Blood Wounds Review

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Title: Blood Wounds
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's
Publish Date: September 12, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 256
Source: Publisher

Willa is lucky: She has a loving blended family that gets along. Not all families are so fortunate. But when a bloody crime takes place hundreds of miles away, it has an explosive effect on Willa’s peaceful life. The estranged father she hardly remembers has murdered his new wife and children, and is headed east toward Willa and her mother.

Under police protection, Willa discovers that her mother has harbored secrets that are threatening to boil over. Has everything Willa believed about herself been a lie? As Willa sets out to untangle the mysteries of her past, she keeps her own secret—one that has the potential to tear her family apart.
Willa's memories begin with Jack, Alyssa and Brooke joining her family. Her memories begin with her mother and she learning to love three new family members. And her memories always include Brooke and Alyssa having more than she does because their wealthy mother provides for them. Willa's never quite fit in with it all, despite the facade of love and family, and when her birth father commits a brutal act of murder, she's forced to face a past she doesn't remember. Willa must face the wake of devastation caused by her own blood, mourn those lost and come to terms with her own inner turmoil or lose even the shred of a family she has forever.

Before I do my review, I should premise it by saying that the synopsis for Blood Wounds doesn't accurately describe the book. Yes, the book involves a brutal crime, but that's only a portion of the story. Susan Beth Pfeffer has done it again. Blending heart-wrenching emotion with pain, loss and turmoil, Blood Wounds is a powerful novel grappling with a plethora of difficult issues. Written from Willa's point of view, we're given a firsthand look into the mind of a scared, confused and lost teen who is desperate to understand her past so she can make sense of her future. Written with vivid, haunting descriptions, Blood Wounds makes the reader mourn for loss, hope for the future and want the very best for Willa.

I was actually surprised to find that Blood Wounds wasn't all about Willa's father coming after she and her mother. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was going to be them in hiding, but that was truly just the setup for the book, and I found that rich and intriguing. It threw me for a loop, and I was riveted as I watched Willa learn to step outside of the safe shell she'd learned to create around herself over the years. She began to assert herself as she felt the ties to a family she'd never really know pull at her heartstrings. She started to grow up, and it was powerful to watch. Occasionally, I felt her character's voice slipped a bit and became that of the author's but overall, she was superbly done. I also really loved the added twist of Jack's, Willa's stepfather's, dynamic in the familial relationship. Blood Wounds really delved into the psychology of broken homes and how people gravitate to certain dynamics, which was intriguing. I felt that, perhaps, Willa's stepsisters could have been fleshed out a bit more so their emotions rang as true, but overall, they worked as they were. I am a bit unsatisfied with the ending because I felt it was suddenly all nice and tied in bows, but I do like that it is a stand-alone, so I will give it that.

All in all, Blood Wounds was an intense, dark and moving read. Edging into the darker realm of YA fiction, I give it a very strong 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA and adult books, as well as those who enjoy dark stories. There are a few fairly graphic and violent scenes, so please bear that in mind.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

23 comments:

  1. Ooo, I'm getting this one in the mail soon, and your review has me wanting it sooner! "Intense, dark, and moving" sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the review, Melissa!

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  2. This is the first review I've read for this one and I'm intrigued. Though I do have to be in a particular mood to read something with this darker sort of tone, I think I would appreciate this heart-wrenching read if I were. Great review, Melissa!

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  3. I'll admit that this isn't the type of book that I usually go for but I cannot deny that it sounds fascinating. I think I'll borrow it from my library if and when they get a copy.

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  4. This sounds amazing. I love YA reads that are a little darker and edgy. Awesome review Melissa :)

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  5. Love Pfeffer's writing and this sounds amazing. I love dark, emotional reads. Great review

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  6. Creepy, but then it is not all about that? Huh, ok. And I already liked the tension from that

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  7. I hadn't heard of this one before now, but it sounds really good. I like dark and edgy sometimes! :)

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  8. Thanks so much for your review! I have it sitting on my shelf but am not sure how long it'll be before I can get to it to. Definitely going to have to try harder to read it. ;) The synopsis sounded great, but your review makes it sound so much better!

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  9. I was wondering what this book was about. Great review i will def add it to my TBR file.

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  10. I've seen this book around but the blurb just didn't hook me. Thank you for sharing a bit more info -- now, I'm thinking I'm going to have to check it out! Sounds really good.
    Mary @ BookSwarm

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  11. Loved this review! I'm on a book tour for this one and have been stalking my mailbox. Thanks for the review!

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  12. I hadn't paid any attention to this one before but your review has definitely caught my attention! Now I REALLY want to read it! Thanks for the awesome review!

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  13. I was surprised by the emotional depth of Blood Wounds, too. I thought it would be all suspense--Willa's estranged dad coming after them...but like you said, it wasn't! Blood Wounds was really powerful, in my opinion. Great review, Melissa! I completely agree. :)

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  14. Outstanding review Melissa, this one sounds very intense and powerful and I love stories like that. Too bad the ending is wrapped up a little too perfectly, but I'm with you on appreciating the fact that it stands alone. Not to many YA books out there now that aren't a part of a series!

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  15. Really great review Melissa:) I like the cover for this one and I'm starting to get into dark stories a lot so this one is on the to get list.
    -Danna

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  16. It's weird that I've seen this around but never actually knew what it was about, and it sounds intense! I liked Pfeffer's moon trilogy so I'm interested to how different this one will be.

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  17. This book sounds really good, amazing! Def. something I would enjoy reading. It really sounds dark and heavy!

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  18. This is one of the first reviews I've seen of Blood Wounds! Sounds really dark and creepy, but fascinating in terms of psychology. Thanks for giving me an idea of what to expect with this one, Melissa!

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  19. I actually had no idea what this book was about before your review but I like the sound of it - the exploration of the relationships between families sounds intriguing and I the darker tone! Thanks for the review, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

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  20. I haven't even heard of this one. I normally don't read darker stories but this sounds like a good one if I'm in the mood for something like that. I'll add it to my wishlist and keep it in mind for later. Great review, Melissa.

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  21. Wow this sounds like it is not the usual YA fare -- lots of serious issues get in depth treatment.

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  22. Hmm, this one didn't appeal to me. I thought it sounded like a cat and mouse game of the father trying to catch the mother and daughter. I'll leave this darker one alone for now. Great review, glad to hear it wasn't all about a game of chase. And boy does that cover look realistic.

    Heather

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  23. Glad you liked this one, but I gotta be honest & admit that I really did not. I can't actually think of much, if anything, that I liked about the book...

    Its always super interesting for me to read your reviews of Contemporary books, because you mention all the time that it isn't your favorite, or preferred genre, so I'm always fascinated to see how our opinions compare. :)

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