Bloodrealms by Aurora Whittet

Title: Bloodrealms

Author: Aurora Whittet

Series: Bloodmark Saga #2

Received for Review

RATING: 5 STARS

Werewolf princess Ashling Boru's eighteenth birthday is only a year away, which means that she only has twelve months before she is claimed and fulfills her prophecy to unite the packs and lead her people. Her father decrees that her four suitors must fight in the Bloodrealms, the werewolves' ancient underground fighting world, and the winner will have King Boru's choice to win Ashling's hand. The wolf laws are rigid and barbaric, and Ashling's illicit love for Grey, if discovered, will mean his death. But when Ashling and Grey get trapped in the blood-soaked depths of the Bloodrealms, they find ancient horrors far greater than Ashling's father's rule.

With betrayal around every corner and old nemeses set to destroy Ashling, she is more divided than ever between the destiny she didn't choose and the love that she did. To make matters worse, her decision will not only set the course of her future, but the future of her entire race.

Bloodrealms is the second novel in Whittet’s Bloodmark saga.

MY THOUGHTS

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did the first one. I have a tendency to find sequels lacking, so I went into this with slightly lower expectations. I think that kind of worked in it's favor, because I really enjoyed this installment of the series as well.

Without going into a lot of the plot, as I tend to let spoilers out when I love books and start talking about different aspects of the story, I will say that the relationships in this book are just as tension filled and page turning as the last book. I loved reading about Grey and Ashling, and was rooting for them in the entire book.

This book sees Ashling's father being a complete tool again. He sponsors a sort of competition for Ashling's hand in marriage, even though she loves someone else... It's like he doesn't care. But I won't go into that either, because it will end in a rant of how much I thought that aspect of the book would make me hate this series. But, thankfully, it didn't.

I loved that again the characters were in the forefront of the story and all the action and plot were just kind of added background. It's really nice to read a story about a group of characters that you enjoy reading about, and they grow and transform right in front of you. I also feel that we get a better view of the culture of the wolves in this world. I liked that. I'm not very knowledgeable on werewolves in general, so to be informed on the ones in this series really helped solidify my love for this series.

I can't wait to get to the next one in the series. I highly recommend this series.