A review by nm_reads
Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

5.0

I honestly couldn’t even process the thoughts and feelings I had during and after reading this book. I was completely stunned by how much I loved it. I mean I loved the first one, so clearly I had high expectations and I’m happy to say those was definitely reached and maybe even surpassed. The writing was amazing, I felt so connected to the characters, they just completely came alive, and the whole concept of the book was new and interesting. Now that I’ve gotten all the fancy talking done: THIS BOOK WAS SO FUCKING AMAZING I’M GONNA DIE IF I DON'T SEE MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT IT! I love Yael so much and her backstory made me sob one too many times. The fact that she kept losing everyone. And the wolves. OMG THE WOLVES! WAIT THE ENDING! Sorry I'm skipping around everywhere, but the significance of the wolves?! Incredible. And the fact that the one for Luka was a lion & not a wolf because he was different and he held such a special place in her heart broke me. When she asked why she was always the only one left? I was sobbing uncontrollably. I think the pages are stained with my tears from when Luka died. I know people always say they saw these deaths coming, but I genuinely never do, which is what makes them hurt even more. I don’t know if it’s because I’d rather they not die (obviously) or because I’m just really bad at looking ahead, but I’m always so shocked and devastated by character’s deaths. I can’t process them. I loved Luka with all my heart. I can’t believe I managed to fall in love with him and he just had to die. I will never forgive Graudin for that (I probably will I love her writing so much). Wait, I can’t end this without talking about Felix. He was just, I can’t even describe anything about what I feel for him. I was so prepared to hate him after he decided to betray them, but I just couldn’t. I understood him too much, I felt too much for him to stay mad. And I loved the development and how at the end he finally stands up for himself and not just others. This book broke me and then put me back together again and I don’t know if any historical fiction is ever going to top it. 5/5