I knew I was forgetting one.

Bloodline, by Katy Moran. (This is an Advance Reading Copy, but the first U.S. edition is listed as 2008.) I fear this is a set-up novel. The plot was pretty good, so any sequels would hopefully be just as engaging, but the writing left something to be desired; the conventions the author used to try to add that old-timey feel just made the dialogue all feel awkward. I also felt the author had a great opportunity to educate the reader-- slip in lots of factoids that would really bring the story to life and add a bit more realism. Instead, it kind of felt like the author did just enough research to slip on by, and might have just guessed or made some other stuff up. That review's kind of harsh; I can see young teen boys (and some girls) really going for this, but it could have been much better. (Update, because I forgot to mention: Essa's power could have made this an awesome story. Too bad it was mostly ignored.)