Blood Secrets by Morgan L. Busse
Steampunk. 233 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Not everyone wants to see the world saved . . .
Time is running out. Cities are being engulfed in the Mist and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Theo believes he has found a way to stop mankind from Turning, but he doesn’t know how to alter Cass’s unique blood into a cure. Or if it can even be done.
Meanwhile, Cass struggles with the idea that she is possibly the savior of the world—a world she is not sure is worth saving.
From the Winchester manse to the steel city of Decadenn, there is something more chasing Cass than the House of Lords or the masked man who can walk in the Mist. Soon she must decide if she will use her blood to save mankind or let those who only care about themselves perish.
My Review:
I’m not much of a zombie fan. But I love pirates. And steampunk can be pretty good sometimes. I’ll give it a shot.
Or so I thought after hearing Morgan Busse speak at a conference (first time I’d heard of her) back in March. I didn’t expect this one to be my cup of tea, but I just had to get her book from the bookstore. She spoke with such intentionality and passion about her characters (and had some pretty cool premises that intrigued me, too) that I just wanted to know more about her and her work. I heard that those who didn’t love zombies still liked her Secrets in the Mist and that’s the one book of hers the store had (plus it was signed! Score!), so I got it. Read it in April. And nearly died at the cliffhanger.
Fast forward, I’m reading another steampunk sky pirates with zombies book to find out how it all ends. And, guys, I never ever thought I’d say this about a steampunk sky pirates with zombies book, but this book was such a comfort read. It gave me that feeling of curling up by a warm fire surrounded by a loving family. Just something about it curled its way into my heart and was just a comforting read. I can’t explain it!
I read this one in two days (if I hadn’t started right at bedtime, it may have been a one-sitting kind of read XD). It wasn’t a must-read page-turner, on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of story. But Busse spun a story that built a slow-burn kind of tension, drawing me deeper and deeper under into her web with a compelling suspense rather than the typical heart-pounding kind. I’ve never really experienced anything like that until this duology. And I gotta say, I’m hooked.
And without spoilers I can reportedly say that the cliffhanger resolved beautifully. I was half afraid to read this sequel because the ending of book one just hurt. I wasn’t sure how the characters were going to react and I was nervous. But Busse pulled it off and I was impressed.
Cass and Theo and Adora and some of the newer characters we got to see more of in this book just captivated me. I loved them. They were the kind of characters who made me want to jump into the story and live with them. I loved how they each struggled, but pushed through to overcome the obstacles. Their growth and steady companionship was a beautiful breath of fresh air.
There was a twist I kept expecting to come (even from book 1) that never did. I got down to the last 20-30 pages and was like “Uh…where we goin? How’s this gonna wrap up? Whaaaat’s happnin’ guys??” Even though it didn’t get as twisty as I’d thought, I still enjoyed it very much. Looking back, I don’t really feel like a lot happened in the second book that was very surprising. The plot wasn’t super predictable. That’s not what I mean. It just, we kind of solved things pretty early and then spent the rest of the story trying to make sure the solution got out to the world. Which may have attributed to the slower feel, but the pacing didn’t feel off at all!
The world was so much fun and I kind of hope we get to go back to it one day. And I’m so pumped to read more by her–and hopefully to learn some tips and tricks along the way!
Content: no swearing. A clean, mild, sweet romance. Some fantasy/steampunk violence, but nothing super graphic. And the zombies weren’t super graphic and gross, which was nice (we actually saw even less of them in this one than the first one). I’d say it’s probably fine for an early teen.
More:
Book 1 in the Skyworld duology is Secrets in the Mist (4 Stars)
Check out the link for more info on Goodreads. This duology definitely needs to be read in order!
On GraceBought
Check out my thoughts on Secrets in the Mist here!