After a recent run of rather mundane paranormal romance reads, I picked up New Blood without much enthusiasm. The book summary on the back cover didn't particularly grab me, but I thought I'd give it a go. I'm very glad that I did!

New Blood was really good, with interesting new elements, an entirely believable central love story, and well-described situations in which the lead characters find themselves. Our heroine is Amanusa Whitcomb, a woman who lives quietly by herself in Transylvania, carrying out minor healings and attempting to keep herself safe from the band of outlaws who previously attacked her. She's understandably nervous around men, so when a strange one comes to visit her, she doesn't know what to make of him. Jax is different from the outlaws, and when he reveals that she is really a blood sorceress and that he is to be her blood servant, she tries to send him away. He can't be sent away, however, and soon Amanusa finds herself running away after her quest for justice has dramatic effects. Jax runs with her.

As they travel across Europe from Transylvania to Paris, they begin to learn more of their bond and how it differs from Jax's bond with his previous sorceress, Yvaine. They also travel through magical dead areas, and their arrival in Paris coincides with investigations into these dead spots. Amanusa's powers are frightening to many - can she be accepted by the male magicians, conjurers and alchemists, and can she ever overcome her fear of men to find something special with Jax?

My one criticism is that Crow, the bird that follows them around at the beginning of the story, fades away until he is suddenly needed at the end, as if the author forgot about him. I would have liked to know a little more about Crow; is he some kind of magical familiar? The rest of the book is excellent, and though not all plotlines are completed, the story reaches a satisfying conclusion. I assume there will be more stories in this series, and I eagerly await the next.