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Blood Challenge
by
Eileen Wilks
paranormal fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on January 23, 2011 and has 464 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Midnight Promises, Death Magic, Tied with a Bow, Mortal Ties, Ritual Magic, Unbinding, Mind Magic, Dragon Spawn, Dragon Blood, "Good Counsel", "Cyncerely Yours", "The New Kid", "Brownies", Mortal Danger, Blood Lines, Night Season, Mortal Sins, Blood Magic, "Human Nature"
Seventh in the World of the Lupi paranormal fantasy series revolving around lupi, werewolves. The primary couple focus is on Agent Lily Yu and Rule Turner with a secondary focus on Arjenie Fox and Benedict.
In 2011, Blood Challenge was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Paranormal Fantasy.
My Take
Blood Challenge takes a major step forward in the upcoming war against She, a major (and unwelcome) insight for Lily, and even more unwelcome news for Benedict.
Impossible events are occurring to the lupi and some of it because Rule insists on marrying Lily and some because Rule carries two mantles as Lu Nuncio of Nokolai and Rho of Leidolf. As for Benedict getting a second chance with a Chosen? Nope. It can’t be. The other lupi clans think it’s a plot! But all of it are the opening salvos in an undeclared war stirring up humans against the lupi with the intention of destroying them.
We learn all this through Wilks’ use of third person global perspective point-of-view, from a variety of perspectives, including Lily, Rule, Benedict, and Arjenie.
Wilks has their Lady passing on clues, which entice me to keep reading, to find out what happens next. No, these clues aren’t the only thing, as I do adore the characters, even the snarly ones, lol. I’m also impressed with their culture of caring, especially when Benedict doesn’t understand why there are children in the world who are unclaimed, unwanted. Of course, their culture also makes it easier to care for babies and children.
Wilks writes so very believably in her dialog and with compelling, strong characters although, this installment is missing something. I still feel involved but not as entrenched in events.
The mate bond between Rule and Lily imposes interesting constraints. Rule having to balance talking to his father as his father, as his Rho, or as one Rho to another, makes an interesting conflict.
“He told me it was my son and heir who’d called me, not the Leidolf Rho, but if I wished to speak to the Rho he’d see if he could arrange it.”
Oh, boy, Lily makes some excellent points about that “conflict of interest”. “If Rule were Black, does that mean Lily can’t investigate a case involving a Black person?” “If Lily were engaged to the head of the NAACP, would [she] be barred from cases involving African Americans?” Oops, Lily is Asian-American. Better not let her investigate cases involving Asians.
Yep, that case involving Cobb does create some interesting *gag* conflicts for both Lily and Rule, cutting into the honor of each of them.
Instead of info dumps (yay!), Wilks shows Rule’s compassion in a number of ways, one of which is his concern for Leidolf’s finances. Wilks does continue to provide Lily’s back history of the trauma she suffered as a child. There’s a sort of back history on the sidhe and how they assess status as well as how Nettie reacted when her father’s Chosen died.
I do enjoy Arjenie’s nervousness being depicted as a trivia distraction. She’s brilliant if shy. And boy, does Arjenie prove herself!! I also enjoyed Benedict’s self-reflection on the differences between him and Rule, leadership-wise.
It’s grim humor Wilks depicts with myopic surgeons who only believe in their own skills. Similar to the law enforcement Lily, Rule, and the lupi have to battle.
It’s towards the end that Benedict experiences a horrible betrayal and we learn that the Queens share an enemy with the lupi.
Betrayals, battle, bombs, kidnappings, poisonings, and sabotage combine with human law enforcement, werewolves and their culture, magic, and elves in Blood Challenge.
The Story
Lily Yu and Rule Turner’s engagement announcement is stirring up ugly passions in the Humans First camp. There’s hate mail. Death threats. Lily’s car is vandalized. But professionally, things are going smoothly . . . until a lupus in Tennessee goes on a killing spree.
Then Rule’s brother, Benedict, catches a lovely intruder — twice. The first time she’s sneaking around the home of the leader of Humans First. The second time, she sneaks into Nokolai Clanhome with a mysterious potion.
It may not be possible to deal with the rapidly escalating situation the way Lily always has: through the law. Especially when she’s pulled off the case due to an alleged conflict of interest. Lily’s loyalties will be stretched to the breaking point when she discovers that the deaths in Tennessee were only the opening skirmish in an all-out war.
The Characters
Special Agent Lily Yu, a former Homicide detective, a touch sensitive who learned she inherited dragon magic — the ability to learn mindspeech — and can suck out someone’s magic, works for Unit 12, and is Rule Turner’s Chosen. Dirty Harry is Lily’s cat who “tolerates” Rule — as long as Rule gives him ham — but Harry adores Toby. Grandmother, a.k.a. Madame Li Lei Yu, who turns into a Siberian tiger, is powerful. Li Qin is Grandmother’s companion and lover.
Rule Turner is referred to as the Nokolai Prince by the news media and is Lu Nuncio for Nokolai and Rho for Leidolf. Toby, Rule’s son, is now living with them and adjusting to new rules. Louise Asteglio is Toby’s grandmother.
Nokolai is . . .
. . . a lupi clan based in San Diego with Isen Turner as Rho. Benedict Charles Kayani is Rule’s half-brother and in charge of Nokolai security. Claire/Clare had been Benedict’s unhappy Chosen. Pete is Benedict’s second-in-command. José is the head bodyguard. More guards include Tommy, Saul, Jason, Matt, Shannon, Todd, Kendrick, Lucas, Danny, Samuel (he’s growing native plants to sell to local garden centers), and Sean. The Nokolai Rhej is blind but a highly Gifted physical empath. Born Etorri then adopted into Nokolai, the rule-breaking Cullen Seabourne is both werewolf and sorcerer. Cynna, a former FBI agent, is apprenticing to the clan and pregnant with Cullen’s child. Dr Nettie Two Horses is a medical doctor, a healer, a shaman, and Benedict’s daughter. The 120-year-old Carl is Isen’s houseman and a great cook. Mondo is a big yellow Lab. Harold Spanner homeschools the young including Toby and Sean, Mike Rose’s son. Jimmy is a contractor.
Arjenie Fox, an FBI researcher from Virginia, has a don’t-see-me Gift. Dya is a Binai and Arjenie’s friend. The tears are an addiction to the Binai yet it does allow them to customize potions. Arjenie’s family includes her deceased mother who had been a strong Earth witch; Uncle Hershey, who can call fire without glass impacting his Gift; Aunt Robin, who is a Finder; and, Uncles Clay (a blacksmith), Ambrose (plays flute), Nate (a doctor who respects healers), Stephen, and five named Delacroix who all support Arjenie. Cousins include Jack; Serri, who has a new boyfriend; Sammy, who aced his calculus test; and, Pat, who is an amazing weaver.
Leidolf is . . .
. . . a lupi clan based in North Carolina, and they have been mortal enemies of the Nokolai for centuries. Until now. Now that Rule Tuner is their Rho. Alex Tibideaux is still their Lu Nuncio but not the heir. Raymond Cobb is a lupus who went nuts and killed people. David Auckley and Jeffrey Lane are Leidolf werewolves who recently went through the gens compleo with an unwelcome side effect. LeBron Hastings, Randy Carlson, and Scott are some of the bodyguards. Samuel is LeBron’s younger son. Brad Mettinger was the first man Benedict killed. The Leidolf Rhej is a healer.
Stephen Andros is the Etorri Lu Nuncio; the difficult Edgar Whitman is Rho of Wythe; his younger brother Brian is Lu Nuncio of Wythe; Manuel is the Rho for Ybirra; Javier Mendoza is the Ybirra Lu Nuncio; Jasper/Jason is Kyffin’s Rho; Uncle Myron Baker is Kyffin’s placeholder Lu Nuncio; and, Andor and Lucas Demeny are with Szøs. Lucas’ brother Rikard died in Mortal Danger, 2. Robert is one of Edgar’s guards. Billy is Myron’s guard. Gil is Javier’s guard.
Law enforcement in San Diego
Detective Thomas “T.J.” James had been Lily’s mentor. Deputy Cody Beck used to date Lily. In San Diego, FBI Agent Mark Burke is Task Force Dude.
FBI
Special Agent Aaron Gray is investigating a gadolinum theft. Special Agent Anna Sjorensen, who’d minored in accounting, is with the local North Carolina office. She has a minor patterning Gift. Matt is another local agent. Special Agent Millhouse is a self-important buffoon.
Vanderbilt is the nearest hospital that has a containment room. Harvey is a security guard. Robert Stanton is an orthopedic surgeon. Dr Cummings performs skin grafts. Chief Grissim is in charge of the police in Nashville? Lieutenant Matthews is pushy at the hospital. Reynolds and Sonja are some of the victims. Emily Hanks is with CNN. Kyle Rogers is with NBC. Armand is with FOX. Jake drives a taxi.
Unit 12 is part of the FBI and appears to be like the Magical Crimes Division (MCD). Ruben Brooks, a precog, is Unit 12’s director. Deborah is Ruben’s wife. Ida Reinhart is Ruben’s efficient secretary. Martin Croft is Brooks’ backup. Agents include Abel Karonski and Steve Timms (Blood Lines, 3).
Robert Friar has organized Humans First, a hate group. He’s become a clairaudient, a Listener, and is quite powerful. Hernando, Hyde, and Way is Friar’s dummy corporation. Mariah, an empath, is Robert’s daughter who hates her father. Paul Chittenden is Friar’s West Coast lieutenant, and he purchased Breck’s Disposal. Calvin Brewster is one of Friar’s mercenaries.
The Fae have two queens: Summer and Winter. Queens’ Law usually only applies to the sidhe realms. The sidhe divide themselves into High, Middle, and Low. Eledan is a realm-crossing sidhe and a professional lover. He’s also Arjenie’s father. There are five elements of magic: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Rethna is an elf lord. His flunkies include Soshi and his pet spiders.
Lupus is singular and lupi is the plural for what the werewolves call themselves. The Lady is an Old One who created the lupi to fight in the Great Battle 3,000 years ago against her, another Old One who is the Lady’s enemy. A high dominant lupus is unable to submit. Victor Frey had been one as well as Finnen Ap Corwyn with the Cynyr clan. Tomáas Ybirra had been a Leidolf high dominant who left the clan to found Ybirra in the 1800s. Pernato are lupi throwbacks. Certa is the optimal battle state. The fury is another battle state but one in which the lupus loses track of who is friend or foe. Sarah was the woman who had conceived Rule’s first child. A Chosen and the Rhej are both Lady-chosen and treasured by all clans. Ospi are friends of the clan and the children of clan daughters. Dworg are similar to the offspring of a troll and a demon.
Wendy is a neighbor in Rule and Lily’s apartment building. Another, Jack, rides a motorcycle and is in an unsuccessful band. Sheila Bickner tried a curse. Gadolinium is a rare earth metal that is the key ingredient in gado, a drug used to control lupi. Do Me is a new date rape street drug. Sarah is the third grade friend who was kidnapped along with Lily by George Anderson.
The Cover and Title
The background for the cover is a light royal blue night sky with a full moon in the upper right corner and a tone-on-tone wolf’s head on the left. Below these is a darker mountain range and a sea of city lights below that. The black-haired Lily Yu is in an extended leg crouch in black tank top and jeans, holding her gun with both hands, as she looks up to the right. At the top is the author’s name in white with a slight shadow. An info blurb is in white under her last name. Below and to the right of the wolf’s nose is a testimonial in white. The sloping ground that Lily is crouched on provides an angle for the series info in white with the title beneath it in a gradated white to lime green.
The title is indeed a Blood Challenge.
