Book Review: Blood Ending

I cannot write this review without first admitting that Michael McGovern’s Blood Ending isn’t a novel I would typically pick up. While I’ve always appreciated vampire stories, my interest in the niche genre likely peaked during my teen years when the entertainment industry was buzzing over True Blood, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries. (Yes, I did read all the books from the latter two mentioned. And yes, I love(d) them.)

A New Take on Vampires

If I had to attribute the shift, however, I think going to college for creative writing ultimately drove the wooden spike into the fiction genre, killing my love for vampires, and most things fiction. I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it’s true. I hadn’t read much nonfiction prior and discovering how people were breathing new life into true stories, researching and uncovering new details in old crimes, or pouring their soul out onto the page as they struggled with depression, bipolar disorder, or death, really swallowed me whole—for years. But honestly, I’m glad to have joined the Horror Writers Association and to be reintroduced to a world of writing that isn’t chained by the truth but is instead inspired by it.

Released exactly one year ago today, McGovern’s Blood Ending follows Severin, a master vampire, having received a vampire heart at the time of his transformation. However, to maintain his power over fellow vampires, he had been instructed to create a trinity of female vampires to serve him, live with him, and ultimately, rule with him. However, things are never that easy. For decades, it is not just about the power and passion shared between the vampire foursome, but the desires and revenge of Praetorious Biederbeck, an obsessed and love-sick alchemist who calls on the Devil himself to help fulfill his destiny. And if that wasn’t enough, all of the characters remind us that vampires and alchemists alike must continue to adapt to the changing times. Whether their hearts stopped beating, or they were granted an extended lifetime by Satan, time and war and love and lust are aspects that they all must figure out—especially if they plan on being here for an eternity.

Packed with drama from just the first few pages, Blood Ending takes you on a decades-long adventure with little-to-no opportunities to catch your breath. Split into three books, each section takes the reader on a journey of darkness, magic, and of course, blood. While there is some back and forth, the jumps in time highlight each character’s growth and how the “old ways” of doing things are challenged by the lure of modern science.

What was most enjoyable about this novel though, was that for the first time, I wasn’t actively having to look for a lesson, or seek out additional information. Although entirely fictional, McGovern did a wonderful job of incorporating several historical events that for nonfiction lovers like myself, helped to carry me through and make those otherwise missing connections I had been so prone to searching for. Of course, that’s not to say that those references are what made the entire book—no. The success of Blood Ending will be a direct result of its craftily developed characters, the crossing of love triangles, and most notably, its suspense. I encourage anyone looking for a new vampire novel to give it a read and let the adventure consume you—every last drop of you.

I received a copy of Blood Ending in exchange for an honest review.

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Article written by Destiny King

Destiny writes about true crime and thrillers. She likes movies and stories that make you question the world around you, more so than what makes you jump.

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