Salt & Venom

Blood, Bloom, & Water #2

by Amy McNulty

An emboldened merman. The daring girl who agreed to be his champion. The upcoming battle that threatens to change everything they believe in.

Ivy Sheppard never wanted the ability to turn into a mermaid—though her wicked ice powers are nothing to sneeze at. Now her step-sister is her enemy, the fairy she once trusted may not be the ally she hoped for, and her new boyfriend wants her to transfer schools to avoid the vampires taking over Union High. Between dodging parents’ concerns, pretending she can stand to even look at the step-sister who sided with the bloodsuckers, and still aiming to end it all without violence, Ivy is in over her head. Unfortunately, these ancient enemies are itching to get the conflict started and Ivy may have no choice but to become the warrior the merfolk need her to be.

The second book in the Blood, Bloom, & Water series starts the war between fangs and fins in earnest as the merfolk plan their assault to bring down the unnatural undead vampires once and for all.

262 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2018

About the author

Amy McNulty is an editor and author of books that run the gamut from YA speculative fiction to contemporary romance. A lifelong fiction fanatic, she fangirls over books, anime, manga, comics, movies, games, and TV shows from her home state of Wisconsin. When not editing her clients’ novels, she’s busy fulfilling her dream by crafting fantastical worlds of her own.

Reviews

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Amy McNulty!

Salt & Venom focuses on Ivy’s story as the mermaid champion. Ivy never wanted to be the mermaid champion, but she had to because her step-sister is the vampire champion.

Salt & Venom is the second book in the Blood, Bloom & Water series and I really liked this one. I even think that this book is better than the first book, Fangs & Fins. I remember not really liking the double perspective and Salt & Venom is only in Ivy’s perspective.

I think that the pace of this book was faster than Fangs & Fins, and I really enjoyed reading it. I read this story pretty quickly because I kept on reading because I really liked it, and I didn’t have that feeling with Fangs & Fins.

I also want to mention the epic plot twist at the end of the book. I really didn’t see it coming and I thought this book was going to end differently. I still hope that somehow everyone can accept each other and live next to each other. But who knows?

Salt & Venom was an amazing sequel and I cannot wait to read Iron & Aqua!

[Tiffany Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emboldened merman and the girl who has agreed to become his champion face an upcoming battle that threatens to destroy everything they both hold dear. Ivy Shepherd never wanted the ability to turn into a mermaid, or the struggle to hold onto her form when in water that comes along with it. She has to admit, though, that her ice powers have come in handy a time or two in defending herself and the other merfolk from the vampires. Her stepsister has become her enemy as they both face a battle between the merfolk and the vampires that will decide the survival of one of the groups and the extinction of the other. Her stepsister, Ember, has become her enemy, having chosen to become the vampire champion. The fairy she trusted to be an unbiased observer may not be the ally that he originally seemed to be. And she's finding herself having to keep secrets from her parents and pretend there's nothing going on between herself and Ember. Calder, her merman boyfriend, wants her to transfer schools to Union High because her current school is also the school where the vampires are attending. Ivy is still hoping to resolve everything between herself and Ember without violence, but the ancient enemies are anxious for everything to get sorted out, once and for all. Ivy may have no choice about being the champion the merfolk need to survive.

Honestly, I enjoyed Salt & Venom just as much as, if not more than I did Fangs & Fins. You get a lot more insight into both the vampires and the merfolk, as well as getting to know Ivy, Ember, their friends, and their families better. The action just flowed perfectly in this story. The only thing I would have changed is I would have liked if it switched back and forth between Ivy's and Ember's points of view as the first book did. I kept finding myself wondering how Ember was feeling about the way things were occurring and her place in this ancient battle. I also found myself liking one group way more than the other as I felt the other was manipulative and withholding valuable information from their champion. I'd say which one I mean but that would give too much away about the story. There were twists and turns in the plot that genuinely surprised me and I enjoyed that. Honestly, I can't wait to read book three because I never would have seen the way this one ended and I absolutely must see what happens to both groups and their champions. This series is the perfect example of Amy's writing and how incredibly talented she is.

I'd like to thank Amy McNulty for providing me with an electronic copy of this wonderful story. I understand that receiving the book in this manner does not obligate me to leave a positive review and all opinions expressed within this review are entirely my own.

[Jennifer Trethewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The war between the Merfolk and Vampires continues in Amy McNulty’s YA sequel to Fangs & Fins. I always love when a second book in a series tops the previous book in suspense and conflict. Without revealing any spoilers, Ivy’s responsibility as Merfolk Champion becomes complicated. Nothing and no one is who they seem to be. Who can she trust? And how can she come out on top without losing any family members! Excellent sequel!

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy for an honest review. I think Ivy is the only sane one in this whole debacle. She also seems to have more of a "spark" with Orin than Calder and I'd suggest they be together instead if he weren't such a conniving backstabber. But Orin is still probably my favorite character just because he's so quirky. I feel for Ivy though. It seems like the more she starts to get close to someone, the more likely they are to betray her. The impending battle seems to be shaping up to be more than anyone expects it to be and I'm anxious at finding out how it ends. Can't wait for the next one!

[Kalli Bunch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is WAY better than the first one, and I didn't know that was possible. Fangs & Fins was fantastic, but Salt & Venom is brilliant! It picks up from where the first one left off, so there are no lingering questions, no wondering if you missed anything. Not only that, but you're going to be glued to the pages. So much exciting stuff happens. I'm definitely NOT team Calder. He's a world class coward. But I also have some reservations about Dean. Things haven't quite been cleared up yet. But then out of the blue, you're going to be hit with the ultimate twist that you definitely won't see coming. It's going to rock your world.

[bookgeek607 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure where to begin, but I guess I will with wow! Such a good sequel to the Blood, Bloom, & Water series. We jump back in with Ivy and Ember being the champions for the Vampires and the Mermaids. With so many emotions, the balance of morals, what is truth, what is going to change the game forever, and where do they go next. Amy McNulty sucks you in and keeps you swimming from page to page as their battle begins. What they don’t know is the sucker punch in the end. The only sad part to this book is we have to wait until 2019 to get our next hit. Great original read for any YA fantasy lover for sure,

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ember, Ivy, Orin oh my!!! What an action packed book. Anytime that I thought I knew what was happening things would swing a totally unexpected way. The twists and turns keep me turning the pages and not able to put the book down. The character development was amazing in this book not only with the main characters but we find out and see more of the supporting characters. Another great installment in the Fins & Fangs series.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the story continues of Ivy and Calder. Ivy is the champion of Prince Calder. Can she battle her stepsister, who is the champion of the vampire prince, to the end? Is she doing the right thing siding with the mer people? What a battle lies ahead. Great, great story. Loved it.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle continues in this very entertaining sequel. The second installment focuses on the water champion, Ivy as she tried to process the battle and figure how to compete against her step-sister. Full of action and some big twists.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a story. A Merman, a girl who’s his champion. Totally different type of writing for me. Happy to be introduced to this style. Couldn’t get enough.

[Colette Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Becky Price]

Review soon...