The Shadow demon nearly took everything from Dyna, and it would soon return for more. When she discovers a way to fight back, she must go on a perilous journey and risk it all for those she holds dear.Along the way, she meets Cassiel, a Celestial Prince with magic blood and wings as black as his heart. He wants nothing to do with Dyna until he learns she could lead him to a place he has been … been searching for all his life.
But reaching their destination is not as easy as they thought, nor are they the only ones searching for it. With danger at every turn and harrowing secrets between them, the quest will require much more than determination. They must fight for what they desire—or die trying.
For fans of Throne of Glass and Lord of the Rings comes a new debut series with remarkable characters, a budding romance, and gripping action. Divine Blood is the first book of an enchanting dark fantasy series that explores the depths of loss, acceptance, and the true meaning of courage.
“I blew through this book. Could not put it down. It had everything. Magic. Angels. Werewolves. Demons. Mages. All sorts of fantastical beasts and a fantastic plot. I’m super annoyed that I don’t have the rest of the series, because I need more.”
— Alexa Abee, WRITING THE UNIVERSE BLOG
“A refreshing, beautifully crafted, and gripping read!”
—Jessica Scurlock, author of PRETTY LIES
“Excellent! Kept me awake into the wee hours of the night.”
— P.C. Benson, author of FORTIS
“Divine Blood is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fantasy. This book brought out all of my emotions, it left me in tears, fits of anger, and bouts of laughter.”
— Nikki Mitchell, author of NIGHTSHADE FOREST
“Epic quest a la Tolkien…”
— GOODREADS REVIEW
“It is a journey through the worlds. Get it, read it, and then get her other books and read those. Truly blown away…”
— GOODREADS REVIEW
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I was shocked, mesmerized, and in awed of what happened in this book. The whole story was just straight up amazing. From the synopsis alone, I knew that it would a great book and well, I was right.
The whole time my mind was spinning because as much as this story is unique, it can get too confusing because too much is happening in one book. Usually, I wouldn’t mind because I can keep up, but this one was totally different. I don’t know which matter I should be focusing on even though everything is connected and that all the characters met each other because fate has the reason to put them in each other’s path. It wasn’t a coincidence that everyone are after the same thing, it was fate’s plan to bring these characters together to do one mission.
I thought this book would focus on the matter of the Shadow Demon, but turns out there’s a bigger and far more threatening things that needed attention. Things like Tarn and his obsession with Mount Ida and him asking his men to abduct Dyna. He was so mysterious and his motive was very unnerving. The story took a dark turn ever since Von appeared who is in fact working for Tarn. So that had me thinking that Tarn is the main villain in this book—perhaps in the next book too—and the Shadow Demon is just a side villain for now, I’m sure it will be a big threat in the upcoming books.
I liked that the story was straight to the point and it didn’t waste any more time especially in the beginning when Dyna decided to go on her own journey to Mount Ida. In most books, it would take the main character 5 to 10 chapters before they begin their journey. So I was glad to see Dyna already started her journey on chapter 3. That early was much better than postponing it.
The fantasy world in this book was a bit complex, but also mesmerizing. It was really unique and so different that I was amazed by it. The author really did a fantastic job in creating this beautiful world. So many great places you can see in this book, but my most favorite so far is Hilos. I don’t know what Mount Ida will be like, but the characters that appeared in the story talked about it too much, so I wonder how magical the place is considering it contains a great amount of magic in it and that there are a lot of treasures there, only no one can find the place and many believed it was purely a myth and the place is non-existent.
As for the magic, well this book featured quite a lot of magic in it. Magic is one of the most important thing in a fantasy book, and I was intrigued by how the magic in this book works. There are various supernatural beings that present in the story and each of them have different types of magic but all are powerful enough. There are mages, sorceresses, a group of seraphim, a nephilim, elves, and werewolves. It blew my mind to find out this book bring these beings together in one story. The author surely knew how to make the story even more intense and epic.
There are some intense and gripping actions in this book too, especially when a werewolf, an elf, and a nephilim are teaming up against the Raiders (the group of bad guys). That part was my most favorite because I would’ve never thought different beings to team up together. It was really amazing to see the actions in this book. And there are a few actions involving the use of magic, it was cool to see that but I hope to see more of it in the upcoming books.
There are still things that remain a mystery and some questions that had gone unanswered, and I hope the answers will be revealed in the upcoming books. I also knew this book won’t be able to solve the problem about the Shadow Demon even though I’ve been hoping it would be solve here so that the other books can focus on other threats. As of now, the big threat is Tarn which is obvious after seeing how evil and unapologetic he is, and I don’t like what he’s planning to do to Dyna once his men manage to capture her. There are so many possibilities of what can happen to her, and I hope he and his men won’t be able to capture her, my heart won’t be ready for that.
The story has been incredible so far, it was not like what I expected at all. As for the plot, that was clever of the author for making the readers think in the beginning that this book will be about Dyna and her companions going up against the Shadow Demon, but then halfway through the book, it was revealed that there are bigger things happening that can be just as threatening as the Shadow Demon. It took me by surprise to learn that this book wasn’t about the Shadow Demon for the majority of it, but it was about Tarn and his group of Raiders, and Dyna being the maiden from the seer’s prediction. I literally need a moment to take it all in. Overall, it was a wild ride and very phenomenal. And the concept of the maiden and her six guardians going on an epic adventure to find something in a hidden or mythical place was really brilliant.
The thing that I had a problem with is the pacing. At first it was quite fast which was fine to me, but then it became a lot slower and that made it hard for me to keep going. The slow-pacing can be unbearable to me usually make me lose interest in the book altogether, but I was really enjoying the story and loving the concept of it, so I had no choice but to keep on reading.
Dyna is the main protagonist in this book and yet I don’t know what to feel about her character at all. This was the very first time I’ve met a heroine who is so naive, so reckless, too trusting, and is really weak but then again, it was understandable because she never venture out of her hometown before and this is her first time to ever go on a big quest. She is still new at this whole thing, didn’t have much experience and she’s a sheltered young lady so I do get why she’s really naive. Still I can’t help but feel so frustrated the whole time due to how she acted naively and recklessly in the story. There are so much potential for her character to grow and I would like to see the braver, clever and stronger version of her. She has a long way to go obviously, and I hope her character will have a great development in the upcoming books.
Zev is Dyna’s cousin with a broken past. My heart hurt after learning what happened to him in the past. I hope he can find happiness and truly be happy because he doesn’t look like one for the majority of the book. He was so overprotective of Dyna which is understandable since he is basically half-wolf and half-human, and also Dyna couldn’t defend herself, so it was his job to protect her. He is a broken man with a kind heart. Learning about his past helps me understand him better and made me see the bigger picture of what has changed with him. I’m looking forward to see what the author will do to his character next, but I hope it’ll be all good.
Cassiel is well…he’s Cassiel, the arrogant and obnoxious Celestial Prince. His kind is very rare, and since he is a half-human and half-angel, that made him too rare and too powerful but in this book he was a bit weak. He was harsher than I give him credit for, but he always speaks the truth. He was definitely the outcast in this book. He doesn’t fit in even though he tried blending in with humans and other supernatural beings because obviously, I can just feel the divine aura coming from him that separate him from the others. To be honest, his status is higher than anyone or anything, so I get why he always think other beings are nothing compared to him. I loved that when he accidentally made a mistake later in the story, there was a change in his character. He was more selfless than selfish, and more kind than harsh. I can see the shift in him and that was eventually the start of his character development the way I see it, but I hope he get a major and proper development in the next book because the one in here was kind of done in a rush and also, let him unleash his full power as a Celestial being.
I also would like to see Cassiel strike a friendship with Zev. These two had a lot in common, especially their pasts. Both had to go through a lot of obstacles in their own past. Zev was an outcast in his pack, and Cassiel was an outcast in his family and his kind. Both are half-human and half something else which made them different and unique from their own kind, and also the reason behind why everyone was being so indifferent to them. It saddens me to know that they never feel like they truly belong. To see their own kind treated them harshly made me sad. I really feel for these two, and hope they get to live a better life because they deserve it that much. These two would be great friends if they were given a real chance at friendship. I can see it slowly forming in this book, so I’m waiting for the other books to give me a high quality content of their friendship.
There wasn’t any romance between Dyna and Cassiel here, but maybe in the next book? They are soulmates (obviously, I knew it from the first time they met). I didn’t expect any romance between these two in this book considering they were focusing on a pressing matter and have a mission to do, but now that I’ve learned what happened to them, I expect their romance to be so wonderfully amazing in the next book. Cassiel and Dyna slowly developed an interest in each other, and there was a few sweet moments between these two that I enjoyed seeing a lot.
This book ended in a cliffhanger but not the type of cliffhanger like in many books. I can’t wait to read more about these characters and to see more of this fantastic world. Since Dyna is the maiden and she was told that there are six guardians that will protect her, that would mean the next book will be revealing two more of her guardians since four already been found in this book. I’m so excited to see how this will play out. I enjoyed reading this book, and so eager to read the sequel but I know I have to wait.
I absolutely love this book! Dyna is determine to save her village from a curse. Zev (werewolf) and Cassiel (celestial prince) are determined to help and protect her. They lead us through a world full of mystical creatures and unknown dangers. I love how the Author wrote it in many point of views so we get the whole story. I like how we see the friendships build between characters that started off as complete strangers. Also like how we learn about all the types of creatures we meet through the book. I hope we explore more about them and this world. Cliffhanger ending has me dying for the second book! I love this book! Highly recommend if you like fantasy’s like Throne of Glass.
You know that tingly feeling you get when you’re reading a book by a new author and you just KNOW that the book and author will become a favorite? Well I had that feeling about Divine Blood by Beck Michaels and boy was I right.
Michael’s epic fantasy universe unfurls like a rose blooming. Each chapter builds the momentum and suspense while introducing sexy new characters, plot twists, and portions of the universe.
The storyline revolves around Dynalya and her mission to find the one thing that can destroy the Shadow Demon which invades her town every ten years, stealing children. 9 years before it had killed her parents and brother. If she wants to save her sister and the other children she must leave the secluded town to locate this weapon. She has a map but needs help. As she progresses, the unlikeliest guardians appear as well as powerful enemies.
While the book is centered on Dynalya, the author does not focus solely on her. Using the POV of the other major characters, she expertly drives forward the plot, without giving the reader deja vu. Each character only adds to the tension and urgency of the mission while providing the reader with a more dimensional experience.
The story is not simply an adventure however. The author weaves a beautiful romance into the story but allows it to grow slowly along with the characters. It causes the reader to fully enjoy those emotions along with the characters. And for the other characters, the author continues to develop their personalities and backstories throughout the book so you begin to hope for them to find healing and love as well.
And last but not least, the villain is the best type of villain. The kind you love to hate. Yet I couldn’t help notice the illusions to worse villains that Dynalya was going to have to confront later in the series. The known villain haunted her every step and I was held in suspense waiting for when she’d falter and they’d catch her.
Monsters, Celestials, Humans, Magi, Sorceresses, Fairies, Elves, Demons, and so many more magical creatures are in this world. Yet they are all relatable and pull the reader in, until they never want to leave.