By far, this is one of the best, clean, warrior, fantasy novels I've read in a long time.  I loved the characters, the story world, and the plot was quite gripping.  There's huge value given to the love of family, the loyalty of friends, and the importance of one's choices in following what they call their "Destiny Path."

In this tale, we generally follow the POVs (point-of-views) of four different characters: Jayden, Ryan, Ethan, and Logan -- with Jayden as the MC.  Of the four, three of them are Children of the Blood Moon -- simply put, this means they were born the night of a Blood Moon, which marked them for life and gifted them with various talents.  Among the Children, four are destined to be Deliverers, and are prophesied to deliver the realm of Soleden from the hands of the wicked Queen Idla, and ultimately the Mistress of Shadows.

I could go on, but I think I'd rather you just read for yourself.  :]  No need to spill the spoilers!

Jayden grew up the only girl among four brothers.  They care for her and watch out for each other, and anyone of them, including their parents, would die for the survival of the others.  There is a beautiful sense of family in their relationships with one another, and the love and humor is evident. 

Jayden doesn't want anyone to die for her.  Eventually, she determines to do anything in her power to save those she loves and to rid their world of evil.  No matter the cost.

A young man surrenders voluntarily to save a friend and her mother.

The Creator is our God-figure in this story.  And there are so many mysteries in His creation and His people.  The talents given to the Children of the Blood Moon could include anything from speed to reading/feeling another person's emotions, to strength, to shapeshifting, to healing abilities, etc. etc.  

There are some known as Whisperers (women of great wisdom and age), who always seem to know more than what they let on.  They communicate through the whispering trees and their wisdom abounds.

The Feravolk are known as a race who bonds with animals, thus their senses are exceedingly keen.  They are masters of camouflage -- very similar to the Elves of other stories. 

This is no la-dee-dah romance novel, I can tell you that.  There is an abundance of blood, gore, sword-slashing, daggers, beatings, bruisings, cuts, gashes, and so on.  An entire family is killed in their valiant attempt to protect their daughter/sister.  They are each viciously cut down by swords and stabbings and slashes to the throat -- though they do their best to hold their own and by their loved one enough time to escape.   

The Feravolk are blamed for the raids on multiple towns and villages.  But in actuality, it is not the feared race -- protectors of the forests and life -- but the soldiers of the evil queen, who burns each village and takes the Children.

Several men surround a young man and begin beating him with kicks and punches.  He survives with bad bruising and broken ribs.  

Lots and lots and lots of battles, one-on-one combat, and sword/dagger fights.  A soldier's arm is cut off in a fight, throats are slashed, people stabbed clean through the body, etc. etc.

Revenge is touched upon, and characters are faced with the questions: "What do you fight for?  What's worth fighting for?"

None.

A tavern serves food and drink.  There's the smell of tobacco.

A man is poisoned by the venom of a black lion -- an evil winged creature from the Mistress of Shadows (basically queen of the underworld), and, while he is [SPOILER] healed from the near-fatal poison, a tiny bit of the dark venom taints his heart.  Because of this he hears voices that call to him to give in to the evil.

Warning!  There is a bit of a love triangle in here. . .  Ethan and Jayden are definitely attracted to one another.  She, though, was originally to be betrothed to Ryan, brother of Ethan.  I love how they still love and will fight for each other, and while there is still tension because of this, they seem to want to work it out.

In the tavern, a young barmaid catches the "groping eyes" of all the men; one grabs her arms asking for a "little peck."

We see the "aftermath" of a spoiled, smirking prince, son of the queen, who had defiled a young servant girl. . . (we see her sitting upon his bed, disheveled with eyes red from crying, wrapped in silken sheets).  Many men in the same evil palace are known for their greedy, leering personalities and abusiveness to women.  [Apologies, but that particular scene needed mentioned.  No details, mind you, but it is definitely implied as to what happened.]

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised!  I did not have a clue what to expect with this novel, but immensely enjoyed it and have already begun the sequel!   Stay tuned for a review of Amber Eyes, the second novel in the Children of the Blood Moon series on January 26th, where it will be featured here by your truly as part of a blog tour.  :]

I will add this, however, while I greatly enjoyed the characters, the story itself, and the fantasy of it all, I began to grow tired of the constant skirmishes and sword-fights.  Almost to the point where there were so many in such a short amount of time, I found myself skimming through much of the description.  However, don't let that stop you from adding this to your TBR list! This is simply my opinion, and I enjoyed the tale regardless.