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Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)

by Faith Hunter (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 1,969 ratings · 193 reviews

In a near-future world, seraphs and demons fight a never-ending battle. But a new species of mage has arisen. Thorn St. Croix is no ordinary “neomage.” Nearly driven insane by her powers, she has escaped the confines of the Enclaves and now lives among humans. When her ex-husband is kidnapped, Thorn must risk revealing her true identity to save him.

Paperback, 321 pages

Published November 4th 2008 by Roc (first published November 7th 2006)

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Jan 08, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

Faith Hunter imagines a post-Apocalyptic world filled with seraphs, Dark beings, and mages (as well as ordinary humans). Thorn St. Croix is an unlicensed mage living amongst the humans in secret in the town of Mineral City in what used to be North or South Carolin. Her ex-husband, Lucas Stanhope, is kidnapped in the middle of the night, and this event sets off a series of events that leads Thorn to believe that something Dark and dangerous is massing an army in the mountain behind the town. As T...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Jensownzoo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, fantasy

I liked the characterizations and interactions and the pacing (kept reading to find out what happened next). An interesting take on revelation/end of the world with some suggestions that the human race is being hoodwinked about the whole deal.

However, I think the "mage heat" device could have been lifted out of the story en toro and not made much of a difference in the story...indicating dead weight (and something more suited to a cheesy romance novel anyway). Maybe a minor point, but something...more

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Aug 07, 2008 Kati rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, in-english, het, urban-fantasy, look-for-more

This book turned out to be better than I thought. At first, I just couldn't get into it - too much exposition for my liking. But even though there was something off about the story telling, I really liked the characters, especially the seraphs fascinated me.

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Jul 29, 2010 Sapphire added it · review of another edition

I would have given this 3 1/2 stars, but Goodreads doesn't do that. I will try to read the next two books in the series, as sometimes the next one gets better. Mostly there is not enough action and the hook wasn't there in the beginning as should be. But the book has potential, so I will read the others.

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Sep 28, 2011 Rhianon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

A 4'10" female riding a Fresian? A stallion, no less? Granted, they aren't hot-blooded but I'm still struggling with the practicality of that combination. And likewise, someone else riding a Clydesdale. *snorts* Don't get me wrong, it's done. But it is far from practical, far from comfortable, especially traveling long distances. It's like straddling an oil drum.

This is one of those instances where it really does pay to stay within the bounds of realism for the sake of your readership. Because t...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bloodring starts in the middle of everything. While this tends to be a good formula for most novels, it didn't quite work as well here. I had to spend much of the first half of the novel trying to figure out what was going on and what the mechanics of the world were. The plot was also excruciating slow and I found myself frequently getting lost between what was going on and what the rules of the world are -not to mention what exists in it. Finally, about half way through the plot started to get...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Dharma Kurlind rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me just say how shocked I am that I didn't like this book. I love Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series. But I really, really didn't like Bloodring. I listened through the whole audiobook, convinced that eventually I'd care for the heroine, care for the plot, but I didn't. It's just too much - too post-apocalyptic/new ice-age, too high fantasy, too foreign, too alien. We have new mages, and half-breeds, and Sarephs, and demon spawn, and none of them are human, but somehow the combination bet...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Rebecca C rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rogue Mage series (Book 1) | So if the Mercy Thompson/Rachel Morgan books are your fair-to-middling examples of a well-written urban fantasy series, these Rogue Mage books have to be the ugly red-headed stepchildren. Because they're not well-written. At all. But, you know, it's pretty much my own fault. With an authorial pseudonym like 'Faith Hunter' I should have realized what I was getting myself into. Anyway, Blood Ring takes place in a post-apocalyptic small-town of what's left of America, a...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Kraig Horton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Summary:

Bloodring: A Rouge Mage Novel is the first in a series of three novels. Thorn St. Croix is a "neomage" a creation caused in a post apocalyptic world where an ice age has come over the earth from a war between seraphs bringing God's wrath upon humanity and war happening with the darkness/devil spawns and humans.

Seraphs formed a new government and insinuated themselves into everyday life. They made the new law for humanity on this Ice age developed.

Neomages use left over creation energy...more Summary:

Bloodring: A Rouge Mage Novel is the first in a series of three novels. Thorn St. Croix is a "neomage" a creation caused in a post apocalyptic world where an ice age has come over the earth from a war between seraphs bringing God's wrath upon humanity and war happening with the darkness/devil spawns and humans.

Seraphs formed a new government and insinuated themselves into everyday life. They made the new law for humanity on this Ice age developed.

Neomages use left over creation energy from the earth before the apocalypse in the forms of the elements of nature. Thorn is a stone mage, that is one of the only mages that lives outside of the enclaves which all mages were forced to live in because of their inability to control their powers. Due to events that were not made fully clear in the first novel she wasnt able to live with her kind and was sent at the age of fourteen, she went into hiding in a small town nestled in the Appalachians. There, Thorn has managed to take up a trade, build a business and create a decent life making her living as a jewelry designer and one of three partners in a jewelry business. She's also been married and happily helped raise her stepdaughter, Ciana.

Until things went into a spiral where her ex-husband was kidnapped. She then is forced to take action.

This novels use of depth in the characters, imagery and plot made it a world which as the reader I could not help to fall deeply into. The authors ability to bring the characters to life in this altered world was fantastic. As the reader these character came off the page and made me involved with more than just the main character. I felt as I have built a relationship with a majority of the town. When critical moments in the plot were brought forward it brought me emotionally into the story than most novels have.

A lot of that was brought fourth through the imagery in the building of this world, the setting of the novel. The way her imagery portrayed was fantastic. The settings of the town, the sky, the places which people lived and work were brought alive more than some movies. Also the connection with Thorn and her stones, her affinity working with there energy for her magic was incredible. Being someone that loves gemstones as well allowed me to connect to her character in a personal respect as well.

Over all I thought that this Novel was fantastic, the story had its flaws at times, but the way that the author brought the reader into her world and into her characters lives was impeccable.

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Apr 07, 2010 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, fantasy, ebooks

I picked up Bloodring after reading Faith's Jane Yellowrock books, Skinwalker and Blood Cross. Apparently I can't get enough Faith... =)

I like Thorn. She is strong, powerful, and on the lam. Well, in hiding, anyway, since she's been in the same place for 10 years now... Then her ex-husband goes missing, and the cops come knocking on her door. To further complicate things (because she really really REALLY needs it complicated), Thorn finds a stash of gemstone that talks to her... And she gets her...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Marianna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not bad. I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars or 6 out of 10. I did get tired of hearing about Thorn going into (mage) heat. But I suppose the author was going somewhere with that. I would have appreciated more depth in Thadd if he is going to be a love interest. More depth in all the characters would have been nice, but nonetheless I did like the characters (mostly). The setting was supposed to be post-apocalyptic and I just did not get that vibe of a world completely changed by carnage, etc etc. Al...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Shiianne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought that it started out a bit slow, a bit dull… even a bit unrealistic. A 4’10 woman being comfortable on a horse as big as Homer is just insanity, even a normal sized person wouldn’t be comfortable! …that’s why we call them stories though, I mean, there is no such thing as mages (at least not in this sense), so unrealistic business shouldn’t be my concern, it was just something that stood out to me.

I forced myself to get through the first few chapters, wondering when it was going to pick...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the sample chapter provided by Amazon. But when I read the book the world didn’t make much sense to me. And I always have a big problem when the world-building doesn’t makes sense to me.
The story takes place 105 years after “the end of the world” only the world hasn’t ended. So far so good. The technology that survived seemed random.
They don’t seem to have central heating, but the heroine often draws herself a bath. How?
They aren’t able to make new computers, but they still have old ones...more

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Feb 18, 2011 slayra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, in-english, ugh-just-no, sci-fi-and-stuff

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. RATING: I don't know... I don't like to give it one star, due to the actually good concept, but this book was a mess, overall, so I suppose one star it is...

"Mess" is a great way to describe this book, indeed. Story and pacing were a mess, character development was a mess and world building was... you guessed right, a mess. I struggled to get through this book, and I found that a pity since the core idea was really good. Fantastic even.

The book takes place in the near future, in a post-apocalyp...more RATING: I don't know... I don't like to give it one star, due to the actually good concept, but this book was a mess, overall, so I suppose one star it is...

"Mess" is a great way to describe this book, indeed. Story and pacing were a mess, character development was a mess and world building was... you guessed right, a mess. I struggled to get through this book, and I found that a pity since the core idea was really good. Fantastic even.

The book takes place in the near future, in a post-apocalyptic world where an Ice Age has descended and humans live under the thumb of Seraphs and under the threat of demonic forces. Also, a new race has arised, the Neomages. We're not told exactly where they came from or the origins of their DNA (which is a one of the many flaws of this book, IMHO). Neomages can tap into the remains of the "forces of Creation" left on Earth (in rocks, sand, sea, etc) and use that energy in their "workings". Basically they can do magic. But Neomages can only draw power from a specific element and seem (from what I gathered) to be weakened by the power in other elements not their own. Also, they seem to be more animalistic than human since they "go into heat" (a very Laurell K. Hamilton-esque concept that, I confess, turned me off).

To protect these Neomages from jealous and overzealous humans, the Seraphs decreed that all of them had to be locked up in Enclaves, living in seclusion and only coming out to perform jobs required by the humans.

Thorn St Croix, the protagonist has escaped the Enclave and lives under the gise of a human. She is a "stone mage" so she opened a store and provides jewelry to people all over. She's doing all right until her ex-husband goes missing.

Seems interesting right? Yeah, I thought so too. But while the author had a great idea for a story, she couldn't really piece it together in a coherent and interesting way.

The pacing is too slow and very little happens relating to the actual solving of the mystery. Most of the book is just a boring and descriptive account of Thorn's days in Mineral City (where she lives). Sometimes, she tries to find stuff about her missing ex, but mostly she just tries to hide her identity from everyone, makes jewels (we're given a lot of detail on semi-precious stones and it's "properties") and rejoices at the early spring days. Sometimes a villain attacks, but the action is very tame right until the end. Oh and let's not forget she has to fight her "mage-heat" since a Seraph hybrid has appeared on her doorstep and she now has a lot of lustful thoughts and dreams and feelings. I thought the "mage-heat" part was annoying but I'm guessing it was there so Thorn could gain immunity to it, later in the book. Still, it was annoying.

Nothing much happens until the final chapters of the book, where there is a good fight between good and bad guys. Unfortunately by then I was already skimming since I just wanted to be done with the book.

The characters weren't exactly captivating either, and some of them were pretty incoherent (Thorn mostly). I didn't particularly liked any of them.

What I did like was the hint that maybe the Seraphs and all weren't what they appeared.

Overall, this book was weak. The author had great ideas but failed in putting them to paper, getting side-tracked by things that probably didn't need to be included. The characters didn't get much development, though as this is a series, that isn't very serious. I felt like the story was confusing and the world-building needed... well, more building. (less)

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Mar 19, 2012 Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book after I read the first two "Jane Yellowrock" books, and I liked it even better than that series.

Thorn's world is interesting and frightening, and her voice is both intelligent and casual. "This is the world, stop staring, we're used to it." She's a bit frightened, but it carries the seriousness of their new world.

The detail in the story is exquisite. The characterizations of the other characters could have gone deeper, but I did enjoy them. The build up of prejudiced humans mad...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Bloodring is told from the perspective of Thorn St. Croix. Thorn is a stone mage, the only one of her kind who is not confined to a mage community called Enclave. On the run, she must keep her identity a secret for fear of her life. If she is found by the Seraphs, who are angel-like beings, she will be sent back to the enclave where she faces certain insanity for she has a "gift" of mind reading her own kind, and thousands of minds get a little noisy. However, if she is discovered by the humans...more Bloodring is told from the perspective of Thorn St. Croix. Thorn is a stone mage, the only one of her kind who is not confined to a mage community called Enclave. On the run, she must keep her identity a secret for fear of her life. If she is found by the Seraphs, who are angel-like beings, she will be sent back to the enclave where she faces certain insanity for she has a "gift" of mind reading her own kind, and thousands of minds get a little noisy. However, if she is discovered by the humans she hides amongst she faces death by stoning. When a temptingly attractive police officer named Thaddeus knocks on her door in the middle of the night to tell Thorn her ex-husband has been kidnapped, she must risk using her powers to find him, even with the fear of discovery looming over her.

I found the first half of this book to be a very frustrating read. I did not have much of a clue what was going on in the novel, and just when things started to become clear new revelations would be made, further confusing Thorn's identity. I enjoy a little mystery to a character, but this book could have used just a little more back story sooner for everything to make more sense. The book loosely follows biblical aspects, and at root is a war between good and evil. Thorn is on the side of "light" and makes stands against the evil "darkness" that tries to hurt the ones she loves. She is a very strong character, and when she sets out to do something she perseveres, not matter the risk to herself. One aspect I didn't care for was the "mage-heat," it is portrayed as this all consuming desire, but never seems to serve a true purpose in the book other than to "throw a wrench" into things for Thorn, possibly in future books it will have more meaning, but for this book I just didn't feel it was necessary. Poor Thorn had enough thrown at her without it. Thorn's personality, her "voice," is great and her world is interesting, however the story was hard to follow at times. The ending resolution was only a partial one, and the peace Thorn gains seems tentative at best. With how the ending played out, there is definite potential for this series, and I think as more about Thorn's true identity and past are revealed, the better it will get.
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Jul 14, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-2006s, x-series-bk-1, reviewed, did-not-finish-or-skimmed

I did not finish this book.

It's got an interesting concept- post-apocalyptic society submerged in the third ice age, vampires and demons preying on humans, angels monitoring the humans but mostly looking out for their own interests, mages lurking around the human population trying to avoid being caught- but it wasn't executed very well.

1. The pacing is very slow. This book takes place in a freaking ice age, and yet I feel like I'm watching slushy tree sap drip down a wall. It's b o r i n g.

2. Th...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Darcy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

This is a hard book for me to review due to how I felt about the book.

What I really liked about the book was Thorn, her friends, and her workshop. The relationships between all of these people were fun to read and you can really tell they are more than friends, more like family. I also liked the scenes where they were working in the shop, the laughing and teasing was fun along with seeing how they worked with the materials.

What I had a hard time with was the world that the book was set it. It w...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Ellese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

I added this to my favorites because 1.) I love Faith Hunter no matter what, and 2.) this book has such an interesting story. The reason it only got 3 stars? Despite my fandom of Hunter, this was not one of her best. The story is a great one but I kept thinking, this could have been explained more, or this could have been a bit different. I felt at times I was playing catch up.

The story is a new one though. Hunter hits new territory by making this series a more Biblical one. It has angels, serap...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, of seraphs and mages, demons and darkness waging war in a post apocalyptic world in the not too distant future. I enjoyed the pop culture references and I liked the humour. I found the MC to be gutsy and very kick-ass. One thing I do say is that I found the beginning of the book to be a bit confusing and I really wished I could have got my hands on a reference manual to help me get my head around the political/religious and social backstory. I just felt...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, spec-fic-sf-fantasy-horror, 2011-read-and-re-read

Wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I really enjoyed it. I wondered if a book about angels (seraphs) would end up being a neo-christian/get ready for the rapture kind of story - but nothing could be further from the truth.

The premise of this story is actually quite fascinating, and I think unique. A true post-apocalytic world, after the seraphs unleashed plagues and destroyed the bulk of humanity, a race of souless (but I doubt that) neomages tha control stone, metal, earth, sea and l...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Doranna Durgin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a fascinating book--a complex, unique world, and it contains characters with a lot of heart. The most intriguing thing to me is that it contains facets that I personally wouldn't/couldn't have ever come up with. It just goes places that my mind doesn't, and I love that. It came together into a true discovery of reading, as well as containing the character journeys that are so important to me.

Had it not been in first person, I think I would have given it a five-star rating. But aside from my...more

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May 26, 2010 Tricia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 17, 2011 Rach3975 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it-audible

I finished this book not sure if I was going to continue with the trilogy. I like the characters and am curious about Thorn's past, especially what happened to her sister (a minor point so far, but I can't help but think it's significant). I'd love to know how things turn out for Thorn's former step-daughter and some of her friends. But there were too many battles and long incantations that I didn't give my full attention to and too many things that I thought needed an up-front explanation inste...more

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Jan 18, 2010 At (Austin)SOF2014 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books-sam

Bloodring is about a neomage named Thron St. Croix. Thorn lives in a post apacalyptic world with seraphs and devil spawn. Thorn is a neomage trying to pass as human in order to save her ex-husband Lucas. Thorn needs to use her powers to help find him. Will she risk her life to save a man she hates, or will she leave him to die?
I feel i connect to Thorn the most. Thorn may hate one person but she still cares for them. I feel his way about some people. They used to be my friend but they say they h...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Becky by: Olivia

Shelves: from-olivia, a-new-take, paranormal, sci-fi-magic, faith-hunter

I really want to give it a 3.5. The more I dwell on this book, the more I wonder if part of my frustration is that I haven't finished the series. I enjoyed most of the character development, I felt they were real. It was a very interesting take on post apocalyptic earth, and what would happen. Having a religious background I recognized the scripture used in the conjuring and where most of the characters would have come from. I felt Thorn got a little whiny in the middle. For someone with such gr...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Hilary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction, science-fiction, fantasy

Faith Hunter describes a post-Apocalyptic Ice Age peopled with seraphs, creatures of Darkness, mages, and humans. Thorn is an unlicensed and largely untrained stone mage secretly living in the rural town of Mineral City. When Lucas Stanhope (her ex-husband) is kidnapped, it triggers event that lead Thorn to speculate that Mineral is the focus of a Dark army uprising. As Thorn attempts to discover why the Stanhope family is being targeted for extinction, she comes progressively closer to blowing...more

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Dec 10, 2012 StrangeBedfellows rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Faith Hunter's world is a freshly unique one -- life after Revelations, where technology is on the fritz, humanity has been culled, and angels rule the world. Navigating this world can be confusing as Hunter tries to provide history and backstory without slowing down the plot. The effort is worthwhile, though, for an unusual sotry that blends desolation with innovation. And while the religious tones were a little heavy for a heathen like me, there's always something exciting and fearsome about a...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, demons, fantasy-epic, magic, speculative-dystopian-apocolyptic, favorites

This was a nice change and I am looking forward to reading the entire series. I tend to avoid the more 'religiously' based post-apocolyptic/dystopian reads as they tend to have a pendantic flavor. Not so here and I appreciate it. As opposed to feeling that I was being coddled by fiction in order to have Christianity served up to me, I found this very informative and began to enjoy the biblical references as much as the interpersonal stories. I felt, as other do, that the mage-heat piece was a bi...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, post-apocalyptic

Well, I've finally finished this. I was really into it in the beginning, then my interest waned slightly, then I got into it again, and by the end I was kind of lost. It seems weird to say it about an UF book, but at times I felt like the book was really heavy and I found my mind wandering.

However, I did enjoy it. The whole post-ap thing is intriguing to me, and I liked her description of the Seraphim. I wish they got a little more page-time, because they were definitely one of the most interes...more

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About Faith Hunter

Faith Hunter's Skinwalker series is dark urban fantasy, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a full blooded Cherokee and hunter of rogue-vampires. Skinwalker, Blood Cross, Mercy Blade, Raven Cursed, Death's Rival, & Blood Trade. Jane Yellowrock is a shape changer (shapeshifter) in a world of weres, witches, vampires, and other supernats.

Her Rogue Mage novels—Bloodring, Seraphs, and Host—feature Thorn St...more

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Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)

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