Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain

 A little girl taken from a park in northern Italy.

A boy taken from a playground in Slovenia.

And now a girl from Budapest.

No one had put it together except Rurik. No one realized that each child had vanished on the day of the final performance of the Zorka Cyrka.

Rurik is chief of security at the Zorka circus. With his lightning-scarred face and body he's often mistaken for a monster himself, but he knows the real monster is hiding among the circus performers. And he's determined to stop them before another child is taken. But he doesn't know who he can trust. And other things at the circus keep going wrong.

Then there's Sylvie Dinescu. She's one of the bloodwalking women of the Skomori Clan. She knows there's death and danger at the circus, but she has no idea how she can help find the killer, not when she's just been married off to a stranger. Besides, she knows no one is going to want the help of a Bloodwalker, especially not one who's been cursed.

There's a lot to like about this one! The writing. The circus setting. The characters. The suspense. The strange traditions of the Bloodwalkers. The mystery itself and the horror at the end. I thought it was an entertaining read. And Rurik and Sylvie? I liked them both. All in all, I'd give this one 4 stars.

Happy Reading!

P.S. And no, there aren't any vampires in this one.

From the K Shelf...

Author:  A. R. Kahler

Title:  The Immortal Circus

The Cirque des Immortels is not like other circuses. Not only do the performers in this circus have some strange and unusual talents, they've also all signed binding contracts that guarantee them immortality. But then their ring master is Mab, Queen of the Winter Court. Only being Mab, she has her own deep and dark reasons for every contract she signs; and she's not giving away any of her secrets. Especially when it comes to Vivienne Warfield, the newest member of the troupe. Vivienne can't quite remember what she was trying to escape from when she joined the Cirque des Immortels, nor does she seem to have any magical talent of her own. So what does Mab see in her? And more worrying, what does Mab want from her?  Oddly, Vivienne doesn't seem too concerned about it. Until one of the other circus performers ends up dead--murdered by an unknown hand. But how is that even possible? Mab's contract is supposed to protect them. So, was this an inside job? Or is there some outside enemy threatening them all?

Twisted, dark, mysterious and magical all aptly describe The Immortal Circus.  In a way, this book reminds me of Christina Henry's Alice. And despite it's darker moments, I ended up really liking it. Vivienne is one of those fiesty heroines that you find yourself rooting for; I also really liked Kingston, the magician she has a crush on.  The rest of her new circus family are all pretty unique and memorable, especially the scary ones like Mab...and Lilith. Talk about an intense roller coaster ride. This one's a fun one! I can't wait to find out what happens to Vivienne and Mab's immortal circus in the next book in this fantastic trilogy.

Happy Reading!