I was really looking forward to RED BLOODED because every chapter in Jessica's story has been so amazing. Sadly, this instalment, while good, was not quite as stunning as I'd hoped it would be. This isn't to say that it's a bad story -- far from it -- but Carlson has set the bar quite high in her previous books and RED BLOODED fell just a teensy bit short for me.
RED BLOODED takes us to a different part of the Jessica McClain universe: the Underworld. I've been curious about this since the end of the previous novel and, as usual, Carlson throws us almost immediately into the action, with Jessica getting accidentally sent to Hell before she's ready. ('Cause where would the fun be if she was all prepared, right?) Much of the novel is Jessica on her own in Hell because time moves more slowly in the Underworld. As a result, Jessica spends much of the novel trying to find her brother Tyler and avoiding the thousands of demons who live in the Underworld and who would love to get their hands on her. Carlson does a good job of creating an Underworld that's not exactly the same as what we've seen in other series, and she even has time to introduce her take on the chupacabra, which I quite enjoyed.
One of the best things about RED BLOODED is that we see a lot of the series mythology get unpacked. We learn more about the various prophecies that have come into play and what they mean for Jessica and her friends and family. I found this aspect of the novel to be extremely satisfying and I'm sure that you will, too, since it's part of the payout that we've been waiting for. I'm thrilled that Carlson doesn't make us wait longer, though this is typical for her. (One of the major reasons I'm such a fan.)
Despite all of this goodness, and the page time with some fascinating new characters, there was just something about RED BLOODED that didn't live up to its predecessors. I think it's just a matter of this book being a teensy weensy little bit less fabulous than Carlson's other stories; it remains a wonderful piece of urban fantasy. It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why I didn't super love RED BLOODED because the are no bad parts to the book but I will say that the usual Carlson spark was just a little dimmer than usual. Despite this, I remain a staunch Jessica McClain and Amanda Carlson fan and I strongly urge you to give this series a try if you haven't already!
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