Bleed

Varley, D. (2015). Bleed. Missouri City, TX: Garden Gate Press.

Young Adult / Horror / Paranormal 

 I gave this book 4 of 5 Stars

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BLURB (from author's website)  LIFE IS A NIGHTMARE FOR Miranda Murphy. Without knowing when or why, blood oozes from her palms—an anomaly that makes her feel like a freak. But her abnormality is now the least of her worries. She’s just enrolled at “Suicide High.” Three deaths in three months—one occurring just days before her arrival.

When she bumps into a cute boy named Jake, things don’t appear so glum. Especially since Jake’s a psychic who can predict the immediate future. But his gift of sight can’t prepare her for the horrors that await.

Through Jake, Miranda meets three other extraordinary students:

Topher – who can heal by touch.
Sam – who eats the sins of the dead.
And Xyan – who speaks and understands all languages.

It’s then that Miranda learns the secret behind why she bleeds.

When it becomes evident that supernatural forces are at play, the five determined friends team up. Now it’s up to them to destroy the evil infecting their school.

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Though I had my misgivings about the cover on this one (not a fan AT ALL), I trusted the author to keep me sufficiently creeped-out and amused -- and I was right. Dax Varley's books are just so fun to read. What makes this book really great are the five main characters, all teenagers in the seventeen-ish range.  They are each so wonderfully unique and fleshed-out, but most importantly, they are believable. Their dialogue, their humor, their fears, and their responses are spot-on and don't feel contrived or cheesy at all. Readers will find themselves relating and thinking, "I know a kid like that!" -- minus the stigmatic/psychic/healing/xenoglossia/sin eating stuff, of course. 

Especially interesting is the evil character in this story and the many ways it manifests itself. The parts written from the "evil one's" point-of-view are really excellent, and Varley does a great job of misdirecting readers over and over in revealing the "evil one's" identity.  Readers, be prepared -- this "evil one" doesn't kid around and as such, the body count is high and the deaths and tortures are gruesome.  

Some of the story is predictable (DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR! YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE! ), but it absolutely works. The ending of this book is pretty satisfying and the book can stand alone, but rumor has it that another book (companion? sequel?) is in the making. Hooray! I am IN. There were more typos than I was accustomed to seeing in Varley's books, so I inquired about it with the author. Because she's a rock star professional, Varley was super appreciative of the feedback and since the print copies haven't published yet, those errors will disappear. (And to be honest, I doubt most people would notice that "laisse pomber" should have been "laisse tomber," but as anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am a freak.)

The characters are authentic teens, so there are authentic teen elements including crassness, profanity, underage drinking, sexual situations (not too graphic) and sexual references.  And if the name and cover aren't warning enough, there's a lot of blood, violence, and death in this story -- skip it if any of these are triggers or upsetting. 

This book was a "just for me" read because I have really enjoyed several other books by Dax Varley, so I bought it as soon as I heard about it.

 Check out these cool memes (created by Dax Varley) for the characters!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Dax Varley writes the kind of young adult novels she wishes were around when she was a teen. She's a lover of humor, horror and all things paranormal.
When Dax isn't writing, she's collecting odd photos online, reading recaps of her favorite shows or kicked back with a good book. She lives in Richmond, Texas with her husband, a shelf full of action figures and about a dozen imaginary friends.
Real or imaginary, you can find her at the following locations: 
WEBSITE, TWITTER, FACEBOOK

ALSO BY DAX VARLEY: 

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The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin

Ferrara, J. (2014). The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin. Newton Square, PA: Dragonwell Publishing.

Young YA / Middle Grade / Urban Fantasy

I gave this book 4* stars

For the past nine years, sixteen-year-old Nicholas has been living at St. Christopher's Academy as its only year-round boarder. Orphaned after his parents were murdered -- which Nicholas witnessed -- Nicholas now has a penchant for trouble and gave up on God long ago.  As the new school year begins, a new student, Amy, draws Nicholas's attention, and a trickster serpent tempts Nicholas into doing something with dire consequences -- Nicholas releases the Seven Deadly Sins, which his parents had confined, into the world of mankind.  It is up to Nicholas to discover the secrets of his family, the Blackwell family, and correct his mistake, but Amy, who has secrets of her own, pledges to help him. Nicholas learns he must defeat the Princes of Hell, each a guardian of one of the seven deadly sins, and Nicholas and Amy begin an adventure into the world of Demonio.  There, the pair finds information and help through a colorful group of Risen demons, who tell Nicholas that in order to defeat the princes and save mankind, he must retrieve each Prince's piece of the Devil's Crown.  Nicholas, Amy, and the Risen demon Pugdush, put their lives on the line as they battle the guardians of lust, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy, pride, and wrath -- but will they succeed in defeating the devil himself? In The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin, Jonathan Ferrara creates a fantastic world with fantastic creatures where the battle between good and evil rages, and the fate of the world is in one boy's hands.

          The Blackwell Family Secret is an easy-to-read, interesting story with a great premise and a rich parallel world of fantastic creatures. Author Ferrara's descriptions of this world and these creatures are really the book's strongest points, giving readers vivid images to carry as they read. Ferrara's imagery definitely sets the mood for his scenes, as in the opening chapter that starts with  "decrepit gravestones scattered across the dead field."  The main characters aren't very fleshed-out, and our protagonist, Nicholas, isn't much of a hero, though he clearly thinks himself one (hmm, do I smell pride?), and readers will chuckle at his vow to protect Amy when she's just saved him from dying at the hands of a Prince of Hell. The message behind this is probably a good reminder that most great accomplishments aren't done alone.  There is a heavy theological aspect to the book, but it's paired with the mystical via the Enchanteds, so it doesn't feel too preachy. Attentive readers will figure out most of the secrets pretty easily, and readers will eventually be given a reason for why Nicholas and his group conquer each Prince of Hell with relative ease, though explanation or not, the battles could be a bit of a disappointment for some readers.

          In The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin, there's never much question of how it all will turn out, but it's fun getting there.  The book would benefit from a thorough editing to correct writing and formatting errors (*really a 3.5 rating) and though it's pitched as young adult, the writing seems geared more towards middle grade readers, who will also more readily accept some of the elements of the story.  Reluctant readers will appreciate the fast pace, and Jonathan Ferrara has definitely left the door open for sequels -- the possibilities there are unlimited. (And if he goes there, I would love a book about the history of the Blackwell men and their fate! Good stuff there!)

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, who provided me a free eBook in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.