Book Review (126): Blood Song - Rhiannon Hart

Blood Song (Lharmell #1)

by Rhiannon Hart

Publication: 1st September 2011

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 290

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

I wanted to turn but I was held captive by the song on the wind. I’m coming, I told the voices. Please, wait for me.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more. 

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

My Thoughts...

Zeraphina is Princess of a land called Amentina, but the kingdom run by her mother Queen Renata is falling into disrepair, their crops are failing due to extreme cold weather, they have no money and the only way to survive is to have Lilith, Zeraphina's older sister marry a wealthy Prince.

Lilith's fiancee dies and after a brief period of mourning, Prince Amis of Pergamia requests her hand in marriage, encouraged more by her mother than her own desire to marry him she agrees, encouraged by Zeraphina who feels a pull towards the north where Pergamia is.

I was thinking of blood again so I went to practice my archery.

The pull that Zeraphina feels isn't normal, she craves blood and after a childhood illness which changed her hair and eye colour she knows she's not normal, she wants to find out more about what happened to her and feels going with her sister will give her some answers.

Once there she becomes accquainted with Rodden, the King's advisor, who has the same hair and eye colouring as she does and she realises that he's the same as she is and that he knows what they are and more about Lharmell where people like them are from.

Zeraphina and Rodden have an antagonistic love-hate relationship, their encounters with each other are quite funny and provide a lot of amusement throughout the story.

'Don't talk to me, don't look at me, and don't touch me,' I said, taking my arm back as soon as we reached the high table.

He snorted, 'That's rich, coming from someone I found only yesterday hiding under my bed.

Zeraphina takes it upon herself to find out anything and everything to do with Lharmell and tha war they have going on against Pergamia, after Rodden isn't forthcoming with information about the situation.

I loved the original and intriguing aspects to this story, and Hart has invented a world that had me captivated the whole way through.

I look forward to reading and discovering more of this series and the furthering of the will they-won't they relationship between Zeraphina and Rodden.

I give this 4/5.