The Witch's Blood

By: Michele Notaro

Narrated by: Kenneth Obi

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

I’ve been living with this burden for years, but my secret has finally been revealed, and I feel like I can breathe again. I’ve wanted to ask - to beg - for help, but the spell that’s held me captive wouldn’t allow it. 

With it out in the open, I’m more determined than ever to break the seal from my chest, so I can truly be free. But what if my seal has something to do with one of the most feared prophecies of the millennium?

“A broken seal breaks the fragile hold...” 

What does that mean? How am I connected? And why do I find myself so deeply drawn to Julius when I know my viramore, my soulmate, is out there somewhere? It’s not fair to either of us to lead Jules on, but it seems that my vampire companion is fierce in his determination to help me. 

The Witch’s Blood is the third book in The Ellwood Chronicles and is a continuation of the overall story as we follow Emrys, Julius, Sebastian, and Ailin on their journey. 

Warning: The story contains explicit material and is intended for mature adults 18 years of age and older.

©2019 Michele Notaro (P)2020 Michele Notaro

Not my usual fare but...

Fascinating storytelling and excellent narration! I found the story engrossing despite not having read the previous books.

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And another one ... she done it again ...

And another one ... she done it again ... magical and mysterious and romantic and exciting, What more can you ask for in a book?
Great narrations, Very enjoyable and highly recommendable.

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Can’t wait for what’s next!!

This is one of those pairings that you know works from the first utterance of a syllable. First of all if you haven’t checked out Enchanters Flame and Enchanters Soul, book one and two, then you should totally stop what you’re doing and pick them up!! Kenneth did remarkably well on both of those titles by Michele Notaro.

So Witch’s Blood is more about Emrys and Jules than it is Seb and Ailin but we still get bits of them. They are essential to the story progression.

Something that usually bothers me about series on audio books, sometimes the narrator changes a voice, not in any big way but it just listens different. Kenneth does a fantastic job of using the same voice per character through all three of the books in this series!

By the way, production on this sucker was ridiculously amazing! I can’t wait to hear more!!

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loved it

A great addition to the series....
The story still follows the rest of the series but the main focus is on Emrys and Julius relationship. Which I love because at first you couldn't help but that Emrys but as the story unfolds in the series you want to just wrap him in a blanket.
I don't know how many more books are planned for the series... But it seems were reaching a the climax, and.things are about to get crazy... I can't wait.
Kenneth Obi does justice to the characters and brings them to life. I just couldn't stop listening.

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exciting and spellbounding (pun intended)

Warning This is a book three in the Ellwood Chronicles series and you must read in order I also suggest if it's been a while since you read to the last book you freshen up as this takes off immediately and also mentions things that are in Emrys's past.
Emrys and Julius have been lovers for a while, though Emrys is searching for his viramoure (soulmate). He wants his seal broken and he and Julius go searching for a hag that can help, though that means seeking out one of Julius, made vampires.
In this book, we also get Julius backstory which is so good on its own. It is like getting several stories in one book, Their quest, the overlying storyline of the war and protecting the world, Julius's backstory, the romance between the two and more of Seb and Ailin.
The story is funny, sad, terrifying in parts and just a great emotional rollercoaster. Lots of feels of all kinds.
I highly recommend it if you can get them to get the narrations. Kenneth obi adds so more action and emotion with his voice that it adds another element to the book as well. Something I feel reading alone just doesn't do. When it began, he scared the bejeezus out of me with the dark scary voice of the opening passage, I am so glad I wasn't sitting in the dark! Then, in the end, I was listening away for the action and boom... there comes that creepy scary voice!
If you like supernatural, witches, monsters, soul-mates and a fabulous romance this is for you... warning it does end on cliffhangers.

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Keeps getting better

This book continues the journey of Sebastian and Ailin but also Julius and Emrys. I love how Ailin and Sebastian want Emrys back in the family and how welcoming they to Julius, who is a vampire. This book is intense action packed, there's so much going on. If you love paranormal romance, this series is not to be missed. I highly recommend this book and series and can't wait for more.
Narrator Kenneth Obi continues to do an amazing job in bringing these characters to life.

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So much excitement!

There is an otherworldly quality to the writing that drags right into the adventure. Action and battles and don't forget that most epic death scene. No spoilers, just let me say I cried when I read it and I cried when I listened to it. Loved every minute! Mr. Obi, once again you managed to capture the emotion and voice quality of every character! Well done!

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Great!

This book is amazing, Jules and Emrys stole my heart! I like the multiple POV, I really enjoy the story of each character and of course Kenneth Obi did a great job narrating this book. I truly enjoy the voices he has chosen for all the characters and He really is capable of bringing this characters to life, I confess that I was a mess and I ugly cry in some of the more emotional parts of the story, I can’t wait for the last book. I highly recommended this audiobook!!!

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The Witch's Blood

Omg this audio book was absolutely positively amazing. I would highly recommend this audio book.

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Spellbinding

Another amazing book by Michele Notaro and performance by Kenneth Obi. A heart stopping story that will leave you white knuckled and the way Kenneth does the absolute heart shattering scene will have you reaching for tissues. Warning: Don't listen when your driving, the pain that he allows his voice to create will shatter your heart and cause tears. Michele delivered another story that makes you crave the connections her main characters have either as viramores or family.

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One word...Amazing

So we know Julius and Emrys from the other books in the series. And see how protective they are of each other. Both of them, and all of Ailin’s coven are still recovering from the happenings in the last book. Adding to that they’re trying to sort out the seal that Emrys has (that links into the reason he and Ailin weren’t friends or coven-mates any more).

I love how we got input and to see the POV from not only both Jules and Emrys but Seb and Ailin too. I loved Ailin’s protectiveness (even if his attitude to Jules frustrated me a bit after a while), how Seb calms Ailin down, and Emrys and Jules together. I love all Ailin’s kids (Jorah and Thayer are my faves, Basil is hilarious), and the witch’s Bonded Ones. Jules and Emrys’ pasts broke my heart - they went through so much.

As always Kenneth Obi’s narrating of the series is spot on. He is amazing at these characters and makes me feel like I’m experiencing a fantastic book for the first time (when really I’ve read it because I need to read a book before I listen). Michele Notaro’s writing is superb I’ve devoured each of these books and the last in the series was one of my most eagerly awaited in recent times. In one word...amazing.

So good

I’m so looking forward to the next book in this series :) and I love all of the many characters and the ongoing story and all the love and oh I hope Tobias and the teens find their Vera mores (I’m sure I spelled that wrong ). Looking forward to the final battle but also not. The narration I just felt like I was feeling what they were feeling.

My favorite in the series so far!

First things first, you absolutely need to read, or better yet, listen to the first two books in the series before starting with The Witch's Blood. Not only is there a continuing storyline, but most of the characters show up in all the books and you will be very lost otherwise.

I am not fond of multiple POVs in books (as in more than 2), I've mentioned this before in my reviews—and, frankly, unless it's in books like The Metahuman Files by Hailey Turner, I have little patience for it—I will admit that I have a new book to add to my exceptions, because I absolutely loved having Emerys and Julius's perspective, additionally to Seb and Ailin's. It worked great and in a complex story like this one, it was absolutely needed to get all the nuances in what was happening with the main plot.

I adored Julius and I think after listening to The Witch's Blood, he has become my favorite character in the series. I still love Ailin to bits, but Julius and how selfless and loving and caring and willing to do whatever he needed for Emerys, even when he felt he had no chance with him, just won me over, and then when I listened to all he went through? I fell head over heels in love for him, at the same time that my heart was breaking. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Emerys, mostly because he could be so headstrong and it annoyed me that he was resolved to keeping Julius at arm's length. Once he started thawing his attitude toward Julius and not only accepting his gestures of love, but reciprocating and even starting them on his own, my opinion of him changed drastically. The chemistry between Emerys and Julius was exceptional and I adored them together.

I loved Ailin and Seb, too. Their relationship has progressed so much in the course of the series and it was great to see them so well attuned to each other now that Seb has come into his own powers.

It was great catching up with Alex and the kids, although I still want to strangle Basil every single time he's in a scene. Grrrr! I have a theory about him and I can't wait to see what Michele has in store for him in the next and last installment. Oooh, and I adore Toby, he sounded like such a sweet gentle giant of a vamp.

Kenneth Obi did a fabulous job with all the voices, but his Julius just about made me melt in a puddle of Mari-goo, LOL. And I loved the special effects he's adding in certain parts of the books, they really add up to the overall experience.

Overall, this was my favorite book in the series so far. It was engaging, fast-paced, action-packed, chockful with romance, fantasy and a fantastic, well thought out, captivating plot that just keeps getting better with each new book. I already have the last one in my Kindle, and while you can be sure I'll pick up the last book when it comes out in audio, I don't think I have the fortitude to wait until then to read the thrilling conclusion to this amazing series.

Brilliant!

I absolutely loved this book.It grabbed my attention straight from the start,confirming my love for these types of books.
I highly recommend this and I can't wait for the next book.
Kenneth Obi has done a magnificent job of bringing these characters to life.
I don't like to give any spoilers for books but,if,like me,you love books like The Lord Of The Rings,The Shannara Chronicles then give this a go. You will not be disappointed.

Loved it!

I think like everyone, I was very excited to listen to Book 3. This is such an amazing, magical world! We finally get some answers from the first two books but now I need more. This begins where The Enchanter’s Soul finished. We learn about Emry’s seal and his part in the prophecy.

Wow, Kenneth Obi really knows how to bring these characters to life- his passion seeps through! I don’t know how he keeps all the voices straight in his head when he records but I feel like I’m right in the moment with these characters. The timing and narration was perfect!

Can't wait for the last book!

My Magical Seal of Approval...

Let me just start off by saying that Kenneth Obi and his wonderful wife, Breha, gave me a free audiobook copy of The Witch’s Blood by Michele Notaro. They were more than happy to give a few available copies away to interested people in return for honest opinions of not only the novel but also the narration. I’d like to point out because I was given the audiobook version of this story, I am unaware of any problems with the text of the book such as punctuation errors, misspellings, etc. With that said, the following review is my honest opinion of my listening experience.

Before I jump into my thoughts about the author’s side of things, I’d like to talk about the narrator, Kenneth Obi. I’ve loved Ken’s work from the first time that I listened to one of his books. I’m not just praising this man’s work because he gave me a free copy of the book. I’m actually really picky when it comes to narrators. He’s just great at what he does and I’ve not been disappointed yet. He’s amazing at distinguishing between the characters with different accents and voices so that you have an idea of who is talk or thinking about something. Ken is also great at bringing scenes to life with the passion he puts into his voice acting. If a scene or character is emotional, you’re going to feel it! It’s not uncommon for Kenneth to bring you to tears, make you laugh, or feel the snark of the characters. He brings that energy to this narration, making you really feel for the characters and experience the scenes. One comment I do have is that there were a few times when the audio didn’t match up perfectly. I should have made notes of it, but I forgot. It’s almost as if he did another take on something he wasn’t quite happy with and the two pieces didn’t match up exactly. It’s not really a big deal for me, but I guess some people might momentarily be bothered by it. Other than that, I have nothing but good things to say about Ken’s narration of The Witch’s Blood. He did a wonderful job throughout the whole series!

Now...onto the story!

The Witch’s Blood is an enjoyable addition to the Ellwood Chronicles. It’s the third installment that picks up where The Enchanter’s Soul leaves off, only this time focusing on Emrys’ seal and his part in the prophecy. The overall development of the plot thus far has been done fairly well, giving the novels an intriguing appeal that draws the reader/listener in. Michele Notaro, in my opinion, has done a good job of creating this alternate reality where magic, myth, and folklore come together within the human world. I’ve found the author’s take on many of the creatures, beasts, and beings very interesting throughout all three books. She’s given everything in this series her own unique spin and I can definitely appreciate that.

One thing I do have to point out is that sometimes certain characters come across as petulant. They aren’t so childish that I’m completely put off of them, but they do test my patience. For example, let’s take a look at Sebastian. Throughout this entire series, he’s been bothered, scared, annoyed, or disgusted by multiple little creatures despite Ailin assuring him they’re safe. I will admit that Sebastian wasn’t as bad in this book as he was in the first two. I’m sure some people find Seb’s antics cute, but I just found them annoying after a while. Another example is Basil’s behavior. Oh good Goddess above, there were moments when I wanted to shake some sense into the boy. He was quickly becoming just another name on my shitlist until the scene with the gremlins where he sort of redeemed himself. Then, at the end of the book after earning back some of my love, he has to act out again with not only Thayer but impressionable young Jorah as well. It left me shaking my damn head and agreeing with Ailin about locking them up in separate rooms.

It was great seeing the relationship development between Emrys and Julius in this book. I already knew there was something there between them, but it was good to find out just what their relationship was and what they meant to one another. The author did a great job of creating a pull to, not only Emrys and Jules but also Zrak due to all of their troubled pasts. Julius suffered for years as a bloodslave to his sire. He lost people and saw those he cared about tortured at the hands of a truly evil being. Emrys and Zrak, on the other hand, endured torment from the Berserkers to protect their coven. They both experienced so much pain, loss, and loneliness thanks to the Berserkers. In my opinion, they deserve to find some joy in life and the author was good enough to let them all have a little happiness.

We get to know quite a few previously known characters a little better as well as meet some new ones. Tobias, one of the troubled fledglings of Julius is the most prominent new character to me. We hear mentions of Julius’ other two fledglings, Cassara and Nessa, which we will probably see in the series soon. We get a better feeling of Zrak’s personality which I was super happy about. Zrak, as Emrys’ bonded Hellhound interested me from the start but felt a bit flat until this book. We discover that Zammerra is a stonecold killer when it comes to protecting Seb. Ailin also lets us see how much he loves his kids even when they are driving him mental. I will say that I was a bit disappointed that the other younger coven members weren’t mentioned very much. I felt like they could have played a bigger part as well but were brushed aside in favor of more prominent characters. Yes, I supposed this book was mostly focused on Em and Jules, but they still could have been mentioned considering how much Em loves those kids.

Overall this was a good book. There was m/m romance, drama, affection, sadness, action, smexy times, love and everything in between! The next novel is sure to be a great continuation of the series, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for that in the future. I’ll sum up this review by saying if you’re into magical and/or mythical beings, give this series a go. You might just find it as intriguing as I did once you start reading/listening.

Fantastic story and perfect narration!

Another fantastic addition to the Ellwood Chronicles! Definitely a series that has to be read in order.
This third outing is mostly from Emrys and Julius POVs for the first time and as Ailin spent so long angry at Emrys, and with Emrys having such a huge secret that he's unable to tell, it makes for amazingly interesting reading. We get his thoughts on feelings on past actions, secrets and relationships as well as what's going on with the coven he thought of as his family for so long. He also now has a friendship, maybe more, with Julius who is a vampire which of course means that Ailin is immediately distrustful. Change is coming closer for everyone though, personally and with the supernatural community.
There is a lot of drama going on throughout this whole book! It's emotional as we see Ailin try to recover his friendship with Emry after learning the truth of the seal that binds him. There's plenty of guilt, fear and sadness to go around for all characters involved but there are a lot of touching moments that bring life to the men as well. The attempts to rekindle the relationship as a family are sweet and heartwarming, especially as we read Sebastian have a lot of input towards the normally surly and snarky Ailin. Jules is new to the dynamic but it's clear right from the start how much he and Emrys care for each other, even when they can't see it themselves. There's heat and a deep connection there that just gets stronger as they face more trials.
So much is going on in The Witch's Blood which brings insight into some of what has gone on already in the series and gets us closer to what I can only imagine to be a near apocalyptic event if the "bad guys" have their way.
I'm excited to see how we move forward, especially with what happens right at the end of this book. I cannot recommend this enough. Fans of the series will love it and anyone looking for a new mystery, action packed, paranormal romance needs to find book one in this series and dive right in!
Kenneth shines as a narrator with this book, giving perfect voices to so many different characters and really bringing across the emotions that Emrys, Jules and occasionally Ailin and Sebastian go through. With so much drama in their past, present and future, Kenneth gives listeners the chance to experience it right along with the characters. A narrator that has clearly come on leaps and bounds and I can't wait to hear the final book in the series.

Fantastic

A fantastic story taking you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The characters are well rounded and believable and I love this take on magic and the paranormal world. This is the third book in the series and I can't wait for the next one.

Ken's dulcet tone wraps you up in the story, he is such a great narrator it is so easy to immerse yourself into it, so that you feel like you are there. The audio brings another level to reading the books.

If you enjoy magic and paranormal I highly recommend this series, you do need to listen to books 1 and 2 first.

Hats off to Ken's fantastic narration, so good.

Michele and Kenneth did it again

The Witch’s Blood is book 3 in the Elwood Chronicles by Michele Notaro and it is narrated by Kenneth Obi. Every time I think this series is just the best it can be, it gets better. Book 3 is by far my fav out of the 3 books in the series thus far. I said this in a previous review about book 2, but I generally only care about the main characters. Sometimes the side characters are background noise, others are certainly more interesting, but I don’t usually find myself this attached to them. This series has changed that for me, so much so that I may enjoy those minor characters just as much as the main ones and I want to know what happens to every single one. Emrys was one of these characters for me. He was introduced in book 1 as the ex, but I didn’t necessarily like him or the conflict he brought, but now, oh how I love him. He’s flawed, yet so very genuine and his love for his coven and for Jules, is something magical (in this case, both literally and figuratively). I also love the chemistry between him, and Jules, as well as the interactions with Seb and Ailin. Some of my favorite scenes are actually between Ailin and Jules because that protective and dominant instinct that they both have, makes for some fantastic and sarcastic scenes. It's like a verbal game of football.

I can 100% say that this is my favorite book that Kenneth has ever done. The reason I love those side characters and I love the banter between all of them is because of his narration. The author may write the words, but he gives these characters a voice that just makes the story that much more enjoyable and it truly elevates the universe that Michele Notaro created. I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who loves magic, romance and mythical folklore. Just make sure to start at book 1.

Gripping!

Wow!?! Notaro’s third book is intense! Obi’s knack for narration adds magic to this tale. I found myself going through a barrage of emotions as Obi’s narration can induce. Truly an enthralling story.