ARC Review: Bad Blood by Demitria Lunetta

All sixteen-year-old Heather MacNair wants is to feel normal, to shed the intense paranoia she’s worn all year like a scratchy sweater. After her compulsion to self-harm came to light, Heather was kept under her doctor’s watchful eye. Her family thinks she’s better—and there’s nothing she wants more than for that to be true. She still can’t believe she’s allowed to spend her summer vacation as she always does: at her aunt’s home in Scotland, where she has lots of happy memories. Far away from all her problems save one: she can’t stop carving the Celtic knot that haunts her dreams into her skin.

Good friends and boys with Scottish accents can cure almost anything…except nightmares. Heather can’t stop dreaming about two sisters from centuries ago, twins Prudence and Primrose, who somehow seem tied to her own life. Their presence lurks just beneath the surface of her consciousness, sending ripples through what should be a peaceful summer. The twins might hold the key to putting Heather’s soul at rest…or they could slice her future deeper than any knife.

**** Big thank you to Random House Kids for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!****

I actually really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in one sitting but I didn’t like it quite enough to rate it more than 3 stars though. It’s the kind of book to just pass some time but won’t really have any lasting affect on me, I don’t foresee myself thinking about this book much after reading it.

The plot itself wasn’t that special, the pacing did drag a lot especially in the beginning and then the ending felt really rushed. I was also expecting the witchcraft and magical bits to be a lot more prominent then they ended up being, I liked what parts there were but I wanted more. Overall I just thought the general story surrounding the magic was really under developed and didn’t have much depth, there just wasn’t enough plot!

The dream sequences Heather had of Prudence and Primrose were a little flat although they did add a lot of drama to the story, there were definitely a few shockers in there. Generally though I didn’t feel like I knew enough about them to care what happened to them, they were the major conflict in this book and they were just meh. Also the way things were resolved in the end with these two was quick and easy, talk about too convenient.

I also didn’t really like the way mental illness was shown in this book, used as a plot device and nothing more. It’s also like her self-harm problem is being thrown in our faces throughout the story, I’m talking screaming in your face “HEY SHE CUTS HERSELF” like we get it but you don’t need to mention it constantly to get your point across. Besides that the cutting isn’t because Heather really has a self-harm problem it has to do with the magical part of the plot (all I’ll say because of spoilers), she isn’t “crazy” and the book throws that word around like it’s nothing.

I think the part I loved the most about this book was the setting in Scotland and the inclusion of some Scottish folklore. I thought the author did a wonderful job with describing the places and the people and the culture, it just made me long for Scotland more!

Heather was an okay MC, not annoying but not very memorable either. I did, however, love her friends especially Fiona she was feisty and added a big fun factor to the story. So basically all of the characters were good, not bad or great, just good.

I also really loved how female friendships and family relationships were portrayed in this book, it’s all about love and support with no abuse or hate.

The romance in “Bad Blood” was another thing that was just sort of alright, nothing special. I liked the love interest, Robby, he was pretty adorable and that Scottish accent was swoon-worthy.

What I DID NOT like was the fact that Heather had absolutely ZERO interest in Robby her entire childhood and teenage-hood and loved his older, cuter brother more. Then Robby loses weight and “gets hot” and suddenly Heather is interested. I just thought that was unbelievably shallow of her since she couldn’t give him the time of day before.

I enjoyed this book but it did have a few problems and just wasn’t anything completely mind blowing. Like I said though it was still a decent read, just not anything that will be sticking with me for a long time.

What I Liked:

• LOVED the setting in Scotland
• The characters were pretty good, especially Fiona (she was awesome)
• The portrayal of female friendships and family relationships

What I Didn’t Like:

• Kind of slow paced and the ending was rushed and too convenient
• I didn’t like the way Heather’s self harm was portrayed
• Heather’s end of the romance was pretty shallow

I would say “meh” I’m not going to go around recommending it since it was just alright but if some of the points I made sound interesting to you then go ahead and give it a try. Like I said it isn’t a terrible book and it isn’t a fabulous book it’s just a good book that will give you a moderate amount of enjoyment.

Links: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository