First Blood by JD Glass

Samantha Cray lost her mom when she was two years old and her fire-fighter father when she was fifteen. Then she lost her best friend the year she left high school.

Lost and lonely and on the brink of self destruction, Samantha goes to London at the invitation of her guardian, Uncle Cort. It’s here that Samantha learns the secret of her bloodline.

Samantha is now known as Ann and is set to become the Wielder, which is a power dedicated to the Circle of Light, which fights the Dark in its various forms.

Ann’s best friend Fran visits her in London and as well as becoming Ann’s lover, finds herself embroiled in the Circle with Ann.

Ann is on a mission to learn all she can, as quickly as she can. The Dark is fast catching up and will soon overpower her and harm her friends.

This is another book in the Wielder series. The story hasn’t always been easy to follow in previous books. This book actually explains a lot that has puzzled some readers who have read JD’s previous books in this series, as to what the Circle of Light and the Wielder is. Also how Samantha/Ann became a Wielder and part of the Circle of Light as previously written about in Glass Lions and Punk and Zen Part 1: The ReMix.

As is usual with a JD Glass book, it’s well written and the characters are all multidimensional. Both Ann and Fran are great people and easy to get to know and like. The secondary characters, especially Uncle Cort, Elizabeth and Graham, all enhance and progress the story forward, each playing their own roles to perfection.

This is a story of being lost and of finding ones way back from the brink of destruction. It’s an incredible journey for Ann and her friends. A journey full of twists and turns and surprises along the way.

The heat factor of this story is off the charts. There is sex, lots and lots of sex. Sex where both Ann and Fran are figuring out their sexual uniqueness and experimenting with each other and the roles each of them feels comfortable with.

I’ve read all of the previous books JD has written in this series and I have to say, if I could have chosen where to start reading the series, I would have chosen to read this one first. In my opinion, this book gives the reader the background on the entire Wielder/Circle of Light and the grounding we need to appreciate and enjoy the rest of the series. But, whichever book you start with, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

If you haven’t read any of JD’s books yet, you are in for a treat with this one.

This story was previously published as American Goth. It has been revamped and revised though.