Book Review: Of the Coldblooded by Angie Brashear

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Title: Of the Coldblooded

Author: Angie Brashear

Series: Legends of the Woodlands #2

Genre: Fantasy

Audience: Young Adult

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

**4.5 stars**

Of the Coldblooded by Angie Brashear. I was so, so excited to read this book after loving the first book in the series, LEGENDS OF THE WOODLANDS, Of the Persecuted! The characters, especially Laila and Lars, begged me to come back to their story and see what was going to happen next. So when Angie said she was looking for advanced readers, I naturally jumped at the chance! *big smiles*

We dive back into the incredible fantasy world of the Woodlands. Evil lurks around. Things are heating up, and plans are being made. Rescues in order. Laila is no longer the insecure girl she once was, and is determined everybody else see that. But at the same time, she’s longing to be joined in marriage to her one true match, and trying to stave off the unwanted romantic affections of a close friend. Then the unexpected happens. And suddenly … revenge is all she seeks.

So why did I rate this book 4.5 stars? Well, Christian fantasy usually gets that reaction from me, *grins* LOVE fantasy! And the LEGENDS OF THE WOODLANDS series is definitely spectacular fantasy! From the fairies and the masticators, to the dragons, unicorns, and Defenders of the Souls, it’s just fascinating!

There’s lots going on—mysterious to unravel, heartaches to get through, battles to come, evil to destroy. I'm intrigued by the twelve Chosen. Disgusted and horrified by the evil monster of a guy who's causing so much trouble. Wondering why Laila is being "protected". There's shocking, unwanted happenings. Shocking, welcomed surprises. Twists and turns. Sorrow and joy. Ups and downs. Mystical and thrilling! It'll keep you reading! After being in a terrible reading slump, Of the Coldblooded captured my attention and kept me interested. I got it finished pretty quickly—though I did end up staying up until midnight to accomplish that. Oops. Oh well, it was worth it! *excited flail*

I loved Lars, as always. His brown hair, and subtle freckles, and blue eyes, *grins* Laila sure adores him! They had some quite sweet moments together in the beginning of the book.

Zander … always kind of made me mad because I felt he was the “not gonna get picked” guy in the love triangle, and I wanted him to stop pursuing Laila. But, he did grow on me a little. He's still a mysterious guy that I have yet to have all figured out!

Laila … *heaves a breath* … went on quite the crazy journey with her! Take a moment to think, girl, and listen to Zander! O.O

I wish we could have seen more of dear Finney! But oh well, perhaps the third book? *smiles*

Some new characters were introduced who were fun to meet. Such as Britt and the guy she falls for. All interesting, and added to the story!

Be prepared to be shocked and surprised and horrified and stunned. But … you’ll get over it, I’m sure! Hehe. And some of the surprises are good. In any case, this series is too good to stay mad at, and I so, so can’t wait to read Book 3! Ah. What else can I say to let you know what an amazing book Of the Coldblooded was? I don’t really know. I just … loved it. Was fascinated. Intrigued. Oh, and I adore Laila’s unicorn! I want one! *grins* Anyway, if you’re an avid lover of fantasy, I think you should try this series.

Now, to get on to why I cut off the last half of star. Well, the biggest thing, would be the violence/gruesomeness. I know quite a bit of people who, either: I feel are too young for this amount of violence, or they just have let me know that they don’t prefer violence—and so that would totally prevent me from recommending them this series. *sad face* Because yes, Of the Coldblooded definitely has violence. More so than the first book. We have brutal executions, battles, and attacks. Laila and her friends are in a war, so to speak, against evil, so killing happens quite a bit. And yes, there’s the issue of a burning desire for revenge … Yeah. The violence can get very graphic, at least from my experience with reading violence in books. If you can handle/don't choose to read that, then this series isn't for you.

I did feel that there was a bit of a lack of respect for life. Killing was done a little too easily. The revengeful attitude was sorted through—but still, I wished there would have been more emotion and humanity involved when battles were necessary.

There’s magic. But the dark stuff is reserved for the evil guys, who get their power from the Master of Lies. There is a group of beings called Defenders of the Souls who have some sort of magical abilities, but I guess I will have to read more before I fully know what I think about that. Laila and others are also gifted with sort of magical gifts from the Maker. Overall, I felt the magic was okay, from what I can see thus far.

The Faithful being terribly persecuted continues. Dark evil is rising. But righteousness will still prevail! The characters go on different journeys of faith, which are harrowing, heart-wrenching, sometimes sickening, yet ultimately end in something good.

Um … what else can I say without giving major spoilers? I wish to fangirl a little, but that would definitely give things away. Laila! And all the other characters—the good ones! I long to see beautiful things happen for you! And what a cliffhanger ending! *is awaiting the next book*

I received an ARC copy of Of the Coldblooded from the author.