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Book Review: 'Omnipotent Blood: A Sisters in Blood Novel' by C.M. Michaels


Book Review: 'Omnipotent Blood: A Sisters in Blood Novel' by C.M

I have to make a confession: when I first realized that this book was a supernatural vampire novel, I wasn’t particularly thrilled. With the influx of supernatural vampire novels hitting the market since Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, I’ve been avoiding the genre for quite some time. Stock characters of supernatural vampire novels often involve human heterosexual relationships with vampires, and that romance is usually the dramatic focus on the novel. The characters are difficult to relate to, and their personalities are generic at best.

With Omnipotent Blood, C.M. Michaels shattered all my expectations for supernatural vampire novels in the best way. His protagonist Emily, who I will refer to by her coven name, Brooke, is already a vampire as the story unfolds. In fact, as this is the second book in the Sisters in Blood series, a lot of the characters and relationships are already established. Even as someone approaching the series as a newcomer, it was easy to catch up to the feel of the vampire coven that made up Brooke’s family. I floundered a bit at the start, as the novel begins with the fallout of the events that transpired at the end of the first novel, but I soon picked up the thread of Michaels’ writing and followed it easily.

Brooke is a strong-willed and steel-nerved protagonist with a good head on her shoulders. Even though Brooke wasn’t new to the vampire life in Omnipotent Blood, I was able to experience new things with Brooke through her narration. Michaels does an excellent job of embedding information in Brooke’s narrative via her thoughts. I never felt like I was being force-fed information, or that I was reading a vampire textbook of sorts. Instead, it felt like I was learning as I went, and learning as Brooke learned, too.

In Omnipotent Blood, as C.M. Michaels warns before the novel begins, Brooke undergoes a dark and disturbing change. The narration style shift abruptly, keeping in flavor with the headspace that Brooke occupied during this time. It was occasionally uncomfortable to be so intimate with Brooke during this change, but when she came back to herself, I felt like I had traveled through her difficulties with her. It is a further testament to Michaels’ writing that I grew attached to Brooke. As I experienced her worry and love for her family, I began to love and worry for them, too.

There was plenty to worry about, thanks to Michaels’ imaginative world building. Some of the places Brooke travels to in her journeys have been described innumerable times, but still Michaels manages to make these places feel fresh and unique. The creatures Brooke encounters could have been cliché, but Michaels made them complex and interesting. I felt like I was discovering a new type of folklore, complete with fantastic descriptions of terrifying and amazing creatures.

Vampirism in the world of the Sisters in Blood series is also dealt with in a new way. Though their strengths and weaknesses are similar to other renditions of vampiric abilities, Michaels adds his own ideas to the overall cannon of the supernatural vampire genre. The problems that Brooke and her coven sisters deal with, however, are as relatable as any realistic fiction. Brooke has found a sense of belonging with her vampire coven family, and she works to earn their trust and love, all while fighting to protect her family, no matter what the cost to herself. I never felt distant or alienated from Brooke or her sisters on a personal level: their struggles are fundamentally the same struggles of every human being.

Michaels’ writing is never difficult to access, nor did it ever feel like the narrative was watered down. He explores complex issues such as sexuality, faith, and sacrifice without pretense or artificiality. His characters are realistic, complete with their flaws and mistakes and genuine emotions. There are difficult consequences to some of Brooke’s actions, as well-intentioned as they are, and her coven sisters react to these devastating results in ways that feel more believable than contrived. Michaels puts trust in his readers’ ability to suspend their disbelief, and in turn he presents them with a compelling, enthralling narrative. The tradeoff more than pays off, and readers of Omnipotent Blood will find that it continues to resonate with them long after they finish reading.

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