Horror
📝 First Impressions
I first came across The Blood Lives through Lee Isserow’s ABAM project — A Book A Month. At the time, I was not really familiar with ARCs or with the whole idea of receiving advance copies directly from authors or publishers, so the concept felt completely new to me.
The idea behind ABAM was ambitious: Lee Isserow was writing a book every month, and readers could sign up to receive an advance copy. Looking back now, when ARCs feel like such a normal part of the book world, it is funny to remember that I had barely encountered the concept then. The Blood Lives was one of the books I discovered through that project, so it has a slightly special place in my reading history for that reason alone.
What I remember most clearly is that I went into it with very few expectations. I was not following a huge publishing campaign, I did not know much about the book beforehand, and I was not reading it because everyone else was talking about it. I was simply curious about the project and about what kind of book could come out of such an unusual writing schedule.
And the book surprised me.
There was something immediately intriguing about the atmosphere and the darker tone of the story. It felt different enough to catch my attention, and once I was in, I wanted to know where it was going. The premise had that slightly unsettling quality I enjoy in horror, where you can sense that something is wrong before you fully understand what it is.
Years later, I may not remember every plot detail, but I still remember enjoying the experience and being glad I had taken a chance on it. More than anything, The Blood Lives reminds me of a period when I was still discovering how many different ways there were to encounter books beyond simply buying them after release.
💜 What I Loved
What I liked most about The Blood Lives was the atmosphere. There was a constant sense that something was not quite right, and that kind of unease is exactly what I want from horror. The book did not need to rely entirely on shock value to keep me interested; the tension came from the feeling that the characters were moving through something darker than they fully understood.
I also enjoyed the fact that the story felt compact and focused. Considering that it came out of a project built around writing a book every month, I might have expected something rougher or more obviously rushed, but that was not the impression I was left with. The book had enough structure and momentum to keep me reading, and I remember being pleasantly surprised by how well it worked.
Another thing I appreciated was the sense of discovery around the whole reading experience. Because I had received it through ABAM and was still new to the idea of ARCs, there was something exciting about reading a book before it had become widely familiar. That made the experience feel a little more personal, almost like being let in early on something that was still finding its audience.
And most importantly, I genuinely enjoyed the story. Even if the details have faded with time, the overall impression has not. I remember The Blood Lives as a dark, engaging read that made me curious enough to keep turning the pages and left me feeling that signing up for ABAM had absolutely been worth it.
🤔 What Didn’t Quite Work for Me
Because I read The Blood Lives so many years ago, I do not want to invent specific criticisms that I can no longer honestly remember. What I do know is that I rated it highly rather than perfectly, so there must have been a few things that kept it from completely blowing me away.
If I had to describe the overall feeling now, I would say that the book worked very well as an atmospheric, engaging horror read, but it did not leave me with the same level of detail or emotional impact as the books that become absolute favourites. I remember the mood and the fact that I enjoyed it more clearly than I remember individual scenes or characters.
That does not mean the story failed. Quite the opposite. I remember being entertained and intrigued all the way through. It simply feels, in hindsight, like a book that delivered a very good reading experience rather than one that completely changed the way I thought about the genre.
And given the context in which I read it — as part of an ambitious one-book-a-month project — I think that is still a strong result.
👥 Who Would Enjoy This Book
The Blood Lives would probably work best for readers who enjoy horror with a strong sense of unease rather than stories that rely only on gore or constant shocks. If you like books where the atmosphere does a lot of the work and where something feels wrong before you fully understand why, this should be a good fit.
It may also appeal to readers who enjoy discovering lesser-known authors or books outside the usual publishing spotlight. Part of the charm for me was exactly that sense of finding something through Lee Isserow’s ABAM project rather than through a big release campaign or a wave of hype.
Readers who like compact, fast-moving horror will probably appreciate it too. The story does not feel as though it is trying to become an enormous epic; it is more focused, more contained, and easy to get through without losing momentum.
On the other hand, if you need very deep character development or a horror novel that leaves a massive emotional scar, this may feel lighter than that. My own memory is of a book I enjoyed a lot rather than one that completely overwhelmed me.
For readers who want something dark, engaging and a little off the beaten path, though, The Blood Lives is definitely worth a look.
💭 Final Thoughts
The Blood Lives is one of those books I remember not because every scene stayed perfectly clear, but because the overall reading experience did. I remember enjoying it, being intrigued by the atmosphere and feeling that it had been worth taking a chance on a book I had discovered through such an unusual project.
The ABAM context is probably part of why it still stands out to me. At the time, I was not familiar with ARCs, so receiving a book in advance felt like stepping into a completely different side of reading. Looking back now, that makes The Blood Lives feel tied not only to the story itself, but also to a moment when I was discovering how the book world worked beyond simply picking something up after publication.
As a horror novel, it gave me enough tension, darkness and unease to keep me interested, and that is ultimately what I wanted from it. It may not have become one of the most unforgettable horror books I have ever read, but it was a strong, enjoyable experience and one I still remember positively years later.
For me, The Blood Lives remains a good example of how taking a chance on something unfamiliar can pay off.
✨ The BookFairy Verdict
The Blood Lives
📖 Book Details
Title: The Blood Lives
Author: Lee Isserow
Series: In the Blood — Book 1
Genre: Horror / Supernatural Horror
Original Language: English
Format: Serialised novel / horror novel
Series Structure: In the Blood is told across four main parts; The Blood Lives is the first.
Format Experienced: ARC / Advance Reader Copy
Edition Reviewed: English ARC received through Lee Isserow’s ABAM (A Book A Month) project
🛒 Buy the Book
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