Book Review: Blood Infernal by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell

Blood Infernal by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell is the third and final book in The Order of the Sanguines series, and it is amazing. I absolutely loved it. The ending was wonderful. The journey was wonderful. The characters were wonderful. I wish I could say more about what I liked, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. But it definitely lived up to the first two books of the series: The Blood Gospel, and Innocent Blood. I decided not to do a review on them, as I read them before I started writing reviews, and I don’t think I would do them justice to write one now. However, if you’d like to read a review before getting them I found a couple I like here and here. Either way, I enjoyed both books nearly as much as this one. The books I had read also had two short stories at the back that were quite good as well. But back to Blood Infernal. I’m going to start talking about what has already happened in the series now, so if you haven’t read the first two books and don’t want any surprises, I’d leave now. Then come back after you’ve read them, because of course they are both amazing.

So at the end of the last book, Innocent Blood, the gates of Hell have been loosened (oh damn), Elizabeth is human (gasp!) and the trio is left trying to figure out what the hell they’re supposed to do next. What I like most about this series is the three main characters, Erin, Jordan, and Rhun, and how they each have different viewpoints. I find I identify with Erin the most, because she’s the skeptic and is thrown into a world where monsters and fairy tales are real. Yet she still manages to remain skeptic, even in the third novel. Even after she’s been carrying around a book written in the blood of Christ for the better part of the series. She definitely accepts that things are not what they seem, and the supernatural things that happen in the book, but she still feels the need to figure everything out, and that’s what I like about her. Her ability to bridge the gap between blind acceptance and needing absolute proof for everything.

Jordan changes a bit in this novel, as you’ll see if you read it, but I still like his character. He’s a good counter for Erin. He helps keep her grounded throughout the series, and can always (mostly) be counted on to come to her defense.

Rhun is probably one of my favourite characters in the book. I don’t know exactly what it is about him, but he always seems to be so caring when he’s gone through so much pain. I also like the relationship between him and Erin, which they never really talk about openly, but maybe that’s how it goes in real life. I quite enjoyed following his journey in this book.

This next bit isn’t really about the book review, but I was thinking that if this series is ever made into a movie, that the song Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley version) would be perfect for the scene when Rhun takes Elizabeth and turns her into a Strigoi. I feel like it describes their relationship perfectly. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, that means you didn’t heed my warning to go read the other two books, The Blood Gospel, and Innocent Blood. Which you should have, ‘cause they’re both amazing. Also not really related to the review, but I was thinking that Josh Holloway would make a great Jordan Stone. The only thing is his hair is kind of long. But other than that he’d be perfect.

So I think I’ve rambled enough about this book. Normally my reviews are smidge more organized, but I just really like this series, and how this book ended. And the message/meaning it’s been giving throughout the whole series, whether it was intentional or not. Anyway, if you’re into history, mixed with religion, mixed with bloodshed and old fashioned sword fights, you should definitely get this book. Even if that’s not your thing, you might want to try it anyway.