Book Review: The Blood Cloth Syndicate (A Relics Novel) by Joseph Racconti

Title: The Blood Cloth Syndicate
Author: Joseph Racconti
Published: April 11, 2014
Pages: 344
Genre: Suspense/Action/Adventure

I was not expecting that.

I have been reading a lot of fantasy here lately mixed in with some YA and some historical fiction and while those stories are great, I wanted a break. Something different.

I've read a decent amount of thrillers and when I was offered a chance to review this one, I took it. Timing seemed perfect. I was just in the mood for this kind of book.

I didn't have many expectations going in. I was hoping for a good story, something that could hold me over while I was trying to decide what to pick up next...

I was not expecting to be totally engrossed in the story. I was not expecting to have my heart racing, fearing for the character's lives. Simply put, I was not expecting this at all.

The story starts out with a flashback of sorts which really sets up the entirety of the novel. You have a character being summoned by Queen Elizabeth, who is then asked to protect.... it. Very vague. You learn a few key points such as the French involvement and IT'S obviously something they don't want the French to have... Basically it just throws you in and you HAVE to keep reading to put the pieces together, because it's just so intriguing not to.

You then go on to meet the main characters. There are quite a few of them, so it does take a while to really get the story rolling, but the in between is so action packed, it doesn't drag. The main idea is you have a group of normal guys just living their lives, until they find out that their ancestors were wrapped up in some crazy shizz and now it's their turn. I don't want to give too much of the plot away because half the fun of this book is reading and figuring out everything for yourself. I will say that keeping the characters straight did get a little confusing. There are quite a few and their names range from Paul and Pete, to John, Jimmy, and Joe. The more you read, the more these characters really become their own, so this was only a problem for a short while.

This story was very fast paced and action packed. It's the kind of story that keeps you wanting more and on edge until it's resolved, which I really enjoyed. Also, you have an author who isn't afraid to kill off his characters so take that as you will.

It also has a resolution. As I was getting closer to the end, I found myself getting nervous because there didn't seem like enough pages for what I thought needed to happen. I ended up pleasantly surprised (as seems to be the theme for this book) in how everything wrapped up and was left with a very satisfied feeling.

Racconti is a natural. He had a great idea and executed it very well. His writing flowed, his characters were more than just words on the page, and the entertainment value was definitely there. I can't wait to see what else this author has up his sleeve.

If you like suspenseful, action packed thrillers I definitely recommend picking this up. You won't be disappointed.

Overall rating:

Book Review: The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons

Title: The Bronze Horseman
Author: Paulina Simons
Published: September 2009 by William Morrow (first published    July 17th 2000) 
Pages: 810
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

I am generally not a romance reader. I find them unrealistic and usually over the top. To me, romance novels try to hard, and it's usually not particularly my thing.

I decided to pick up The Bronze Horseman anyway. It is a fairly hyped book in the BookTube community and like many books I own, I just wanted to see what the hype was all about. It has a crazy high rating on Goodreads and after reading so many heartbreaking fantasy novels, I thought I would give myself a break and read this. A nice love story.

No.

Although I went into this without any expectations, I don't think anything could have prepared me for what I was about to read.

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana--and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects--a secret as devastating as the war itself--as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

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I also don't have much experience reading historical fiction, and this story makes me want to read more. The story starts off on the very first day of war in Leningrad, where 16 year old Tatiana Metanova can't fathom anything other than her safe and uneventful lifestyle. To her, the declaration of war means excitement and possible evacuation. It's something to look forward to, plus, the start of the war is the day she meets Alexander Belov. They quickly become swept up in each other and the siege that is over taking the city. 

I loved how the main characters' relationship developed. They didn't start out mushy and romanic. They started out with an instant attraction that slowly built into something more. It was believable and magical and it felt real. 

Beyond that, there were relationships thoroughly developed between Tatiana and her family. You get to see exactly where she falls into place and the roll she plays in her family. She has a unique relationship with each character that is well developed which I found very refreshing compared to other romances where the only development happens between love interests. 

Times are hard and you get to follow a young teenage girl face the most fatal siege in a devastating war and you get to watch her conquer and fail. You see heartbreak and you see love and that barely scratches the surface to what you should expect from this book. 

As I said earlier, I'm not a big romance reader, but if more of them were like this, maybe I would be. 

Overall, this book was a solid:

Although I really enjoyed this book, and the setting and the characters, there were a few issues I had with the main character's relationship that prevented me from giving it the full five foxes. Don't let that sway you away from this read though, I still highly recommend this if you're like romance, WWII historical fiction, or being super attached to your characters.