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Blood Sinister (Point Horror Unleashed)

by Celia Rees (Goodreads Author)

3.26 of 5 stars 3.26 · rating details · 515 ratings · 65 reviews

Sent to rest at her grandmother's house, the diary that Ellen finds is at first just a diversion. However, the history that unfolds from the diary is strangely linked to her own life. Ellen begins to feel weaker than ever, could something be reaching across the centuries to claim her?

Paperback, 199 pages

Published by Marion Lloyd (first published September 20th 1996)

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Apr 07, 2012 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sabrina Smith
Horror

Ellen is very sick. When she stays with her grandmother to be closer to the specialist treating her, she discovers the diaries of her great-great-grandmother in the attic. The diaries were written by her great-great-grandmother when she was about the same age, and tell the story of a mysterious man and his sister who became involved in her life. Ellen begins to think the man was a vampire, and things get stranger still when she begins to vividly dream what happens next before...more

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Nov 24, 2009 BarkLessWagMore rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a teen novel about a young modern day girl named Ellen suffering from a rare, undiagnosed blood disease. She discovers several diaries and delves into them with enthusiasm. The writer is an ancestor and very much like Ellen herself only living in historical times. They even share the name Ellen. Confused yet?

The book then goes back and forth between the past Ellen and the present Ellen's life which are similar in many ways. The past Ellen, at the request of her father, is pretty much for...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Finally, a YA vampire story that doesn't involve brooding vampire boyfriends.

Ellen's illness has doctors stumped and while she convalesces at home, she discovers the diaries her great-great grandmother, a pioneering female doctor, kept as a young woman. Ellen is immediately drawn in to her grandmother's story, in which she becomes an unwilling companion to a patient/family friend of her father's who suffers from some sort of blood disease.

The book switches between modern day and Victorian time...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Sophie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OMG! LOVED LOVED this although it was a short quick read it transported me to those old school 80's/90's Point Horror Books that i loved reading so much when i was younger.The writing style of Celia Rees reminded me so much like R.L Stine, Caroline B. Cooney and other authors within that Middle Grade horror genre.

Ellen our protagonist, suffers from a rare blood illness that even doctors cant determine whats wrong with her. Due to the rarity of her case she's then sent to stay with her grand...more

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May 03, 2012 J.A. Belfield rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, in all honesty, I’m not quite sure where to start because I fear this review may sound like a book bashing, which isn’t my intent. But there was so much about it that bugged me, I truly struggled to find anything about it that I did like. Let’s take a look at the niggles:
The cover – it looks creepy, it looks sensual, it looks as though the reader is about to dive into a vampire novel, for sure, as though the main character could potentially be heading into a thrilling/terrifying adventure...more Okay, in all honesty, I’m not quite sure where to start because I fear this review may sound like a book bashing, which isn’t my intent. But there was so much about it that bugged me, I truly struggled to find anything about it that I did like. Let’s take a look at the niggles:
The cover – it looks creepy, it looks sensual, it looks as though the reader is about to dive into a vampire novel, for sure, as though the main character could potentially be heading into a thrilling/terrifying adventure she will have to overcome. I don’t often comment on covers in my reviews, but I have to say, what’s on the outside is an extremely far throw from what’s on the inside.
The MC: Ellen – um … I have to say she was a dreary soul with little personality. Yes, she had some conflicts to overcome, but they didn’t seem to do anything toward making her more endearing, I’m afraid. She also seemed totally devoid of emotion. Over everything. Even the grand finale at the end, which I’ll come to further down.
The Count – I think he was supposed to be the creep factor. Unfortunately, I just found him a little irritating and pretty much hoped he’d buzz off out of the picture. The same for his sister: the Countess.
The supporting characters – Ellen’s father in the diary: Yes, he’s wrapped up in his work, but I find it pretty unbelievable that he would ‘use’ his own daughter for medical purposes the way he did. Ellen’s mother: what kind of mother would simply say yes to her daughter being transported to a ‘hospital’ for treatment without fully checking it out—especially considering how ill her daughter had been; and I don’t understand why Ellen was palmed off on her gran to begin—that didn’t seem very well developed; also, her mother hardly visited her in the time she spent at her gran’s, which seemed bizarre for someone who acted very controlling when she was around.
The flippancy – when I say this, I mean the flippancy with which the existence of vampires is accepted, the flippancy in the character’s behaviours when dealing with that, and their actions toward solving it. Ellen tells a couple peeps that vampires exist, and they’re pretty much ‘Oh, okay then’ and ‘Hey, how shall we kill him,’ and ‘I barely know you but I’ll gladly take your place and let the vampire suck on my blood so we can act out our master plan.’ Not one of these actions/reactions/behaviours were at all believable. In fact, going back up to the lack of personality in Ellen, pretty much all dialogue—bar Tom’s & Andy’s—also lacked personality and visual expression.
The plot – it was pretty unbelievable. Most of it, actually. I’m sure it could have been made into a decent tale if more time had been spent bringing the character’s to life, and more time had been spent developing the parts that had just been slotted in without any kind of conviction or solidity to their being there, which meant things just … happened, without any kind of explanation and the readers are just expected to accept that this is how it goes because not one of the character’s question it. One prime example is whenever Ellen reached a blank spot in the diaries, she suddenly seemed to dream up what happened instead, as though she were in the original Ellen’s body, and she never seemed to even question it—heck, she didn’t even want to tell anybody about it. It seemed to be a case of: these pages are empty, sleep, dream herself as Ellen, oh, so that’s what happened and I just dreamed up the missing pages—oh, okay then. No questions asked. It’s a pity, really, that this wasn’t given the depth it deserved.
The tone – I’m sorry, but it was dreary, and depressing, and pretty flat and expressionless throughout the entire read. I spent the first 75% of the book hoping it would get better and the story would redeem itself, but when I had only 50 pages to go, I began to realise there was little chance of that happening. And I was right.
The ending – this one kind of links back to the ‘flippancy’ point I made. So there are three of them who’ve decided they’re going to take down the count. They plot, they carry it out, yet there was not once a sense of urgency in their actions, not once did they show any emotion, and certainly no fear. I mean, the two females left poor Andy to go off after the count on his own but only noticed after HOURS had passed that he’d been gone a while, yet all they were doing was sitting in the car and waiting for him. Then there was the crypt business. Tom had spent HOURS trying to locate the count, yet when they come upon his crypt, its description makes it sound so prominent and huge, and obvious, that I had to wonder how the hell he hadn’t spotted it on his own when it didn’t seem to be that much of a problem with the two women helping him. Which leads to the fiasco of finding his ‘coffin’, and going about killing him. I have to say, it was like reading an old black and white horror film, and the final paragraphs fell pretty flat. First, the trio of ‘slayers’ are outside the crypt because the crypt chooses that exact moment to collapse despite the count obviously having slept in there for years—yes, the count, who is obviously wealthy, sleeps in a crumbling crypt that has dodgy repair jobs on it with odd pieces of wood—and not one of them is breathing heavy or acting even remotely weirded out by the fact the vampire just tried sitting up in his coffin with his red eyes glowing. Then there is the count by count (excuse the pun) description of the building crumbling around the count and what he can see, and what he can feel, and the stake through the heart and the decapitation … but the count is no doubt already dead by this point with no witnesses of his demise. It was very odd, to say the least.
So now you’re probably wondering why I read on, and why I rated it at all. Right?
Well, I give my rating wholly to the two male counterparts in the book: Tom & Andy. Because they were both pretty likeable and about the most animated in there.
(less)

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Jul 13, 2010 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Vampire fans, people who like real vampires, celia rees fans

Shelves: supernatural, vampires

The first time I read this book, I was more than a little bit confused. There were plenty of "What?" moments. On the second read through, I understood it a lot more and actually enjoyed it.

The vampire thing was obvious from the start. There was no mystery to his identity. This made an already complex story simpler than it might have turned out to be. I was really glad about that, I was already rereading at least one page per chapter.The story was actually really good but, because it takes a whil...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

This was a fairly interesting read, it's different from the vampire books that have been coming out lately. There is no girl falling in love with a vampire, or wanting to be a vampire. There is very little in terms of romance in this novel, which is ok. Overall it is a good read, I didn't love it, but I liked it.

The story revolves around Ellen, who is dying of a blood disease that no doctor can figure out. She is living with her grandmother because it's closer to the hospital and her doctors. Sh...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Clare rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first read this I was about thirteen and completely enthralled with vampire mythology and fiction. I never did get the twilight saga due to hatred of the writing style or lack of it and the pretty boring characters. Though I did find Ellen to be a touch boring I also realised that her being a recluse due to her illness was some thing I could relate to, as every young adult thinks the world is against them and they are all alone.

The storyline set in the past is more the kind of plot I pref...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, young-adult

I have previously read "Witch Child" and "Sorceress" by Celia Rees and was impressed. When I saw she had a vampire book out, it became one of the many books on my "to-read" list.

I really enjoyed this book! It is not your typical vegan vampire, pretty girl falls in love with, they live happily ever after book. This book comes closer to the classical vampire story.

Ellen suffers from a rare blood disease, she is dying. She moves to London with her grandmother to be closer to the specialists that wi...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ellen has a mystery illness and is staying at her grandmothers house so that she is nearer the hospital. In the attic she discovers some diaries written by her great-great-grandmother (also named Ellen) and reading them leads to some frightening revelations.

It took a while for me to get into this story and even when I did I wasn’t blown away, for me this book just didn’t have the wow factor. However, I did enjoy the diary entries, they were well written and I found I was more interested in the E...more

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May 22, 2011 Clarabel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Le début est assez remarquable : une jeune fille de seize ans, en convalescence chez sa grand-mère, découvre les journaux intimes d'une aieule portant le même prénom qu'elle, Ellen. Au fil de sa lecture, elle découvre que son ancêtre a rencontré un vampire, qui va chercher à la kidnapper. Plus d'un siècle après, la même créature semble vouloir se venger sur Ellen alors que son état de santé s'aggrave et qu'elle est hospitalisée en urgence. La construction de l'histoire est habile et tient la rou...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fantasy, young-adult, vampires, books-i-own

I was reasonably young when I read this but I do remember quite enjoying it. I liked the storyline and found it to be a quick read.

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May 17, 2012 Carla D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned, read-in-2012, in-english

(3.5)

Quando comecei a ler Blood Sinister não tinha grandes expectativas uma vez que o comprei porque estava uma pechincha (2€) e a sinopse pareceu-me algo interessante. E como sou viciadona em vampiros, why not? E ainda bem que segui o meu instinto porque foi uma surpresa tremendamente boa.
O inicio não me estava a inspirar grandes emoções e até estava a achar algo aborrecido, uma vez que não havia grande desenvolvimento da narrativa. Era Ellen, uma jovem com uma doença muito rara no sangue, fech...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Emilie Rosson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Celia Rees is an exceptional and popular young adult author, best known for her novels Witch Child, Sorceress, Pirates and Sovay. She tends to write strong female leads, so she has unfairly become known as a female fiction author, but her books really do have a very wide appeal. Many people don't realise, though, that before she became a bestseller with Witch Child, Rees had a successful run of horror novels for kids with the staid publisher Point Horror. These novels were aimed at the older kid...more Celia Rees is an exceptional and popular young adult author, best known for her novels Witch Child, Sorceress, Pirates and Sovay. She tends to write strong female leads, so she has unfairly become known as a female fiction author, but her books really do have a very wide appeal. Many people don't realise, though, that before she became a bestseller with Witch Child, Rees had a successful run of horror novels for kids with the staid publisher Point Horror. These novels were aimed at the older kids market, 8-12 years, and Blood Sinister is one of the ones that I had the pleasure of reading as a child.

Blood Sinister is the story of Ellen Forrest, a young woman who is suffering from a blood disease that no one can seem to cure. But when she finds some old journals in the attic of her grandmother's house, she suddenly starts to see parallels between her own worsening condition and the strange tales of Victorian vampirism in the diaries of her great, great grandmother. Ellen wonders if there's a connection and, if there is, does it have anything to do with the old cemetery across the street and the strange things she and her neighbour experienced there as children.

Ellen is an interesting character, of sorts, because it is so rare to read a main character who is ill, possibly terminally. If fiction serves the purpose of creating compassion between those who are "other" to ourselves then reading about long-term illness is probably a great thing for kids to do. However, this being horror, the execution of this theme doesn't play out well and ends in a curiously satisfying-but-not-satisfying way. This book has all the staple elements of horror, too: an ancient setting where modern day meets with history, mystery, threat, a hint of supernatural. It all adds up to a story that is enjoyable, but jumbled.

This is by no means Rees's greatest book; it's not even particularly strong in terms of horror, but for the age it's marketed at it will do the trick. The Victorian-meets-modern and vampire elements are enough to get kids to devour this and it is short enough to provide a quick, satisfying read for any rainy weekend or school holiday. And there are a few genuinely creepy moments that will keep the children on edge too.(less)

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May 30, 2012 Aira rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a last minute addition during my time at the book sale. I didn't even know why I thought I wanted it but i bought it. And then *cues in eerie music* it blew my mind for it was neither a) slow or b) boring.

As you can see from the cover there are two punctured holes on a young girl's neck. So one can assume with ease that this is about vampires. YES, but what one does not realize that this is a classic from the Count Dracula's time (None of that Twilight or Uninvited nonsense).
The fl...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, book-list-2009, horror

Blood Sinister had an excellent beginning which drew me in from the first chapter. I enjoyed the alternation between the present and the past, as Ellen of today reads a diary written by her great, great, grandmother (also named Ellen). Unfortunately, the story moves from one of intrigue to cliche when by the end there are three young teenagers running around trying to stake a vampire. The story that promised so much at the start ended up being a disappointment.

When Andy, a childhood friend that...more Blood Sinister had an excellent beginning which drew me in from the first chapter. I enjoyed the alternation between the present and the past, as Ellen of today reads a diary written by her great, great, grandmother (also named Ellen). Unfortunately, the story moves from one of intrigue to cliche when by the end there are three young teenagers running around trying to stake a vampire. The story that promised so much at the start ended up being a disappointment.

When Andy, a childhood friend that Ellen hasn't seen in years, turns up again, their friendship just continues from where it left off. As with all the other friendships it happened too quickly, so everything they did together seemed unrealistic. This was especially true when Jenny, a nurse Ellen befriended while in hospital, was introduced near the end of the book, who was willing to die for Ellen although they had only been friends for a day or two.

There were other aspects of the story that didn't make sense. Why were both characters from past and present named Ellen? What is the significance of Andy finding a photograph of Ellen in the past who looks exactly like Ellen in the present? Why is Ellen of the past forced by her father to spend so much time with the count? Was he hypnotised into offering up his daughter this way? And when Ellen begins to dream as though she is Ellen from the past it's as if she almost becomes her, but for what reason? Why? What are the reasons behind them all? They are never explained and therefore just confusing, pointless additions to the story.

However, it was refreshing to read a young adult novel with vampires that are just evil and sinister and nothing more, unlike the sexy, romantic vampires we read so much about today. This book was originally published in 1996, pre-Twilight, so maybe this has something to do with it.

Verdict:

For the most part Blood Sinister kept my attention but it didn't have the same depth of character development or writing skill as most of the vampire novels I have read recently. However, if you are after a quick read with a vampire thrill, then this may be the book for you.(less)

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Jan 12, 2011 Michelle. Tsunami. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: was-awful

I was really excited to read this book. The beginning was kinda broing but I thought that it would get better.
Boy, was I wrong. It just got broinger, and boringer and boringer. At the end, I was in a dark pit of boringeness...
OMG! I don't even wish it were better. Books this boring don't need to get better. Blehy. That is what thios book was.
BLEHY! I say, BLEHY!!!!!!!!!

The ending kinda sucked.
THis book was such a waste of my times. Bleh... I am ashamed of myself for even finishing the entire boo...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Rachel Brand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-ya, 2003, celia-rees, fantasy

My review at age 11:

"Vampires! Really good. Interesting too, as it switches between times."

I went through a horror phase when I was 11 and 12 (intersperced with Meg Cabot and Sweet Valley) and this was probably one of the better books which I read. I recall being completely gripped by this book and rather scared. I think this is probably one of the first books I read where the book wasn't all told from one character's point of view, and in the present time, hence my amazement at "it switches bet...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Hayley Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I like other books by this author and this was just as good.

I liked the plot and the two main characters who were both likeable. The vampires were believable vampires (if vampires can be believable). The secondary characters were likeable and well written. The friendship with Jenny the nurse started very fast but I didn't mind that.

This book is a nice quick read and was nicely wriiten.

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Apr 21, 2009 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fantasy, vampires, young-adult, 2009

Celia Rees is quite well-know over here in Ireland and the UK; I'm not sure how popular she is in the US, though she deserves to be! This is a very well-written take on vampires, similar to the Dracula myth but not. Ellen is smart and sensible, a good heroine. While I wasn't entirely convinced at the beginning of the romantic subplot, it carried on well through the book that I forgave its dubious beginning. The book was originally published in the '90s, so it feels a bit dated, but this is not i...more

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Jul 31, 2010 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own

When i first picked up this book, the description on the back really intregued me, however as i started reading i found myself to be more and more put off.
There was nothing at all really entertaining or captivating about the plot and the charcaters were bland. Most of the time i was just bored and hoping that the book would finish soon. I didn't find it worth reading.

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Oct 01, 2012 Misha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book cause it sounded interesting and was written by Celia Rees and i really liked the Bailey Games. It took me a while to get into it but when i did i found it was a pretty good book. I would definately recommend it to people who liked Dracula since it has a lot of references in the book about Dracula. And i would also recommend it to people who are sick of brooding, moody, angsty vampires.

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Sep 17, 2008 Rhonda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, horror, young-adult

With vampires being very popular among young adults, I would have to say that this is a good read.
The story takes place with Ellen, a sixteen year old girl, who goes to stay with her grandmother because she has a bad blood condition and her mother fears that she is going to die soon. While Ellen is staying with her grandmother she stumbles upon her great, great grandmother Elyn's diaries that she wrote when she was sixteen years old. As Ellen begins reading the diaries she is overcome by her dr...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Nimue Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Suitably gothic and creepy without being too graphic, this is the kind of non-sparkly vampire fic I would happily give to a YA reader. The women in it are strong and very much a part of the solution, not dolls to be carried around. Nobody sparkles. There's also a good plot line, plenty of action and suspense, and it's fun.

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Dec 21, 2010 Miss_pollygon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm on the second chapter. I don't have a review for this book yet. sorry!

-Polygon

Alright I have finished the book. And let me tell you, this is one of the most boring vampire books I have ever read. There is hardly any adventure, and it almost seems like the characters have no personality. And also, the diary that she is reading, is not written like a diary, it is written like a book. No one writes diary's like books. (obviously the author has never owned a diary in her life... or at least fail...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Nicola Muzsla rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a re-read. I originally read it a long time ago when it was still being advertised as part of the Point Horror Unleashed series. I loved it back then and would have given it five stars. After re-reading it though I guess my reading tastes have matured and now I find it to be missing in explanations and down-right unbelievable in parts. I guess it should be unbelievable as it's a vampire story but how do you explain it when the main characters nurse suddenly becomes her best friend and w...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Charliee' rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Teenagers

Shelves: 5-star, 1-book-series

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

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Feb 26, 2010 Shauna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: avoid, celia-rees, read-years-ago, point-horror

Well. I expected so much and received so little. I really didn't care for the characters, and found it difficult to concentrate on what was going on. Word to the wise: Less illness, more real vampires.

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Mar 04, 2012 María rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-read, reviewed, guilty-pleasures, young-adult, terror-horror-creepy, supernatural

Finally, a vampire book that doesn’t imply a silly teenager girl falling in love with the bloody sexy vampire! I loved the fact that the story was much closer to Dracula than Twilight!

A nice quick read, I must say.

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Mar 25, 2013 Ella Bella marked it as couldn-t-finish

Shelves: vampires, young-adult

I have a lot of books on hand to read and I just don't feel like wasting time on something I'm not enjoying. I might try this again someday, I might not.

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About Celia Rees

Celia Rees (born 1949) is an English author of children's literature, including some horror and fantasy books.

She was born in 1949 in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband and teenage daughter. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics. After university, she taught English in Coventry secondary schools for seventeen years, dur...more

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