Review: Black Bullet

Black Bullet by L.D. Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Word.

It is official: I have another series addiction. I feared such would be the case when I finished Releasing the Demons a couple of days ago, but after reading Black Bullet I know without a doubt that I will be jumping on each and every book that is realised in this series. Seriously, The Order of The Senary is promising to be a truly mind blowing series. I could rant and rave about how addicted I am, but the short and simple explanation is that I’m well and truly in love.

Whilst I’m being short and simple about my feelings towards the series, I’m not going to be short and simple in explaining why I enjoyed this book. Releasing the Demons had me writing up a lengthy fangirl review, and the same is going to happen here. I would apologise, yet it’s a book that requires gushing.

As with Releasing the Demons, Black Bullet is a great paranormal romance set in a dystopian style future where vampires and hybrids run amuck. We’re giving the same main group of characters from the first book, along with being introduced to some new individuals. The way in which the story is told means the book works perfectly fine as a standalone novel and you can enjoy it in such a way should you wish; however, I would recommend you do read the prior book. There is an underlying story that seems to be playing a prominent role in where things are heading, and I’m sure a lot of things we get to see are suggestions of where the series will head in the future. I don’t wish to say anything specific, but if things are heading where I’m hoping they’re heading, we’re in for some real action packed books in the future.

More action packed than this one – and trust me when I say Black Bullet was filled with action.

From the get-go, the story is moving forward. I admit that it took me longer to be pulled into Black Bullet than Releasing the Demons, but once Black Bullet had pulled me in I found it even harder to put down. There’s a massive internal debate as to which of the two books are my favourite, and I’ll come back to that shortly, but all in all I think Black Bullet had more action than Releasing the Demons. Both are high-octane action stories, both pull you deep into the world, yet Black Bullet seemed to pack a harder punch. There was more fighting, there was more shooting, there was more guts and gore – it just seemed to have a little bit more. Every scene was infused with some kind of action, ensuring your heart was pumping. It didn’t help that every chapter left with you wanting more, making it impossible to put the book down. So yeah, all in all, there’s so much happening in this one.

Back to my debate regarding which of the two books I loved the most. This is liable to become a bit rambled, so I apologise in advance. I blame all the emotions the two books have brought about.

First off, both books are very strong four-star ratings. They’re both flickering around the four-point-five line, leaving me positive that one of the future books will pull a five star rating out of me. Trust me when I say those things are hard to receive. I haven’t given a five star rating in months, and I really did consider it with this one. It just wasn’t quite there, much in the same way Releasing the Demons had me contemplating a five star rating. However, they had me contemplating for two very different reasons.

You see, part of me favours Releasing the Demons because I loved the chemistry between the main characters. They were wonderful, and I’m so glad I got to see more of them in Black Bullet. Honestly, my face lit up whenever they made an appearance. I honestly cannot remember a couple I loved as much as those two. However, I loved the way in which the romance developed within Black Bullet. It took me a while to fall in love with the couple, but when it happened it hit me so hard. It was the kind of punch you cannot dodge, hitting you right where it hurts the most. Their romance developed in the way I love: it was slow going, it had ups and downs, and there were so many emotions infused that I’m sure I’m still dealing with the backlash. By the end of the story, I started to question whether they were my new favourite couple. They’re close, I’ll admit that, but they don’t quite beat the couple from the first book. That being said, I favour their story. Now can you see my problem? I’m a ball of mess when trying to decide which couple I love more. I love them both, for very different reasons.

It’s not even a case of the romantic storyline being the reason for my love: it’s the overall storyline. Releasing the Demons was a wonderful storyline, offering everything I could ask for. It was dark and gritty, it was full of action, it had emotions on both ends of the spectrum, and it had a cast I fell in love with. Black Bullet takes all of these things and amplifies them. The storyline is just as dark and gritty, if not more so, filled with troubled pasts and present ghosts. As I’ve already said, the action doesn’t let up. The emotions are so raw, and I’ve already mentioned my emotional backlash. The cast is even better because we get to find out so much more.

In fact, one of my favourite aspects is the development of the cast.

We were introduced to the group in the first book, but they really came alive in this one. I’m not sure whose story I wish to read next, as I’m in love with all of them. There are a couple I’m overly interested in reading about, in understanding better… but I think the one I want most will be held off until the end. I feel as though that will be the story that wraps everything together nicely. The fact I’m even looking that far ahead shows how much the characters developed in this one – they all became so much more in this one, allowing me to contemplate where the future will go for them. I doubt all my theorising is correct, but whatever happens I know I’m in for the long run. I need to know where this series goes; I need to know how every character’s story plays out.

I just need more. More of everything this series is offering.

Honestly, I really could go on forever about this one. It’s wonderful. I’m already anxiously awaiting the next book, eager to see whether I’m going to be given that five star read I feel is sitting just beyond the horizon. Because, seriously, this one was so close to that five stars. The emotions, the development, and the addiction I experienced – my words cannot do the book justice, especially when I’m doing nothing more than spilling my fangirl heart all over the place.

The only reason it didn’t quite get that full five star rating is because it took me a while to be pulled in. Yes, it was an interesting story; however, it didn’t quite grab me as quickly as the first book did. Moreover, I still feel as though there is some explaining to be done. There was a lot more explaining about the world in this one, yet I’m still missing answers to some very big questions. Part of me believes things will slowly be revealed throughout the series, yet certain parts of me wish the answers were there just so I could better understand the world.

Just two tiny things, showing how I really am harsh when it comes to holding off my five star ratings. In fact, I’m sure most will give this a five star rating – especially when anyone who enjoyed the first book is bound to absolutely adore this one. I cannot stress enough, it’s a brilliant addition to the series and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Sign me up to reading book three as soon as possible, because I need more!

So, the short of it: I’m a fan, and you can be sure of more fangirling from me when the next book is released.

As a final note, I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review. Book one gave you a fan, and book two has pushed me over into the land of obsession. Well done!

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