Review: Black Blood by John Hennessy

Posted August 19th, 2015 in book review / 24 comments

Review: Black Blood by John HennessyBlack Blood by John Hennessy
Series: Black Blood #1
Publisher: Innovation Today Publishing on July 20, 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic, New Adult
Pages: 366
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating: four-stars

Vampires, werewolves, witches, magic—no one in the Sanctuary, home of the survivors of the nuclear apocalypse, believes in such imaginary creations, including Aberdeen Dareday. That is until the day Abby wakes up with black veins bulging under her skin. The day she learns everything she’s been told about the world is a lie. Forced to flee humanity’s last refuge because of her abnormality, and the corpses left in its unexplainable wake, she finds herself on the run in an entirely new world. A world in which darkness reigns, full of supernatural creatures bent on her execution.

When all seems lost and facing certain death, Abby is saved by Ash, a quiet yet striking young man who shares her black blood, and her mysterious powers. After Ash reveals a clue regarding an old witch, they head north to her home in Montana, determined to beat the piling odds and obtain the answers they seek. Now hunted by everyone from vengeful humans, to the alluring vampire Prince of Texas, to the Lord Alpha of the largest werewolf pack ever to exist, Abby must discover what is so special about her black blood if she hopes to live and fight another day, but time stands against them as their enemies close in for the kill.

Black Blood is a spellbinding cross-genre mutation unlike anything you’ve ever read, weaving paranormal fantasy in a post-apocalyptic world.

At A Glance

Very entertaining.

The Good

The best part of Black Blood was all the exciting paranormal creatures. We follow Abby the whole time but I feel like we get so many storylines. A lot is going on here. We got aliens who seem like heroes but are really the bad guys. We have humans trapped in an alien compound, forced to suppress emotion and work for the aliens, though they think they have a good life. We have the outside world where humans, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and witches fighting against each other and against the aliens. And out of the hell Earth has become, Abby is the shinning light. She is special.

Abby was a solid protagonist. She’s ignorant of the world around her but she is learning fast. She knows she is different but she doesn’t know her true origins. She’s not human though. And she is meant for something big. I loved learning about the post-alien world through Abby’s eyes. She meets a lot of interesting people, most bad but some good. Jasper was my favorite. He had a great attitude and bubbly personality, even during the dark times. Ash was a mystery for the most part. He keeps his emotions guarded but eventually Abby gets him to warm up a little.

There is some action, some heartbreaking feels, and lots of twists and turns. I was so pleasantly surprised by this story. I can’t wait until the next book.

The Bad

The pacing was a bit off in some places, like some action scenes were finished too fast or major events just didn’t build enough momentum or anticipation for me.

Ash was an okay character but I didn’t feel much for him. I liked Jasper a lot. I really wish Jasper and Abby had more time together. Ash is not working for me as the love interest yet.

The Snuggly

The romance is pretty minimal, which was fine with me. There was only kissing, so a YA audience could read this.

Final Thoughts

I think Black Blood is a hidden gem. It’s not perfect but books just can’t be perfect. This was a solid paranormal story. Very recommended.

Quotes

“She felt the wrongness of his words, felt it in her blood, like a whisper in her ear. It was a soft song.”

“My life isn’t worth dying for,” he whispered during one of her breaks.
“That’s a lie,” she snapped. “Don’t think that for a second.”

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24 Responses to “Review: Black Blood by John Hennessy”

  1. Lekeisha

    Seriously, yo! That cover makes my flesh crawl! Creepy cracks on the face is a no go for me when it comes to admiring book covers. *shudders* However, I would def read this one as it has so many awesome creatures. Glad you enjoyed this one!

    Reply

  3. kindlemom1

    This sounds like it could use a bit of work but overall a good start to a new series. It sounds fun with all the creatures and like something I think I would really like. And okay, I do like that cover! 😛
    Wonderful review!

    Reply

  5. Braine Talk Supe

    Coz baby now we got Black Blood! Hey!

    I don’t do aliens, I just can’t wrap my head around it. It’s great that you enjoyed this though even if it’s light in romance. Which is more believable IMO, it’s not always about finding love especially in situations like this.

    Reply

  7. Red Iza

    A hidden gem ? Seriously, I can’t miss that, it looks like a fantastic new paranormal series and I don’t care if there’s not much romance in it 🙂

    Reply

  9. Melissa (My World...in words and pages)

    Ooooh. That cover drew me in. I really like the sounds of this one. It’s new to me but sounds like my kind of read. 🙂 Thank you!

    Reply

  10. Nathan

    It sounds interesting. I will have to consider it. Some good books are light on the romance, like House of Night book Marked. But you can totally lose yourself sometimes in such books, as long as they are well written. Thanks for introducing me Black Blood.

    Reply

  12. Jaclyn Canada

    It sounds great! I love the mixture of all these supernatural elements. I’m not sure I’ve read aliens with werewolves and vampires before. I’ll have to check it out. Great review 😀

    Reply

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