http://www.fnordinc.com/2009/10-26/bo...

Blood Kin, written by Ceridwen Dovey, was a big surprise. It was given to me in a big bag o’books by my friend Janneke. The bag was so full of possible reads that I didnt know I had it in my posession until earlier this summer. When it did come to my attention, I escalated it up my list of “to be read” books. Not reading the back cover, I was first drawn in by the authors name, very beautiful. The cover was well put together and designed nicely (click image to enlarge)

Clocking in at 183 pages, it didnt take long to get through the story and was a nice break from a series I was in the middle of.

I am unsure where the book takes place. It could be in a South American country, or deep in an unknown country in eastern Europe. However, I did get a very “Cuba” feel from the story. The name of the country was either never mentioned, or I was completely oblivious, both are possible scenarios

Dovey’s book is broken into 3 segments. Segment one is a series of chapters focusing around three men, each are personally associated with the president of the country. The president, however is no longer in power.

The leader of a revolution has captured and is holding the presidents barber, cook, and portraitist at a remote palatial estate. They are not allowed to move freely and are being held for a variety of reasons. The most potent being that each of them had opportunity to kill the supposed corrupt president and did not. the second being that they may have knowledge that could be useful, the third, that they are all very good at what they do.

I was very impressed with this book. not knowing anything about it at the time of reading, I was caught off guard by the solid characters and the depth of the plotline. This seems almost too clinical a way to describe this story.

Less clinical: Blood Kin left my jaw agape, my soul a bit angry and chaffed, and my brain.. definitely stunned.

I highly recommend this book

- fnordinc.com ( )

For a freshman effort, this is a good book. The story kicks off as a dictator, of some unnamed country, is overthrown and locked up for his alleged tyrannical reign. But when the freedom fighters nab him, they also take the dictator's chef, barber and portraitist hostage. The entire story shifts between their memories and viewpoints and they, like everyone else in the book, are never given names. We only know them by their relationships to each other.

The first half (of this short read) is great! Lots of insight into the human side and vanity of the dictator as seen through his closest servants. But, then the second degree of people begin to share their viewpoints. As short as the book is, we never get to enjoy them as much as we do the chef, barber and portraitist. It really feels like they get peppered in towards the end to help wrap up the plot in two or three quick twists all done in a six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sorta way.

But I really enjoyed the first part of the book and I'm looking forward to the author's next book. ( )

Great novel with intricate, detailed characters, all with different personalities. ( )

Fascinating and poignant book that exposes man's limitations and vulnerabilities in the face of absolute power. Elegantly told. A wonderful first book. Looking forward to her next! ( )