Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari @JoTreggiari #Review #Thriller #YA

Book Review

A highly misunderstood book that is actually pretty good!

I am flat-out confused by the many negative reviews of this story. Did people not read the synopsis? Reviewers complaining about the description of animals being killed and tortured. Um hello? That is serial killer 101 and this story is about the beginnings of a serial killer and their victims. What did you think this story was going to be about? Rainbows and unicorns? Honestly, I’m baffled!

Blood Will Out (Release Date: June 5th, 2018)

Ari Sullivan is alive—for now.

She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed.

Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids-future together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But now her community has turned very dangerous—and Ari may not be the only intended victim.

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My Thoughts…

When words and phrases like “gruesome” and “No one can hear her screams” are used in the synopsis, chances are the story is going to be pretty dark. It was dubbed “Silence of the Lambs for YA” for crying out loud, so I’m a bit miffed on behalf of the author because clearly the wrong people were reading this book.

Speaking of the comparison to Silence of the Lambs, that is one issue I did have. I actually was expecting our young killer to be even more terrifying, to be a cannibal more specifically. And while the killer was 50 shades of messed up, I thought it would be worse. So in that sense I was disappointed.

There were some grammatical issues and some confusion with flashbacks (minor stuff), but overall, the story was suspenseful, entertaining and I did not see that ending coming. I would say this is mature YA and not a book for the squeamish, and I would totally recommend it for readers who enjoy this genre.