Review: Blood

(Mercian Trilogy #1)
By: K.J. Wignall
Published: Sept. 27, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Genre: YA
Pages: 336
Source: NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Rating: I liked it!

"I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me." Back in the 13th Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia. He never lived to inherit his title, struck down by a strange illness and buried beneath the city walls. But Will was not dead, and only now, seven lonely centuries later, does he begin to understand that there was a reason for all of this, that he has a destiny. To find it though, he will need help, and as ever, he will need blood.

My thoughts...
The story focuses around Will who has been a vampire since 1256. He is not your typical vampire. He doesn't sleep during the day and is out at night. Instead he sort of reminds me of a bear. A really sleepy bear. Will doesn't just sleep for a few measly hours of the day, he sleeps for decades at a time! So every time Will wakes up not only is everyone that he knew deceased but in some cases their children's children are long gone as well. Could you image going to sleep in the 1930's to wake up in the 70's? Eck! I don't even want to imagine the horror.

I really liked how Wignall wrote Will. He tells you the story of how Will's family thought him to be dead after he was bitten, so they buried him. Well when Will "rose" he found himself buried alive... or rather undead. Er, you know what I mean. Anyways by the time he awakens, his entire family is already deceased. Not only that but under his family's crypt is an underground lair for Will with clothing and some essentials that someone had built, knowing that Will would need it. So over the years Will adds furniture to his lair and spends the majority of his time down there when he is awake. He is used to living his life on his own, hoping to one day come across his maker and thank him for the generous gift he had given Will, so many centuries past. (insert sarcasm there). Well, this time when he wakes up, the person that he feeds on after his slumber just so happens to be Jex, the profit, who tells him about Eloise and how Will must find her because she is his destiny.

Which brings me to Eloise who starts off as being snarky. Will comes across her while she is hanging out in a buildings doorway. Clearly, she is homeless and staying there. When Will tries to talk to her she gets really defensive and tells him to leave her alone. When he see's her the second time, a group of teenage boys are harassing her. Will comes to her defense and that is when she starts to loosen up and she tells her story on how she came to live on the streets.

The story primarily revolves around Will and Eloise trying to find the person who bit Will. While doing so they come across a lot of obstacles from other parties who are unwelcoming towards Will. The story progressed at a good speed and it seemed like there was always something new around the corner. Not only were they dealing with uncovering the mystery behind Will's maker but they also had ghosts, sorcerers and other supernatural things jumping out at them throughout the story. I am interested to see what happens next in Will's story and whether or not he can uncover the whole truth and why Eloise is apart of the mystery.

My favorite part...
Was when Will remembers the time when he tried to bite and turn a servant girl into a vampire so that he would have a companion. He was so lonely and wanted her to stay with him throughout the years and she was willing to be bitten. The only thing though, was that when Will bit her and buried her so that she could be reborn, she never came out. So when he dug her up 16 years later he didn't find a body but rather bones.
-I liked this part because far too often vampire books tend to show you the lighter side of things. With this case though not only did Will accidentally kill the one person that accepted him but he has regretted his decision ever since. After the incident he came to the realization that he will never have anyone with him, he will live a solitary life.