ARC Review: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

*** This is the second book in a duology so if you have not read Wolf by Wolf proceed with caution. Also, what are you waiting for? Wolf by Wolf was amazing! READ IT! Here's my review. ***

Title: Blood for Blood Series: Wolf by Wolf #2 Written by: Ryan Graudin Published: October 11, 2016 by Amulet Books (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf.  There would be blood.  Blood for blood.  Blood to pay.  An entire world of it.  For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun.  Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.  But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?  This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at BEA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

Oh wow! Wow, wow, wow. This book was everything I was expecting it to be. It was a non-stop thrill ride of action and adventure, great characters, and pain. So much pain. I was late to the Wolf by Wolf party but I took my seat on the bandwagon and seriously loved that book. It was amazing and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next in this series. And this was everything the first book was but more.

More action and adventure, for one. I thought that the Axis Tour motorcycle race and attempt to assassinate Hitler had high stakes but that's nothing to Yael on the run. Around every corner, after every turn there was some tight scrape to get out of. When I thought it couldn't get more intense, it did. If you are like me and are a plot-driven reader who likes a ton of action in their books this is right up your alley. It really builds to an amazing and thrilling conclusion that had me stress reading in my safe space. Not to mention it is the kind of book you will get so engrossed in you will not want to put it down. I did not expect to finish the nearly 500 pages of this book in two days but I couldn't stop. I just kept reading through all the stress and feels. Because seriously, this book is full of feels that will wreck you in the best possible way.

A lot of why this book is so full of feels is because of the characters. Because this book also has really amazing characterization. I seriously love these characters so much, they are some of my absolute favorites. I love them so much because they are incredibly complex and multi-dimensional. Throughout these books we have seen them at their best and their worst. You see them succeed and you see them vulnerable. All of this makes them easy to root for and want to see succeed. In this one we alternate perspectives between Yael, Luka, and Felix which adds a really interesting dimension to the book as we learn more about them and their pasts while seeing the present through their eyes. It makes for great character development and a great read.

But the world of this book is really fantastic too. This is a book that defies genre classification and a lot of that has to do with the world. Very simply it is an alternate history but it definitely goes deeper than that. I was blown away in the first book the way that this blended history and speculative fiction and it does it again. The author clearly did her research on World War II but she took that as a jumping off point for an complex science fiction like world and plot. I loved the way the two blended as we learned more about the skin shifting, how it works, and its history. It made for a fascinating setting and a great jumping off point for this story.

This is absolutely one of my favorite books of the year. It was everything I was hoping it would be, everything I knew it would be. It was thrilling, engrossing, and painful with amazing characters and an amazing story.

I give Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin 10 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! Without a doubt by this book. If you loved Wolf by Wolf you will love Blood for Blood. I seriously loved it and I cannot say enough good things about it. It's so creative and entralling. If you like books with a lot of action check this out. If you like character-driven stories check this out. If you like sci-fi, historical fiction. If you like nice things, read this book.

Have you read Blood for Blood? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!