Author: T.K. Roxborogh. Publisher: Penguin Books (3.5/5)
“Do not feel guilty that you do not love me like her. Our union will be another story,
Fleance. I will be a good wife and an excellent queen”.
With this, the reader of Bloodlines is immediately propelled head on into an antagonising choice that a young King must make: to choose between the woman he is supposed to marry and the woman he wishes to marry.
Bloodlines is the second novel in Roxborogh’s trilogy ‘Banquo’s Son’ in which young Fleance suddenly ascends the Scottish throne after the death of King Duncan. In order to strengthen the royal bloodline, his advisers encourage him to marry Princess Rachel, Duncan’s sister. However, Fleance cannot forget his first love - Rosie, a commoner. A love triangle develops and Fleance must deliberate over his duty to his kingdom and the duty to his heart. In addition, he must come to terms with a divided nation plagued by rebels and traitors, a nation which is steeped in fear and terror. When Princess Rachel is abducted before her marriage to Fleance, the king’s position becomes volatile as he struggles to balance his obligations to his kingdom and the desires of his heart.
Admittedly when I first saw the cover I expected yet another clichéd vampire love story. With a title like Bloodlines and the creepy eyes of the Taylor Swift-esque girl, it’s not hard to see why. Nevertheless, I quickly discovered that the book possesses extreme depth and clever characterisation. Roxborogh allows the reader to connect to the protagonist on a highly emotional level. I enjoyed Bloodlines immensely and discovered that a fanatic following of the trilogy exists on online. However perhaps because I joined the trilogy without having read the first novel, I found myself slightly disconnected from the text. Regardless, I recommend this book for anyone after a light read.
Bloodlines
