It is a terrible book. Why I kept reading it is a mystery to me. She isn't a likeable character and the way she talks is in an adult voice. Maybe things are different in Texas and middle America, but out here on the coast kids aren't always ready to say 'yes please, no thank you, I'm so sorry', etc.. This is supposed to be a girl in crisis--someone who is cutting. It is an important topic but I never felt the angst.Everyone is so lovey-dovey especially for a blended family with three teenage girls. At the end you realize there is a strong undertow pulling down the family. It would have been a better book if readers could be made to feel the hidden current pulling them under too. I never get it when authors make a big deal about blood family. The whole end of the book was stupid on so many levels. What happened to her half sisters was horrible but it was unrealistic for her to relate to them. The fact that she didn't remember how abusive her father was is hard to believe. If you are terrified of your dad when you are four you most likely wouldn't forget that. There are other books by this author that are better. Skip this one. I read through some of the other reviews for this book before settling in to write mine--I sometimes do that out of curiosity, and lately out of worry that I'm going to be the first negative review if I didn't like a book. This was one of those cases--but I was relieved to see I wasn't the only reader who had issues with this book.On the surface, it seems like a really deep and relevant book. But that's the problem--the whole thing is surface. None of it gelled for me, and the story and characters fell flat. This book is SO short for something that tackles cutting, socioeconomic issues, blended families, domestic violence, and murder. The characters ended up coming across as emotionless and the events happened too fast, even though most of the dialog was redundant and didn't move the story forward.I found the opening confusing. It took me several pages to sort out the family members since it wasn't stated upfront that it was a blended family--so I thought the step-dad was a brother at first, then one of the step-sisters called him Dad, and there was reference to "Mom" who turned out to be Val, and Willa's mom who is Terri.There was no description, either. Not of characters or setting. Nothing. I felt like I was reading faceless voices in a void most of the time. And the voice of the book came across as very young, at times annoyingly young.Anyway, the opening showed a very happy family, and then Willa starts thinking about wanting to cut. It's all very matter-of-fact, and I get no real emotion from her regarding it. This is a very serious subject, and it ends up getting lost in the story about Willa's father, whom she's never known anything about other than his name and he lives in Texas, and then suddenly the cops are at her door telling her he killed his wife and Willa's half-sisters.There is a sudden turn in Willa, who decides she has to find her "family"--even though she's got an amazing and loving step-dad and mom, and her step-sisters seem to really care for her, too. I don't get at all the idea that Willa comes to that she's supposed to just act the way she's expected and whatever--not one person treats her that way!It also drove me crazy how the news was all dropped on her--not just the initial news of her father, but other things throughout the story--and how she came to correct conclusions about things without all the information. It was as if the author didn't want to have other characters tell her everything so she's not accused of info-dumping, but Willa's conclusions aren't realistic. And other characters do the same thing, seemingly answering questions that were never really asked.I finally ended up skimming the last half of the book--which really wouldn't have taken long to actually read because it is so short--but I was tired of Willa, tired of the other characters, and tired of the unrealistic reactions and logistical planning (so much talk about who will drive whom where, and who will fly where with whom).Overall, this is just not a novel I can recommend. It suffered of too many ingredients in too small a pot, and what I really love about novels--deep characters and rich story worlds--were completely lacking.
What do You think about Blood Wounds (2011)?
Was not my favorite book, and I was not happy with the story.
—kri4o
I love reading anything this writer puts out!
—Paula
