Slow pacing and problematic storytelling make this an unlikely selection for mystery/thriller fans or for those looking to be introduced to the genre.

i don’t mean to sound nasty, but this is probably one of the worst books i’ve read in my entire life.

i don’t even know where to begin.

it wasn’t an enjoyable read, that’s for sure. it was barely even entertaining, and for a supposed thriller, and the definition of the word ‘thriller’ in all its forms (a novel, play, or movie with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage), this book was just a big old farce.

the writing was probably the worst part. i don’t know how this book made it past anyone’s desk with a sign of approval, or if Jo Treggiari’s editors and proofreaders were just flat out lying to her when they sent the manuscript back to her with positive feedback. from inconsistent, missing personalities and bland characters, to probably the worst metaphors i’ve ever encountered in any book ever, i took to highlighting some of the peak moments of this book. such as:

● “Slowly her prefrontal lobe threaded the memories together.”
● “He was close, near enough to smell the pond water in his hair.”
● “[...] just a few hairs curling around his nipples.”
● “Ditto, bitch goddess.”
● “You’ve been staring at Miranda for half an hour.” “Not Miranda, her boobage.”
● “She could smell something sweet and gassy, like rotten potatoes in a plastic bag.” (that is so BEYOND specific i have no idea what to do with myself)
● “[...] want to peel him like a green stick.” (?????????????????)
● “She jumped back about ten feet.”
● “Gwen had worked at the truck stop, when she wasn’t working at the bar, heh heh.” (YES THE “HEH HEH” WAS PHYSICALLY WRITTEN INTO THE FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW)

i don’t even want to get into the actual plot because it was so beyond boring that i don’t even think it’s worth it. i truly, honestly, didn’t care who was the killer. i didn’t care about any of the characters who were getting killed, either. and everything was so inexplicably predictable. the murderer’s pov chapters were maybe the silver lining of this book but in the end the person who was actually the killer turned out to be somebody who was so intrinsically irrelevant to the story that i was actually furious for a second there.

i know i said i don’t mean to sound nasty, and i don’t, but this book was truthfully a total waste of time.

I think I liked the idea more than the execution, but I did enjoy it, it just wasn’t my favourite. Also the constant flashbacks got a little grating, but I think it just wasn’t for me.

Ari Sullivan was kidnapped. She has no recollection of what happened to her in the last couple of hours. And when she manages to escape her temporal prison, the killer will be hunting her to make sure the memories stay lost forever.
Memory loss, kidnapping, assault – we’ve seen this many times before. So what makes «Blood Will Out» stand out from the rest of the books? I would love to say “great characters” or “unexpected plot twist”, but honestly – neither.
It was entertaining for as long as it lasted, and forgettable afterward. I would classify this as an “introductory level thriller” for teenagers that would love to dive into this genre. Ari Sullivan was portrayed as a reckless teenage girl, but then again, no thriller ever has a smart character who always stays out of trouble!

Title: Blood Will Out
Author: Jo Reggiari
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Publish Date: June 5, 2018 -- Soon!
Rating: 3.5-4ish out of 5
From: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Onto the Review:
What I liked:

!!!!(spoilers)!!!

Teenagers acting and seeming like teenagers. Stupid banter and stupid crushes. Connection with your best friend over everything else. Strength in wanting to keep you and your friend alive no matter what.

Adult themes that kids deal with that they shouldn't but they do - being attacked, gore, murder.

A lesbian character surviving to the end of the book. The loner kid who was seen as possibly the serial killer but turned out to be not the killer. That was nice to see. I was, "OH GREAT."

The adults kind of listening to the teenagers and accepting information given to them. There was a few bumps along that but it wasn't as annoying as it often is in YA.

The killer was slowly being pieced together as the story went along. For me, the language and the no noticeable gender talk help collect and figure out who it was along the way. What I liked was it did take longer for me to piece things together. I think having it focused on Ari and her thoughts helped distract me along the way.

What I didn't liked:

Focused a lot on her ideas of who the killer was. Yes, she did write a lot of names down trying to figure out who it was but still.. she still thought it was this one particular person. Yes, she doesn't know who tried to kill her, either, but shit.

Yes, she was stereotyping him and knew she was but god that was annoying part.

Since it all boils down to who is trying to murder her and her friend..we don't get a lot of character closeness the way you usually do in books. We know her and see her doing stuff but there's a wall between us and the characters.

Overall:

It was fun and so frustrating waiting for definite answer as to who the murderer was.

Recommend?:
If you are unable to watch TV or movies about serial killers .. wouldn't recommend. To everyone else who does, even enjoy these things...then go for it.

<a href="http://www.spoonsnbooks.com/2018/05/bloodwillout-netgalley.html">rest of review here</a>

The first half of the book describes how Ari Sullivan is trapped inside a cistern, not knowing how she got there. There are a lot of flashbacks providing glimpses into her life, her friends, and the time 'before'. Then suddenly, Ari manages to escape her creepy prison and step by step she is able to recount the events that lead to her imprisonment, realizing almost too late who is the abductor, and that the game has only just begun... Also interwoven with Ari's story are chapters telling the background story of her abductor, telling how he/she came to be the person he/she is now. After the usual misleads, Ari faces her tormentor in a final showdown.

I got to say I enjoyed the first half of the story, where Ari was trapped at the bottom of the cistern, trying to piece together what happened but still failing. Only after she leaves her prison things start getting downhill. Her first suspect was too obvious to be true, and the second best guess was also a diversion. However, I was disappointed when I found out who was behind it all. I hate when the reader has almost no chance to pieced it together on her own, and the culprit suddenly appears like a jack-in-the-box.

I often wonder about the YA category, which did not really exist at the time I was a teenager. What makes a YA novel different from a 'normal' novel? I often thought the level of brutality and gore should be lower, but that is not really the case here (not that I mind). Maybe the main characters should be young adults, to make it easier to identify with? That seems not enough to justify its own category, and there are great not-YA novels out there featuring teenagers. So what then is the point? I definitely can't find one here, other than the writing was mediocre at best, the plot wasn't really original if you've read your share of thrillers. Most of all, the outcome was disappointing because I missed a more comprehensible trace. Sadly, this is another example of a YA novel that makes me believe YA might just be a substitute for less ambitious books.

However, as I said before I did enjoy the first part, which earns this book a second star.

I received this book for free from #netgalley in exchange for a honest review

This book was not my favorite. I actually DNF'd it about half way through. It is your typical kidnapping where we as the reader are trying to find out who the killer is.

Also, there were a lot of grammar and punctuation issues. I don't really have a lot to say about this book since I DNF'd it. I just could not make myself read something I was not enjoying. I did give it 2 stars for the effort.

Ari Sullivan wakes up in the bottom of a cistern with no recollection of how she got there. Alone in the dark, suffering from a traumatic head injury and only flashes of memory, she begins to try and piece together the events leading up to her confinement. Until now, Ari had thought her life in the small town of Dempsey Hollow was pretty ordinary. Ari and Lynn, her best friend, are typical high school girls living a small town life. Somebody wants her dead and she needs to figure out who before they come back to finish the job.

I thought this novel was very well written compared to the many YA horror novels I have read. I feel that horror is a genre that is difficult to write because it won't appeal to all types of readers. Blood will out is old expression that means something along the lines of: a person’s character traits, passed down by blood (genetics), will eventually be revealed. I think was a very fitting title for this novel in regards to the serial killer. The book transitions between Ari trying to piece together the events leading up to her abduction and the killer giving a narrative of their traumatic childhood, experimentation with killing, and how they choose their victims. That being said this novel has topics that may not be suitable for everyone as they include graphic descriptions of abuse, torture, and murder (both human and animal). Although the subject matter is disturbing I believe that it ties into many of the beliefs surrounding what drives serial killers to do what they do. I would not recommend this novel to the younger end of the YA spectrum due to the topics covered. Some areas that could have been done better include: characters names, which were a bit untraditional for a small town setting and some of the verbiage which might not be understood by the target audience. Overall I found this novel to be entertaining and horrific, perfect for those lovers of dark horror.

The description made this book sound like a heart-racing thriller and I had to read it. But once I started, I wondered what I'd gotten myself into! I'm way too much of a scardey cat to read Stephen King, yet I'd let myself get pulled into a killer's head! It was both uncomfortable and gripping.

The first pages are raw with emotion and I felt like I was locked into a roller coaster clicking its way slowly up the big hill. I was past the point where I could go back. There was no choice but to grit my teeth and make it through the ride because I needed to know what happened.

The stakes are life and death, but what makes the book so powerful is that you read from both the victim's point of view and the killer's. That makes the danger all too clear, while Ari's point of view shows how unprepared she is for the situation she's in, heightening the tension. Twists continue all the way to the end. Prepared to be scared and disturbed!

The review will be posted on TheWingedPen.com on Tuesday the 8th.

The synopsis of this book really caught my attention and I was really excited to read it. However, I do have to say that I was fairly disappointed by the book. This is a fairly typical thriller; a girl gets kidnapped and then is desperately trying to get away from the kidnapper. This book was extremely slow and it just really dragged on. The beginning of the book was honestly the best part, as it actually did catch my attention.
This was compared to Silence of the Lambs, which is not accurate at all. I was also not a fan of the author's writing at all and the I felt like the first half of the book, nothing really happened. The story is told in the present tense, but we do get some flashbacks that tell some of the backstory. I read a lot of suspense or thrillers and this was just a really poorly written book. I also really don't like it when authors use words like insane when describing someone who actually had a mental illness. Insane is not a diagnostic term, nor is an actual mental illness. Now if you want to describe a character as a sociopath, that is an actual diagnosis. You have to be very careful when you are adding mental illness into a fictional book. Authors very rarely do it correctly.
Overall, I was not a fan of this book. The plot was extremely slow and boring and the writing was also not my favorite.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin, for sending me an ARC of this book.

I was not impressed and don't feel it's appropriate to post a review on either blog.

What type of crap is this? Such an interesting title for a book but nothing to do with the story. The MC (Ari?) wakes up in well or something like that because she has been kidnapped. From there, up to 40% where I could manage to read, NOTHING happens.

Nobody is lookinh for her. Hell, nobody even knew she was missing. Pages go on and on about Ari remembering her life and back to the present to "where am I?"

Back to remembering happy timea with friends and shit. Back to the same hole and shit. Back to remembering... you see my point. I could not continue torturing myself with story.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

I tend to think that trigger warnings can be quite silly, because you should read everything, but in this case I wish I had known that this novel is full of animal abuse. Yes, we're talking about a serial killer... they have to learn somewhere and it is known that pets are the preferred victims of any burgeoning murderer. Yes, this one is also targeting teens, but violence toward animals is unbearable to me and it may be influencing my opinion of the whole book. So, please, take my review with a huge grain of salt. That said, I didn't much care for the heroine and I saw the culprit coming a mile away. I kept thinking that maybe I was the wrong reader, this seems to be a YA book but, in that case, there is way too much profanity (and, obviously violence). Again, I may just be the wrong reader. The story is entertaining enough.

I hate to give this book another low rating, but it just wasn’t that great. And I think the author could definitely learn from the mistakes of Blood Will Out and write a really great second novel (maybe not in the thriller genre).

First off, the formatting is horrible. There are sentences with weird spacing, and still several grammatical errors, but I can look past that.

What I can’t look past is how boring the book is. Especially in the beginning. The main character Ari, is trapped in a cistern (large hole) for a THIRD of the book. To me that was entirely too long for her to be trapped in a “gripping” thriller. For the same reason 127 Hours wasn’t as popular as it could have been with a man stuck between rocks for the whole movie, Ari stuck in a hole for a third of the book was equally boring. And not as inspiring.

Another issue I had, was the killer was very cliche. In the beginning we’re not sure who the killer is, but we get a lot of their backstory, and it felt overused and a little fake. For example, the killer’s parents are extreme Christians and make the killer read the Bible, and provide whippings. OH AND THEY ALSO LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. And I don’t want to give anything away, but the killer has to do “some things” to get work, and there was never a moment where they were affected by it, or decided because of that, their victims were going to fit a certain profile.

The killer reveal also wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been. You know when you find out who the killer is and then everything in the whole galaxy just clicks into place? There was none of that.

Also, I may be stupid, but I didn’t understand the title. There’s a section that “explains” it, but after reading it several times, I still didn’t see why that specific phrase was chosen.

And the last thing I want to touch on were the character developments. Mostly, there were none. None of the pages of backstory added up to anything, which made it seem like filler. And there really wasn’t any great lesson learned, or any great change the main characters made, you know, after almost dying...

This book has been described as 'Silence of the Lambs for young adults' and that description was enough to get my interest. I love YA thrillers and I found this a tense, intriguing read overall, although the comparison with 'Silence of the Lambs' is a hard one to live up to.

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives between Ari and the killer's viewpoints, as it's not something I've seen done in many YA books. Some readers might find the killer's sections disturbing, especially in relation to animal cruelty. I felt that overall the killer's backstory added another dimension to the story, offering clues about who they might be.

The plot kept my interest and had some scary and unexpected twists. In my opinion, some of the characters' motivations were a little hard to follow, but I found Ari's reactions to the events convincing and I rooted for her as a character.

I read this book in a short time because the overarching mystery kept my interest and there were some tense moments. I'd recommend this if you're a fan of YA thrillers and I'll definitely look out for more books by Jo Treggiari.

Blood Will Out is a super creepy serial killer book. Ari wakes at the bottom of a cistern, injured, with no memory of how she got there. I spent most of the book trying to figure out the killer and was surprised by the ending. I think that the alternating points of view were extremely effective, even though the killer's chapters didn't help me discover the identity of the killer. I worry that the descriptions might be a bit too graphic for some of our younger high school readers, but this book will definitely appeal to our older readers.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The books description had much potential, but I did not like this book at all. Its always hard being honest, when I dont like a book.

First, the formatting, grammar, spelling and overuse of words is a complete distraction and can ruin the best of books. Please look into this before publication

Secondly, was this book YA or not?

Most importantly, if you are going to deal with serious themes- animals, murder, mental illness it needs to be done right, appropriately , and fit right into the storyline - which is hopefully a good one.

Would not recommend this book

Really not for me, I struggle with alternating viewpoints unless they are very carefully written. I did not finish.

When Ari wakes up at the bottom of a well with no memory of how she got there, her fight or flight instinct kicks in and she goes into survival mode. After she manages to escape from the well and is rescued by the police, they arrest a suspect and Ari's case is wrapped up nice and neat with a shiny bow. Except, now Ari's best friend Lynn is missing an no one believes Ari's suspicions about a serial killer being loose in their nice and quiet town. So Ari takes it upon herself to play cat and mouse with a serial killer and she just might find herself caught in a deadly trap.

This story kept me guessing and I never even suspected the person who turned out to be the culprit. I enjoyed seeing the villain's point of view because the look inside of this person's head was downright creepy and disturbing. They were quiet and unassuming but their true nature and thoughts were menacing and terrifying. The author obviously did research on serial killers because this book was spot-on. This is a riveting psychological thriller that will keep you perplexed until the very end.