Blood, whether you are into vampire novels or not, this one is a great story!