Review: The Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey (Bloodbound #1)

The Bloodbound (Bloodbound #1)
Erin Lindsey
Published: Sept. 30, 2014 (Ace)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

The Bloodbound starts on a battlefield as King Erik of Alden is betrayed by his brother, and left to die at the hands of the Oridian enemy. Alix Black, a scout in the King’s army, leaves her post to give aid and ends up saving the King’s life. For her efforts, Alix is made head of the King’s personal guard, but there’s no time to become complacent. Trying to root out usurpers and spies among those who call themselves loyal to the crown, Alix struggles with becoming the King’s confidant as her feelings for him are headed in a direction that feels more like a betrayal, as her heart already belongs to another.

When information comes to light that the enemy may be employing a previously unknown magic on their troops enabling them to fight without compunction, Alix will have to put aside her uncertain feelings and work with both men in order to ensure the survival of their kingdom.

If you’re someone who likes their fantasy but wishes it were heavier on the romance The Bloodbound is the book/series for you. Politics, while still a huge story thread, take a backseat to Alix’s romantic entanglements.

Unfortunately, if you couldn’t tell from the description above, this also means the use of the dreaded love triangle. I’ve never really been a fan of the triangle, but Erin Lindsey spins things in a way that, while I’m not a love triangle convert now by any means, I find myself very interested in how this one will play out in the remainder of the series. Said triangle consists of Alix, her best friend Liam, and of course King Erik. I liked that Erin Lindsey decided to not just make things from Alix’s point of view. We get King Erik’s viewpoint as well, and with that spin—understanding his feelings for Alix—the kind of queasy feeling I oftentimes get with love triangles was considerably muted. It wasn’t an angst-fest and it wasn’t ‘who can be more manly and win the fair maiden’s hand’ either, which made me like both suitors equally for Alix.

Romance aside, the rest of the story flowed really nicely. As I said, we start in battle and pretty much end in battle, but the pathway leading from one to another, as we learn of treacheries and strategies, was really smooth. There’s a lot of terminology thrown at readers with not much in the way of explanation, but in not trying too hard to decipher what every phrase or sect means, things fall into place naturally and, for me, with little to no confusion. I think this also lends itself well to those in which fantasy is not their go-to genre.

One of the standouts of the story is, of course, Alix. I loved that in this world there are no reservations about women being on the battlefield alongside the men. Alix is pretty much a badass. She knows how to handle herself, and let’s just say she does good work in her job as personal guard to the King as she saves his life multiple times over the course of the story. For all that she has conflicted feelings for her friend and the King, she doesn’t let them get in the way of doing her job and doing it well.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Bloodbound and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Sexual content: sex