- Title:
- This Is My Blood
- By:
- M.C. Soutter
- Pages:
- 345
- Rating:
- 5
“Heart-racing pacing and scalpel-sharp prose.”
– Kirkus Reviews
Tyler Acker has been on his own for five years. His parents are dead, and so is nearly everyone else. All of which would be awful enough if any of it were true.
At first, This Is My Blood is a story that seems to describe a new and terrible reality, a tale of two hundred boys and a small group of adult masters surviving together in the wake of an unspeakable global plague. But in the tradition of all great lies, this one holds together only as long as no one picks it up and turns it over. Ultimately, This Is My Blood is a novel about a young man fighting for independence. It is about being allowed to think and act freely, without the threat of retribution, and it explores the deep instinct we all share to strive, to discover our potential and then reach out for it, even at the risk of our own comfort and safety.
Undetectable and the Madman’s Daughter were totally awesome books, so no pressure: but I went in wanting this to be as good.
I think on balance, it was. I was a bit put off at first, it lacked something of the others, but part of that must be distance and time. When I let myself relax into the story and feel for the kids, Souter’s form shone through and, by the end, I was cheering on as loudly as for the climaxes of the other two books. If there were any callbacks I missed them, but a very good read nonetheless if you like this author’s style.