Barb & .J.C. Hendee, Traitor to the Blood

Traitor to the Blood

Barb & .J.C. Hendee

Roc, Jan 2005, $23.95, 368 pp.

ISBN 0451460669

Magiere is a dhampire, born of a human mother and a vampire father. Her birth involved the death of five different species including an elven and a dwarf because she was brought into being for a specific purpose known only to her father. He searches for an orb that will allow him not to need human blood but his dreams tell him that for his quest to be successful he needs a dhampire. At the moment, Magiere's father and a companion follow her and her lover into Lord Darmouth's province in the Warlands.

Leesil was an assassin, slave and spy for Lord Darmouth as were his parents but one day he got fed up with the atrocities he committed and ran away. He needs to know if his parents still live and expects to find the answers in his home province. A friend tells Leesil that his elven mother and human father were last seen running into the lower levels of Lord Darmouth's keep. Leesil, Magiere, the sage Wynn and the fae dog Chap investigate this puzzle. None of the band knows that two opposing forces, the vampire and elves, are maneuvering them and danger doesn't just come just from Darmouth but from enemies they don't even know exist.

Magiere and Leesil are two outcasts who are on a quest that puts them against people who have different plans for them. There is a lot of intrigue in TRAITOR TO THE BLOOD which is one of the reasons it is so hard to put down. Readers finally learn a lot about Leesil's past and his homeland is reminiscent of the old Soviet Union as he and his fellow travelers try to find out what happened to his family. The love that Leesil and Magiere share gets them through some dangerous events. Readers will eagerly await the next book in this terrific series.

Harriet Klausner