Review of BloodMining by Laura Wilkinson

Thank you to Laura for the review copy of this fabulous book!!!

** What it's about? **

Megan Evens appears to have it all: brains, beauty, a successful career as a foreign correspondent. But deep down she is lonely and rootless. Pregnant, craving love but unable to trust after the destructive affair with her baby's father she returns to the security of her birthplace in Wales. 

 When Megan's son is later diagnosed with a terminal condition, a degenerative, hereditary disease, everything she believed to be true about her origins is thrown into question. To save her son Megan must unearth the truth; she must excavate family history and memory. Enlisting the help of former colleague Jack North, a man with a secret of his own, Megan embarks on a journey of self discovery and into the heart of what it means to be a parent."

** What I thought **

Despite dystopian books being massively on trend at the moment, I don’t usually particularly enjoy these books that are set in the future and are far too unrealistic for me to be able to relate to. However, Wilkinson doesn’t take this too far.  BloodMining is set in the not-too-distant future and it’s scarily believable.

Part One of the book is set between 2048 and 2052.  Part Two then skips back to 2015 to 2020 where we learn the background story to the present characters.  Finally Part Three comes back to 2052 to 2053 where the story is concluded.  This story is seamlessly put together, the pace is truly excellent and it leaves you wanting more.

I really like that the synopsis didn’t give too much away about the storyline, and so I won’t give away anymore either.  The characters of the story are wonderfully drawn; three very different women with one thing in common – motherhood.  This book looks into what mothers will do to protect their children and themselves. Set in Wales but with glimpses of London and international destinations such as China and Romania, this book has a real homely feel to it. Wilkinson grew up in North Wales and some of the descriptive narrative that features in this book is clearly written from the heart.

There isn’t anything predictably girly about this book – it’s a fantastic debut novel which surpassed my expectations.  I totally agree with one Amazon reviewer; this has got BBC 3-part drama written all over it! Simply fabulous!

Laura Wilkinson won the Bridge House Debut Novel Competition.  The judges said this about the book “What we loved about this novel was the strength of the writing, the beautiful way the novel is crafted and the sense of time and place. Set in the near future it deals with contemporary issues but in a way that tugs at the heart. This novel stays with you long after you've turned the final page.”

CONGRATULATIONS LAURA ON AN EXCELLENT DEBUT – KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK :)