Lifeblood is the middle book of the Everlife series and it's definitely the middle child of the series. I hate to use the word "bridgey" because it's a death sentence to novels... and it's also not a word. Anyway, we have a bridge-du-jour novel right here. It expanded on the universe established in Firstlife but it really didn't reach any conclusions of its own. However, it did have some of its own charm and in the end was enjoyable. 
 For the first 40% of the novel I was actually kind of bored. Most of the story was spent world building in Troika. Maybe it's just me but stories that are mainly about the MC training to become something else are boring. While I understand the need for her to train and all, it doesn't really make for a compelling read. Eventually we get back into some real action and heroism but the personal drama just wasn't doing it for me. (view spoiler)[ So there is this new disease called Penumbra that will I guess kill (?) Troikans. I just wished it was a bit more insidious. Germ warfare could be so horrifying but for now it seems like a kind of passive aggressive way to conquer another people. Not sure how "mass infection" will play out going forward because it could really go a lot of different ways. (hide spoiler)] 
 As for Ten, I feel like she's much smarter this time around. She's found this inner grace which makes her an even stronger person. She's also logical instead of just stubborn for the sake of it. Yes, she's still stubborn but she still can be reasoned with which makes her intelligent and an actual strong heroine. I like her obsession with numbers and her two way poems. They are really specific character quirks and I can honestly say that I haven't met another heroine quite like her. Side note: It's like everything awful in the world or the realms is always happening to her. Like stop kicking the girl in the teeth for a moment already! 
 In Firstlife I wasn't sure if Killian was supposed to be likeable. If Killian acted the way he was throughout Lifeblood in Firstlife then I wouldn't have had that problem. This may sound cheesy but I think that his love for Ten makes him into a true hero. The thing is he constantly has to sacrifice and fight for Ten. There isn't really much she does for him besides moral support and stopping people from trying to stab him a few times. It's getting a little one sided here. All in all, Killian went from actual bad boy you should stay away from and became the bad boy who's intensely loyal with an amazing heart. Am I a Killian fan now? Yes. 
 SIDE NOTE: Here's the thing I really find odd in a lot of YA novels: How are these young men (like 17 - 19 years old) so sexually experienced? It's insane to think at that young of an age that they've had as many sexual partners as they have. It always makes the characters seem much older in my opinion. I think this whole story (and a lot of other YA stories in general) could have worked as just regular old "adult" or "new adult" novels. Just make the characters a few years older and their sexual histories make much more sense. Is it just me? Does anyone else feel the same? 
 OK... I don't really know where to talk about the next couple of things so I'll just throw them into a spoiler... 
 (view spoiler)[ Meredith was a character that I really wanted to explore. She was sassy and had amazing fashion sense. She is a woman after my own heart. Sadly, she wasn't really around or explored enough for me to get attached to her. I wanted to feel sad when she died but it didn't affect me as much as it should have. Levi on the other hand! O man... that was rough. Dior can suck it! (hide spoiler)] 
 (view spoiler)[ Victor is obviously the spy! Like was Gena Showalter even trying to fool us? How could Ten not even suspect him!? However, I didn't predict a terrorist bombing from inside Troika that Victor was the mastermind behind. So I'll give Gena props on that one. (hide spoiler)] 
 My feelings about this novel were kind of up and down, honestly. At times I would be completely on the hook with the story and at others I didn't really care. So while some of my opinions about the story have changed my overall opinion on the series stayed the same. It's got me hooked enough to see how everything plays out in Everlife.