Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Enrai
SERIES: Blood Sealed #2
AUTHOR: Jet Lupin
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 155 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 8, 2019
BLURB:
Phil has a problem.
It’s not his job or the fact that his maybe boyfriend, Shige, is a vampire. He’s a sensitive– an ability he’s had since he was small that lets him peek into people’s minds— and it’s gotten out of control. He can’t turn it on and off like he used to. He needs help, and he has to fly to the other side of the world to get it. The catch? Shige’s the only one who can take him there, but things with him haven’t been great. Their relationship is in tatters, and he doesn’t know how to fix it or if it’s even up to him. This is so not what he needs right now.
But Phil’s not the only one with issues. Shige’s got a territory to maintain and a mystery to solve all while worrying about Phil. He takes all this in stride, but when things take a turn for the worst, can he get them both home in one piece?
REVIEW:
The events in Nasu have left Phil, and Shige’s relationship strained. Their bond is further complicated in that Phil’s empathy has developed into being able to read minds, but he’s having trouble controlling it. The two take a trip to Shige’s homeland, Japan. There is a lady in a remote village who Shige knows can help Phil. Also, Japan is Shige’s territory, and it’s time he shows his face in a bid to reassert his lordship.
Upon reading Enrai, I hoped that the questions left at the end of Nasu would be answered and in part they are – though not entirely. The story also poses more unanswered questions, and reveals a few more secrets, leading me to the conclusion that another book in the series will follow.
As with Nasu, the story is not technically great. Despite being shorter and irrespective of errors, I found Enrai a slower start, and a harder story to get through. Primarily set in Japan, the reader is introduced to a range of paranormal characters, all with Japanese names. Some are entourage, some family. All are from Shige’s past. I found it difficult to keep track of who was who in their relevant scenes and this confused me. Once in this state, I started to switch off to certain elements. Of course, my need to be introduced to characters slowly (and remember them), could be an element of my age.
In the books, so far, other than for variety, I’m not sure why shifters etc. are there – maybe their various forms and will become apparent in the next book, along with their uses. In Enrai, as one is in a country with a different culture, a lot of time is dedicated to scene setting and thought processes. I am a fan of Japanese gardens and other forms of landscape, but the amount of time assigned to this element diluted the effectiveness of some of the drama.
I felt as though Enrai was a filler book. It introduced Shige’s wider family, developed powers and proposed elements meant for something bigger. In theory, I’m all for this type of book. It follows in the footsteps of some amazing stories of the past – such as – The Empire Strikes Back is the bridge between Star Wars movies.
There were some elements of the story that I found frustrating. Shige is supposed to be several hundred years old, and lord of his territory. Albeit he’s been in hiding, his entourage hasn’t. Yet, he ignores the basic principles of guard duty. He’s in an area where he knows there are issues, and where he and human Phil are under threat. So, what does he do? On one occasion his guards don’t have loaded guns, and the other he takes Phil out sightseeing. Maybe it’s the naivete of his rank, but to me, it was guard duty 101, bloody stupid, and damned frustrating. In these instances, Shige takes on the responsibility of whatever goes wrong as ‘his own fault’ which is a repeated phrase. Shige may be dark, brooding and gorgeous, with a lot of guilt under his cape, but cock-ups like this kind of made me lose sympathy with him.
Enrai is more sedate. It contains mostly information gathering and development data, until the last few percentages when the action ramps up. The one question hanging over the story from the start is why Phil’s blood is syrup to one vampire and poison to another. Which still only gets a partial answer – frustrating.
While I appreciated the effort in creating this universe, I felt the author got lost in the peripherals rather than adhering to a strict edit and delivering a punchy story.
Book 1 – Nasu and Book 2 -Enrai are part of a universe that readers may find a little like marmite – a love/hate relationship. If your reading kryptonite is detail – you will find it here. But there is no denying the technical mistakes which dampen the reading enjoyment. I hope the Blood Sealed series continues with books that bring the elements hinted at in Nasu and Enrai together into a cohesive unit. Currently, they are recipe ingredients that have yet to be blended thoroughly.
RATING: 
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