With less than ten days until BLOOD DARK’s release, the official blog reviews are starting to filter through. Last week, I posted Blood Dark’s first review courtesy of Fiona’s Book Reviews. Now Big Little Sister Blog has also had a chance to read and review Blackthorn’s fifth installment – and it was another super-positive one! I’m thrilled. Thank you SO much, Michelle!
“Lindsay Pryor has crafted a world that’s intricate, gritty and genuinely fascinating… Book five is darker and harsher than I expected and all the better for it. Lindsay Pryor’s ability to stay true to her finely crafted story is enviable and her characters are rich and demanding (especially that Kane!). I’d say its fabulous. In fact its beyond fabulous – its fabulous on steroids! And I’m a goner!”
And last month, I shared some reviews from the Sirens of Fiction who had only just started on their Blackthorn journey. Now Blood Shadows has been reviewed by another of the Sirens, so HUGE thanks to Brickley Jules for her terrific review – and for going straight on to read Blood Roses! That’s what I like to hear! 🙂
“The author, Lindsay J. Pryor, did a superior job creating the world the book takes place in. The book was well thought out, with carefully painted characters, who were easy to imagine… I would definitely recommend this book! It has a lot to offer those you enjoy romance, fantasy, futuristic or supernatural.”
I’d like to say a massive thank you too to all the other reviewers that I know are currently posting their reviews for BLOOD DARK on NetGalley. I’m hearing such positive things so far, so thank you for taking the time to support my series.
Don’t forget, the full cover reveal is coming soon as well as those first three chapters!
*WARNING: Contains HUGE spoilers for the first four books in the series*
Now that we’re four books into my series and at the mid-way point in the Blackthorn story, there’s a lot that has happened. On Tuesday, I posted a reminder of who’s who in the world of Blackthorn. Now, here are a few key things to jog your memory of some of the story so far that will prove useful before you read BLOOD DARK…
FIRSTLY, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE WIDER PICTURE
The regulations were put in place 80 years ago when the third species first outed their furtive co-existence. The outing was instigated by the Higher Order (vampire royalty). At the time, the Higher Order claimed they had the ability to heal humans and offered it in return for a place for themselves in Midtown.
Amidst the third species being outed, there were whispers of unconfirmed prophecies about the vampires rising up against humans. Remaining cautious, the humans set up locales and, within them, districts to manage and contain the third species. Over time, a stratified human society also started to form.
However, it turned out that the benefits of Higher Order blood, though effective, were only temporary. Unhappy about the symbiotic relationship this necessitated and believing their original claims to be time-stalling trickery, the Global Council mounted pressure on the Higher Order. The Higher Order promised a permanent cure existed – and that they would find it.
Now it appears the whispered prophecies were true: the vampire leader has arrived.
If you’re uncertain about the set-up in Blackthorn, how the regulations came into being, or want to understand more about the mythology that underpins the series, you can find posts about it here.
AND THOSE FEW USEFUL REMINDERS OF THE STORY SO FAR
Please note, the racaps below aren’t in chronological order – they’re just meant as reminders for readers familiar with the series.
Kane and Caitlin
Though committing to each other at the end of Blood Shadows, Caitlin has since returned to work at the VCU. Her new temporary boss is Matt Morgan, who was her partner in Blood Shadows. Her first case is trying to find who is responsible for a spate of human murders in Blackthorn and Lowtown. Caleb is a prime suspect.
Within the first twenty-four hours back on the job, Sirius Throme (Head of the Global Council) turned up in Caitlin’s apartment with a threat of invading Blackthorn should Kane not give himself up. Sirius revealed his master plan to conduct soul transferences, for which he needs Kane – a method he’s going to use to create an elite human race that will ultimately lead to a cull of the third species.
Kane doesn’t just have Sirius to contend with. Having come face to face with Phia in the compound in Blood Torn, Kane knows the Tryan is out there somewhere – a serryn appearing in Blackthorn the first sign that the prophecies have started. Aware of the devastating impact of a vampire uprising, he’s intent on killing the prophesied leader as soon as he discovers who it is.
Kane knows Phia is a serryn and that Caleb is hunting her. At the end of Blood Torn, he was on his way to see Caleb to get him to back off from Phia so he wouldn’t trace her to the compound. Due to Caleb’s links with Feinith and the ruling of all serryns to be delivered to the Higher Order, he’s hoping Caleb doesn’t know of the serryn’s role in the prophecy.
Caleb and Leila
Caleb is of Higher Order heritage. His mother renounced her Higher Order status but went on to have three children – Seth, Caleb and Jake – with a Higher Order male. Caleb prefers to reside with his own where he can better protect them, so has revealed his heritage to no one.
In Blood Roses, Caleb was revealed to be the pending Tryan: the prophesied vampire leader said to rise up and lead the vampires against the human oppression. He was supposed to kill Leila to see his transformation through and, by doing so, kick-start the prophecy. Instead, he took her serrynity leading it to jump to her next sister in line – Sophia (Phia).
Caleb released Leila after she promised she could find an alternative to the prophecy and, with it, an alternative to Caleb killing Phia. He is awaiting her return. In the interim, he is determined to find Phia both as a fail-safe in case Leila lets him down, as well as to fulfil his promise to her should she keep to her word.
Leila knows Phia is safe somewhere in Blackthorn and has warned her to stay away from Caleb. Leila is on the cusp of returning to the district.
Jask and Phia
Before Leila’s serrynity jumped to her, Phia was involved in a vigilante group called The Alliance – responsible for the assassination attempt on Caleb and Jake Dehain in Blood Roses. Phia since found out that a Higher Order vampire called Jarin funded that attempt. Jarin is Feinith’s bethrothed and an enemy of Caleb. Members of The Alliance are now being killed off.
Both Phia and Jask know Caleb is pursuing her. They know Caleb is aware of what she is, and that he let Leila go – but they don’t yet know why.
A secret army attacked Jask’s compound, stole some of the lycan young and destroyed the pack’s herbs days before they are due to morph. Lycanthropy in the Blackthorn world is a life-threatening allergy. Most of the pack will not survive. Jask needs to find supplies from somewhere – and quickly.
By the end of Blood Deep, all the lycan young returned to the compound, except for Tuly, Corbin’s daughter, who ended up in Caleb’s hands. Tuly let Caleb know that Phia is at the compound.
Eden and Jessie
In Blood Deep, Jessie revealed the effects of Caleb and Leila not seeing their destiny through. There has been a split in the fourth dimension and the fourth species are leaking into Blackthorn. The only way to reclose the dimension is for either Leila or Caleb to kill the other.
It is not public knowledge that Caleb is the Tryan. However, as Jessie has seen the prophecy, she’s also seen the face of the Tryan even though she can’t recall it. Sirius is as aware of this as he is of the prophecy itself. He wants to get his hands on Jessie to have her shadow read so he too can discover the identity of the leader and kill whoever it is.
Through Jessie’s visions, Sirius was revealed as being the catalyst to the Tryan’s uprising. It is Caleb and Sirius’s showdown, not solely the vampire leader’s uprising, that leads to global devastation.
Eden revealed that he had seen angel tears before. He believes Sirius Throme is holding angels at The Facility in Midtown, and that he is testing the superhuman abilities their tears create on his secret army. This is the army they believe invaded the compound and that Sirius now intends to use to invade Blackthorn to capture Kane once and for all.
As with Tuesday’s post, I hope that has helped refresh a few aspects of the story. I know Blackthorn readathons have already started and I hope everyone who is a part of them is having fun picking up on all those little nuances that should now be falling into place. I still can’t quite believe we’re at the mid-way point of the series!
On that note, there are only thirteen days left until the official release of BLOOD DARK! The full paperback cover will be posted between now and then, the first three chapters will be uploaded for you to get a taster of what’s in store, and there will be the all-important Bites. Stay close, we’re nearly there!
On Friday, I opened a giveaway for one person to win an early eBook of BLOOD DARK. The response was terrific with entrants joining in here, via email and on my Facebook page – so HUGE thanks to everyone who participated. I loved reading your choices so much that I decided to give away two copies instead of one.
All entrants were given a number and, using a random number generator, the following winners were selected:
Massive congratulations!
Dibs, you’ll be receiving an email from me shortly.
April, you’ll need to contact me via Facebook.
Interestingly, although these winners were random, both opted for the red pill and both wanted to meet Jask! He’s certainly a popular one. 😉
Sorry if you’re disappointed by not winning this time, but I’ll have another giveaway after Blood Dark’s release. xxx
*Warning: As this post is intended as a memory prompt, it contains spoilers for the first four books in the series.*
Now that we’re four books into Blackthorn and at the mid-way point in the series, I thought it might help to give you a quick recap on the characters you’ve come across in the first four books. I hope this glossary proves useful – and it’s in alphabetical order to make it easier should you need it for reference as you read BLOOD DARK.
I’ve also attached both my Pinterest board for Blackthorn’s Cast as well as a board compiled from readers’ suggestions as to who you could envisage playing our characters on the screen. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this last year!
PLEASE NOTE: THE TABLE ORIGINALLY POSTED HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO BEING UPDATED AS THE SERIES HAS PROGRESSED. IT CAN NOW BE FOUND VIA THE TAB ‘ABOUT BLACKTHORN’.
I’ll be back in a couple of days with a recap on where we are in the Blackthorn story so far, which will also hopefully prove useful to you.
Don’t forget, if you’d like to win an early eBook of BLOOD DARK, you only have a few hours left to enter! Please check out my previous post or my Facebook page to do so. You can also enter by email. Thank you to all the entries that have come in so far! The winner will be announced tomorrow!
I make no odds about the fact that this is usually the part of the process when I go into hiding: once my latest book is out of my hands and with the official reviewers. Waiting for that first review to come through is scary, as it’s so tough to predict how a book is going to be received. So when I got word that BLOOD DARK’s first review was posted on NetGalley, the palpitations hit hard and fast. Seconds later, I was squealing with joy.
So a massive thank you to Fiona’s Book Reviews for starting BLOOD DARK the second she got her hands on it, and reviewing it within a couple of days too. Here’s what Fiona had to say (don’t worry it’s brilliantly spoiler-free!):
“Wow wow and wow again! Lindsay has done it again. Just when you think you are starting to figure things out she goes and blows it out the water!
This book takes us back to the beginning, with the very first characters I fell in love with, Caitlin and Kane. Kane was the first paranormal bad boy Lindsay brought us, and the one which has always remained with me as being the one I would love to meet in real life! And yes, I do know he is purely fictional, I’m not that naive! But I can dream can’t I?
This book differs from the others in that it starts to bring together the characters we met in the previous books. Some are coming together to help each other. But there are others who want nothing more than to rid the world of all paranormal beings.
In starting to bring together these characters the author also brings in far more twists and turns to the story, including a few which will surprise and shock fans of the series thus far.
Caitlin really has to dig deep to figure out who she can and can’t trust throughout this story. With her own insecurities, with regards to her relationship, coming to the fore, she also has to work through her feelings for Kane. And, indeed, his feelings for her! Can this pair get through intact, or does fate have other plans for them? For fate, read ‘the author’!
A brilliant addition to an already brilliant series. And once again, a bit of a cliffhanger right at the end. Something the author is really good at giving us, leaving us breathless and desperate for more.
This is, without question, my favourite series of books ever, and I cannot wait to see what the author brings us next.
With huge thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the chance to read this.”
If you’d like to have an e-copy of BLOOD DARK within days, don’t forget you have two days left to enter my giveaway. All the details are on my previous post as well as on my Facebook page. A huge thank you to everyone who has joined in already! <3
Kane and Caitlin are on their way back! We have only 19 days to go until the official release of BLOOD DARK, book 5 in my Blackthorn series. But I know, for some, that still feels way too far away.
I’m therefore launching a giveaway for one person to win an early e-book of BLOOD DARK – and, if you win, it’ll be yours in less than a week!
TO ENTER:
All you have to do to enter is answer this question inspired by The Matrix:
WHICH WOULD YOU TAKE?
Option RED:
Take the RED pill and transport yourself to Blackthorn.
Who would you most like to meet? Or maybe there’s someone you’d avoid?
OR
Option BLUE:
Take the BLUE pill and bring Blackthorn’s characters to your world.
Who would you choose to bring here? Or who would you like to leave behind?
THE RULES:
To be eligible, tell me the (1) the colour option you’ve chosen and (2) answer the relevant question/s.
Only ONE entry per person.
The competition is open NOW and you have until midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 8th September to enter. No entries will be accepted after that time.
All entrants will randomly be allocated a number. The winner will be drawn using an online number generator and will be announced by 6 p.m. (UK time) on Wednesday 9th September.
You can post your answer in the comments section below, or on the relevant post on my Facebook page, or email it to me via my contact link.
Have fun making your decision – and good luck!
P.S. If you’ve not yet read any of the previous Blackthorn books, we’re now at the midway point in the series. As such, I strongly advise you read books 1 – 4 first, rather than start at this point.
P.S.S. If you’re a paperback fan, I’ll be giving away a signed copy in due course. Anyone who enters this giveaway will still be eligible to enter that too.
IF YOU’RE A REVIEWER, BLOOD DARK IS AVAILABLE ON NETGALLEY NOW.
It’s been over a year since I’ve had an interview and, in this one, I talk about my journey to publication for the first time. If you’re a writer yourself or you’d just like to know a bit more about who I am, what inspired me to write Blackthorn and what plans I have for the future, you might find this one interesting.
HUGE thanks to the extremely lovely Daniel Riding for hosting me – and for quizzing me mercilessly!
There are two other events to look out for this week. On Wednesday, if you’re a member of the ‘Into the World of Blackthorn‘ Facebook group (an additional group to the official Blackthorn Fan Page), I’ll be giving you the first opportunity ever to fire questions at our four Blackthorn heroes: Kane, Caleb, Jask and Eden – and you can ask them anything! If you love talking about all things Blackthorn, you’d be most welcome to join. And towards the end of the week I’ll be launching a competition to win an early e-book of BLOOD DARK. Stay close if you can’t bear to wait another 24 days until it’s yours!
The countdown has officially started!! We have less than a month left until BLOOD DARK is yours!
Thanks for all the anticipation and excitement that’s already coming through. This is starting to feel like a military operation, especially for those who have informed me they’ve booked the day off work or made ‘alternative arrangements’ for their family! 🙂 I have to say, one of the best things about a Blackthorn release day is the build-up – and you’re the best at this. This wonderful comment left here my website this morning particularly made my day:
“Dear Lindsay,
I am from Romania and I just wanted to say that your books have made my world such a better place. I couldn’t put them down and I counting the days till the release of Blood Dark. Your characters and plot of the story has taken me on a wonderful journey. Thank you.”
Thank you so, so much, Alexandra. And thank you to everyone else who makes this journey not only worthwhile, but also so much fun. I’ll have a giveaway for you soon!
Yesterday was just fantastic. I’m still buzzing from the overwhelming response to the cover reveal and release date announcement (especially on Facebook), so I certainly wasn’t expecting to make another so soon. But less than 24 hours after Blood Dark‘s pre-order went live, I received news this morning that it had gone straight to the #1 spot on Amazon UK’s Gothic Romance chart -and the #4 spot in US equivalent! It had just fallen shy of being in the top 800 books on the overall Amazon UK chart. As I’m sure you can imagine, I am beyond thrilled.
In addition to that, Blood Dark also hit #1 in the Gothic Romance Hot New Releases!
That’s two Blackthorn books in a row now that have gone straight to No 1 from pre-orders alone (the last was Blood Deep). I can’t quite believe it.
Thank you so much to my fellow Bookouture author Caroline Mitchell for breaking the news to me via Twitter this morning (you are a top class stalker, Ms Mitchell), Tracey Rogers (Blackthorn’s original No 1 fan) for your excited email also making sure I’d heard, and to USA Today bestseller CC MacKenzie for doing the same by taking the time out of her own super-busy schedule to call and congratulate me.
And, of course, a massive thank you to you: all my incredible readers and supporters who got me there. This doesn’t happen without you – and I appreciate it so much. <3
xxx
* * *
UPDATE!!
After posting this, I found out the following morning that Blood Dark had gone on to reach #2 in Gothic Romance on Amazon. com. Thank you SO much to everyone still clicking that pre-order button. <3
Your patience has been amazing, your re-reads can almost come to an end… I’m super-excited to finally be able to reveal that BLOOD DARK, book 5 in my Blackthorn series, will be released on:
23rd SEPTEMBER 2015
I know, still seven weeks to go – but the great news is, it’s available for pre-order on Amazon NOW!
And we can’t have a release date without a cover and blurb reveal:
BLOOD DARK
Book 5 in the Blackthorn series
‘There are guardian angels, and there are monsters with wings’
Caitlin Parish should have been the last person to fall for a vampire. A member of the Vampire Control Unit, her relationship with master vampire Kane Malloy had explosive consequences. Caitlin’s colleagues count her as the enemy. And now she’s going back.
Kane has made powerful enemies of his own – and is being targeted by the head of the Global Council, Sirius Throme. With the stakes higher than ever before, Kane knows caring for Caitlin makes him vulnerable. Worse, her decision to return to VCU feels like betrayal.
With Throme threatening to tear Blackthorn apart, and the prophesied vampire leader finally revealed, Kane and Caitlin must both fight with everything they have to stop an all out war. But they’re fighting on opposite sides…
Right when she needs him most, Caitlin makes a shocking discovery about Kane. Has he been playing her all along? And can she trust him with her life when he won’t even trust her with the truth?
The choice Caitlin makes will change the game in Blackthorn forever.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LINDSAY J. PRYOR…
‘I don’t think I have read such a finely executed dark PNR world before…This series truly surprised me. I didn’t think I would love it that much or be intrigued by it. I couldn’t stop thinking about these books once I was done with them… The world-building is spectacular. The characters are enthralling and addicting… Plain fabulousness.’ Gaga Over Books
‘I am completely enthralled with this paranormal series. You get so wrapped up in the story and characters that you lose track of time… This is one of my favorite series so far this year!’ Paranormal Book Club
‘This is a paranormal universe like none you have encountered before… There are stories that are so powerful, so intense that I do not believe anyone should warn you about what is to come… I truly do feel that if you love the Paranormal genre and have not yet discovered Lindsay J. Pryor or these novels then you need to read them, experience them firsthand.’ Keeper Bookshelf
‘I am officially addicted to this series. Why, you ask? Because Lindsay Pryor is my kind of fearless author. She isn’t afraid to “go there”, to create characters and situations that challenge me as a reader.’ The Demon Librarian
‘Not only are Pryor’s characters and fathomlessly dark love stories fabulous, but her continual world building of Blackthorn blows me away.’ Gravetells.com
‘If you’re looking for a new PNR series that has a dark world and complicated characters, then you’ll want to grab a copy of this. I can’t wait to read the next book.’ FictionVixen.com
‘She writes paranormal romance mixed with urban fantasy the way I like it – clever world-building, intense characters and no easy options for them to take.’ Nocturnal Book Reviews
* * *
I do hope you like it! I cannot wait to share the next stage of Kane and Caitlin’s journey. There will be lots coming your way over the forthcoming weeks including giveaways, a full cover reveal, the first three chapters posted live and a recap on the story so far (I know it’s getting complex in there). So stay close if you don’t want to miss anything!
Thanks for all the incredible support that has already been coming through on Facebook pending this announcement. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to finally be able to share it!
