The Blood Trilogy Continues

"SCARS", the second novella on the BLOOD Trilogy, takes off two years after the events of "BLOOD". Caius Nilsson is back to being a rock star, the search for his father forgotten now he is reunited with his twin brother. But a darkness lurks inside him, and threatens his life. Now the brothers must take up the search for Titus McFee again, to understand the disease taking over Cai and a find a way to save him. But how far is Marcus willing to go only to assure his brother is safe?

Scars by Ruth Miranda (read April 2018 interview here) takes a slightly different route from the first book in the trilogy. While both the first and second stories center on the family drama surrounding the twin brothers, Marcus and Caius, the storyline moves on from physical abuse and traumatic loss to issues such as self-cutting, depression and addiction.

The author once again addresses real-life issues using preternatural characters, giving both the supernatural and psychological aspects of the story far more depth than what would be possible with just one or the other. By mixing in the brothers' search for their negligent father, Miranda also incorporates the suspense of a mystery-thriller as well.

Unfortunately, I take issue with the writing style this time around. The inner-thoughts dialogue of Marcus and Caius, set apart by italics, are too long, often unnecessary and mostly disruptive to the overall flow. I also disliked the lack of growth displayed by the brothers. The second story jumps ahead two years, but there is not much in their interactions to suggest they've spent such a long period of time getting to know one another, aside from Marcus' concern for Caius' health.

I am still looking forward to the third book in the Blood trilogy. Miranda has a true talent for taking headlines, such as the battles with addiction and tragic overdose deaths of those in the music industry, and turning inner demons into supernatural creatures struggling with the same afflictions.

As always,
AstraDaemon