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Title: Blood Work (#0.5 The Silverse)
Author: Josie Jaffrey
Published: 5th of August 2021
Format: Digital (eARC) – 40 pages
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Hello Hello! How are you?
Today, I am diving back into my written review drafts and pulling out one I wrote a few months ago for Blood Work by Josie Jaffrey. Since reading May Day last year, I have fallen in love with the worlds Josie creates, and I have been having a great time reading these books.
Blood Work is a prequel to the Seekers series, set before the events of May Day. I love Josie’s short stories (Ring the Bell being my favourite) and this one was just so much fun, and I loved learning more about Ed and Cam.
Thank you so much to Josie for providing me with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own. Keep on reading for my thoughts on this short story!
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Dying’s easy. Lying’s hard.
Cam never wanted to come to Oxford. He’s only here because he followed Ed, the man he loves, but Ed’s more interested in his experiments than he is in Cam.
It looks like it’s going to be a boring few years, until Cam stumbles into a crime scene and unwittingly becomes a key witness. He faces a choice: continue being bored, or go undercover to help the Seekers to track down the culprit.
If only he knew how to tell a lie.
MY REVIEW
Trigger warnings: blood-drinking, lying, violence, blood, alcohol.
Blood Work by Josie Jaffrey is a short story prequel to the Seekers series in which we get a glimpse into Ed and Cam’s life before they joined the Seekers. Cam has always been one of my favourite characters in Josie’s Silverse and I was so glad that I got the opportunity to learn more about him!
I love all of Josie’s books, and her short stories are no different. My favourite so far has been Ring the Bell which isn’t linked to the Silverse, but Killian’s Dead and Blood Work were both great instalments in this universe.
I really liked finding out more about how Cam and Ed were as a couple before the start of the Seekers series. Cam is honestly probably the nicest, sweetest, most caring character that I’ve ever read. I love him so much and many a time I have wanted to walk into the books and give him a great big hug. I love his relationship with Jack and the other Seekers and how he fanboys over the Invicti, it’s so cute!
I definitely think that the short stories are a great way to introduce yourself to the series and this universe and I’m glad that I did start off with Killian’s Dead as my first book by Josie last year because it helped me piece things together in May Day.
I love Josie’s writing style. This is the 7th book of hers that I have read and I have loved every single one of them. Her writing style is just always so seamless and nice to read, it flows really nicely and I always get immersed quickly. I was a bit sad when the book ended, and that shows just how good an author she is.
MY THOUGHTS AND RATING
Overall, this was a lovely instalment into the Silverse and one that I enjoyed reading a lot. It was nice to get some insight into Cam’s life before he was a Seeker and when he and Ed moved to Oxford. It was also nice to see Boyd and Drake in a different light (not through Jack’s point of view).
I gave this short story 4 stars (full ASPECTS rating below), I just really enjoyed reading it. I love that these short stories are short (obviously ahah), but they have so much information without ever feeling info-dumpy and I am quickly immersed in them. This was a really enjoyable little story and I can’t wait to pick up more books by Josie soon.
If you like Josie’s writing or don’t know where to start, I recommend you go check out her reading order on her website. And I definitely urge you to read this short story before picking up the trilogies. If you love unique vampires, cute and complex characters and learning about their past, then you’ll enjoy this quick read.
Thank you once again to Josie for sending me a free copy of this short story to read! It was another great experience!
That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope you will read Josie’s books! See you soon, stay safe,
Ellie xx
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – JOSIE JAFFREY
Josie is the author of nine self-published novels plus short stories. She is currently working on a range of fantasy and historical fiction projects (both adult and YA), for which she is seeking representation. Ultimately, she hopes to be a hybrid author, both traditionally- and self-published.
Josie lives in Oxford with her husband and two cats (Sparky and Gussie), who graciously permit human cohabitation in return for regular feeding and cuddles. The resulting cat fluff makes it difficult for Josie to wear black, which is largely why she gave up being a goth. Although the cats are definitely worth it, she still misses her old wardrobe.
Josie’s Links: Website – Patreon – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Instagram – YouTube – Pinterest
ASPECTS RATING
Atmosphere – 7
Start – 6.5
Pacing – 6.5
Ending – 8
Characters – 7.5
Theme – 7
Style – 8
Total = 50.5
This list includes some affiliate links. If you decide to purchase a book from one of my links, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
If you would like to purchase this book, you can find it here: Amazon UK – Amazon FR – Amazon US