Seven organized crime Families, known as the Seven Blessed Families, rule the World of Exodus and its people with the use of their mysterious magical artifacts, called Relics. Relics give powers to the Blessed members of the Families, and they use those powers for corruption and control of everything in Exodus. Maretto Rose, the patriarch of the Rose Family, celebrates his 50th birthday by attending a performance at the Grand Theater with three of his four sons. The night is full of enjoyment, until the theater is attacked by a rival of the Rose Family, Zasso Cicello, who attempts to abduct Maretto Rose during the performance. The Rose patriarch's son, Georgiano, attempts to protect his father and family by fighting Zasso, but is ultimately slain. The abduction of Maretto fails and Zasso flees and goes into hiding. Now, the Rose Family must figure out where Zasso is hiding, determine who ultimately gave him the order for the attack, and why he wanted to capture Maretto Rose. Meanwhile, Maretto's youngest son, Ric, must battle his demons and addictions in order to become a Blessed member of the Family and become the man he was destined to be, before he ends up being another dead junky on the street. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, because in Exodus, gangsters make the world go round.
Publisher’s Description: Seven organized crime Families, known as the Seven Blessed Families, rule the World of Exodus and its people with the use of their mysterious magical artifacts, called Relics. Relics give powers to the Blessed members of the Families, and they use those powers for corruption and control of everything in Exodus.
Review:Look out everyone, there is a new Sheriff in town that writes spectacular fiction with a bent towards the uncommon in presentation.
I loved this novel. Involved characters combined with an intensely creative story line really brought this novel to life. Lots of visceral blood and guts types action, with some real crass inter-changes you would expect from a world run by gangsters. The relics seems like artificial intelligence that are gifting nanobots, but it is never revealed exactly what they are. Still, real creative implementation for the basis of power.
“So why you no give 5 stars!!?”. Just when you are really digging the offbeat writing style and getting into the guts (lol) of the crime families, a weird interlude of romance with a crappy plastic character rears it’s ugly head. Really fooking unbelievable, I tell yous. Biting/trembling lips and the whole shjtbang almost belly flopped this novel right into 3 star land. But it was brief and hopefully ends here. There were a few firearm fall downs as well. In one scene Zasso keeps firing his empty semi-auto pistol to the sound of "click, click, clik.". Except that a single action semi-auto will not cycle the trigger on an empty chamber. In another scene Vego pulls out a pair of semi-auto pistols where the barrels are black. The barrels on a semi-auto pistol are covered with the slide, so you will only see them partially when the slide is pulled back.
Despite my shjtpicking this was a great read. Get this now!
The intensity of this novel pulls you into the Rose family as they prepare to enter the public as celebrities, celebrating the patriarch’s birthday. Jordan Petrarca recounts the attempt on Don Maretto Rose’s life in great detail. He puts you right there while the security guards are scrambling to set up a barrier of protection against incredible odds. The elder Rose escapes but at the expense of one of his sons.
The Blessed families of the Exodus each own a relic that gives their sons a unique ability. Some abilities are specific to the relic but others are defined by the individual. This has allowed the Families to have some dominion over others, which they chose to use in the wicked, and vile, world of crime.
I enjoyed the plot and characters, but the realistic language and activity of crime life is disturbing. Ric Rose was often the misunderstood son, but I found myself drawn to him.
Blood and Roses is like The Godfather meets Game of Thrones and it's fantastic! Petrarca opens with a gritty letter from the narrator giving a brief and crass synopsis of Exodus, the seven "Blessed" families who wield all the power, and the mysterious magic known as Relics that are the key to maintaining that power. In the beginning of the book, the patriarch of the Rose family is targeted by his enemies, the aftermath of which demands that the youngest son, Ric, return home and get his life together for his family. From there it is non-stop action, perfectly placed humor, and a ride you don't want to get off of.
The language, especially regarding sex, is particularly vulgar so for those who don't like the F word might find themselves overwhelmed. I am not one of those people and I thought the language made the whole story more believable. These are gangsters so I would have an issue with gangsters who speak like altar boys.
This book had a sort of greater world soap opera feel to it. The head families are the equivalent to royalty with their power and wealth. The story is not very big picture and, like I said, has a soap opera / shakespeare feel to it. The drama and betrayal between the families is what make up the story. It often gets very real and the author does not shy away from any sort of censorship. Good to know before buying this book for a young teen.
Despite these aspects, it is so much more than a thriller / drama. The book in its entirety is a metaphor for what can happen in a society when a select few are given too much power. While it is not the focus of the book, you do get this unjust sense throughout the story.
What a surprise this book was. I was expecting the typical mafia/erotic romance read and instead found that and much more within it's 450 odd pages. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, pant or all of the above. Magic and supernatural mixed with futuristic sci-fi, this book has a little bit of everything for every reader. Jordan Petrarca is a new author for me, but will watch with bated breath for the next book from this author.
I was offered this selection from book sprout for an honest review.