Review: DEMON BLOOD by Meljean Brook

Review: DEMON BLOOD by Meljean Brook

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart—and her soul—until she found a man worthy of her love. Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians.

After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge—and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing—who is nothing—isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Single Title/Series: DEMON BLOOD is Book Ten in the Guardian Series and I highly recommend that if you're interested, start with book one. Here are some helpful links to get you started: The Guardian Series (Reading Order), The Primer

Cover Thoughts: Hands down my FAVORITE book cover of not only the Guardian Series but I'm thinkin' its my favorite of 2010. No joke.

Why I Read It: The Guardian Series is Series #1 for VFG.

My Review:

The Plot:

A story of two broken and fundamentally flawed characters, DEMON BLOOD both resolves and perpetuates numerous epic plot arcs as these two shattered souls collide and eventually converge into one dynamic pairing. Driven by a vengeful purpose, a Guardian bravely reaches out to the vampire that has unknowingly held her heart for a century despite the rejection her touch is sure to face since its both very much unwanted and felt to be wholly undeserved.

A burning need for revenge is all that fires Deacon's eternal breath. Having gambled and lost with a demon whom held his vampire community and two vivacious consorts hostage, Deacon betrayed the Guardians in exchange for their safety thereby igniting the shocking plot altering events of DEMON FORGED. Now all that remains from Deacon's efforts is a pile of ash and a guilt ridden shell of the leader he once was. Living purely for revenge and with nothing to loose, Deacon awakes at each sunset with the single driving desire to exterminate each and every demon as pay back for the annihilation they wreaked upon those he swore to protect and failed.

Having no hope nor want of redemption, Deacon welcomes his new found position as a pariah, an outcast, shunned and condemned after his betrayal travels throughout the world yet nothing can eclipse his own poisonous self-hatred. But when the next demon on his list finds Deacon fatefully aligned with a beautiful Guardian's own vengeful mission, redemption might just find him.

Held for a year and a half as an endless blood fount for a group of nosferatu, Rosalia was released to find her family destroyed. For centuries, Rosalia cultivated her own vampire family in Rome while simultaneously protecting Europe from her tyrannical vampire brother. Raised by a demon masquerading as their father, Rosalia sacrificed herself to save a convent and became a Guardian while her brother suffered under the demon's corruption and willingly became a vampire. Filled with hope after her transformation, Rosalia sought to save her brother's corrupted soul but instead made a life as a Guardian protecting those in her brother's cruel path. Now with no family to care for and no brother to shield, Rosalia is left with nothing but her Guardian role and the need for vengeance within her heart.

When a daring plan takes shape in her mind, Rosalia conjures a very real possibility of simultaneously achieving vengeance for her murdered family as well as provide an opportunity for the Guardians to eliminate a lethal threat. But her plan must include Deacon for his fall within the vampire communities at the behest of a demon allows her the perfect set up. Now she needs only to convince him.

The Hero:

Bucking fiercely under any outside control after having been vilely manipulated by demons, Deacon pushes strongly against Rosalia's determination that he help with her mission. She hopes to use his fall from respected leader to stigma and eradicate two common enemies. Deacon couldn't care less for her reasons, he only wishes to remain on the path he's set for himself and he's determined to hurt Rosalia as much as necessary for her to understand.

Broken, beaten, grief-stricken, and guilt-ridden, Deacon's self-loathing poisons his thoughts where Rosalia's concerned. Feeling that his self worth is at zero, he can't possibly rationalize much less believe that he could and has won the love of this beautiful Guardian. Time and again he throws Rosalia's tenderness and love out his heart's window, convincing himself that her inherent need to repay another is the singular driving force leading her touch.

It's only when Deacon's soul has reached rock bottom that he finally believes Rosalia's love but by that point, it's too little too late.

The Heroine:

Rosalia understands Deacon better then he himself and while she knows the root to the poison he spews, it doesn't make the pain of his rejection hurt any less.

Virtually forgotten, Rosalia isn't well known by her fellow Guardians. A master strategist, she wraps herself in the shadow of her Gift, gathering and mentally cataloging immense data on hundreds of beings. Silently she influences and orchestrates outcomes with little to no one being the wiser. This managing nature cascades through to her personal relationships where the need to help those she loves becomes a consuming force, a driving need, making her the supreme giver. All in all, a lonely existence for nobody ever thinks to offer Rosalia their help, much less their love in return. Deacon is the first to notice this neglect and strives to take her burdens in the only way he knows how but if he's incapable of offering what Rosalia desires most - his heart - then she's left with little recourse but to walk away.

My Thoughts:

DEMON BLOOD required a slower pacing to unravel the vast complexities of its broken hero and flawed heroine. Deacon isn't the easiest hero to fall in love with. His guilt and self-hatred are like a rotting poison deep within his soul, clouding his thoughts and hindering his reactions. The reader must be consistently reminded of the reasons for his hurtful behavior or we may be inclined to give up on him. Thankfully, Ms. Brook does a wonderful job shedding light not just on Deacon's tarnished heart but also its inherent strength which miraculously hasn't diminished despite his desire for it to shrivel up and die.

While Deacon wears his anger openly on his sleeve, Rosalia is a much more difficult character to crack. Thickly layered with defenses, she shields her emotions with such strength that most have no idea of the pain she suffers as well as the burdens she bears. She's a mothering female, one that will not stop helping others even if that help is unwanted or undeserved, Rosalia will still find a why to exert her influence.

Also, Rosalia's strategist skills are beyond amazing. While Deacon focuses singularly on a one man demon extermination mission, Rosalia orchestrates not only a plan that can succeed but one that fulfills both her need for vengeance as well as eradicating a lethal threat. There's an extraordinary revelation in the novel where Deacon is overwhelming thankful for the fact that Rosalia is on their side of this epic fight. A dichotomy of kick-ass heroine and nurturing mother, Rosalia prompts the reader into standing and cheering for her right to happiness and the love she deserves.

While amazingly climatic, DEMON BLOOD doesn't quite have the finale of DEMON FORGED but this time the end result is one readers can wholly cheer for. However, I have no idea where Brook well take this series next. With only two remaining series installments, I'll despair of seeing it all come to an end but having a finite conclusion is one I anxiously await for its sure to be phenomenal.

Rather then recommend DEMON BLOOD to specific genre lovers, I gotta make a shout out to all - if you're not already reading this author, my question to you is why the hell not?! Sure the length of the series at this point is slightly daunting but once you start, I guarantee that you'll only become voracious for more.

A-

More Reviews:

The Book Smugglers: 8/10
The Book Binge: 4.5/5
Babbling About Books, And More: B+
That's What I'm Talking About: 4/5
Smexy Books: 4.5/5