The Blessed (The Blessed)

by Tonya Hurley

[inlibrisveritas]

Oh boy…where to even begin with Precious Blood? I read this while it was free on Pulse It and switched between it and the audio version I’ve been meaning to listen to for some time now. So this will be a combination of both experiences.

Precious Blood is not a book that clues you in on the plot until about half way through and even then it takes pleasure in spinning you in circles until you just throw up your hands and let it have it’s way. In fact that’s kind of how I felt with this one the whole time. The writing style is…odd and I have trouble categorizing it, it’s not bad but it holds a certain vibe that just doesn’t sit right. The plot is rather slow at first but I think around 62% it becomes a full on whirl-wind and I was literally yelling “What the f—” out loud.

We meet three girls Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy who live very different lives and have very different personalities, all of which I kind of hated. Agnes is by far the most redeemable of them, but as innocent as she is she’s also incredibly naive. Cecilia is a rocker and she makes her very meager lives playing in the clubs and loves her loyal following. Lucy is one of those celebrities that you look and wonder what the hell their famous for, and she’s stuck up, stubborn, and shallow. They are hard to like from the get go, and given their rather unorthodox introduction as ER patients it’s kind of clear they are not supposed to be likeable…or maybe that’s just how I felt. It’s really hard to like a person who demands Vicodin for some as simple as period cramp. At any rate this is a very unorthodox story of three girls who find redemption and become saints…in their own way. Though I have trouble understanding how they fit the role of saints, who from my knowledge are normally martyrs or healers…these girls are not. There is a line that says something like “we’re saints. not angels” that was meant as a haphazard explanation, but threw me off because Angels are the ones who do the real dirty work. They’re soldiers…saints are not. At any rate the whole saint storyline was rather interesting and I will admit that I found it hard to put the book down after that halfway point.

There is also the rather confusing good vs bad plot that comes in later that I’m not entirely sure about. I understand the goal but I’m not sure I understand all the parts that lead up to it. There were a few parts that I actually cringed at because they just felt so wrong…I didn’t understand the overt sensuality of some of the scenes and their placement (and a few of the lines) were just uncomfortable.

As for the audio narration…I definitely do not recommend it. If you’re going to read this one, then I suggest actually reading it. The narration isn’t bad per say but I found it too jarring. There were moments where the sound of the voice would suddenly be really loud and moments where she paused unnecessarily. It just wasn’t a smooth listen.

Overall Precious Blood gets a nod from me for creativity and for making my heart pound a few times, however I found the story too confusing and the characters too unlikeable. I don’t see myself reading the rest of this series, though I will admit to some morbid curiosity.