Reviews

• As usual, Tananarive Due did not disappoint. The second book African Immortals series kept me on the edge of my seat. It was an amazing read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is into black culture as well as the supernatural. This is an excellent read.

• "The Living Blood" by Tananarive Due is a riveting and supernatural suspense novel that will hold your interest from chapter to chapter. She introduces her characters through their minds as well as their actions. While parents Jessica, a mortal turned immortal, and David/Dawit, an immortal, are the main characters, for me, four-year old Fana steals the story. The parents are bewildered trying to understand and raise their gifted child, who has inherited her father's living blood. The Creator of the Life Colony says he has allowed Fana to be born, has given her "the power to stand between mortal and immortal, the two races of man. The child is both salvation and destruction." As in Tananarive Due's other book, "My Soul To Keep," the theme--the blood of Christ--continues in "The Living Blood," proving in her stories that it is more precious than gold. What happens when the ability to heal the ills of the world with one drop of the living blood? Human beings are honored, hated, misunderstood and frightened out of your wits. This well constructed novel highlights the admirable, reprehensible and greed in mortals. Immortals, who received the blood through the Life Brothers, declare a life or death battle to keep it within the colony, pitting powerful forces against powerful forces. I could go on but I'll stop here. I could not put this excellently written book down. I am in awe of Tananarive Due. Onward to "Blood Colony." I'm a committed fan.

• This is the second of a trilogy. I was reluctant to purchase it because of the difficulty in obtaining the third book. These books are not in print and are difficult and expensive to come by. Normally I don't buy trilogies unless I can buy all three or the first book is current and there is a reasonable hope to see book 2 soon. These books, however, are good based on the first 2 books but not recommended because of the scarcity of finding the third at a reasonable price. Several emails to the author entreating her to re-release the 3 books went unanswered.

• Tannanarive weaves this story in a way that will keep your breath in your chest until the last page. The only caveat is how small the print is but the story makes up for it!

• Book Two of Ms. Due's African Immortals saga is just as good as the first book in the series but very different. Where Ms. Due made us, like Jessica, fall for David despite his arrogant villainies in the first book, here we are given more clues about the price to be paid by both Dawit and Jessica for their beliefs and their living blood. We also meet new characters: Lucas Shephard aka Dr. Voodoo, a worthwhile soul who seems to be followed by a malcontent cloud yet still remains driven on his loving mission to save his dying son. Khaldun surfaces in this novel and speaks to the readers omnisciently in the only way the oldest immortal could. Then there is Fana, a 3 year old with seemingly limitless power and only a bit more maturity than the toddler you might see stacking and knocking down blocks over and over because they like the sound it makes. Well she may be more mature than that (but not by much) because often her retribution is well deserved. We also meet many of Dawit's Life brothers and see their home. I confess it continues to be the immortals that are equally fascinating and scary to me. If you enjoyed My Soul To Keep you will enjoy this book and want more. I do.

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