Blood is mightier than the SwordDev is a Master Thief, the son of Prometheus, and a bad-boy with a talking magic sword called Betrayer. Newly named the Protector of Men by his Titan father, he and Tray prefer to stay far away from Olympus and the squabbles of the Gods. That is until Hermes interrupts them as they climb up Half-Dome with an urgent summons from Zeus. Before he can finish, his body … summons from Zeus.
Before he can finish, his body is torn to sheds by their Enemy. . .the DESTROYER.
Find out what happens next – read DESTROYER’s Blood. . .Book 1 of The Blood Series: A Fantasy Novel by Michael Lynes
Winner – Finalist 2019 IAN Book of the Year Awards – category FANTASY
SOLO Medalist – New Apple Summer EBook 2019 – Young Adult FANTASY
WINNER – Readers Favorite SILVER Medal – 2019 – Fantasy
Winner Indie B.R.A.G Medallion
Winner New Apple Literary Official Selection – FANTASY
Dev shook his head, spitting out dust and rock chips. The last rays of the setting sun stained the ground crimson. “Betrayer,” he murmured, ears still ringing from the terrific explosion, “we have a problem.”
The cryptic message from Olympus changes everything… One moment Devcalion and Betrayer are free, climbing up Half Dome without a care in the world, the next they are dragged into battle with the Destroyer, Zeus’s ancient foe.
The Dark Power is merciless, and time is running out. It’s up to Dev and Tray to try to stop him, or the world of men and gods is doomed.
Book One of the Blood Series – Destroyer’s Blood by award-winning author – Michael Lynes
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A demi-god and his sword…
I highly recommend Michael Lynes The Blood Series, starting with It’s In the Blood and following with Destroyer’s Blood. If you are into Mythology/Gods, this is the series for you. Sometimes when you’ve read/listen to books in the same genre it’s difficult to find something new/keep interest, but this is not the case with The Blood Series.
Both books kept me engaged from start to finish. They are fast-paced, with great characters, awesome narration, and fun banter between Devcalion “Dev” (the MC) and Betrayer “Tray” (his sword). I devoured It’s In the Blood in one listen and would have done the same with Destroyer’s Blood had it not been for life responsibilities calling…
Some things to expect: Gods such as Zeus, Typhon, Adrestia, Prometheus, Gaia (and more), loyalty, fighting, sarcastic humor between Dev and Tray, great world building/characters/dialogue, samurai influences. There is an echo type sound effect added when certain Gods are talking, so if this isn’t your thing, consider listening to a sample before purchasing.
The narrator, David Bosco, was fantastic! He definitely helped make these books fun and added to the story. He’s one to watch out for to do great things with narration.
I am looking forward to more books in this series. The author and narrator make a perfect team.
Overall, I recommend and will not say much more due to spoilers. Your safe bet is to try the short story, It’s In the Blood, and if you enjoy that, you will enjoy Destroyer’s Blood.
Parental guidance/trigger warnings: whore used once (in first book), hell (Hell’s Kitchen referenced a couple times), breast is mentioned numerous times (grief rose in my breast/I could feel the softness of her breast/his chin slumped onto his breast/mostly non-sexual usage of word), death, fighting, weapons such as swords/knives, engagement to another God that was forced and didn’t work out, a mention of an unclothed woman (not in detail), mention of a kiss (not in detail- “our lips met”). Considering the content, they are fairly clean books.
*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
This is a fantasy about a young Greek demi-god Devcalion “Dev” and his sword, and closest friend, the Betrayer “Tray”. Although his father is Prometheus and uncle is Zeus, it starts out with Dev doing a normal human activity climbing half-dome, with his telepathic sword after several months of hiking. Dev runs into a relative during a fall, Hermes, who has a warning for him. This message changes Dev’s carefree life and leads him back to Mt. Olympus—or a place he hates. Here things happen quickly that could throw him into a task with someone he’d rather avoid. The characters pulled me into the story. I really enjoyed the relationship between Dev and Tray including their inner communications and battles. There were a lot of details, so you could easily imagine his god-filled world. I don’t want to give away any of the surprises in the story, but some of the descriptions had me wanting to take a long shower after reading them. This is a well-written story of a complicated relationship between not only a young man and his father and uncle, but someone who considers himself an outsider. Dev had to learn what he, and others, were capable of, besides learning what was important to him. If you love fantasy with lots of intrigue and plenty of action this is the book for you. I eagerly await the second book in this series.
Sword In Hand
The Titans and the gods of Olympus are not dead and gone, they just operate in the background these days. But the balance of power has shifted and the future of mankind is on the line. David Bosco clearly had a wonderful time voicing the characters for the audio as they swashbuckle through history and move through dimensions. I regret I am not sufficiently conversant in Greek mythology to know how much is a dramatic retelling and how much is pure imagination based on the ancient tales, but I fully enjoyed the story!
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Destroyer’s Blood – Book 1 of The Blood Series
Author: Michael Lynes
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 16 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Complex, might character set in a cleverly imagined mythical world. Very enjoyable.’ Male reader, aged 53
‘Myths and legends packed int a solid adventure story. Tons happening all of the time, this is a gem of a read. Fans of fantasy adventure will find this book thrilling.’ Female reader, aged 36
‘Loved all the gods and the swordplay. The author knows how to keep up the pacing. Possibly a little too much telling and not showing but, other than that, this is perfect fodder for the fantasy lover. A little romance, a lot of fighting and plenty of intrigue.’ Female reader, aged 41
‘This author is pretty talented. He works particularly well with speech, keeping it short, snappy, and often rather funny. Good balance between character development and gung-ho adventure. Loved the talking sword, Betrayer. Very dark!!!’ Female reader, aged 63
To Sum It Up:
‘A gripping mythical adventure fantasy fans will love. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards