This reminded me of the book Blood and Chocolate (not to be mistaken by the film) and I enjoyed the horror aspect of it. I wish I had read it sooner towards its release date, but alas at least I got to it!

Consistent with Bevis' writing style, as shown in her other books. A thrilling, unique horror story.

The set up for this novel was far greater than the follow through. I normally love horror, especially when it can creep me out, but this one just didn't impact me. The pacing was good, the characters were okay.

I could not put down Blood and Other Matter. It was thrilling and suspenseful, and every time I thought I figured it out, it dropped something unexpected. Kaitlin Bevis wrote a fantastic ya horror.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 3.5

Tess and her best friend Derrick are outcasts, they used to be friends with the "cool" kids, but I guess things change as you grow up. Friendships that used to mean the world, no longer exist. So when an old friend of theirs, Josh, asks Tess to come to the football team's bonfire tradition that night, Derrick finds it more than odd, even more so when Tess actually accepts the invitation. Deciding to sleep off his aggravation, Derrick wakes to find he had almost missed the eclipse that he was planning to watch, when he hears a knock at the door. When he opens it, what he sees shocks him. Tess, covered in so much blood and gore, babbling nonsense. Derrick does what any friend would, he pulls her inside and cleans her up, checking her for any wounds and trying to get the story of what happened out of her. The next morning when she is more coherent, she can't remember a single thing. When trying to find out what exactly happened that night, the pair learn that Tess, along with seven members of the football team, were the only ones to make it back from the bonfire alive. When those remaining members begin to drop dead of strange circumstances, they realise that there is something else at play and they have to find out what it is, before Tess becomes the next head on the chopping block.

I've had this one sitting in my TBR list for a while, and decided I was in the mood for a horror story with mysterious circumstances and amnesia involved, and it did not disappoint. I found this book felt like a mix between Jennifer's Body (if it had have been made into what it should have been) and Ginger Snaps. Not because of stuff that happened perse, just because that's the feeling I got from this story. I will admit though, (view spoiler)

This book isn't a long one, but it longer than it really is. I'm not too sure why...I feel like it could have been the sort of repetition that began to happen with the deaths, not that the characters were being picked off one by one in the same fashion, because they really weren't, more that the story developed a pattern of Tess freaking out because she's remembered some stuff, Derrick trying to be the noble friend and get to the bottom of everything, oh look! A dead guy! rinse, and repeat. I think this could have affected the pacing a little bit and made the story feel a bit monotonous at times. It didn't mean that the story was not enjoyable, because it was.

The synopsis was full of mystery, but as soon as the book started, I knew what was going to happen, I thought there may have been a twist near the end, but to be honest, there wasn't. So it was a little frustrating going through virtually the whole story waiting for Tess and Derrick to get it, but it sadly took the whole time for them to work it out. Granted, the first thing isn't going to be the situation they found themselves in, but still, I feel like teenagers would have seen enough horror movies to have a brief idea of what the hell was going on.

I feel like the legend talked about in the story could have been explored more. The opening of the story we hear about this local legend, and it's alluded to in the story, and there's some half hearted connections made in the latter part of the book, but it didn't really flesh out into it's full potential. I just feel that so much more could have been done with the plot and the legend in the plot because both were super solid ideas, I just felt that they fell a little bit short, and made me, more than once, reminisce about movies and such with similar plot lines, when I really believe this story could have stood out on it's own and been an absolute gem. I won't lie though, if this was made into a movie, I'd so watch the hell out of it.

The characters were well written, but once again, kind of left to float in the ether without things having points? The issues with Tess's mum, I was waiting for it to connect to the story somehow, but in the end it was just a plot driver with no real purpose. I'm not sure if it was supposed to give Tess a bit more dimension or background, but for me it really didn't. We didn't get to know Derrick that well, other than he has grown to love Tess over their seventeen year friendship and that his Dad died when he was young. We don't really find out much more, and I think that it took away from the story and the depth and growth these characters could have had.

The horror side of it was good, I sometimes felt like it was relying more on shock factor than anything else, but you know what, it worked for the story, especially because it was a young adult horror story and some of this real life instances of horror were not sugar coated. The creature was written well, and had major creep factor going on, I have a thing about too wide smiles, they just give me the heebie jeebies.

I was a little confused with the ending. I get what happened, but some stuff was alluded to that was mentioned earlier in the story, but I feel like I didn't quite get where Bevis was going with it...is it real? or is it Round 2? Those who have read the story will understand what I mean. I'll admit, I did get an almost tear up near the ending, a little more character connection for me, and I think it would have happened.

All in all, this is a good young adult horror story, it's not polished and perfect, but it doesn't really need to be. If you like a dark, gritty easy to read horror story, give it a crack. And if you work out the ending...can you hit me up? I have questions...

For some reason, this wasn't what I expected, but that's not a bad thing! I guess I wasn't really expecting it to get as dark as it did. There were parts that genuinely freaked me out and made me want to turn the lights on rather than continue to read on my Kindle in the dark, and that's not easy for books to do to me! I enjoyed the writing style, and would read more by Kaitlin Bevis, for sure. I wasn't the hugest fan of the two main characters, but I liked them well enough to be rooting for them both throughout the book. My main complaints are that the entire plot with Jenny Johnston felt, to me, as though it never really got wrapped up by the end and instead felt more like a loose end. In fact, it almost felt as though there were just a couple too many things going on with the plot as a whole for it all to feel cohesive. But I genuinely enjoyed the book, and as mentioned, would definitely read more by this author!

Derrick Hernandez and Tess D'Ovidio have always been best friends. Tess is invited to a bonfire with one of the football players and returns home covered in blood with no memory of what had happened. Of course Derrick is going to help her, but Tess and seven players were the only ones that made back from the party alive. As time goes on, one by one the survivors start dying under mysterious circumstances. Is Tess going to be next, or is she at the center of it all?

We start off with regular small town life, with Derrick as the sheriff's son and Tess as the girl that everyone assumes the worst about. They have such a great friendship, and really care about each others' well being. This is why Derrick doesn't call the authorities when Tess shows up looking like an extra from a horror movie, and they try to figure out what's going on for themselves. That is truly devotion, and it's something that Tess continually questions because of the disparity in their socioeconomic levels, as well as the trouble that follows.

From the moment that Tess arrives covered in blood, the book veers into horror territory. There are certainly concerns about what the football players wanted to do with Tess, considering she was the only girl there. While it didn't get to that point (not actually a spoiler, it's explicitly stated that the hospital exam indicated there was no sexual assault) if not for the horror elements, this could have been a completely different kind of book. We see all the effort that Tess and Derrick make to figure out what happened that night, especially as the deaths continue, even with out of character behavior on both their parts and skirting the law. I sucked in immediately, and the book ended with a very satisfying conclusion. This one is definitely good for those that love horror and YA novels.

Imagine if your best friend went to a party and then turned up at your house in different clothes and also covered in blood! It would be terrifying but its actually becoming normal for Derrick and his best friend Tess.

I don't want to give too much away about this book at all because I think it is a book that you should go into completely blind. There were so many twists and turns and the way that snippets of information are fed to us is really amazing.

Kaitlin Did an amazing job at approaching some scary situations in this book. I really appreciate that she didnt shy away from anything and that the ending wasn't necessarily what everyone would have wanted. I have never read a book quite like this one before. All of the characters were interesting and I enjoyed that Kaitlin didnt spend too much time describing each individual character when it isn't needed.

I would 120% recommend this book! You can grab it here if you are interested: Amazon

I honestly did not put this book down once I had started it because it was that good!

Thanks For Reading

Emx

emmacoxy88@gmail.com

This was a really fun and entertaining book. The author managed to keep me guessing until the very end. There are funny parts, scary parts and sad parts. This is part horror, part mystery and part romance. Tess and Derrick are best friends who have lived next door to each other their entire lives. Tess is a bit of a social outcast and gets invited to go on a date by one of the hot popular football players that she was friends with as a child. She sorta wants to go but Derrick doesn't want her to go. She goes anyway. Hours pass. Tess shows up at Derrick's house wearing clothes she didn't go on the date in and covered in blood. There is not a mark on her. Who's blood is it? How did she get there? There are lots of twists. Really nicely written book that will grab you and keep you hooked. I hope the author decides to dig in this world more because I can feel there are more stories to tell.

Blood and Other Matter is the kind of horror book that gives you an exciting story to follow rather than just describing various gory scenes. When Tess shows up at her best friend Derrick's house covered in blood and with no memories of the bonfire she attended with the football team, things are bound to get messy. And do they ever get messy. As Tess and Derrick scramble to figure out what happened to Tess that night and what killed most of the football team, the few survivors begin to die one by one. That is when the scrambling turns in to a race to discover the truth before the last survivor is picked off.

Bevis came up with a very interesting (if not slightly overdone) plot, that really sucks you in. I spent hours reading, waiting to find out what was happening and how things would end. One of my favorite things about horror and mystery books is trying to figure out the twist; this book didn't have one, so I was a little bummed when we learned that the monster/killer is exactly what you are expecting from chapter one. It made the story more about how the characters got to the truth, rather than what they discover. It also felt like the actual monster didn't get enough of a story. Its backstory and information was very vague and it's motivations were even more so. 

My favorite thing about this book, was how well Bevis got into her characters heads. I loved feeling the fear and guilt right along with the football players as they realized they were going to die. And I loved feeling Tess and Derrick's confusion, relief, and terror as they learned various things about the slaughter and themselves. Overall, a worthy addition to the genre for the way it sucks you in and lets you feel the fear along with the characters.

Blood and Other Matter is ostensibly a story about a malevolent entity that goes on a murderous rampage. But at its core, this horror thriller is really a big metaphor for sexual assault and how it makes the victim feel. Due to that, this is an important book for young adults to read, but it also requires a trigger warning for those who have already personally dealt with this theme.

Bad things happen to us sometimes, and we're not usually at fault or in control of what happened. And when the bad thing is sexual assault, it can leave us feeling unsafe in our bodies, unsure of our choices, unable to pursue the healthy love we deserve, and full of revenge fantasies. The author looks closely at all of this and then answers the question: what would happen if traumatic events and unhealed emotions got mixed up with an ancient entity that wants to complete a vicious ritual?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I didn't inititally realize this was a horror movie, but it was a good book. it was suspenseful, sad, but fast-paced. i couldn't put this book down when i started to read it. it's geared towards YA, but as an adult, i enjoyed this!

Five stars all the way for this book! A true horror, written for the teen market that does not disappoint. Bevis lays out the story perfectly, revealing all aspects of the mystery at the exact moment. With an ending as expected as it is shocking, this is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This book left me with a lot of questions, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since I finished it. It's one of those books that hooks you and keeps you in the narrative.

I will say some of the transitions within the chapters were a little abrupt, but I still thought the overall story was strong enough that I stayed in the book the whole time.

When Tess shows up at Derrick's door covered in blood, life as they know it is changed forever. At the bonfire where Tess had been, there is nothing but carnage. Only 7 survive, but something is slowly picking them off. What happened that night in the woods? The answer is one that will change all their lives forever.

This book grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. It is a unique spin on the “monster” tale, a moonlight ritual gone wrong and nearly an entire football team found dead. One by one, the surviving members end up dead. What happened that night and who is responsible???? Mass amnesia befell everyone involved, but nightmares slowly piece events together until a shocking revelation rocks those involved. Nobody will ever be the same. How do they stop the ball once it’s rolling and who will survive????

The ending is jaw dropping!!! I did NOT see it coming!!!

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

#Netgalley

lood and Other Matter had me hooked from the beginning; it isn't the normal type of book that I read but it kept me wanting to know what was going on.

It all starts when Tess is invited to a bonfire with her childhood friend and ends up on her best friend Derrick’s doorstep covered in blood and other body matter with no recollection of how it all happened. Tess and Derrick soon learn that she and seven other boys were the only ones to make it back from the party alive.

Tess had a difficult home life, with an abusive/sick mother her life isn't easy; her only constant and support has been Derrick and his mother. As the story progresses, we see Tess and Derrick working together to piece together what happened on that disturbing night and this is often through graphic flashbacks.

Blood and Other Matter was a dark story that told of teenage cruelty and blended supernatural elements and although it was far-fetched it worked. The mystery element was done well, I had no idea what was going on! I was trying to link it all to the prologue but I couldn't quite work it all out.

The authors writing was easy to read and flowed well, it was a well-thought out story-line and I enjoyed that we also get chapters from the seven boys that survived; this aspect was done well.

My biggest problem with this book were the main characters, I found them to be bland unfortunately and felt the romance wasn't needed at all. I also didn’t like the ending, I didn’t feel that it worked but besides this, I did enjoy it overall.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read Blood and Other Matter.

Blood and Other Matter is a good book with interesting characters. It is written well and has some interesting twists. This book will keep you entertained.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I’m honestly torn on what rating to give this book. It sucked me in right from the start and held my attention throughout; it was difficult to put down. It fascinated me and was a bit freaky. (I don’t do straight-up horror, FYI.) But the end was too abrupt. Things were getting really crazy, and then they just stopped. It’s like a huge fire was doused all at once. Dear Ms. Revis: Did you run out of memory on your computer? Did you hit your deadline and just throw something down so you could hand in your manuscript? Did your original ending get accidentally deleted, and in your frustration, you wrote a condensed version? I’m left with questions that I’m sure won’t be answered—as far as I know, this is a stand-alone novel. And then there was the uncountable number of f words. So now that I’ve worked through my thoughts a little in this paragraph, I’m going to settle on 3.5 stars. It would have been a solid 4-4.5 stars if those things had been different.

Tess and Derrick were both likable characters, though they kind of terrified me at times. Derrick flat-out said he thought he might be a sociopath (he was somewhat Sherlock Holmes-ish about things). Tess had self-esteem issues and frequently doubted that anyone could actually care for her, to the point that she sought validation from someone who really didn’t matter because she felt indebted to someone who did. I rooted for them, individually and together, despite stupid things they did.

One of my very favorite characters was Derrick’s mom. She was rock solid. She was an excellent balance of stern and loving parent. Involved but not helicopter. Disciplining but reasonable. I think she’s one of my favorite YA parents ever.

I think one of the most frustrating things about the ending of this book is that it tells me absolutely nothing of the aftermath. Yes, it tells me about autopsies and police reports. But it doesn’t tell me anything about the survivors and how they dealt with everything (including the events of the epilogue)—and they had a lot to deal with. How do you come back from those events? I want to know; the story feels incomplete without it.

I could see a door left open for a sequel, though I doubt there will be one. But I would read it. It would be interesting to see this as a movie, but I don't think it's one I would watch, to be honest. I can imagine it being too gory, and those dang f words.

Note: Swearing, including a lot of f words. Sexual assault, characters joking about rape. A lot of deaths, many of them violent.

(4.5) This YA thriller has a fun blend of supernatural elements and a petite side romance. If you enjoyed Jennifer L. Armentrout's "Don't Look Back",I feel pretty strongly that you'll enjoy this as well. The twists and turns kept me intrigued, and I'll definitely be keeping up with what the author writes next.

Hello again my friends! I have finally finished an ARC, Blood and Other Matter by Kaitlin Bevis, from NetGalley that I had been slowly reading. The book wasn't slow, it was just me. 😂 I was attempting to finish the book last night but my body was so tired that I fell asleep, head crashed into Kindle and all!! That's talent folks.

"Blood moon rising…
Derrick Hernandez and Tess D’Ovidio have been best friends forever. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for one another. But their childhood bond is put to the test when Tess shows up on Derrick’s porch covered in blood… 
Tess has no memory of what happened. She’d gone to a bush party with one of the football players. She remembers the bonfire…and then, nothing. Working backward, Tess and Derrick learn that she and seven other players were the only ones to make it back from the party alive. 
During the next few weeks, each of the survivors is plagued with nightmares that reveal fragments of memories from the horrific night. But when the young men start dying under mysterious circumstances, Derrick can’t figure out if Tess is next—or if she’s somehow responsible. All he knows is that he has to save his best friend—or die trying…."
- description from NetGalley

I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, as I felt it was a well done original storyline. I enjoyed the relationship between Tess and Derrick, they had such a deep history having been childhood friends but to see the romance develop was adorable. I felt the author introduced other characters at appropriate times, even though I couldn't stand the football players. That's sign of a good author though, when they can write a character so well that it gets to the point where you can't stand them and want to reach into the pages and strangle them!
I really enjoyed that there was a side plot that followed the strained and tragic story of Tess's home life with her terminal mother. I felt that getting snippets of that helped breakup the crazy events of Tess's doomed night at the bonfire. Overall, there was action, folklore, a little romance and creepy demon smiles. What more can a girl ask for? Oh, but wait! Well...no I don't want to spoil it for you... guess you'll just have to read it for yourself! It officially released on April 17th so go now and grab yourself a copy!!!

Happy Reading! 🤓