Three years ago the world ended when a group of rogue scientists unleashed a virus that awakened long-dormant strands of human DNA. They awakened the bestial side of humankind: werewolves, satyrs, and all manner of bloodthirsty creatures. Within months, nearly every man, woman, or child was transformed into a monster…or slaughtered by one.
A rare survivor without special powers, Dez McClane has been fighting for his life since mankind fell, including a tense barfight that ended in a cataclysmic inferno. Dez would never have survived the battle without Iris, a woman he’s falling for but can never be with because of the monster inside her. Now Dez’s ex-girlfriend and Iris’s young daughter have been taken hostage by an even greater evil, the dominant species in this hellish new world:
Vampires.
The bloodthirsty creatures have transformed a four-story school building into their fortress, and they’re holding Dez’s ex-girlfriend and Iris’s young daughter captive. To save them, Dez and his friends must risk everything. They must infiltrate the vampires’ stronghold and face unspeakable terrors.
Because death awaits them in the fortress. Or something far worse.
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Hi and welcome to my review of Blood Country!
Blood Country follows up The Raven, which was top-notch dystopian horror, so the second I spotted Blood Country on NetGalley, I hit that request button. Reader, sometimes split-second decisions pay off big time!
Like its predecessor, Blood Country is told from the perspective of Dez – the Raven – McClane, a former English teacher without any kind of supernatural power in a world riddled with people who aren’t quite human anymore. Blood Country picks up where The Raven left off and as such I would recommend reading these books in order, as it will help you understand this brave new world and its inhabitants a lot better, especially since most of the world-building happened in The Raven.
The title is a dead giveaway: circumstances force Dez and his friends into vampire territory, blood country. As a consequence, this reads very much like a vampire story. It had been a while since I read one of those, I don’t devour them anymore like I used to, but I did devour Blood Country.
I loved the dystopian vibe. I loved how, despite its rather gruesome nature, Blood Country is also a sort of study of humankind, in that it shows you very different human reactions and it makes you wonder what you would do in the characters’ stead. And I loved all the action, the action scenes are phenomenal and so vividly written it was easy-peasy to see it all play out. (Which, admittedly, wasn’t always a good thing 😬)
Blood Country is an action-packed, bloodthirsty, high-octane but smooth read that I’d happily recommend to readers who need their vampire itch scratched and/or enjoy dystopian horror.
Blood Country is out now in hardcover, paperback and digital formats.
Massive thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.