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Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1)

by Samantha Young (Goodreads Author)

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 3,157 ratings · 281 reviews

What would you do if you were born to be a predator? Would you fight your natural instincts or give in to your nature?

Eden is a soul eater closing in on her awakening. Her family has convinced her that soon she will have to take a life in order to save her own. It’s a decision Eden doesn’t want to deal with even as her hunger for souls grows stronger every day.

To complica...more

Paperback, 273 pages

Published July 1st 2011 by CreateSpace (first published June 29th 2011)

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Jul 31, 2012 Rhonda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: samantha-young

YA Paranormal Romance (16 up)

“It was a house of horrors. And she was part of it.”

To Eden Winslow her family, and their kind they are “Blessed”. To the Neith and Ankh Warriors that hunt them, they are “Soul Eaters”.

Eden Winslow is 17 and on the cusp of coming of age, but her life has never been normal. After seeing the terror that goes on in the basement of her home when she was only a child, Eden has feared what she would become once she was awakened. Eden is a loner, and her brother Stellan ha...more

YA Paranormal Romance (16 up)

“It was a house of horrors. And she was part of it.”

To Eden Winslow her family, and their kind they are “Blessed”. To the Neith and Ankh Warriors that hunt them, they are “Soul Eaters”.

Eden Winslow is 17 and on the cusp of coming of age, but her life has never been normal. After seeing the terror that goes on in the basement of her home when she was only a child, Eden has feared what she would become once she was awakened. Eden is a loner, and her brother Stellan has always been her best friend, until she meets the new boy at school Noah, who is also a loner. Noah and Eden become fast friends, but it wasn’t until she met Noah that her predatory instincts awakened. This sends Eden into a constant internal battle with her humanity when all her soul eater side wants to do is what’s in her nature to do. She’s being pressured by her family to have her Awakening ceremony, and also facing a prearranged betrothal that she doesn’t want.

Noah seems to be the only person who understands her, even though he doesn’t know what she is…… or does he?? As the story unfolds, Eden becomes the most hunted by the Neith Warriors, as well as her own kind.

I will admit, cover love is what got my attention, and then I read the blurb and this sounded like my kind of story, something a little different so I took the plunge! This story hit all the right spots with me, I was hooked at the prologue, and could hardly put this book down. Eden is such a fabulous character, she’s multi-layered and such a bad-ass to boot. Eden suffers a lot in this story, betrayal, loss, and trying to contain the monster within. I found this story to be very well written and not the fluffy YA one might expect. I found the secondary cast to be well developed too. This story is full of action and Samantha Young isn’t afraid of violence and killing off some characters. There is alot that goes on in this story, and I don't want to give up too many details. I know there is more to this journey and I can’t wait to continue on with Eden and see where the story takes her.

Cover Art by Phatpuppy Art
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Jan 14, 2013 RuthAnn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adulthood, time-i-ll-never-get-back, friggin-ridiculous, ya-cliche, lendable

Ugh, did I have a hard time with this. Here's why:

Chapter 1
Maria Roth smirked at the shy girl
Chapter 2
There he was, smirking over at her
Noah had smirked at her, a wicked angel smile
Then smirking when they were caught
Mischievous smirk that made him smile
Chapter 3
She shivered and he smirked
Chapter 4
Eden glanced up and smirked at Noah
He smirked “Of course.”
Chapter 5
Door close slowly behind her, smirking
Chapter 6
She smirked at him deliberately
Lucy with a cruel smirk
Chapter 7
No one smirked for a whol...more

27 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: punk ducks

Recommended to Anzu by: me! so much win!

Shelves: ball-busting-chicks, zomg-i-must-have-him, second-best, scary-shit-beware, paranormal-fix, the-fantasy-of-urbans, ya-is-dead, freebiez, i-am-stalking-you, yep-it-was-the-cover, reviewed-2012, a-bit-of-mush

With my fail streak up to 6, my hopes were gone. My mood is purely YA PNR lately so here I was just browsing Goodreads for something good (since I’m bored of my to-read shelf) and I stumbled upon Blood Will Tell. Since the cover model (the dude one, not this edition’s one – duh – I’ll attach it at the end) is super-hot (BOOO Existence) I felt compelled AGAIN to read it. The title seemed good enough but the series.. Warriors of Ankh?? Really? ...

*pause*

Really??

*pause*

Hmm ok, I’m probably sadist...more

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Jun 20, 2012 ɑƨħŵɑɡ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA & supernatural fans

Shelves: 220-in-2012, 2012-favorites, 52books-in-52weeks-2012, awesome-heroine, fantastic-couples, fantasy, rrrc120-in-2012, ya, ƑŜ

First, I finished this book with contented sigh.. It was just a very fulfilling book..

Blood Will Tell is about an eighteen year old girl, who is also a soul eater. Her hunger started to get intense in time for her Awakening Ceremony. During that ceremony she had to take a soul so she won't die, which is a choice Eden is struggling with. The story gets more complicated as secrets unfold.

I'm new to Samantha Young books and I was a bit skeptical about how good they were. But after I saw that most o...more

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May 04, 2012 Rebecca ♥ Ash, Jem, Warner ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, mythology, horror, reviewed, ebook

Warning for those expecting a normal YA paranormal romance. This is very dark with a lot of extremely violent and disturbing scenes. The stuff of nightmares. Its still YA but I wouldnt recommend it for those too young, or those with week stomachs.

Eden is a supernatural being called Blessed. They have extremely dark impulses. Extremely dark. She has grown up to the sounds of screams coming from the basement of her family home her whole life. Now that she is starting to get the urges too she is fi...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Ruth**Off With Its Head!** rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: angst, bad-boy, death, demons, female-pov

I decided to give this a try for a number of reasons.

One being I loved On Dublin Street and two being I love YA supernatural stories, so I thought this has to be win win.

And I wasn't far wrong.

I liked the concept of the girl who has supernatural powers technically being the "bad guy".

This really is a set up for things to come and I have a feeling that a lot of the characters we have met even briefly are going to be coming back to bite our main characters in the ass.

I will definitely be continuin...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Deanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-with-language, paranormal, free-ebook, books-id-read-again, t-m-i-or-mushy

That was definitely the creepiest book I have ever read. Talk about a dysfunctional family. And soul eaters are really creepy. You know how in Harry Potter there are dementors that suck souls out of people? Well I never really thought that the dementors where that frightening, but after reading this book about soul eaters I now know how creepy the dementors were supposed to be. Next time I read Harry Potter I'll just use my horror of Young's soul eaters in relation to the dementors to get the fu...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Steph Amis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay that book was amazing. I was creeped out by her family though. Stellan was an okay guy and I loved him.... but the rest? yeah they were just depraved. Who the hell promises their daughter to their sick in the head nephew anyway???? Eden's father that's who. sick bastard.
Anyway the book was well written and Eden is a pretty strong character. How she managed to stay sane and resist her hunger is a mystery to me (I sure wouldn't have done it) with all the temptations and evil people around her...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-romance

The entire premise of the series is equally horrifying and fascinating: There are beings out there who have the ability and hunger to take souls. Even the best or most humane of these beings cannot survive without taking souls, and doing so forever darkens the victim. The Egyptian mythology was breathtaking and provided a great backdrop to how beings like these were first created.

The story begins with a 17-year-old named Eden. Eden's family of "soul-eaters," or the Blessed as they call themselv...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Cailey rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading Samantha Young's AMAZING New Moon I though I would give this book a try. So I did and as I read I couldn't help but feel disappointed. The Prologue made me cringe back and think, maybe this book wasn't a good idea. That it would be a sadistic and sad series.
After a while of just staring at it and telling myself, you have to read it, you can't buy it and not finish it. So I decided to go back and see the reviews every one wrote and was shocked how many people loved it. Seeing eve...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Vivian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-in-series, freebie, read-2012

My initial thoughts upon finishing is to rate the book a 4. It's probably not quite there, but I'm going to round up because I had a hard time putting the book down and I will most likely pick up the rest of the trilogy sooner than later. And it's more than worth the price of $0.00 I picked it up for.

As usual, not so much a coherent review, as much as random thoughts thrown together.

Eden is born into a family of soul-eaters and trying to fight the monster inside her. The hunger is awakening insi...more My initial thoughts upon finishing is to rate the book a 4. It's probably not quite there, but I'm going to round up because I had a hard time putting the book down and I will most likely pick up the rest of the trilogy sooner than later. And it's more than worth the price of $0.00 I picked it up for.

As usual, not so much a coherent review, as much as random thoughts thrown together.

Eden is born into a family of soul-eaters and trying to fight the monster inside her. The hunger is awakening inside her, but Eden refuses to give in to what she believes is wrong. She may be a monster, but she also stands up for the weak by bullying the bullies, which is kind of satisfying to see. Eden is by no means a goody two-shoes and she entertains some pretty dark, revengeful thoughts. Don't know what that says about me but I like that about this girl.

Throughout the book, there are dark patches, including descriptions of tortured victims, abuse, and violence. But they are mixed in with light-hearted or funny moments, so it's not overly dark, but might not recommend to younger audiences.

I don't know much about Egyptian mythology, so I found the background of the soul-eaters and other humanoid species interesting to read about. There is some formulaic predictability to the plot, but there was enough uniqueness to the world and characters that it still felt fresh to me.

There are two people that Eden can count on in her life, her friend Noah and her brother Stellan. Guess which relationship reads more like a romantic one? It's not the friend. Although I'm pretty sure Noah turns into a love interest later on, it's nice to see a platonic friendship between opposite sexes.

The biggest downside for me is a slight case of if-only-I-told-you- fill-in-the-blank -we-wouldn't-have-ended-up-in-this-mess-itis, but I guess that's for the dramatic tension build-up. I'm just not a big fan of that kind of drama because it seems unnecessary.

As with some independently published stories, I noticed a couple grammatical errors towards the beginning, but the story was engrossing enough that I wasn't paying too much attention to it.

Spoiler and a bit of a cop-out:(view spoiler)

Eta: one more thing. References to Beiber and The Vampire Diaries don't seem necessary. Super pop-culture references throw me out of the story even if they take place in the now. Of course, if I was a fan of either, I might feel differently.(less)

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May 26, 2012 Gabriela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Spoiler Alert:
Blood Will Tell begins with a curious little girl wandering down into her basement and then witnesses a brutal attack on a woman, a woman that the little girl's father is holding hostage in a room with an iron door... a room where no one will hear the woman's screams. Fast forward, the little girl turns into a seventeen year old anti-social "goth" with some serious teenage angst, see she is a soul eater and her family are soul eaters or "Blessed" as they call themselves who see not...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Johanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blood Will Tell
(Warriors of Ankh, Book #1)
by Samantha Young

Genre: Young Adult | Dark Fantasy

Eden is a Soul Eater. While that hasn’t meant much to her in the past, she’s pretty sure any minute now she’s going to go all "Carrie" on her eleventh grade class.

Noah is an Ankh. As an immortal Warrior, his purpose in life is to hunt down and kill Soul Eaters.

Eden is Noah’s next assignment. Problem is… this is an assignment with a difference. Eden’s not your average, run of the mill, Soul Eater. Noah’s j...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 BookHookup rated it 4 of 5 stars

****The Book Hookup was SO lucky to have our fabulous friend, Michelle (aka TC1 or TwilightCougar1) guest review this series for us. Thank you, Michelle! ♥ ****

Michelle’s review: Truth be told, I started reading Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) purely because the Book Hookup posted that it was free and the synopsis sounded intriguing. After just a few pages of reading Eden and her “cool, loner, senior transfer boy Noah” I was sucked in completely.

OK it may have also been because there were...more ****The Book Hookup was SO lucky to have our fabulous friend, Michelle (aka TC1 or TwilightCougar1) guest review this series for us. Thank you, Michelle! ♥ ****

Michelle’s review: Truth be told, I started reading Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) purely because the Book Hookup posted that it was free and the synopsis sounded intriguing. After just a few pages of reading Eden and her “cool, loner, senior transfer boy Noah” I was sucked in completely.

OK it may have also been because there were some intriguing hints at vampirism, which is always a hook for me, but soon the powerful female protagonist, her dysfunctional paranormal family, her tortured loner Buffy-like high school existence, and the intensely unique paranormal mythology completely sold me on the story and eventually the trilogy.

Samantha has created a world where supernatural beings, different than any I have read before, freely live among us. We meet Eden, a loner Soul Eater coming of age into an existence she is repelled by, struggling to deal with a future she does not comprehend. Her best friend in the world is her already “awakened” Blessed brother Stellan who is trying to emotionally usher her into her new life, even though he knows she is unique and may not be able to deal with this rite of passage she has to experience. We are also introduced to Noah, her mysterious “friend” who is really an Immortal Warrior assigned to Eden. Noah’s job is to infiltrate high school, pass himself off as a teenager even though he’s much older, and befriend and test Eden.Their chemistry is immediate and may be actually dangerous. It may awaken a Hunger in Eden which, if acted upon, means she is beyond redemption.

Geez! Spoiler free reviewing is so hard because I so want to describe this intricate world of unique mythology and characters that Samantha Young has created. Her characters are intriguing and well-written, The action is actually frightening and compelling. There are plot twists and turns and many interesting secondary characters that I grew to love and would have easily loved to have read more about.

There is an amazing character named Valeria (and her intriguing lover interest) that is introduced at the end of Blood Will Tell that I could have easily read an entire series of books about! She is so well written and such a wonderful addition to the family of characters. *sigh* as a matriarchal mentor character for Eden it is a compelling addition to the family of characters. This book ended so quickly I immmediately went to Amazon.com and downloaded both Blood Past and Shades of Blood, I was committed.(less)

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Jan 23, 2012 Cristina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Normalmente NON leggo youg adult. Diciamo che non ho più l'età per palpitazioni adolescenziali e quindi evito accuratamente la sezione sia in libreria che in biblioteca.
Qui ho fatto una eccezione visto che era gratis e che non avevo capito fosse YA (abbacinata dalla parola gratis ^_^ ho trascurato di leggere il resto).
Ciò posto l'ho letto come potrei leggere "I ragazzi della via Pal" o "Piccole donne", ovviamente in salsa paranormale, e l'ho trovato decisamente carino anche se un poco scontato.
E...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, mythology

I love Samantha Young's books! She's a genius and i will positively continue reading her books. It was a gorgeous read with something different. I'm glad it's different, not like the typical werewolves, vampires and fey, etc. Even though Young wrote one about werewolves (The Tale of Lunramorte), it was still indeed brilliant. Blood Will Tell is a book that i've never read anything like this before.

Eden is a soul eater and her hunger is recently awaken with the arrival of a new student, Noah. Ede...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Sarah Grace James-Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lovvvvved this! So original!
Warriors of Ankh is another wonderful series by Samantha Young (If ya'll liked this book check out her others!) The originality of this book is probably what won me over. I mean how many books out there have the MC be like the actual "bad" guy? Yeah not many.
Eden was such a wonderful character! I really did feel for her while she went through her hunger, and the hurt Noah caused:( And oh my fucking god, I wanted to kill her creepy ass cousin. God what a CREEP. Oh and...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Bri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, want-to-buy, paranormal, mythology

Let me start by saying that I really cannot believe people do not know about this book! IT IS AMAZING! Samantha Young, at the ripe young age of 25, you are a certified genius.

I had some reservations about reading this book in the beginning. It is a little darker than what I usually read, and I really do not like horror and gore and whatnot. Even though there were some disturbing and darker elements present, it never went overboard and I never felt like it was too much. Young did a really nice j...more Let me start by saying that I really cannot believe people do not know about this book! IT IS AMAZING! Samantha Young, at the ripe young age of 25, you are a certified genius.

I had some reservations about reading this book in the beginning. It is a little darker than what I usually read, and I really do not like horror and gore and whatnot. Even though there were some disturbing and darker elements present, it never went overboard and I never felt like it was too much. Young did a really nice job of not scaring off the super scaredy-cats (like me ><). From the VERY FIRST PAGE, the story is fast paced, where if plot is not being thrown at you, lots of emotions are. I literally could not stop reading! (Today was test day at my school, and with no English classes, I literally sat in the teachers’ office, talked with no one, and read this book in one sitting. THAT is how engrossed I was!)

I think the best thing about this book is Eden. She is a soul eater, and with her hunger awakened, she has to feed on the souls of people to survive. In other words, she is NOT a good guy. (view spoiler) But Eden would do anything to change who she is and rid herself of the hunger that resides in her. She is portrayed as a strong and independent character that takes crap from no one, and her emotions are complex and real as she fights off the hunger. And the chemistry between her and all the other characters, especially her brother, Stellan, and Noah, is just excellently written. I felt the closeness of Stellan and Eden, reminding me of my own brother and me. Even the confusing moments when she could not decide how she felt about Noah (or why she had certain feelings of jealousy or anger) was just perfect. It was really a whirlwind of emotions that made you want to keep reading to find out how it all resolved.

I really liked Stellan and Noah. Stellan was the perfect older brother looking after his little sister and the connection and love between them was almost tangible. And then there is Noah, the immortal Ankh warrior whose duty is to destroy soul eaters. I loved when Young told the story from his point of view every few chapters or so. It really showcased his feelings and conflicted emotions, such as how he would sometimes forget Eden was one of the monsters he should hate and definitely NOT care for. It made him that much more relatable and likeable! Overall, characters, chemistry and dialogue were topnotch.

Another thing I really liked about the story was the usage of Egyptian mythology. I have read plenty of books that had elements of Greek/Roman mythology, but Egyptian mythology? Not so much. With aspects of Egyptian mythology thrown in, this story of a soul eater is utterly original and a super satisfying, fast-paced read. I already have the second book, Blood Past , right next me and I am super stoked to start reading it! I better get comfortable in case it is another book I read in one sitting. >)
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Oct 02, 2011 Caity rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blood Will Tell was gorgeous.
i loved the fact that the protagonist, Eden, was not GOOD. She was struggling with her dark "soul-eater" half, and it was a strong half, let me tell you. Her pain and her inner war made for an original story that i LOVED!
And Noah, the Warrior of Ankh posing as her friend...was great. just great. ahhhh. yummy too :)
His relationship with Eden, though i would have loved to have a better look into their friendship before it hits the rocks, was beautifully written and .....more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 23, 2011 Kale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Coming from a long line of soul-sucking serial killers has it's perks. I mean it's not like anyone in her household is going to frown upon a little bullying, or homicidal thoughts, the money's good, and you don't need to look any further than your psychopathic first cousin for a future fiance. Yes, that's life in a nutshell for Eden Winslow.

Your normal everyday outcast, Eden avoids human contact whenever possible trying to keep her inner monster at bay. But sometimes her frustrations get the be...more Coming from a long line of soul-sucking serial killers has it's perks. I mean it's not like anyone in her household is going to frown upon a little bullying, or homicidal thoughts, the money's good, and you don't need to look any further than your psychopathic first cousin for a future fiance. Yes, that's life in a nutshell for Eden Winslow.

Your normal everyday outcast, Eden avoids human contact whenever possible trying to keep her inner monster at bay. But sometimes her frustrations get the best of her and her overwhelming need to help the less fortunate. The Winslows are soul eaters. Most of the Blessed, as they call themselves, only take a part of the soul, others like Eden's father and cousin take and torture all of a soul leaving only the husk of a battered body behind. Eden's only salvation is her big bro Stellan.

That is until she meets Noah. They become fast friends, but Eden's desire for her bestie runs deeper than a potential romance, he has awakened her hunger. And Eden's determined not to give into her inner soul sucker. Her internal struggle is painful, wanting to eat souls yet not wanting to hurt people. And Eden doesn't think she can take that final step in her transition to full blown Blessed, taking a whole soul, killing a human.

But Noah's not your run of the mill human that Eden thinks, he's on assignment and determined to save Eden's soul.

Normally when I pick up an indie I expect it to be ruff around the sentences. But Samantha Young's Blood Will Tell was a nicely written story. The mythology of Blessed, Neith, and Ankh was a great escape from the more populated greek interpretations occupying shelves today. It's a nice YA that has dashes of familiar Adult PNR trends. Warriors of Ankh reminds me of a young adult version of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and other novels like it because of the structure of Noah and Eden's relationship, and the interesting storyline behind it, but without the extremely mature content.

The blood may tell, but the writing speaks for itself. This is a great read.(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, supernatural, out-of-this-world, mystery, kick-ass-heroine, hot, funny, favorite, demons, assasins, action, adventure, god-goddesses

THAT'S HOW AWESOMMMEE IT WAS !!!

DAMN! And thinking about how I was about to give up on this one makes me want to suck-out ROMANNY'S soul!

As, I was saying, I was about to end this novel thinking that this is just another one of those disappointing paranormal romance in which the authors think that they could just threw a very BELLA-like kind of girl, partnered with a gorgeous KNIGHT (or a FAIRY, you know what I mean), a very OH-sooo common plot and expect teenagers like us to dig it up. HELLO ! I...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Eli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Blood Will Tell is the latest novel of Samantha Young’s that I’ve downloaded and she doesn’t disappoint. The first novel in the Warriors of Ankh series is told from two perspectives – Eden, the soul eater, and Noah the Ankh Warrior who is supposed to hunt souls. However, Eden is a different and Noah has been sent in to determine if she’s different enough to save. I loved the character of Eden, she’s quite a contrast to other heroines in the genre. She’s really quite snarky and wicked sometimes b...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Nadine Dehaibi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: warriors, couldn-t-put-down, immortals, insanely-hot-guys, kick-ass-heroines, marry-me, tears, to-re-read, witty-commentary

Wow. I really liked this book. If you're looking for a quick read that is action packed and impossible to put down, look no further. This is your book.

What is considered the beginning of a book? Based on the books I've read, the beginning is usually an introduction of most of the characters, and the setting is introduced too. Sometimes a little history is involved. However, that wasn't the case in this book. Samantha Young jumped right in. A few pages in, I was a little confused, thinking: "Is t...more Wow. I really liked this book. If you're looking for a quick read that is action packed and impossible to put down, look no further. This is your book.

What is considered the beginning of a book? Based on the books I've read, the beginning is usually an introduction of most of the characters, and the setting is introduced too. Sometimes a little history is involved. However, that wasn't the case in this book. Samantha Young jumped right in. A few pages in, I was a little confused, thinking: "Is this the sequel?". I am not exaggerating when I say she jumped right in. But she didn't skip the introductions. Instead she jumped right into the action, and with each event, we'd learn more and more. The only thing I knew for sure in the beginning, is that Eden Winslow lived in Salton, Michigan, and her family was part of a race called the Blessed.

Eden is one of the 'Blessed'. When one of the Blessed reaches a certain age, they get this hunger that gets more unbearable the longer it is ignored. A hunger for what, you ask? Food? Ha. If only. A hunger for souls. It is required of them to have an awakening ceremony, where they take the soul of a human, completely, until they are killed. At that point, you have fully awakened your hunger, and will need to constantly eat souls, but not to the point of killing. But Eden is different. There's a part of her, a human part of her, that continues to fight the hunger, even when she starts to dance along the edge of madness. Enter Noah Valois. Noah, a seemingly innocent, hot human boy is dead set on befriending her for some reason unknown to her. The lonely, bitchy Eden Winslow has befriended someone. On her side, he is a reprieve from the constant loneliness she is suffocating in. On his side, she's an assignment that he was forced to form a bond with. A seemingly fake bond. I'm sure you can guess that doesn't remain the case. Take this plot and add in some betrayal and some ass-kicking, you'll get this book... Wiiiithh a few unexpected, jaw dropping twists, of course.

When I first started "Blood Will Tell", I didn't like Eden so much. She was a moody bitch who always seemed to blow things way out of proportion. But then, I began to realize why. So, ironically, I started to like this bitchy side of her. But notice how I said side. You do see a vulnerable side of her, and it's just this perfect mix. Seeing how she reacted around different people made me like her anymore. She was smart in knowing who to show her vulnerability side to with the exception of Noah. But come on, he was incredibly manipulative and cunning.

I may have made Noah sound like a total ass. But you get to read some of his thoughts, and you see that he really is doing his job, but he is falling for her. He doesn't exactly admit it in his mind, but you can tell. Now, what's upsetting is that nothing really happened between Noah and Eden. There was too much happening in the bigger picture; Eden fighting off her hunger for him along with other humans, and Noah needing to get her to Cryus before she gave in to the hunger. So, it's understandable. However, I am almost a hundred percent sure there will be something going down in the next book. That's why I gave this book four stars. I know the second book is going to be beast because this book held so much promise for the next one, that I know the next one is going to be better. This book is almost like a long prelude. If this book was a stand alone book, I would have given it five stars. But knowing that there might be something better, I just had to give it four.

Okay, remember when I said Eden is incredibly lonely? (Her family is a family of monsters, except for Stellan, whom I will discuss later). I cannot believe I am about to say this. I think there needs to be a love triangle. *Ducks before getting killed by mobbing teens*
I still want her to end up with Noah. I do. There just needs to be someone she can talk to. Just a guy best friend I guess. Now, that doesn't sound much like a love triangle, but obviously, like in all YA books, the best friends is going to fall for her, and yada yada yada.
**This is just an idea. The book would still be amazing without one.

Is a paragraph away consider later?
... That's beyond the point.

Stellan! YOU ARE AN AMAZING BIG BROTHER. These days, when I read a YA novel, the lead role is either a single child, or her sibling(s) hate her/don't give a crap about her. So finally. A brother who truly cares for her. He really kept her grounded and he always had her back, even against their parents. I like the idea of Teagan, their cousin, being their father's golden child. If he wasn't there, Stellan would have filled the role instead, and she really needed Stellan. #SiblingLove
^I cannot believe I hashtagged. *Mumbles incoherent phrases about idiotic teens these days, including thyself.*

The last thing I'm going to say is that the fight scenes were AMAZING. DAMN, EDEN! YOU CAN FIGHTTTT! It was great. She makes it seem so easy, but Samantha Young wrote such detailed fight scenes that you know it takes some serious skill and finesse.

That's all I'm going to say for this book. Just make room for it, because I guarantee you will not put it down. (less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Cynthia Eaton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ya

Blood Will Tell was an amazing book! It was so good that I devoured this book in a day (seriously!).

Eden is different from her other classmates at SSH...she's a soul eater. Her soul eater side was recently awakened with the arrival of new student, Noah. Eden struggles daily with wanting to suck the souls of her classmates and also Noah. Although Eden is an outcast at her school, Noah befriends her and is her only friend.

A lot of things happen in this book, and is well worth the read. The only...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, series, young-adult, own-read

My four star rating is not based on the quality of writing. There were so many grammatical errors throughout the book that at first I thought I'd go crazy. On top of that, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the narrator b/c she sounded so much like a teenager. BUT, as I continued to read, I was drawn into the story & didn't want to put the book down. It was very fast-paced & a different side to the YA paranormal fiction that's out there right now (there's only been one other book that I...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Warriors of Ankh series by Samantha Young and it doesn't disappoint at all! It is told in the two perspectives of Eden, the Blessed or the soul eater, and Noah, the Ankh warrior. I used to hate books that were told from multiple perspectives but I have to say that I have read a few books here recently and they have been done beautifully (along with this one).

There is something different about Eden, she isn't like most soul eaters. Eden fights the the urge to kill a...more This is the first book in the Warriors of Ankh series by Samantha Young and it doesn't disappoint at all! It is told in the two perspectives of Eden, the Blessed or the soul eater, and Noah, the Ankh warrior. I used to hate books that were told from multiple perspectives but I have to say that I have read a few books here recently and they have been done beautifully (along with this one).

There is something different about Eden, she isn't like most soul eaters. Eden fights the the urge to kill and tries to hold onto her humanity. The Ankh have figured out that Eden isn't your average soul eater and has been sent in to uncover the truth. He is to befriend Eden and find out if she has the qualities for redemption.

Eden is very different that your usual heroines these days. She has attitude and acts just how she feels. I love that she stands up for others and that she can be kind and loving. There was a lot of tension in Edens home life. Her parents aren't the usual loving parents, in fact they are quite cruel to Eden but there is one family member that would do anything for her, her brother Stellan. I just loved their relationship. It was wonderfully written and you could really feel the love that they had for each other.

Noah was a great character as well. He was sent in to do his assignment for the Ankh but I loved that he started to really like Eden for the person she is and not hate her because she was born a soul eater. Their relationship is kind of up and down so you don't really know if anything is going on there but I am going to keep my fingers crossed that something does happen!

Blood Will Tell is an astonishing read. It took a completely unique concept and made it into something very interesting and captivating. There is plenty of action throughout the entire story as well as many twists that you don't see coming. Between the disturbing scenes and the witty narrative the book will keep you on your toes.

This is definitely a book worth reading and if you haven't read it yet I think that you should. It is a great start to a series and I think it can only get better with each book. Blood Will Tell will for sure be in my top favorite books from now on! (less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Sanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural-abilities, mythology, ya-romance, strong-females

Wow, this book exceeded my expectations. It is definitely not a book for the weak of heart as there are some gritty violent scenes that might make you uncomfortable.

The MC is awesome. She has a great voice, tons of attitude and she can kick some ass. The reason this is a 4 and not a 5 is because she does spend some time running from her problems and that always dives me up a wall when characters do that. But it is short lived and in the end she stands up for what she believes in even though it c...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a great book, and a terrific start to the series!

First of all, the Blessed (soul eater)/Ankh/Neith world is a creative and original concept. I loved the use of Egyptian rather than the more popular Greek/Roman stories as the basis for the story. I love this mythology as much as the others, and they don't get enough print time, imo.

Eden is such a sympathetic character. She has a great, snarky voice that hides the pain and internal turmoil she lives with every day. She is being torn up inside...more What a great book, and a terrific start to the series!

First of all, the Blessed (soul eater)/Ankh/Neith world is a creative and original concept. I loved the use of Egyptian rather than the more popular Greek/Roman stories as the basis for the story. I love this mythology as much as the others, and they don't get enough print time, imo.

Eden is such a sympathetic character. She has a great, snarky voice that hides the pain and internal turmoil she lives with every day. She is being torn up inside by what she is, what her family is, and what they do. The scenes Young wrote about Eden's father and Teagan were beyond creepy... they were disturbing. And that's good, because it gave me a real sense of the terrifying, gut-wrenching circumstances of Eden's life. Thank God for Stellan! But even he can't help being what he is, though it tears him up for Eden's sake. Stellan's love for his sister, his anguish, and his overall story tugged at my heart strings. I won't say more than that.

Noah is another great character, and I enjoyed reading events from his point of view in addition to Eden's. He annoyed me at times, but in a good way if that makes sense. I was invested in his character, and therefore in choices that he made. Ahem... Romany... ahem. His assignment isn't an easy one, however, and I felt for him as he tried to juggle duty with his burgeoning feelings for Eden. I liked the way things played out and left off. Realistic, but with a hint of hope and determination on his part. I like that Young didn't wave the author's magic wand and make everything happy and sparkly. Still, things aren't hopeless, either. I like that. It gives me something to look forward to in the next book.

The only thing I didn't like about this book (or the others for that matter) is the cover. I took way too long to read this, despite the intriguing synopsis, because the cover turned me off. What a waste it would have been if I hadn't gotten over it!

This series is definitely needs to be read.(less)

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Feb 18, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good Points:
I first found this author over a year ago now, just after the time I bought my Kindle. The book was Slumber by Samantha Young, it was about 77p and one of the first self-published books I ever read. Since that day I have been hooked, seriously hooked by her writing and almost read all of her books and not been disappointed by a single one of them.

The warriors of Ankh series does not fail to break this fold. Man, I loved this book. I think it has just about everything you could want...more Good Points:
I first found this author over a year ago now, just after the time I bought my Kindle. The book was Slumber by Samantha Young, it was about 77p and one of the first self-published books I ever read. Since that day I have been hooked, seriously hooked by her writing and almost read all of her books and not been disappointed by a single one of them.

The warriors of Ankh series does not fail to break this fold. Man, I loved this book. I think it has just about everything you could want in a YA book. It has mystery, a great bunch of characters that you feel a range of emotions for and an original plot that not only is filled with adventure, a splash of potential romance and action but also the possibility that you will never be able to put this book down.

As I have already said I really liked the main character Eden, although I wasn't overly enthusiastic about her name I liked how she wasn't like most YA protagonists where she was this unknowing participant pulled into a world she knew nothing about. Eden knows about Soul eaters and she knows about some of the history of how they came to be. Her family is horrible and when I mean horrible I don't just mean 'oh they don't talk to her and treat her bad' they are literally the worst parents ever- keeping prisoners in the basement to torture and rape them? Oh yeah this book has it and it gets a lot worse as the story unravels.
One of the major things that I loved about Blood Will Tell was that the characters aren't all easily distinguished into the good and bad categories and you see Eden go through this challenge of categorising herself within the book.

Small things within the book really helped build the story as well like Eden's brothers nickname for her 'paradise' which as cheesy as that name is helped build and identify their close relationship immediately to the reader.

Also Noah, Oh Noah... (yes, I know another biblical name- what's with that?) but honestly he clicked immediately with me and not just because of his uber great sense of music but because of his overall character. Definitely looking forward to what will happen in the future concerning him :)

Bad Points:
There was one point in the book where Eden is being told about the history of the warriors which got me a little confused just because of how much information was put into that chapter and how quick it was given out.

To Sum Up...
Loved this book and I would seriously recommend you go out and read it. Although Slumber will always (probably :P) be my favourite Samantha Young novel I have to admit this as trumped Tales of Lunamorte so far and replaced it as firm second. Go read it!(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Cheowtong719 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished the first book, Blood will tell, and even though it doesn't have a lot of pages like most of the other YA books I've read so far, it contained a lot of information as the story was starightforward. I must say, it is one of the best YA books I've read so far. Seriously, even though there is so much competition among YA authors, there are only few YA books that were able to impress me.

I like the fact that Noah and Eden didn't go straight down to falling in love with the each other...more

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About Samantha Young

Samantha Young is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET.

For more info on Samantha's adult fiction visit http://www.ondublinstreet.com

For info on her young adult fiction visit www.samanthayoungbooks.com

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An On Dublin Street Christmas (On Dublin Street, #1.5)

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Quotes from Blood Will Tell

“...And you, you better run because i'm going to destroy you for what you've taken from me.” — 46 people liked it

“...and still Eden was avoiding him like he was a Bieber fan at a Korn concert.” — 38 people liked it

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Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1)

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