***Page 99 Test*** Blood Ransom (Blood Ties #2) Sophie McKenzie

Well the page 99 test was created by Ford Maddox Ford as a way to test the quality of a book you may want to read. Apparently page 99 is the point in the book where the author should have hit their stride and hopefully we’re not so far in we hit spoilers.

Clones Rachel and Theo now live thousands of miles apart.  They keep in touch regularly via the internet,  but things just aren’t the same.

When Rachel discovers that evil scientist Elijah is still working in secret for a section of the government and about to murder Daniel, she sets out to rescue him, but her plans backfire with disastrous consequences.

Across the Atlantic, Theo becomes suspicious when Rachel misses their weekly internet chat. He discovers a report online that she’s killed herself and travels to Scotland to find her, certain that she’s been kidnapped. A clue leads him to Elijah’s mysterious clinic, where the sinister Aphrodite Experiment is underway. But why does Elijah need to track Rachel down so badly? And what is the ultimate ransom that he demands for her?

““Right.” I didn’t want Milo to see that he’d read my mind so well. Without looking back I jogged over the moorland and towards the sea. It really was the most beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky and just a gentle breeze drifting in off the water.”

Okay, so let’s start with the synopsis: Now this is the 2^nd book in a series so I hope I don’t give away any spoilers about book 1. It’s quite a long blurb I have to say. It gives a lot of information about the story and still manages to be intriguing. I do like it. It gives thriller and mystery elements which is an area of YA I’m always interested in, and Sophie McKenzie is one of my favourite thriller writers.

The cover: It’s very red isn’t it? And if you have a physical copy you can feel the bumps where the title and author name are. I like this bit, I’m a child. I like brightness and texture changes. I have to say that the cover did draw me to the book. I would’ve bought it anyway, but an attention grabbing cover really helps. The boat and the sea have me wondering about the contents of the story.

The paragraph: This paints a scene of a conversation ending by a seaside. But surely it can’t be that picturesque? I mean this is meant to have murders and evil experiments according to the blurb? This sounds like a paragraph from ‘The Famous Five’ Not that I’m complaining, I love Enid Blyton! I’m not entirely sure if this is an accurate representation of the book because it does feel quite light. Now that could be for 1 of 2 reasons; 1. I’ve got the wrong end of the stick with the synopsis or 2. I’m reading this out of context. Saying all this I do like the writing and I’m definitely excited to read this!

What do you guys think of the sound of Blood Ransom? Let me know in the comments!