Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin: Review (Plus Bonus Review of Iron to Iron)

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin
Series: Wolf by Wolf #2
Also in this series: Wolf by Wolf
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on 11/1/16
Genres: Alternate History, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 481
Source: BEA
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing, Violence)
My rating:

There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.

For the resistance in the Third Reich, 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 Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.

But in the midst of the chaos, Yael’s past and future collide when she comes face to face with a ghost from her past, and a spark with a fellow rider begins to grow into something more. Dark secrets reveal dark truths and one question hangs over them all—how far can you go for the ones you love?

***NOTE: This review is for the second book in the series but doesn’t contain any major spoilers for the first book. To read my review of Wolf by Wolf, click the link!***

I was so excited to read the conclusion to this unique duology since I had absolutely LOVED the first book. The WWII era fascinates me, in all its darkness, and these books offer an intriguing paranormal alternate history.

What Fed My Addiction:

• Multiple POVs and Flashbacks. In this book, we get Felix’s, Luka’s and Yael’s POVs, which isa nice change. We get to see what was going through all of these characters’ heads and what has led them to these points—Yael, who is fighting against the Nazis, Luka, who has always played it safe and gone along with the Reich because it was easier, and Felix, who puts his family before everything else in the world. We also get flashbacks from all three perspectives, which helps solidify those characterizations and explain why they became these people. The past is still influencing all of them—and their pasts come back to haunt them (or, sometimes, help them) throughout the story. The flashbacks are integrated perfectly since there are only a few of them—just enough to give us a snippet of these characters’ lives and to help us understand them.
• Run for your lives! The danger in this book is intense and the stakes are incredibly high. Loyalties are tested constantly. All three of these characters have to decide whether to protect each other or make the decision to look out for their own self-interests, and those decisions are far from simple when the results could easily be torture or death. The book is action-packed from start to (very dramatic) finish!
• Revelations. Yael makes a few discoveries that change everything about her mission and shed even more light on her past—and force her to face the past in a way she isn’t 100% ready for.
• That ending! Okay, so I saw one aspect of the ending coming, but that didn’t stop me from loving every moment of the heart-stopping finale!!!

What Left Me Hungry for More:

• Not much. I suppose I wasn’t always thrilled with the characters’ decisions, but I always understood them. This book gave me pretty much everything I was hoping for.

With a unique twist on history, plenty of action, and characters who are trying their best to survive and make connections in miserable circumstances, this series is a winner. I give this second installment 5/5 stars and the series makes it onto my All-Time Favorites List!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

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Once upon a different time, there was a boy who raced through a kingdom of death.”

Sixteen-year-old Luka Lowe has one goal in mind: Win the 1955 Axis Tour and become the first Double Cross victor. If he can accomplish that, maybe his father will finally see him as a worthy son. He’s completed the grueling trek from Germania to Tokyo before, but this time is different. Luka never expected to meet Adele Wolfe, another racer posing as her twin brother and with a singular dream–to live life on her own terms.

When Luka and Adele form an alliance, an unlikely bond forms, and even possibly love. But only one person can win the Axis Tour….Can everything Luka and Adele built together survive the race?

This novella gives us Luka’s perspective and sheds light on the details of what happened during the Axis Tour before the one in Wolf by Wolf (though you should read this book after you read the first one). I loved seeing how the relationship between Adele and Luka unfolded and understanding Luka’s thoughts and feelings about Adele (which then fed into his thoughts and feelings about Yael). Even though I knew the basics of what was going to happen, the story was completely engaging—it was definitely worth reading to see the story firsthand via Luka. I give the novella 4/5 Stars. 

About the Author

I was born and raised by the sea in Charleston, South Carolina. I grew up on a steady diet of fairy tales, salt-marshes, music and brothers who would reenact Redwall battles with me in the backyard. I went to an artsy sort of high school that allowed cello recitals in the hallways and impromptu poetry slams in the cafeteria. It was there I decided that writing was what I wanted to do more than anything.

So I wrote. I went to the College of Charleston and graduated in 2009 with a degree in Creative Writing. I met the love of my life and got married at 21. We started traveling the world together and never really stopped. We’ve taught English in South Korea, farmed in New Zealand, hiked through Peru, spied on lions in Kenya. Country number 19 is next on the docket.

I still live close to the sea, with my husband and my wolf-dog. We try to grow gardens, but haven’t had much success. Sometimes I get bored and give myself dreadlocks or pierce my nose. One day I’ll be brave enough to commit to a tattoo.

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