The Blood King (Inferno Rising, 2)

F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C You ever read a book so good that you immediately started reading it again...yup...this is one of those books. Because I was all like..no, no, no...don’t end now, I need more. First things first...eta of next book please...because I need it nowish.

The Blood King aka Tarzan 🤣 and Skylar aka crazy are a match made in heaven, these two were made for each other, they are the exact same person and so in sync. Both ruthless Both take no crap Both fearless Both loyal And they are crazy about each other...even though they don’t want to admit it, see twins. The heat between these two, hot, hot, hot….did I mention these two were so hot. I know, I know dragon shifter and Phoenix, but this was more due to their chemistry, the mental side of it.

The storyline was fantastic, a huge game of chess, and who can out maneuver who. I could not put it down, and I didn’t want to. So good. I am such a huge fan of Abigail Owens, and I can’t say enough about her dragon shifter series...both of them. Next book please.

Safe read, with two hot, take no crap people, who are so loyal to each other and their loved ones. One a sassy Phoenix, the other an intense Blood King...pretty sure you know how he got his name...earned it, and Skylar I am sure will earn herself a title as well since she is absolutely fearless. Next book please.

I love a book that includes a grumpy, tortured hero or a capable self-rescuing heroine and this book includes both. The Blood King has a little bit of everything - sweet moments, fan your face steamy sex, dangerous excitement, cut throat and loyal supernatural creatures, and even some chuckles, all set against the backdrop of a continuing war between dragon clans. Skylar and Ladon’s love story has all the feels. Ladon, king of the blue dragons, strikes a deal to mate Skylar, one of four sister phoenixes. Both see it as a political decision which will be advantageous to both of them. They agree to be mated but without love. As the war between the dragon clans continues to rage, Skylar and Ladon learn to operate as a team through the many dangers and enemies they face together but their growing attraction makes it difficult to remain on their chosen paths - to destroy the red king and bring peace to dragonkind. On their way to their HEA, Skylar and Ladon have to both learn to let down their walls - to let go of their pasts and where they thought they were supposed to go in order to embrace a life neither one thought was possible for themselves. I am excited to hear what happens next for the dragon shifters and the dragon kings and whether the evil ruthless red king will be defeated and balance restored to dragonkind. With The Blood King, Abigail Owens once again proves she’s a fantastic storyteller and world builder.

The Blood King is book 2 in Abigail Owen's Inferno Rising series, directly following (as in the last scene of book 1 is the first of book 2) The Rogue King. Though you could slog your way through and understand the premise of the series as well as gather the events of the last book, this series really should be read in order. They would not standalone well as they are essentially telling one story from the four sisters' perspectives. Besides, Rogue King was phenomenal-you should read it.

The book is done in third person omniscient style (for those whom that matters cough:me:cough) and from multiple characters, though mostly the leading two. The tone of the book was very different than that of Rogue King in that our two leads' personalities were so vastly different than Brand and Kasia. It carries on the serious undercurrent of the world situation, but Ladon and Skylar are far more the doers than the dreamers; guardians and fighters more than planners and leaders.

Ladon, the Blood King himself, is a hard as nails, die hard warrior who has known nothing but fighting for his cause (freeing the blue clan and all dragon shifters from the oppression of the rotting king) in his half a millennia of life. He is dedicated and driven to a fault, and the addition of Skyler to his life throws him into a tailspin like he's never known.

Skyler, for her part, is the daredevil of the quadruplets. The 'crazy one' as she herself puts it with a heaping helping of daring and a dash of recklessness thrown in for good measure. She's a perfect match for Ladon's stubbornness and determination, that's for sure. That very similarity causes them both headaches as well as provides middle ground.

The pairing is an interesting one for me: far from opposites attract, this is a fine example of rock meeting hard place and finding a kindred spirit instead of an obstacle. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely their own obstacles and their relationship was hard won, but they did finally win. Unlike with Brand and Kasia, the bonding happens early in the book and the story is much more about the pair finding their way to making that bond whole and real and becoming a true partnership. The opposite of the first book, but well done and done in such a way that it felt right for our couple.

I enjoyed the book and found myself very happy that the two of them found each other and made their own way in the end. I don't think I loved either as much as Brand or Kasia, but we all have our favorites. ;) I am dying for the next installment (Meira's book) and will hate waiting a year or more to see it! The overarching story progresses significantly (great points to the author for managing to spread it out well and not leave a book lacking in that arena) and we find more reasons to hate the Rotting King, as well as meeting new allies and interesting persons. Also: more lovable hellhound time. Who doesn't love that?

If you're into contemporary parallel worlds (happening alongside modern times, though in secret), stubborn characters with more pride than sense sometimes, steamy romance, great sibling relationships, powerful dragons, amazing paranormal creatures, and a story that will leave you begging for the conclusion to come sooner, this is definitely a book for you.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.