Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Blood Wounds
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published by Harcourt
Release Date: September 12th 2011
Pages: 256
Source: ARC
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
 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.

My Review:
Blood Wounds was a very bone chilling read.....I was definitely freaked out! Not a book to read late at night! Overall, though, I have mixed feelings on this book.

***Warning: the next paragraph has brief, potential spoilery.***

My number one issue is that I felt like the two main ideas of this story weren't developed the way they could be. Though the whole murder aspect was quite frightening, I felt as if it wasn't developed properly. I felt like there could have been way more suspense, more of a hunt to find Willa's father. Yet, he was all of a sudden found in the middle of the book, the main characters having nothing to do with it. Also, with Willa's cutting, I wished that it could have had more of a build up. She does it once or twice throughout the book, and then she decides that she's had enough. I understand that it was a long term thing, but I wish this book demonstrated her turmoil a little more. I felt as if it was not I complete aspect of this book.

Though I felt like the main parts were not developed, that did not stop me from feeling traumatized and utterly haunted by the murders commited in this book. They were graphic at times.....it was upsetting, but kudos to Susan Beth Pfeiffer for freaking me out! Her writing really affected me.

I did enjoy Willa as a character. I felt as if she was a very easy character to relate to in some way or another. She definitely had different sides to her, which is something I like in a main character. I am sure everybody who reads Blood Wounds would be able to relate to her in some way or another. The other characters were interesting enough, but they were not my favourites. I did enjoy Willa's half brother as a character, though.

Blood Wounds is a book that was a little wishy washy for me, so if you are to read this one, I would suggest borrowing it from the library or from a friend.