"Bleed More, Bodymore" by Ian Kirkpatrick is a horror novel that plunges readers into the eerie and unsettling underworld of Baltimore. Joey, a mechanic, becomes embroiled in a nightmarish situation when she discovers a corpse in the trunk of her best friend's car. The novel unfolds as she navigates the ominous streets of the city, determined to prove her friend's innocence.

Kirkpatrick introduces a chilling atmosphere right from the start, with Leakin Park serving as a haunting backdrop to the unfolding events. The premise of a mechanic stumbling upon a corpse sets the stage for a gripping mystery, and the author's portrayal of Baltimore as a city with a hidden, malevolent underbelly adds depth to the horror.

The exploration of the supernatural elements, particularly the concept of a ghost town or limbo beneath the city, adds a unique twist to the horror genre. The idea that unresolved emotions and unfinished business linger, manifesting as rage and stench rising from the dirt, creates a sense of unease and dread.

The narrative is fast-paced, with Joey's determination to prove her friend's innocence driving the plot forward. The author skillfully weaves together the mystery and horror elements, keeping the reader engaged and eager to uncover the secrets lurking in Baltimore's shadows.

However, the novel falls short in character development. While Joey's quest for justice is compelling, the supporting characters lack depth and dimension. The supernatural elements, while intriguing, could benefit from further exploration and explanation to provide a more satisfying resolution to the story.

The writing style is effective in conveying the ominous atmosphere and building tension throughout the narrative. Kirkpatrick's descriptions of the city and its paranormal underbelly are vivid, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the unsettling world he creates.

In conclusion, "Bleed More, Bodymore" offers a chilling descent into horror with a unique twist on the supernatural. The novel's strengths lie in its atmospheric setting, fast-paced plot, and inventive exploration of the paranormal. However, the lack of character depth and some unresolved elements prevent it from reaching its full potential. Horror enthusiasts looking for a quick and unsettling read may find enjoyment in this novel, earning it a three-star rating.

Ooooooooh I loved this one so much. The concept, the writing, the characters. It has everything I was looking for!!

The cover of this book is very cool and it’s why I picked it on NetGalley. Unfortunately I did not care for it. It is a cool idea but the story is a bit of a mess. It also makes Baltimore out to be a really terrible place, maybe it is but geez. This is the first book in a series but I won’t be reading more.

Okay, I will start with what I liked about this book - the premise is intriguing. Joey, our main character, goes to pick up her best friend after his car breaks down, but instead finds him missing and a body in the trunk of his abandoned car. Even though everyone thinks he is guilty, Joey sets out to find him and prove he is innocent. On top of that, there is a ghost town beneath the city, and Joey gets pulled into a world she didn’t even know existed. Ghosts, mystery - had a lot of potential. I did appreciate that Joey was independent and not afraid of getting her hands dirty when it comes to figuring out what happened and what is going on.

Now for what I did not enjoy - I could not stand Joey. She was not a likeable character, but I do not think that is what the author was going for. The humour really missed the mark, and the actions that some of the characters would take were so unrealistic that they took away from the story. I also feel like the writing style was a little chaotic and cluttered, which is not my favourite writing style. There was a lot going on without much going on, if that makes sense. I also didn’t feel very attached to any of the characters, and felt that they could have been fleshed out more to make me more attached to them. Overall, I did not enjoy this book at all. I will not be sharing my review on NetGalley or my social media as I do not believe in sharing negative reviews on my platforms.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

To be completely honest, the cover of this book is what initially drew me in. The description sealed the deal for me, who doesn't love a little mystery mixed with some paranormal aspects and mythology mixed in. The ending definitely left me with some unanswered questions, I feel like there definitely could be a series made because the book left me wanting more.

Sadly this download suffered from the whole pages out of order thing that seems to plague every graphic novel I grt from Netgalley. I will be buying a copy know the future though because I am still highly interested.

I love the concept of this book set in a town with other worldly beings and lore. I enjoyed the setting and pace of the book however I wasn't overly keen with the writing style. I'm not sure if I'd continue with the series although I did enjoy this one.

This book will haunt me until 40 business days ahead. What an absolute horror. The world building was so frightening and atmospheric, made me feel like experiencing there firsthand. I won't reread it, once is barely too much for me

I really wanted to enjoy this one as the premise of it sounded so good however I just couldn't connect with the story or the writing.

Sorry!!

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. The plot had a lot of potential and the worldbuilding intrigued me more than anything else, but there were some issues with the mechanics (pacing, etc) that just took me out of it. Add in that I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and well...

That said, there's a lot of promise here on the part of the author! I genuinely look forward to their future releases and seeing how they grow as a writer. (Thank you to Ian Kirkpatrick, Steak House Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Joey, a drop out and a mechanic at a body shop in the city of Baltimore, lives with her alcoholic father and seems to live anything but a glamorous life. One night she receives a phonecall from her best friend Waylon saying that his car needs to be picked up. When she arrives, Waylon is oddly nowhere to be found, just the stalled out car. She wasn't prepared for what was going to happen after that. After a short time, a smell was noticed coming from the vehicle. Upon further investigation, she finds something totally unexpected. A body. This can't be right. Waylon would never do anything like that. The police, or badges as she and her boyfriend Jag refer to them as, believe otherwise. He is not the prime suspect of a murder. It doesn't stop there. Things get even stranger. Waylon has gone MIA, but continues to text Joey asking her where she is. Between that, the sudden uptake in Ravens around the city, and falling into what appears be an underground city of the dead, Joey has no idea what to believe anymore. How much stranger can things get? Can Joey find Waylan and figure this all out before she ends up looking like the body in the back of the car?
Thank you Netgalley, Steak House Books, and Ian Kirkpatrick for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was given a copy of the audio version. I really liked the narrator Kieran Regan. This book sucked me in almost instantly. I really loved the storyline and the whole concept of this book. It was very original and I really enjoyed it. I rate it ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This isn't my usual type of book, but the summary really appealed (and the cover is also great) so I had to give it a go. The writing style is great - incredibly easy with a nice rhythm. The set-up was also intriguing and felt incredibly real. I didn't connect with the main character Joey much, but the plot was solid enough, and ended up being quite engaging and unique. At first I was confused about where it was all going, but then as we got towards the finale I was fully invested and could see that the book had the potential to set up a series, which I am unsure if I'd continue on in. It's not that it's a bad book, it just wasn't something that truly captivated me.

Joey works at a garage and goes to tow a friend's car but when she gets there he is no where around. She has a horrible home life but her friend Jag gets her through the rough times.
She goes into an alternative Baltimore under the real city.
This was interesting and not a bad read.

Bleed More, Bodymore
By:Ian Kirkpatrick
Publication date;’10/31/21’
Date reviewed; December 19, 2021
Many thanks to Steak House Books, Ian Kirkpatrick & to NetGalley, for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
Bleed More, Bodymore was a tough read. I really thought it was going to be infinitely better than it actually was. The MC was so Hard for me to like & the plot just wasn’t solid. Very, Very hard to enjoy what I was reading. I’m sure some will enjoy this one but it’s just not for me. I’m giving 2 stars & even that’s a bit generous.
#NetGalley #BleedMoreBodymore

This book was a struggle to read. I did not connect with the writing style or the characters. I did not connect with the main character Joey and the writing was disjointed.

*Copy provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Bleedmore, bodymore is an angry written book. That can be fine, since passion - positive or negative - is something to look forward too in a story. The premise of it was interesting and the worldbuilding as well, but the pacing, the general characters and the overall development of the story were not enough to engage me to the end. As a matter of fact, and even though I finished it, this book lost me even before the half mark.

Maybe it wanted to be too much at the same time. Maybe it focused too much on exploring how terrible the city is that ot forgets it needs a plot and characters to survive. Neither of these were great.

This book has passion, though, and some great lines, so I hope for better things from the author.

The book contains some really surprising and fascinating ideas, which barely saved it from a dreaded one-star-rating). Unfortunately those ideas are buried below pages and pages of repetitive and confusing content, which makes them look like needles in a haystack.
More than once I had an eerie feeling of Déjà-vu - like I was caught in a time loop reading the same scene over and over again with only slight variations. Also, I had a BIG problem with the main character which is also the narrator of the story. I didn't like her wannabe bad-ass attitude much and was really irritated by her way of talking. E.g. speaking of 'badges' instead of police is OK for a couple times, but not if you make it a constant but not at all funny running joke. Sorry to say I did not enjoy the book much, though I was intrigued by the unique world the author created.

. It is a spooky, horror gothic mystery style book set in a town where murder is neither a shock nor a surprise. The central characters are engaging, worth a read.

This has been a journey. At the middle of the book, it has some “Corpse bride” vibes, which, as a Tim Burton fan, I really appreciate. It’s the perfect book for Halloween time. Besides that, I like the folklor about the ravens and grim stuff. I think this book is dark, sometimes spooky, and it has it’s hilarious moments. Oh, and don’t fogert the amount of dramatic moments (which I liked a lot). I’m still having some trouble finding out if I like the protagonist or not, she’s got some attitude, and she would irritate me a lot, but she would also be sweet and brave. I had the chance to read the digital copy and listen to the audio book. The audiobook is total different experience, I enjoyed it most. So well narrated, it kept me intrigued the whole time. I highly recomend to give it a try, because it’s so good.