Reviewed by Ami & Nikyta
Title: Quenched in Blood
Author: Ari McKay
Series: Asheville Arcana #3
Heroes: Julian & Thomas
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 228 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 20, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Will love mean rebirth… or death?
In the course of his work with the Asheville Paranormal Council, reclusive three-hundred-year-old vampire Julian Schaden discovers young Thomas Carter, the heir to a long line of demon hunters—a legacy Thomas knows nothing about.
He also knows nothing about the supernatural world or the danger he’s in. As Julian convinces him and later agrees to train Thomas to use his abilities, he struggles against unexpected feelings. Thomas is too young and innocent to become involved with Julian, but opposites attract, and this is one battle Julian is fated to lose….
Julian and Thomas grow closer as the demonic menace advances. A prophecy from a dying mage comes with a bleak warning: to save Thomas’s life, Julian might have to give up the only man he’s ever loved.
Ami’s Review:
Brooding vampire Julian Schaden is taking the task to train young Thomas Carter to face the battle against the demon that has been threatening Asheville. Thomas is new to supernatural world, after being kept in the dark by his grandfather all his life…
Quenched in Blood is the conclusion of Ari McKay’s Asheville Arcana series – and I admit that I’m a little bit underwhelmed about it, especially the romance. The conflict is quite common: Julian feels that Thomas is too young for him, too inexperienced, Julian is practically his mentor in both supernatural and sexual aspect (you see, Thomas is a virgin).
However, in my perspective, it doesn’t take long for them to succumb to their attraction despite Julian’s reluctance in the beginning. I guess I miss some sort of relationship development between the two. Although I understand that they must share their story with the paranormal/demon aspect that happens in the background.
Since this is the last trilogy book, we finally being introduced to the demon, and there’s some great action scenes near the end. We also understand what the Cauldron of Rebirth can do and how it helps our heroes in the final battle. But in overall, I think it slightly lacks the charm of the first two books.
Ami’s Overall Impression: It was good
Nikyta’s Review:
First, I just want to say that to read this one, you should really read the other two in the series first or else some of this might not make sense. With that said, this one wraps up the series and finally reveals the demon that has been causing all the issues for the last few years. It was interesting to see how everything in the previous books comes into play and I loved seeing Julian meet Thomas and how Thomas is the missing link of how they can possibly beat the demons and possessed shapeshifters. It was definitely intriguing to see how Thomas played such a huge rule and how having a demon hunter on their side really tips the balance in their favor.
As for the characters, Julian is a brooding and antisocial vampire who’s lived a long life and has a more than healthy dose of paranoia. When he finds Thomas, Thomas has no idea that he’s from a long line of demon hunters but he takes the knowledge of there being supernaturals in the world surprisingly well. I found that super endearing and how he copes with all the new things he has to learn… not just with the supernatural but with life in general because he’s lived a very simple life up until then. Thomas was definitely one of my favorite characters because I loved his innocence but also his passion and dedication. Julian, for me, could be a little controlling but he has good intentions when it comes to Thomas and he can’t help when Thomas burrows right under his skin.
While I did enjoy this one, it was a struggle for me to get through at times. I felt like it dragged a little in the middle so it was hard for me to push through it. But, at the same time, I feel like Julian and Thomas don’t really know each other. They were with each other longer (time-wise) than the other couples but I feel like they know each other less than Whimsy and Harlan or Arden and Eli. I didn’t feel like they really knew each other aside from training and spending time researching but not a lot of time learning or getting to know each other. Add to that, I wish the fight scene hadn’t been so brief. After three books, I expected to have a more suspenseful and drawn out fight with the demon that’s started all of this.
In the end, I liked it, although it was my least favorite of the series, but I did enjoy seeing Julian get a happy ending. And I did ultimately like seeing how it ended, even if the fight scene could have been more drawn out.
Nikyta’s Overall Impression: It was good
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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