Blood Kin

I first read Blood Kin back in the 90s. When I saw this classic horror had been re-released with a new bonus prequel story at the end I could not pass up a chance to revisit Granddaddy Craven and the hell he brought down on Craven's Mountain.
More than a blood and guts vampire story, there are characters to love, and to hate, and to hope for. There is a family in crisis that I hoped would mend. There is a meddlesome mother-in-law that I wanted to smack! Family bonds and friendships are in peril along with souls.
Josiah Craven was not a good person in life, and being undead did nothing to improve that. When his wife put him in the ground nearly 100 years ago she thought that was the end of it, and for her generation it was. Now all these show more years later, Dud Craven has unwittingly unearthed Josiah's grave. Josiah is not just starving for blood, he is hungry for power and plans to preside over a congregation of the undead, starting with his family.
Blood Kin is edge of your seat suspense and fang-tastic fun. Over 20 years ago I said it was one of the best vampire novels I had ever read, and it still is, to this day.
5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review. show less

First a disclaimer - I'm not really a fan of the vampire genre - finding it predictable and repetitive - but I must say that I enjoyed "Blood Kin" quite a bit. I picked the book up on a whim at our used bookstore because I liked the cover and because I had heard good things about the writing of Ronald Kelly.

The book is about the Craven clan from the Smoky Mountain region of Tennessee. The story begins with the burial of Craven patriarch, Josiah Craven, a well-known, brim-and-firestone pastor who just so happens to be a vampire, or so his wife believes when she has him staked and buried far out in one of the Craven fields. End of story, right? Not so fast... Almost one hundred years later, poor, simple, Dud Craven is plowing one of his show more fields and strikes something very solid with his plow. Of course, it's the coffin of his great-grandfather, Josiah Craven. Dud can't resist popping open the lid to see who's in there and quickly sees a staked corpse. Not completely understanding the reason for the impalement, Dud pulls the wooden stake out of the corpse, and then, all hell breaks loose and we've got a story.

Once Josiah is revived and active again, he sets out to "free" as many of his descendants as possible by turning them into vampires. Dud is spared that and plays the role of Renfield in the story. The little town of Green Hollow is quickly turned upside down by several disappearances of Cravens.

Protagonist Boyd Andrews is married to a Craven girl, Joan, and has two wonderful children with her. Their marriage is on the rocks though because Boyd has had an issue with drinking and keeping jobs. Boyd and Joan have separated and appear to be heading toward divorce, especially if Joan's mother, Blanche, has anything to do with it. When Joan, Blanche, and the two children become part of the missing in Green Hollow, Boyd is beside himself and begins to look for answers.

Without giving away any more of the details of the plot, let me just say that the book has many exciting moments, some gore, and a satisfying ending. If you're a fan of this genre, you'll enjoy "Blood Kin". Kelly is a good storyteller who's capable of keeping readers enthralled. show less

Wow! This book was literally awesome! I cannot say enough great things about this book as I was just literally swept away on "vampire wings" as I read the story!

A little backstory for you readers:

Green Hollow, Tennessee is home to Craven's Mountain where Josiah Craven lays in restful slumber in an unmarked grave until Dud Craven accidentally "digs" him up. From that moment forward, all hell breaks loose on the mountainside and the town as Josiah becomes unleashed in full vampire form. When Josiah decides to go after all his "blood kin" is when the story goes into full blown vampire action which sets the pace for the book at full "vampire" throttle!

Without going into too much detail because of spoilers, I will say this about the show more storyline.

It was a thrilling, edge of your seat, suspenseful and nail-biting tension story that just grabs you from the first page and takes you on a bloody ride into the back hills of Tennessee.

This book just kept me awake and it fueled my insomnia as I could not put this book down! I would stay up at all hours of the night engrossed in the book and I would lay it down for a few minutes thinking I could go to sleep, but my hand would creep over to the book as I wanted to see what would happen next!

When I first picked up the book I was just planning on reading a couple of chapters, but I ended up reading eight chapters in one sitting!

The author, Ronald Kelly, has an amazing writing style that just grabs you and keeps you pinned into the book!

The storyline just flows and I loved all the characters in the book as I became connected to each one as the story moved along. Attachable characters and attachable storyline makes me give this book five "blood bite" stars! show less

I have read many....MANY...vampire stories throughout the years....they're my favorite supernatural creatures. Ronald Kelly...per usual.....managed a unique take on a very saturated genre. Well Done Ron!!