Blood Slave
Blood Slave
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
I made the mistake of starting to read this at 11pm and read it in one sitting, so I am knackered today.
This is an abusive relationship, but it doesn't pretend not to be (although given how the book ends, that is perhaps not accurate - at least it doesn't pretend to be healthy). It would be difficult to pretend otherwise given the premise is that Melissa is made into a ‘blood slave' for a vampire as punishment for breaking the law. Therefore this book is extremely dark and not easy to read in places, though the fantastical setting mitigates that somewhat. I like that the abusive elements were not treated as non-abusive and had addiction involved. I also liked that Lady Dunn (the vampire) is not overly humanised for most of the book; she has almost no empathy, enjoys many aspects of owning a blood slave and she is a predator which is reinforced throughout the book.
I did see Melissa's ‘turning point' coming a mile away and Lady Dunn's part in it (cryptic, but trying not to have spoilers) and the ending was too neat with Lady Dunn changing too much for my liking, becoming more human in her interactions. Also, while Stockholm Syndrome is mentioned earlier in the book it is not mentioned towards the end when it is perhaps more applicable.
There were several errors in the text which were annoying, discrepancies with dates in Lady Dunn's life for example. These pulled me out of the narrative and were easily avoidable.
Overall a very enjoyable read.