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A review by iheartfictionalpeople
Bleed by Dax Varley
4.0
Review originally posted on my blog: I Heart Fictional People
INITIAL THOUGHTS
To be honest, I had mixed feelings about the cover. While it definitely caught my attention, it kind of looked a little too sexual than I think was intended. However, the synopsis had me hooked right away. All the suicides occurring and the five students with unique gifts just sounded like something I had to read.
WHAT I LIKED
The writing. I have never read anything by Dax Varley, but based on this book, she is clearly very talented. The vivid descriptions gave me very clear images in my head, which I appreciated so much! Plus, there was surprisingly a good amount of humor. The out-of-nowhere one-liners and clever metaphors just had me laughing unexpectedly, so that was awesome!
The characters and their abilities. I really liked each of the five main characters. They were all so unique! There have been many books that I have read where the characters are just too similar, so I had a hard time distinguishing who was who at times, but I did not have that problem here. They each had very different personalities, which I absolutely loved. And their abilities were awesome! A bleeder, a psychic, a sin eater, a healer, and a speaker of all languages. Come on. That’s awesome. And I enjoyed seeing the significance of each ability play out. Very entertaining!
The creepy/graphic/violent factor. Okay, this may sound horrible, but I really enjoyed the suicide attempts and other violent scenes. The way that these people tried to kill themselves was horrifying, but it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was like a car crash that you can’t look away from. And this goes hand in hand with the author’s ability to create such vivid, realistic scenes. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The multiple points of view. While I really liked all five characters, I kind of wish it was just from Miranda’s and Jake’s points of view. Switching between the five different ones was a little confusing and frustrating at times.
The romance. Yeah, I know. The romance is usually my favorite part in all books, but this one just seemed kind of rushed. I like the idea of Miranda and Jake as a couple, but I just didn’t feel a connection. It could have been developed a little more.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Great book! I can’t get over how brilliant the writing is! Dax Varley is definitely an author I will keep my eye on. I can’t wait to read her other books. Not only will the suspense and mystery keep you engaged the entire time, but you will also find yourself suddenly smiling and laughing. Plus, the plot is so unique that you won’t be able to put the book down because you just have to know how it turns out.
*I received an eBook copy of this book from the publisher via The Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review*
INITIAL THOUGHTS
To be honest, I had mixed feelings about the cover. While it definitely caught my attention, it kind of looked a little too sexual than I think was intended. However, the synopsis had me hooked right away. All the suicides occurring and the five students with unique gifts just sounded like something I had to read.
WHAT I LIKED
The writing. I have never read anything by Dax Varley, but based on this book, she is clearly very talented. The vivid descriptions gave me very clear images in my head, which I appreciated so much! Plus, there was surprisingly a good amount of humor. The out-of-nowhere one-liners and clever metaphors just had me laughing unexpectedly, so that was awesome!
The characters and their abilities. I really liked each of the five main characters. They were all so unique! There have been many books that I have read where the characters are just too similar, so I had a hard time distinguishing who was who at times, but I did not have that problem here. They each had very different personalities, which I absolutely loved. And their abilities were awesome! A bleeder, a psychic, a sin eater, a healer, and a speaker of all languages. Come on. That’s awesome. And I enjoyed seeing the significance of each ability play out. Very entertaining!
The creepy/graphic/violent factor. Okay, this may sound horrible, but I really enjoyed the suicide attempts and other violent scenes. The way that these people tried to kill themselves was horrifying, but it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was like a car crash that you can’t look away from. And this goes hand in hand with the author’s ability to create such vivid, realistic scenes. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The multiple points of view. While I really liked all five characters, I kind of wish it was just from Miranda’s and Jake’s points of view. Switching between the five different ones was a little confusing and frustrating at times.
The romance. Yeah, I know. The romance is usually my favorite part in all books, but this one just seemed kind of rushed. I like the idea of Miranda and Jake as a couple, but I just didn’t feel a connection. It could have been developed a little more.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Great book! I can’t get over how brilliant the writing is! Dax Varley is definitely an author I will keep my eye on. I can’t wait to read her other books. Not only will the suspense and mystery keep you engaged the entire time, but you will also find yourself suddenly smiling and laughing. Plus, the plot is so unique that you won’t be able to put the book down because you just have to know how it turns out.
*I received an eBook copy of this book from the publisher via The Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review*