Review: Blood Flows Deep by N. Isabelle Blanco

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Standalone - Ryze #1
Release - August 8, 2016
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4.5 out of 5
Length - 368 pages

Ismini

He wants to kill me . . . More than that, he wants to see me die.
I don’t know him. I’ve only heard about him throughout my short life.
It is my destiny to die at his hand when he sacrifices me to the Fates . . .
All so that my death can bring back his obsession.
The woman he loves.
He’s my death.
But he’s more than that.
He’s the air that destroys me with each breath. An addiction I never planned on having.
I’ve mated to my killer.
Either way, I’m going to die.
The question now is if I can survive long enough for him to complete his sacrifice and bring back the woman he truly adores.

Dyletri

Fourteen-thousand years ago, I locked away my powers.
The loss of one woman took everything from me. I made a deal to wait. To sacrifice an innocent that would be born in the far future to bring my beloved back.
Then I laid eyes on that girl . . . and everything I thought I knew got shredded to shit.
She’s reawakened the monster in me.
The madness.
The hunger.
The creature that demands a taste of her flesh.
Even worse, for the first time in my long, brutal existence, the monster is demanding her blood.
I’ve mated to my victim.
I’ll have no choice but to keep my promise. I have to sacrifice her. And the moment I do . . .
We’re both going to die.

Find your copy of Blood Flows Deep here:
Goodreads | Amazon

MY REVIEW

This was the first time I read a book by N. Isabelle Blanco. I’ve read a collaboration of hers, but this was my introduction to what she could really produce on her own. And I was absolutely blown away! She hooked me right from her prologue, sucked me into the lives and emotions of each of her characters, and has left me hungry for so much more.

What I liked:
★ This book was so HOT!! The words, the growls, the moans, the undulations of bodies, the descriptions... so. freaking. hot!!

★ The world building - the way that Enzyria was described, I could easily imagine this realm. From the 108-inch TV screen to the rooms to the hills and mountain ranges to the temples, I could picture it all.

★ The characters - I don’t just mean the main characters of this story, Dyletri and Ismini, although they were fantastic and I’ll get to them in a sec. I mean all of the characters. The author took the time to give details for each so that I was able to not only picture them in my head, but also give them their own unique mannerisms, facial expressions, etc. She made them so freaking real!

★ Dyletri and Ismini - Dyletri fancied himself in love with a Queen (Dimithinia) and when she was killed he vowed to resurrect her. He had to balance the tide, so in order to save her soul he had to sacrifice another. Both he and Ismini knew what her purpose was and although she wasn't okay with it, she had accepted it. But when these two meet face-to-face, their destiny takes a sudden swerve. Dyletri tries hard to deny the pull of this human but Ismini has already accepted her fate - she's mated to him. And there is so much more!!

★ The plot - it was like a mix of gods, humans, destiny, mating and then… oh yeah, btw, there’s a war coming between these amazing people I’ve met and the Aviraji, which as I understand it, used to be what all of these gods were.

★ The intricacy of the plot - yeah, I know I should have included this above, but it deserves its own point. There was so much going on (and easy to follow along) that I need to make it clear how freaking lovely this was. There’s obviously a romance build going on, but there’s also a battle, both internally and externally, for all of these gods, especially with Dyletri and Zeniel. Dyletri was originally the God of Lust, sleeping with anyone who called him. Zeniel was originally Mavrak, the God of Vengeance, who led a massacre and had to be tortured into submission. Gah!! And there is SO much more to learn!!

★ The so-called side characters who felt very much like main characters, although they didn’t each get a POV. I can’t wait to learn more about each and every one of them. I was able to see their plots developing in this story, but I can’t wait to find out exactly how everything plays out. Zeniel/Mavrak is next and I’m sure it will be just as fabulous as this one.

★ Cyake, Nylicia, Zexistr, Sil, Liz, Ian, Nythi, and I hope there’s a freaking story for Crius and Dimithinia. I NEED it!!

★ EVERYTHING!!

What I didn’t like:
★ *crickets* Cuz there was NOTHING that I didn’t like!!

I’m just gobsmacked! N. Isabelle Blanco’s new series has virtually smacked me in the face with this book’s awesomeness!! I want to tell you all about it, but I won’t. I really need you to add this to your reading list though. If you’re a fan of fantasy, mythology, and/or paranormal romance, you will definitely be a fan of this book.