Blood Matters

by Aviva Bel'Harold, Ian Sokoliwski (Illustrator)

Brittany felt empty. This thing was going to turn her into a stone — inside and out. Petrified organs and stone-cold emotions. “Where are we getting our next boost from?” E.V. asked. Brittany rolled her eyes. Boost – like she was an addict looking to score her next hit.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2014

About the author

Author of Safe, Blood Matters and a few more.
I am many things; a writer, a mother, a wife, a dachshund lover, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an author. There isn’t anything on this list I could say I love more or that gives me more joy than the rest. I will fight to the death for my family, as I would fight to the end to give my books their best chance, as I will do everything in my power to provide my dogs the best care, as I have dropped everything to comfort a friend or help out my sister, mother or children (and I'd do it again).
Just as I write rich and engaging stories full of dynamic characters and fascinating ideas and places, I am as equally diverse: filled with a life of amazing and strange adventures.
Though I consider myself a YA author, and thus far I’ve kept my writing within that category, I have not limited my books to any one sub-genre, I've written from drama to horror to sci-fi and beyond.
However, writing didn’t come easy for me. I have several learning challenges and I've had to find ways around them. However, I was fuelled by my passion to tell people about the worlds and characters I am in love with.
For more about me look me up on Facebook: http//www.facebook.com/AvivaBelHarold

Reviews

[Mark E Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique vampire story.

I've never read a vampire story quite like this one before. I found Brittany frustrating, but understandable and believable. I'm left wanting this book not to be the end of E.V's story.

[Robert August · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aviva Bel'Harold's BLOOD MATTERS is young-adult speculative fiction that reminds me why I am drawn to such novels despite being far beyond the target age. This is a fresh and highly original take on the vampire myth that inspired a sense of discovery that brought me back to the novels of my youth. This feels like old-time science fiction with vampirism being a symbiotic relationship between a human and an exotic, possibly alien, creature. It takes the vampire pathology in a whole new direction while offering a believable spin on how traditional vampire myths derived from it. It felt so much fresher than typical vampire makeovers that do little more than slap a daylight-sparkle paint job on the same old myth.

Bel’Harold has an immersive writing style that draws you deep into her characters. She does a fantastic job of developing protagonist Brittany after she becomes “infected” with this vampire symbiont. Brittany enters the story as a normal teen, and reacts to her new reality as you might expect, resisting. Even after she finally accepts that she can’t escape her new reality, she continues to resist the temptation to allow the change to alter her moral compass. This internal struggle is where the novel really shines. When her situation reaches a point where she realizes that her moral beliefs aren’t surviving the change, she is determined to take drastic action to prevent this. Her internal struggle not only changes her, but even the symbiont within her. I won’t spoil the ending, but I admire Bel’Harold for the way in which her character development made the conclusion of the novel feel like the natural result of a heroic protagonist’s struggle. This novel breathes refreshing new life into a favorite old myth.

[Sarah Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ran into this book on my birthday while my cousin was speaking with Aviva. I caught the word "vampire" and was like done.
I started reading the book and was like this is really good.
Brittney's struggle to stay human while she is infected with something that is turning her into a vampire. At first, I had a hard time taking in this new vampire feel as it is not what Anne Rice or Bram Stoker had taught me about vampires and it is nothing like Stephanie Meyers vampire either.
After Brittney is infected and she has to choose what to do, stay human and not feed the vampire or to become a vampire and feed it. She decides to take a new approach and make some hard rules for herself and the vampire.
What teenager doesn't have troubles and not knowing what choice they make will have both a positive and a negative outcome to it. This book gives hope to teenagers and young adults and lets you know that you are never alone.
I did love this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something that gives them a feeling like they aren't alone in this world.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as an independent review for Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock.

Brittany is grieving over her best friends suicide. Ever since Emily had returned from the farm she had been acting different. Brittany never asked or told anyone what was going on and now her friend was dead. Now Brittany is hearing Emily's voice in her head and something strange is going on with her. She has stopped eating and she is always cold.

Different twist on the vampire stories. Brittany struggles with what is going on with her body. She fights against it but when your body craves it, it is hard to resist. I enjoyed the storyline and Brittany was a wonderful character. Lots of twists and turns to the book. At times I wasn't to sure where it was going. But it winds up nicely at the end. Wonderful read for young adult. Some violence

[Angele Gougeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is not your typical vampire story.
'Blood Matters' is a refreshing and interesting take on the age-old vampire tale. E.V is a parasitic being. And once 'bitten,' there is no cure.
This YA is engaging and character-driven, with a truly wonderful ending. I read the whole book in less than a day. Blood Matters is a unique experience. Definitely worth the read!

[Rjlouise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had a hard time with this review. I enjoyed so much of my time of reading this book and wanted to rate it even higher than I do now. However, there was one particular aspect that was so completely horrifying to me, so disappointing, that I cannot rate higher, in good conscience. As is my tradition, I will address both those things I enjoyed and those things I disliked. After I do that, I will go into detail about this one terrible part of the experience and - against my tradition - include quite a few spoilers so I can discuss the problem accurately. Basically, in order to fully explain why I had such a knee-jerk reaction, I will have to spoil the entire ending. I will warn again when that particular section starts, but be aware there are spoilers ahead. Ultimately, I believe this is a good book that failed itself in becoming great.

It took me some time to determine whether or not this book was fantasy or science fiction. After all, it is a vampire novel. What really sealed the deal for me was the clear work the author put into the process of the parasitic relationship that created the vampires of the novel. While no vampire novel can entirely avoid the supernatural, the parasite and the logic of the world in which it lives definitely had the tone of science fiction to me. A basic run down is this: the parasite starts in every host as a single-celled organism that travels through the blood stream and, as it settles in the heart, it begins to multiply and use up the blood supply of the host in order to do so. At the point that it runs out of blood, it then requires blood from other humans to complete and sustain the transformation.

One of the things this scientific bent to the vampire tale provides is a delightful lack of angst. Not that there is no angst in the novel, but that it does not over power or even equal the sense of curiosity and exploration that comes with the new abilities. This is a novel about discovery as much as it is about its major themes of heroism and humanity.

The characters are well humanised and made approachable by a diversity of perspective. It's amazing how, depending on who is the lens the narration is written through, the parasite, called E.V., and the host, known as Brit, can be two separate beings or a third, singular character. It took a little while to get used to the different narrative lenses, but allowing the story to be told through several sets of eyes allowed for a good deal of sympathetic perspective. I think the story was served well by the fact that though it was mostly (and understandably) told from the perspectives of Brit and E.V., others were allowed in to really fill out the edges of the picture.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the shorter chapters. All seventy-seven (!!) of them. I am generally not at all a fan of the short chapter, I feel like it fragments the narrative. However, in this case, it served as a beautiful echo of the perspectives of E.V and Brit. E.V.'s memories barely stay with her from host to host, but Brit helps in discovering and preserving them in her human mind as a full, complete narrative. The narrative device of short chapters verses a long arc mirroring the two main characters was one of my favorite bits.

The thematic discussion of heroism (which is main theme of the book as I perceive it) was quite good. E.V. seems to feel she is a bit of a hero. As a parasite, she improves the health, function, and visage of the host body. They are faster, stronger, more beautiful, less needy. But in order to do this, she must take. Brit, as she discovers her new powers, chooses to use them to cull the bad people from her town. But, in doing so, she takes away the lives and opportunities of so many people. Both of them are play-acting at being a hero and convincing themselves that they are heroes, while neither of them really are. While I found the resolution of the discussion contained some deeply problematic things (this is the big spoiler I talk about later), I did enjoy the eventual conclusion the manuscript came to.

The secondary discussions of 'what is it that makes one human' (a vampire novel must) and 'the many ways love can be felt' were nuanced and extensive. I enjoyed the multi-thematic nature of the novel and I am truly glad to say that the discussions weren't heavy-handed or didactic.

As for my dislikes, the first I need to mention is the simply weird pacing problems. I would be convinced that several days had passed and then read a reference to an action five chapters past as earlier in the day. This isn't particularly unreasonable with seventy-seven short chapters, but it is disconcerting when the perception is so different from the narrative. Similarly, I would thing a short time had passed - a few days, a week at most - and discover that months had gone by. I wonder if this is a vampire novel problem, as both Stoker's DRACULA and Meyer's TWILIGHT also had these issues of pacing, though to wildly different degrees.

Another weird aspect was the inclusion of a biblical phrase as a large part of the mythology quite suddenly at the end. After having spent so much of the book writing a detailed individual mythology and science, it was more than a bit odd to see an established mythology (one that didn't feel like it really fit all that well) play such a large role in the raison d'etre of the vampires. I was largely confused by the inclusion and I still think it was a poor choice, though it certainly wasn't a book breaker by any means.

Many of the "bad people" Brit targets are pimps and the prostitutes often seem to end up being collateral damage. I dislike them being lumped in as bad people (with little remorse for killing them), as a vast majority of illegal sex workers are victims themselves. At best it seems insensitive and at worst it looks like sex-shaming and has shades of victim-blaming. Either way, it felt like a very negative and dismissive treatment of sex workers and I would have liked that to be more nuanced. I also find it ludicrous that in a town that supports over 200 pimps and sex workers that Brit couldn't find a goodly portion of muggers or robbers (or, if she could, that they didn't show up in the narrative).

There is a scene (really, Brit's first taste of the false heroism she takes on) in which a girl is threatened with rape. Brit steps in and saves her and the next day the girl is at school, bright, bubbly, cheery, and ENTIRELY UNAFFECTED. This sat very poorly with me. It seemed to brush off rape, or the threat of it, as a casual thing, and that disturbs me. I think it would have served the narrative, one proved to be so good at nuanced discussions, to have added a little, or even a lot more nuance to this scene.

Okay, so that's the base of my review. As you can see, compared to what I enjoy, most of my complaints are minor. I hope you understand that while this next part addresses a major complaint at length and, though it does taint my over-all experience of the book, I did enjoy the vast majority of my time in this world.

From here on out MAJOR SPOILERS. DON'T CONTINUE IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM.

We good? Fantastic.

There was an entirely gratuitous rape in the book. ENTIRELY. There's no excuse or purpose that I can suss out. In my explanation, I first have to credit Maggie Stiefvater, an author of YA literature herself, for helping me create my criteria for what makes a gratuitous rape in literature. She wrote a beautiful article about rape in fiction two years ago and it perfectly captures the feeling of being faced with an unnecessary rape: "I-Am-Only-The-Sum-Of-The-Places-On-My-Body-You-Can-Violate-Me." You can find it on her tumblr and twitter. The criteria are:

1. Would this have happened if it were a male character?
2. Does this reduce the female character to the parts violated?
3. Is this starting a constructive discussion about rape?
4. Does this confirm cultural stereotypes about rape?
5. Does this feel like a default rather than an intentional choice?
6. Does this turn a complex character into a Victim or a Sidekick or Someone to Be Rescued?

So, I will be answering each of the questions about BLOOD MATTERS. First, I need to set up the context of the rape: A male parasite (in a male host) feels that he needs to repopulate the world with parasites to cull the human herd. Since E.V. is the only remaining female parasite, she is the one he chooses. The process by which he does this first includes the male parasite leaving his host body (therefore killing it) to join E.V. in Brit's body and fundamentally changing E.V's DNA to replicate in such a way as to create little parasite babies and ALSO to jump into a new (male) host and have the host bodies have sex, so the parasite babies can attach to each sperm deposited and then go infect the world. Oh, and he fully intends to do both acts whether E.V. and/or Brit intend to go along with it. And, sure enough, he does. Got it? Now to the questions:

1. Would this have happened if it were a male character?

Quite simply: never. He already has the sperm, so there could have been all sorts of ways to accomplish that aspect, if it must needs have sperm. In fact, off the top of my head, I can think of several ways that, if the female parasite had been in a male body, this could have been pulled off just fine without rape (which means that totally could have happened in a female). These ways are: asexual reproduction; only the parasites needed to have sex and since it is established that they can remove blood through skin contact, skin contact would be the full extent of the necessity, rather than invading a body in any way, shape, or form; changing of the DNA to be compatible with flaking skin cells; combining the sperm with the baby parasite hoards OUTSIDE the body. So, in this aspect, the rape was gratuitous.

2. Does this reduce the female character to the parts violated?

Yes. And how you can take a phoenix-like, parasitic, practically eternal being and reduce her to her girly bits is BEYOND me. Holy reproductive terrorism, Batman. Not to mention, E.V. is considered an It - a non-gendered entity - for the vast majority of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, her female-ness is impressed upon her BY THE MAN!PARASITE WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY PERPETUATE THIS RAPE. Her female status literally exists to serve the rapist. So, in this manner, the rape is gratuitous.

3. Is this starting a constructive discussion about rape?

Not in the least. At no point after the rape were the implications discussed. Though shock might be considered a factor, both Brit and E.V. were a little two engaged with reality afterwards for me to feel as if that was a valid interpretation of the after-effects of the rape. Basically, much like the threat of rape from earlier in the novel, it is not discussed much at all. This is especially confusing considering the elegant discussions about heroism, love, and humanity in the script. In this way, the rape is gratuitous.

4. Does this confirm cultural stereotypes about rape?

Hell. Yes. Several. And while I am almost positive that these were unintentional, it is still a fact that this rape both confirms the cultural expectation of the inevitability of rape as well as the cultural perception that rape is the worst thing that can happen to a woman. The manuscript does this by having the female character(s) commit suicide shortly after she/they are raped. The suicide served the discussion about heroism, but it could have been accomplished (SO SO EASILY) in a non-problematic way by simply NOT INCUDING RAPE. Also, since the male parasite has to transfer hosts to a new male host - and it chooses Brit's human boyfriend - there is a bit of playing into the 'men can't help themselves, they're animals' when the boyfriend tries to fight off the control of the parasite and fails. Also, the responsibility of getting away is left with the girls. This plays into the cultural perception that women don't do enough to avoid being raped. In this way, the rape was gratuitous.

5. Does this feel like a default rather than an intentional choice?

Yes. This choice - and it was a choice, not an inevitability - feels lazy, especially since E.V. was considered a sexless being until two-thirds of the way through the manuscript (she inhabited both men and women!). This choice didn't feel like intent, rather it felt unexamined. In that way, it is absolutely gratuitous.

6. Does this turn a complex character into a Victim or a Sidekick or Someone to Be Rescued?

Yes. After spending an entire manuscript being the acting party (parties), suddenly these women - during the CLIMAX of the story no less - become the party acted upon. They are turned into Victims or Sidekicks in their own story. It is especially frustrating, then, that their return to action is to commit suicide to prevent the little parasite babies from entering the world - an act completely about the rape, making them victims to the end. Again, this scene qualified the rape in BLOOD MATTERS as a gratuitous rape.

As you can see, this rape was entirely gratuitous by these guidelines. And yes, I realize these are guidelines of my own making (though adapted from another's), but I hope I've demonstrated how truly UNNECESSARY this was. This was an extremely disappointing way to end an experience I had so enjoyed. I don't know what to think. The fact that all of the problematic aspects, unintentional though they might have been, in this circumstance were missed by both the author and the editor BAFFLES me. I rate the story highly because the writing was so good and the story showed a true understanding of craft. But the lack of understanding of this vital component really made the experience forever tainted.

I will continue to watch the author's work. I will even continue to read it. She is talented and I believe she can (and hope she will) do better. To her credit, and I do hope I've made it clear that I give her plenty, she did not depict the rape in graphic terms. The reader knows how and when it happened, but she did not deem it necessary to SHOW it. I *very much so* appreciate that and know that I would not be able to rate this work so highly if it were not true. I hope that, in future works, this author will prove me right and earn my trust again. I certainly want her to be able to.

B- (excellent world building, interesting characters, successful narrative device, nuanced thematic discussions; casual attitude about the threat of rape, lightly treated rape, romanticized suicide, odd insertion of biblical mythology, weird pacing at times)

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average vampire story.

Brittany is your average teenager... until she finds her best friend Emily dead in her tree house. Then her world turns upside down. At first she thought it was shock and depression that sapped her appetite for food. Then she starts "seeing" Emily and thinking that she's completely lost her mind. Soon she discovers her new found appetite for blood. Something has taken over Brittany... a parasite. This parasite requires the consumption of blood. Now, Brittany is a vampire. She decides to be valiant and tries to only take her "donations" from the scum of the Earth. Her parasite, whom Brittany has named E.V. (Emily the Vampire), doesn't quite understand what the difference is between who Brittany deems acceptable to become a snack.

Unfortunately, for Brittany and E.V., the authorities have started to notice a "health issue" where patients are coming in with fatigue and low blood counts and start looking for the source. Then they come across the mass burial of all Brittany and E.V.'s victims... mostly convicted felons, but all drained completely of blood.

I really did enjoy this book, though it did have a bit of a sad ending

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Edwin Downward · Rating 4 out of 5]

An twisted take on monsters and vampires that also succeeds in exploring the human condition in remarkable detail.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the suicide of her best friend, Emily, Brittany Watts grieves to the point of sickness. Then she becomes confused. Everyone around her is worried and concerned. She's taking Emily's death so much harder than anyone imagined and she's not acting like herself.

That's because Brittany isn't herself, she's changing into something she doesn't understand, something that can't really exist, something that only lives in sci-fi movies and books. Her confusion turns to anger once she realizes the truth...and there is nothing she can do to stop it. She's now a symbiont for a parasite that appears to her...in the form of Emily. This is the second biggest reason I feel the relationship “works”,because some of Emily does still exist in “E.V.” (the parasite), so the bond with Brittany is there. The main reason, however, is because of who Brittany is – pragmatic and no nonsense. Eventually though, Brittany does actually care about “E.V.”, even though she doesn't want to.

Brittany is at constant odds with herself over the acts she has to commit to sustain herself. She tries to reason, deal, and even trick the parasite into compliance. While it may adhere to her rules, the parasite still prevails because Brittany needs blood, then she craves blood...then she wants blood.

“Blood Matters” is a bittersweet paranormal journey that makes you think about morality, right and wrong...even man's inhumanity to man. And the author has nestled it all into an addictive tale centered around a parasite and a teenage girl.

I surprised myself at how much I truly enjoyed this story! This is definitely outside of my comfort zone, as Horror is a genre I tend to avoid...being a big chicken and afraid of things that go bump in the night. But, “Blood Matters” pulled me right in and held on. And as much as I was routing for Brittany, I knew certain things would have to happen, I just wasn't prepared for the way they happened. WOW!

I loved Coby! What an awesome guy...and smart! My heart was breaking for him all the way through the book. Bret/Michael/Jax – EW! He was slow to show this true character, but when he did, it was just plain maniacal. I wish I could have gotten more of his back story from before Jax and Abelena. It would have helped me better understand his intense feelings of superiority.

There are two issues I had with the story that caused it to lose one star. The chapters are unreasonably short. At just under 20% into the story, I was already on chapter eighteen! It was distracting because most of the time, there was no change of scene or characters...the previous conversation continued. I tried to understand what the author what shooting for, but it was lost on me. It would be better to have chapter breaks separated by an icon or asterisk. Starting a new chapter interrupts the flow.

Secondly, while this story also falls into the coming-of-age genre, I feel the characters are a bit too young. They come from good, albeit dysfunctional families, and I don't feel they'd have as much autonomy as they did. It takes a while into the story before you even find out Brittany's age, and I was taken aback when I found out what grade she was in. Also, the thought processes and dialogue felt out of line for that age – especially Coby's. I couldn't connect with the intimate moments either. (There is no sex depicted!) Adding a couple of years to their ages, for me, would have made a big difference.

That being said, this author can write! You feel the emotions, you can visualize the scenes. Grammar and editing issues are nearly nonexistent. There are a couple of places that needed to be re-read to understand who was speaking, and that they were, in fact, having a flashback.

Horror may not become my new favorite genre, but I would definitely read more by this author! Kudos!

(I received an ARC from Paranormal Cravings in exchange for an honest review!)

[F.P. Dyme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning: This review contains quasi-spoilers. (Not enough to ruin the book, just enough to be annoying. Sorry.)
I received this book as an advance copy in return for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Although it is yet another vampire story, if it is well told with an interesting plot and well developed characters, it doesn't matter if it's a subject that has been done a million times before. Unfortunately, a few glaring grammatical errors right off the bat made me leery of what I was getting into. Combine this with slow moving story that doesn't really pick up until the book is more than half over and some serious character inconsistencies made it a hard story to get into. The first half of the book is spent on Brittany's struggle with what she has become with little progression in the plot. She at times wildly vacillates from emotional teenage girl to rational hunter - why is she okay with draining some victims dry but has a moral conniption fit about taking a few ounces from a sleeping woman?
V.E. similarly has some character inconsistencies - it consistently cannot understand "the line" Brittany has drawn, yet it prevents her from crossing that line on a regular basis. Also, there is inconsistencies in V.E.'s abilities - sometimes it can read Brittany's mind, sometimes not. Sometimes it can control Brittany, sometimes not.
The ending felt super rushed - mostly because the first half of the book was super slow. This was feeling was multiplied by the fact that the first half of the book covered only a few weeks while the second half covered over five months and the last 30 pages or so 2 days. In fact, the plot progression during the first half was so slow I was frequently questioning what, if anything was going to happen. There was incredible build up for several different plot aspects that didn't really pan out - (What happened with her parents?! And did she really consider herself a hero? What about the whole epidemic aspect?) and then everything came together really quickly at the end.
There were some inconsistencies in the story's voice - it was mostly third person close to Brittany, but every so often it would dip into another character's brain out of nowhere - a little jarring.
I gave it one star for the fact that author was able to accomplish something few (including myself) have the discipline to do - write a story from beginning to end and a second star for making it interesting enough that I at least wanted to know how it ended - without making the journey to the end excruciating (I've read a few of those).

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finding the body of her best friend, Brittany begins to feel different. Taken over by more than grief, teen-aged Brittany has now started to see her dead friend, she has no appetite for food and her insides feel different. Something has invaded Brittany, shut down her organs and has given her an appetite for blood. Brittany must learn to live with the parasite, her new appetite and the changes that come with it. As Brittany reveals the true nature of what resides in her, Brittany must choose if she wants to be the hero or the monster.

I thought this was a really interesting take on vampires. I was intrigued by the way that the parasite, which Brittany calls E.V., explained its purpose and its history, fitting in with well-known vampire lore. Brittany is a complex character who meets the challenge of being invaded by E.V. head on; she asks questions, test boundaries and tries to find a way that they can live together. Most of all, Brittany gets to know E.V. personally. Much of the book is Brittany’s internal struggle with E.V. and her need for blood; this was interesting but did drag on for a bit. The suspense picked up when Brittany’s friend, Coby begins to realize that something is wrong with her and begins to seek help with someone who seems to know exactly what Brittany is going through. The end really picked up as the intentions of the parasite were revealed and through me for a huge loop when Brittany and E.V. decided to solve it on their own. The writing in the book is very fast paced and chapters are very short, almost to the point of being choppy; however, it did make me want to keep reading. Overall, a different YA, paranormal, vampire read for someone looking for something a little different.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early reviewer's copy of this book from Library Thing and the publisher Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. In return I'm to give an honest review.

I requested this book because I've avoided all the vampire books that have been the rage with YA readers the last few years. It was time I explored this genre to see what some of my grandchildren were reading.

I always commit to at least 100 pages before I give up on a book. When I reached page 83, I realized I was flipping through at a rapid pace because I was hooked by the story.

I'm at a loss of how to review this since have no idea what a spoiler would be and I don't want to to intrude on anyone's reading experience.

Combine parasites with vampires, throw in the foibles of humanity and this book is what you get.
Surprises await as there's room for the love of friendship among these creatures and this is what you get, and love always wins.

The only thing that prevented me from giving it five stars is the need of a good proofreader. The typos and wrong words distracted me, but not enough to ruin the creativity.

You can safely recommend this to anyone who enjoys this genre or to anyone willing to try something new.

I give BLOOD MATTERS four stars.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I have mixed thoughts on. On the pro side, the book was completely unique and certainly an interesting take on the “vampire” story. Additionally, it was incredibly refreshing to have a story that is not a teaser for a new series that you’re going to be sucked into. The concept and purpose of E.V. was also a creepy reveal to me.

The flip side to me is that I found the story somewhat repetitive at times. I think the book could have been shortened quite a bit and it still would have been an equally compelling book. My other complaint is that everything was wrapped up in the final 15% of the book and everything leading up to that was of the form “this happened, then this happened”. Despite those critiques, this was still a solid book and I would certainly read future books from the author.

Warning: Contains frequent violence.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Paranormal fans looking for something a little unusual.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of the publisher.

See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received this ebook free, from Librarything.com, for an honest review.)
Here's a galley that blew my mind. Blood Matters is the story of young Brittany, who is caught up in a series of tragedies. First, her mother has an affair, deserting her and her father. Her dad then takes up with Ella, a girlfriend half his age, one whom Brittany loathes. Because of Ella, Brittany’s beloved pet Mittens was vanquished from the home to a backyard fort. It's in the fort that Brittany discovers the body of her best friend Emily. Cause of death: suicide.

Brittany, inconsolable to everyone, finds Emily reaching out to her... form the grave. Emily attempts to give an urgent message, one that could possibly save her friend, but Brittany turns a deaf ear. On a ghost! Now she finds herself in a situation where she can either injure others, or like Emily, injure herself.

Blood Matters carried an original concept, one like no other. For the rest of this review: http://tinyurl.com/ofhze5c

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I tend to read most books more than once, this book is not one of those. Once was enough, it took forever to get into the story and then it felt rushed at the end. I don't know if I would have finished this book if I hadn't been given an early reviewer's copy. I gave it 3 stars because I liked the idea behind the book, it was a unique take on vampires (kind of cross between vampires and succubi, without the sex part of course, with a little mummy thrown in). Plus I think anyone who can sit down and write a new story like this deserves props. In closing, I think the book would have been a 5 star book if the pacing had been better.

[Elizabeth Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting new twist on an old favorite. Could vampires be the result of a parasitic organism attaching itself to a human host? Is it demonic possession, a virus? This book start out as an "almost" typical YA, about some teenagers who may or may not have a strange illness they refuse to talk about... It soon twists that into something completely new and grotesque. The story is well put together and very character-driven. Not for kids, as there is some graphic violence. The main characters are realistic, and their predicament is eerily conceivable. The ending was completely unexpected. Well edited... time and care obviously went into this book. Loved it!

[Jennifer Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Many would try to describe this as a vampire story. They would be completely wrong. Very well written and the story line moved fairly quickly. The only issue I had was when a nurse was taking blood for a blood test from Britney the mom was screaming in me that they did not have permission to do that and had not called her parents. The whole scene could of been skipped and not damaged the enjoyment of the book one iota

[Crystal Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an original concept that I love. Take vampires and parasites and put them together for a terrific YA sci-fi book. I love how the main character slowly relaxes her morals in order to live more conveniently. Great ending. I recommend for any sci-fi buff or vampire reader. Any monster lover, actually.

[Robert Bose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a nice take on the entire vampire mythology. The moral dilemna that Brittany faces, as her story goes on, is facinating as she realizes the implications of her actions or inactions.

A fun read that keeps you wanting to turn the pages and see what's going to happen. The end took me completely by surprise, which is great.

[Emily Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed. I liked her novel "safe," but I wasn't sure I wanted to read another one. but, I saw her in chapter's and she is very friendly and I decided to give it another go. I am so glad I did! this book was wonderfully told and an interesting take on the vampire mythos. I loved it.