Queen of Blood by Jill Myles | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.7)

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

I’ve found my newest book love and obsession. That’s the only thing I can start my review with because realistically speaking, that’s my first thought. Queen of Blood (previously released as Betrothed) is consuming me right now and has left me with a massive book hangover.

I'm just -- it was so good.

Initially, my first thought upon seeing Alloy Entertainment’s newest fantasy-romance-paranormal novel was “WOW! This is gonna be excellent!” because the summary alone blew my fucking mind. Excuse my language, but I’m serious: it blew my fucking mind. And unsurprisingly, I was intrigued and ready to dive into this promising novel.

There’s so much intrigue in the summary for Queen of Blood that will make readers wonder if the novel itself can live up to all it promises. And I’m happy to say that yes, it most certainly can, in all its magical and intriguing young adult glory. Alloy has, once again, published an incredibly fun and fast paced story that will leave readers scrambling for an adaption or a sequel.

Like, pronto.


It didn’t let me down for many reasons that go beyond the phenomenal plot and the way the lovely Jill Myles carries herself in her writing. There’s a fast and glorious way that the plot sets out in Queen of Blood that will leave its readers on the edge of their seat until the final pages have been turned.

Queen of Blood is a love story in many ways and while it consists of vampires it isn’t told in the ordinary manner. In fact, you won’t even hear the word vampire in the process of reading it. It’s quite unique and all done so well that I just can’t stop thinking about it.

It is true that the world of vampires in entertainment has been done to death and drawn out, but if you’re bound to make one exception to the rule of “no more blood drinkers!” please let Queen of Blood be the exception. You won’t regret it.

Jill Myles paints us a mysterious and dangerous world that is divided and sprinkles about many genres in the process that leave readers with a fortunately vivid idea to where the plot is going. There are many engaging themes in Queen of Blood that will keep readers fascinated: coming of age, bravery, romance, rebellion and the fast approaching war that threatens their lands.

And her characters? They’re even better. They’re strong, they’re beautiful, they’re fascinating, they’re rebellious and all of these traits leads us to be drawn to this world. You grow invested in the characters lives, in their flaws and their good traits, their world and the mythology of it all.

It’s impossible to not be interested in it.

Seri, for instance – one of the main characters – is astonishingly easy to love and root for. Her narration is as lovely as leading ladies can get. By books end, she has been developed in all the right ways and she’s just a wonderful character through and through. She’s undeniably caring, ordinary at the start and still strong and determined to work through her life and its struggles all the while caring for her seriously ill father and blind sister.

Yes, Seri certainly comes into her own right before our eyes and has fast become one of my favorite women in young adult literature. Thank you, Jill Myles!

After being approached by a noblewoman with an offer, Seri is brought into a sort of rebellion by the boy she is to marry – Rilen, and in these events the plot really begins to turn. You see a fire in Rilen, a temper and taste for manipulation, that is quite dangerous and you have to wonder immediately how much he really cares for Seri; it’s obvious that somewhere along the line there will be a choice that needs to be made.

And then, of course, there is Prince Graeme, one of the Blood. He is a very interesting character indeed, although he does come across as a bit well unfriendly at first. Graeme’s family was long ago cursed and of course this means he is one of those cursed ones.

Graeme has grown very wary and tired of his thirst and the fading desire for each of his, let’s call them, partners. Still, he’s a very sympathetic and thoughtful character that you find yourself drawn to him in a way an hope for him to find his Eterna.

If one of the cursed ones shows something of remorse, there will be an Eterna for him by the hand of the Gods. For the most part, they wonder if it’s simply a myth. But it is not. And it’s obvious who this will be for Graeme, who will be the only one. And although both he and Seri attempt to fight the pull, ultimately their love for one another wins out as it grows and doesn’t fade.

It’s very lovely to see as it happens.

Queen of Blood is, overall, one of the best books I’ve read in 2015 and just the right amount of unique to reboot the vampire genre in young adult books. It’s vivid, it’s powerful, it’s passionate and it’s dark – all the makings of an excellent read.