Review: Blood Prophecy (Drake Chronicles, #6)

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Series: Drake Chronicles, #6
Release Date: January 8th 2013
Publisher: Walker Children's
Paperback, 496 pages
Buy: Amazon
         The Book Depository



I went into this knowing I’d have a hard time saying goodbye to the Drakes (and Hamiltons), but fairly optimistic about the whole thing anyway. After all, this series is a favorite of mine, a guilty pleasure, if you will, since it’s not exactly what one might call a quality read, but it’s cute and fun nevertheless. Not even in my wildest dreams had I considered that I might end up struggling through it, forcing myself not to put it down, or after that battle was lost, bribing myself to pick it up again. But that pretty much describes my state of mind through the first 30% of Blood Prophecy. It was tedious, unnecessarily complicated and boring.

However, right around the 30% mark, it was as if someone flipped a switch and I got to reunite with all the characters as I remembered them. Things got better fast, and they stayed that way until the very end. It still wasn’t a quality read but I didn’t care much, just like I didn’t care with the first five books.

Heroes didn’t get a say in this one, the burden of storytelling fell entirely to our heroines. Most of the chapters were told from Lucy’s and Solange’s points of view, but there were some from Hunter’s, Isabeau’s and Christabel’s as well. Since the Drakes & Co. were being attacked from all sides, each of them had quite a story to tell.

”Anyone else think evil should take a vacation so we can catch a nap?”

Most of the plot was centered around Solange, of course. It’s been so long since I actually enjoyed reading about her that it took a while for me to remember the real Solange – fierce, loyal and maybe a bit shy. When it became clear why I didn’t like her in any of the last four books, I had to conclude that Alyxandra Harvey is a bit brilliant, even when she’s writing fluff. I always write my reviews spoiler-free so I can’t really go into detail, but I look forward to discussing Solange with other Drake Chronicles fans after they finish the book.

The Drake Chronicles are, in fact, fluff, but that doesn’t mean I liked them any less. Quite the contrary, in fact. Having a feel-good series I can always go back to is strangely comforting. And if I could choose a best friend from any of the characters I’ve been reading about in the last few years, I would choose Lucy Hamilton in a heartbeat. Well, unless we’re talking friends with benefits, in which case my choice would probably be more dark and brooding. But I digress…

There will be more e-novellas featuring the Drakes and there’s been some talk about a spin-off, but that’s still unconfirmed. Either way, knowing this isn’t the last we’ll see of Lucy, Nicholas, Hunter, Quinn and others makes saying goodbye somewhat easier.