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Oliver is traveling to meet his cousins, but really, his VAMPIRE cousins.

Oliver is a sired vampore with no demon. He was stolen from his real family, and sired into another.

Meanwhile, he has extraordinary friends that are more amazing than youever thought. An Orani, and "wizard", and a Zombie. Weird eh?

Okay, to the point; Dean is going to visit Oliver's cousins. That's not really the purpose though;Oliver, Emalie and Dean need to find Selene to find the location of Emalie's mother. Oliver's brother, Bane and Oliver's parents, Phlox, and Sebastian, are trying to kill Selene, the person who they think should be killed to make a prophecy work, a prophecy where Oliver must open and close the Gate of the universes.

The trouble is where is Selene? Find out by reading this spooky adventure. ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

School is out for Oliver Nocturne and his friends. Dean was being homeschooled with other zombies, and Emalie is done with human school. But it's not shaping up to be a joyful, fun summer. Oliver has far too much on his mind.

He overhears his parents talking about sacrifice when a member of the Half-Light Consortium comes to their house for a visit. He can see the person hand over something to his parents. He overhears ominous words such as loyalty, loss will be hard, no other way, and prophecy. This doesn't bode well for Oliver, who has been hearing lately of his destiny to fulfill his prophecy involving the Nexia Gate.

When he learns that the family is going to be going to Morosia to visit Phlox's family (Oliver's mother's side) before their cruise to Isla Necrata, Oliver and his friends hatch a plan. Emalie and her grandmother are off to the human city near Morosia in search of her long-lost mother and to further her Orani training. The three friends plan to meet up and find the elusive Selene, the oracle known to hold the secrets of the prophecy surrounding Oliver.

Time is running short as the sacrifice he heard discussed must happen the following night. He has little time to find the answers he seeks. With the help of his friends, Oliver learns the mysteries that have been kept hidden from him.

BLOOD TIES is the third book in the OLIVER NOCTURNE series. Mr. Emerson creates a vulnerable vampire character who shows loyalty to those that stick by him, whether human, vampire, or zombie. Only through the friendship that the three share do they overcome many obstacles. By the end of the story, Oliver learns what all the subdued conversations were leading up to.

Stay tuned for book four, THE DEMON HUNTER, due out in February 2009. ( )

3rd in the Oliver Nocturne series. Emaline, Oliver and Dean travel to Italy and try to discover more about the prophecy and why there is a huge statue of Emaline's mother in a remote village. Oliver believes that his parents are going to sacrifice him during the festival of the seventh moon because he is not a true vampire (he has a human and a zombie for best friends) and cannot fulfill his destiny of opening Nexia's Gate and freeing all vampires from Earth. But meanwhile, he must survive his brother's strange behaviour and the condemnation from his grandparents of his family's embracing the New World life of a vampire. (They don't kill humans - they put them in a trance, take a couple of pints of blood, replace it with plasma, then wake the humans with no memory of what happened - hence they are called "cows" because they are "milked" for their blood!)

There 3 friends try to find Selene the oracle to see if Oliver's destiny is locked in or can be changed, and on the way discover strange things about an Asylum, the souls of humans passing on, vampires obsession with casinos, cats and Oliver sees his first fireflies.

Favourite part - Emerson's homage to Count Dracula on Sesame Street with the obsession vampires have with counting everything - very funny and very clever!! ( )