A vampire outbreak threatens the lives of the passengers of a Swedish overnight cruise ship in this middling horror novel. While well written with an eclectic mix of characters, it's a book that never gets out of second gear and is delivered with a sense of familiarity and cliché. The cruise ship itself is a sea of excess and debauchery, a setting itself that is more interesting and horrific than the eventual and predictable slaughter. Even the blood-soaked finale lacks any tension, making this a mostly forgettable experience.

Blood Cruise is a horror story set on a 24 hour booze cruise from Finland to Sweden. There is a slow build up as we are introduced to a various array of characters that are on the booze cruise, all engaging in various levels of wild and hedonistic behavior as copious amounts of alcohol will sometimes induce, all blissfully unaware of the events unfolding below deck. I enjoy a good horror story, however, I felt that this book was overly long and the pace a little too slow. It is fairly gory in parts but overall I enjoyed the book. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Mr Strandberg for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and Mats Strandberg for the opportunity to read this book.
I enjoy a good horror story. One that grabs you from the very beginning and refuses to let go until the very last page.
Unfortunately, for me, this was not one of those stories. I didn't enjoy it and struggled to finish. I found the storyline to be very slow and predictable. Was not a book for me.

Ooh this was a ride and a half! I've done this journey (well not the booze cruise) through the islands to Finland many times and boy did that make this book even more scary! The Baltic Sea is a lot wider than you think, or I thought, and yes you might see some of the most stunning islands in the world, but there are times where all there is is water, and LOTS of it. All you have is the boat, space and your fellow passengers.

The novel heads down some very dark avenues and yes there is a vampire element but it's all very creepily crafted and well evoked. Such evil forces seem to be haunting the most stunning of landscapes and that's what really makes this work for me.

I don't think anyone will think of a booze cruise in the same way again. I will certainly take a look at my fellow passengers more closely too.

It's all very chilling and VERY gory in parts. But it's the Swedish Stephen King after all.

Had fun with this!
I will post on the Booktrail in July