Blood of my Blood (Jasper Dent #3) by Barry Lyga

Age Range: YA
Pages: 480
Publication Date:
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Genre: YA/Thriller/Murder Mystery

Rating: 5

The final book in this thrilling, terrifying series by New York Times bestselling author Barry Lyga is perfect for fans of Dexter.

Jazz Dent has been shot and left to die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is the true monster?

The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.

My Thoughts:

After the cliffhanger at the end of Game, the second book in the Jasper Dent series, I had to get my hands on the final book, Blood of my Blood.  In fact, no sooner had I finished Game then I rented the audiobook from my local library. I had to know what happened to Jazz, but I was also really nervous.  I really enjoyed the first two books and was worried that I wouldn't like the ending.  My expectations were insanely high; thank goodness the book met and even surpassed my expectations.

This book had a different feel from the first two.  It was dark and gory but in a different way.  It wasn't Jazz going after some random killer, instead, he is facing his father and his past.  This book sees a more brutal and darker Jazz.  In many ways, he loses his grip on his emotions and the reader gets to see the possibilities of what Jazz's future could be: a murderer.   Connie and Howie, remain amazing characters.  They are both so loyal to Jazz even when they have every reason to turn their backs on him, they remain steadfast.  This series honestly has some of the best characters I have ever seen in a YA novel.

As with this entire series, this book's pacing was perfect.  It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and that is not an easy feat with an almost 500-page book.  I can't say too much without giving away the plot, but man was it a RIDE.  It was a never-ending series of twists and turns that I never saw coming, and the epilogue was everything.  It really gave me as a reader a solid and resolved to end to the story.  That being said, as a reader,  I feel it is important to give future readers a trigger warning for sexual abuse.  This book takes a really dark turn concerning sexual abuse of a minor that may not be suitable for some readers.

My Thoughts on the Audiobook:

I was thrilled to find out that the entire series was narrated by the same author.  It gives the series a uniform feel when listening to the audiobooks. The voices of the characters remain constant, and for me as a reader, hearing the same voices for Jazz, Connie, Howie, etc . helped me immerse myself into the third book quickly and efficiently.

And as with the previous books, the narrator did an amazing job.  He has such great emotion and inflection in his narration and it sells the story.  It never felt over-the-top or forced, the emotions of the characters felt genuine, which is no easy feat.  I cannot recommend listening to this series on audiobook enough, it is so worth the time spent listening!