In this chilling follow-up to Blood Like Mine, one mother faces the ultimate supernatural horror: the monster she must become to protect her child.

El Paso, Texas: Rebecca Carter awoke on a morgue table with only two desires: to find her daughter, Moonflower; and to sate her gnawing hunger. Rebecca sets out on a desperate quest, fighting her murderous craving for blood, and pursued by a vengeful FBI agent.

Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, a young man lures her through the mountain scrub with the scent of human blood, promising he and his little brother will feed her and keep her safe. Somehow these brothers know her nickname—Moonflower—and the truth of what she is. She needs them—but can she trust them?

When FBI Special Agent Sarah McGrath learns that Rebecca Carter’s body has disappeared from the morgue, she’s on the next plane to El Paso. Rebecca is responsible for the death of her partner, and McGrath wants answers, but she never expected them to come from a shadowy figure within the Bureau . . .

In this breathtaking follow-up to Blood Like Mine, Stuart Neville, “Stephen King’s rightful heir” (Will Dean), brings to life the ultimate horror: a mother who has been separated from her daughter, and who can stop at nothing to be reunited.

I read and really enjoyed Blood Like Mine, the first book in this series, a couple of years back, and at the time I had no idea it was set up to be an ongoing series. The book was great but the reveal and the ending had me riveted. This installment picks up almost immediately after the events of the first book and doesn’t slow down from there.

Rebecca wakes up on a morgue table with an overwhelming need to find her daughter Monica, whom she calls Moonflower, and a gnawing hunger she can barely control. She sets off on a desperate search while trying to fight off her new lust for blood. Meanwhile Monica is out in the wild with only a few dogs and coyotes as companions, surviving on whatever small game she can catch. But then a young man and his little brother lure her in with the scent of human blood. Somehow these two already know her nickname and understand exactly what she is. It seems like a lifeline but can she actually trust them? As mother and child desperately try to reconnect, a vengeful FBI agent closes in, looking for revenge and answers. Answers she may not be ready for.

This installment ramps up the stakes considerably, with revenge running through the center of everything. Pacing wise, this book moves fast right out of the gate and never really lets up. The ongoing separation between Rebecca and Monica adds a ticking clock element that kept me turning pages. Every step either of them takes toward finding the other ratchets up the tension because you’re never sure what obstacles or dangers are going to get in the way (and there are plenty).

What I love most about this series is how naturally the paranormal element fits into everything. I didn’t expect the vampire thing coming at all going into the first book, and yet it works completely. Honestly, you could strip the vampirism out and still be left with a genuinely compelling story about a mother doing absolutely everything in her power to protect her daughter. That emotional core is strong enough to carry the series even without the supernatural hook layered on top. But honestly, for vampire lovers like me, the vampire lore adds an extra sweet layer of frosting that elevates everything.

I just got an advance copy of the final book, Blood Like Theirs, through Netgalley, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how this whole story wraps up. If you’re into crime fiction with a paranormal edge, this series is absolutely worth picking up.