Author: Heather Demetrios
Series: Dark Caravan Cycle #2
Publication: March 1st 2016 by Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult ~ Fantasy
Purchase on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Rating: 2/5
Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Blood Passage is the electrifying second book in the Dark Caravan Cycle—a modern jinni fantasy-adventure trilogy from author Heather Demetrios, perfect for fans of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.
When Nalia arrives in Morocco to fulfill Malek's third and final wish, she's not expecting it to be easy. Especially because Malek isn't the only one after Solomon's sigil, an ancient magical ring that gives its wearer the power to control the entire jinn race. Nalia has also promised to take Raif, leader of the jinn revolution, to its remote location. Though Nalia is free of the bottle and shackles that once bound her to Malek as his slave, she's in more danger than ever before and no closer to rescuing her imprisoned brother.
Meanwhile, Malek's past returns with a vengeance, and his well-manicured facade crumbles as he confronts the darkness within himself; and Raif must decide what's more important: his love for Nalia or his devotion to the cause of Arjinnan freedom.
I struggled with rating this book two or three stars. I ended up rating it two because for the bigger part of the book I was really annoyed by the characters and how the story went. I don't know if it's just me or maybe because it's been almost two years since I the first book but I had expected more considering how big a fan of Exquisite Captive I was.
My main problem lay with the characters. Especially Nalia, Raif and Malek. The love triangle was so annoying, but more than that they all bored me to death. Even Malek!
I actually liked most of the story in general but the characters ruined it for me with their whining and bitching about each other. Nalia and Raif loving each other but then finding out Nalia killed Raif's best friend which causes problems for only a few pages and then there was Malek loving Nalia although she doesn't want anything to do with him but yet feeling that dark pull towards him. UGH!
I did like the writing, though. Heather Demetrios is a great writing, in my opinion. There was loads of action, and I did love a good few of them. But in the end it wasn't enough for me. The one character I actually like was Raif's sister Zanari. She was actually interesting to read about and I also liked her love interest. I do hope they will find a way to be together somehow.
Overall, Blood Passage was a disappointing sequel. I really had expected to love this book but there were just too many things that annoyed me, especially the romance. Too much love drama that wasn't entirely needed that made the characters sound weaker than they were. I do want to read the next book because of course I want to find out how it all will end. I hope it will be a lot better than this one was.
About the Author:
When she’s not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real. Her other novels include Exquisite Captive, the first in the Dark Caravan Cycle fantasy series, and I’ll Meet You There. She is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for underserved youth. Find out more about Heather and her books at www.heatherdemetrios.com and www.darkcaravancycle.com, or come hang out with her on Twitter (@HDemetrios) and any number of social media sites.
