Honestly, I found that I just could not get into this book. I tried very hard to keep myself engaged, and ended up having to just put it down and walk away. The plot was thin, the characters did not win me over. I wanted to like it, but I had to work too hard. ( )

Following her showdown with Elizabeth Bathory, Jackdaw Hammond is running from her past, hiding from her future, and hoping to contain her newfound thirst for blood. Buying an overgrown home in the middle of nowhere seems like the perfect place to escape…at least until she finds herself in the sights of a murderous family with a terrible secret and a penchant for dark magic. Meanwhile, her old ally Felix Guichard has gone to New Orleans to conduct his own investigation into the nature of blood magic, but is soon sucked into the intrigues of the city’s occult underworld. But Jack will need Felix more than she knows, for the battle for her soul is set to begin.

Her only salvation may lie with the secrets of 16th century master occultist Edward Kelley, and a dangerous mission he undertook in Venice to confront the Inquisition, the darkest deeds of his own past, and the fearsome power of Elizabeth Bathory.
- from the back of the book

This book is the second in a series; my review for book 1, The Secrets of Life and Death can be found here http://readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1302848/post.

This book combines historical fiction with the supernatural. Before I read the first in the series, I had never read a book like this before. In order to follow the story, I had to really focus. The historical part was fascinating to me, a real serial killer (Elizabeth Bathory) is included in the story and made into something supernatural.

Jack is a flawed but likable character. Drinking Felix's blood has changed her, but even she isn't sure exactly how. The garden behind the house is a character in itself. It protects itself and the occupants and responds only to Sadie.

I really don't want to give the book away, so I won't add any more details.

For more information on the author:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2136050/rebecca-alexander/

For more information on the book:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237072/the-secrets-of-blood-and-bone-by-...

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. I have not received any monetary compensation for this review.

Recommended to:
Fans of urban fantasy mixed with historical fantasy. Whatever that means. :) ( )

I picked this up solely due to its title; knowing nothing about the author or the book itself. What I didn't realize: it's a sequel. If you're interested, I recommend starting with the first one, 'The Secrets of Life and Death.' A great deal of this book deals with 'past' events, and I think having read the first one would really have helped.

The novel alternates between two different stories. In the first, set in the present day, in England's rural Lakes District, two women have come to renovate a witch's cottage - in which the witch was recently burned to death. The two women themselves may have magical or supernatural qualities, but they're also very human characters, dealing with an odd - and possibly dangerous - situation.

The second is set in 16th-century Venice, deals with the historical Edward Kelley, the notorious English occultist/alchemist, a contemporary of John Dee. The story deals with a wholly fictional trip to Venice, where he is investigating a paranormal rumor of werewolf-like rituals, which may plunge him into danger.

The second story gives background to and throws light on the first, but they remain rather separate. I found the first story, and the characters of the two women, Jackdaw and Sadie, much more compelling, even though I usually prefer historical settings to modern-day. The exception is when the narrative switches to the point of view of their friend, Felix, who is busy investigating vampire fetish clubs in New Orleans with the help of a rather-overly-involved academic researcher. As someone who has spent far more time at vampire fetish clubs than I care to admit, this exotified outsiders' view of the scene really had me rolling my eyes. (OK, fine, I also roll my eyes far too much when I am present AT such events.) Felix's viewpoint also felt largely unnecessary to the story as a whole; I felt the book could have done without it completely.

Overall, I found this author intriguing. At moments, I was reminded of authors such as Caitlin Kiernan & Poppy Z. Brite, maybe a taste of A.M. Dellamonica. But there was, perhaps, a larger helping of M.J. Rose.

Many thanks to Broadway Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
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I loved The Secrets of Blood and Bone. I found it even better than the first book in the series, which is rarely the case. This is the perfect book for anyone wanting a fun, gothic adventure story. This story provides a refreshing spin on the vampire/werewolf tales with complicated characters that you can't help but be engaged in.

A fun read, pick it up if you enjoyed any of the vampire genre, just be sure that you start with the first book. ( )

I had a hard time getting going with this book its hard when you come into a book in the middle of the series. Interesting story though. I was given this book through Early Reviewers on Librarything.com ( )