Blood can both wound and heal . . . Willa is lucky: She has a loving blended family that gets along. Not all families are so fortunate. But when a...
read full description
reviews
Nov 22, 2011
bibliophile brouhaha
rated it: 
Willa's life in the beginning is awesome. A freaking holy grail of a blended family. Particularly with her stepfather, Jack, and his ex-wife, there seemed to be a real sense of 'do what's best for the girls', the 'girls' being Willa's two stepsisters. I was actually really happy to see that kind of compatibility for a blended family happen in a book. Made me think it could be real.
Too bad it was a setup.
Blood Wounds, in case you can't tell by the mugshot cover, is More...
Too bad it was a setup.
Blood Wounds, in case you can't tell by the mugshot cover, is More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Oct 28, 2011
Connie
rated it:
I was so disappointed w this book. I gave it a lot longer than I normally would with a book because I love this author's previous works, but I realized halfway through last night that it was more of a chore than a pleasure to read.
Every author has a dud occasionally and I'm sad to say this is hers. The main character's voice is very immature - she sounds more like 12 than 16. This may have been intentional but in the end, everything here just felt off.
Every author has a dud occasionally and I'm sad to say this is hers. The main character's voice is very immature - she sounds more like 12 than 16. This may have been intentional but in the end, everything here just felt off.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 03, 2012
Rhiannon
rated it:
What could be scarier than a story about finding out your father is a violent murderer? Susan Beth Pfeffer follows up her successful Life As We Knew it, post apocalyptic, trilogy series with another heavy hitter, Blood Wounds.
Willa has lived with her blended family so long she no longer remembers what her life before was like. That is until the father she barely remembers, brutally murders the second family she didn't know about, hundreds of miles away. As the nation watches the da More...
Willa has lived with her blended family so long she no longer remembers what her life before was like. That is until the father she barely remembers, brutally murders the second family she didn't know about, hundreds of miles away. As the nation watches the da More...
Feb 02, 2012
Leann
rated it: 
Willa is a part of a blended family that appears to have it all. She and her two step sisters seem to get along great and she loves her stepdad as if he was her real dad. But then one phone call changes all that when she finds out her biological father has murdered his second family. The police think that her father is headed to kill her and her mother and so Willa and her mom must go into police protection. Willa soon finds out that her mother has held a lot of the truth from her and now he
More...
Jan 16, 2012
Wendy
rated it:
Willa Coffey is a quiet girl who doesn't expect much. She lives with her mom, step-dad Jack and her two step-sisters, Alyssa and Brooke. Jacks ex-wife Val makes sure that Alyssa and Brooke have everything that money can buy and Willa is usually left on the outskirts looking in. Her mom and Jack cannot afford those things for Willa. She doesn't express her discontent, but instead hides in the basement and cuts herself.
When she receives a phone call from her mom's best friend while sh More...
When she receives a phone call from her mom's best friend while sh More...
Jan 15, 2012
Erin
rated it: 
The first few pages of this book made me want to die of boredom. An ordinary family eating their weekly family dinner. But this mixed family is more complicated than it seems - Willa, the middle daughter, cuts herself regularly, while Terri, her mother, lives in fear of disappointing husband Jack. Issues come to the forefront when Willa's natural father and Terri's ex murders his wife and two daughters, taking his third daughter on the road towards Terri and Willa.
The title can be More...
The title can be More...
Jan 06, 2012
Misty
rated it:
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had to write a “less-than-glowing” review, so the fact that it comes at the expense of an author like Susan Beth Pfeffer, (The Survivor Series) seems ironically fitting.
Before I get into paragraphs of explicit details, let me start off by saying this is NOT an overly pleasant read. The main plot aside (guilt for her father’s actions) Pfeffer decided to take a very serious issue (cutting) and treat is as though it were a verb like “jumping” or “smiling More...
Before I get into paragraphs of explicit details, let me start off by saying this is NOT an overly pleasant read. The main plot aside (guilt for her father’s actions) Pfeffer decided to take a very serious issue (cutting) and treat is as though it were a verb like “jumping” or “smiling More...
Dec 27, 2011
Well, this isn't the first time I've stumbled upon Susan's name. If you have heard of her before, you know her from the imfamous, Life as We Knew It series. So, I stumbled upon it at the library and I first thought it was about a cutter and it is, don't get me wrong, but with a new twist. Willa's deranged father has murdered his family and is after Willa, but it isn't just about her cutting, it's about Willa never really knowing her father and about what he was capable of. It's about how his bl
More...
Nov 21, 2011
Angelina
rated it: 
This is a story of facades and truths. It is a story of love and fear. It is a story of moving beyond ideas and taking action.
Blood wounds reads like a true crime novel. Willa is part of a seemingly tight-knit mixed family. She has a mother, a step-father and two sisters. Willa begins the story by telling us about the last day as a "happy family." It's the last happy day because right after that day she receives a frantic phone call from her mothers dear friend, Faye. More...
Blood wounds reads like a true crime novel. Willa is part of a seemingly tight-knit mixed family. She has a mother, a step-father and two sisters. Willa begins the story by telling us about the last day as a "happy family." It's the last happy day because right after that day she receives a frantic phone call from her mothers dear friend, Faye. More...
Nov 17, 2011
Suz
rated it:
Blood Wounds is a bone-chilling, suspenseful, keep reader's on the edges of their seat dark and thrilling read. It's rather interesting, that blood can both heal and wound at the same time, and to have Pheffer utilize that in a well developed, carefully crafted, and compelling novel is not only unique but quite a bit disturbing on some natural level. The writing and world building, were quite clever and her character's and their development throughout the novel as it builds to climax, were writt
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
In this book, Pfeffer turns from a life-changing natural disaster to a more personal disaster with consequences for all those directly involved as well as those who are only the fringes of the event. High school junior Willa seems to have a perfect life. Her stepfather and mother are devoted to her, and she and her two stepsisters get along just fine. If their access to money through their mother means that they have much material objects than Willa, she has never really minded. However, there a
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up but it was written by Susan Beth Pfeffer and I loved her Life As We Knew It books. I recommend those books to just about everybody I come in contact with (so if you haven't read them, go out, get them and read them. They're terrific.) Blood Wounds centers on Willa. Willa is part of a blended family and has two stepsisters who she likes but also envies and resents. Her stepsister's mother pays for them to go to fancy schools, travel and compete in very
More...
Nov 02, 2011
Pam
rated it:
Willa is part of a happy family. Her Mother, Terri, left her abusive husband in Texas when Willa was about 5. Terri eventually met Jack who was divorced with 2 daughters of his own. Jack is the only father Willa has ever known.
One day, out of nowhere, the police are on Willa's doorstep looking for Terri. Willa's biological father has disappeared and there is an Amber alert out for a little half-sister Willa didn't she had. Actually, Budge, Willa's bio-Dad is a person of interest in t More...
One day, out of nowhere, the police are on Willa's doorstep looking for Terri. Willa's biological father has disappeared and there is an Amber alert out for a little half-sister Willa didn't she had. Actually, Budge, Willa's bio-Dad is a person of interest in t More...
Aug 31, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer tells the story of Willa whose world is torn apart when she finds out that the father she barely remembers kills his entire family and is thought to be headed towards her home. Willa is forced to confront the demons in her past and figure out how everything relates to her present.
This is an interesting book that follows a girl coming to terms with the demons of her past. It is very heavy and also deals with her addiction to cutting and th More...
This is an interesting book that follows a girl coming to terms with the demons of her past. It is very heavy and also deals with her addiction to cutting and th More...
Aug 27, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com...
First Impressions: I love books with heavy themes, especially when they are found in a young adult book. By reading the book synopsis, it sounded promising and I was excited to find out I could review it.
First 50 Pages: Going through 50 pages in this book is quite a lot. The book barely passes 250 pages so it is a short read. The print is large and the words are double spaced in my ARC. I wasn’t impressed fro More...
First Impressions: I love books with heavy themes, especially when they are found in a young adult book. By reading the book synopsis, it sounded promising and I was excited to find out I could review it.
First 50 Pages: Going through 50 pages in this book is quite a lot. The book barely passes 250 pages so it is a short read. The print is large and the words are double spaced in my ARC. I wasn’t impressed fro More...
Aug 25, 2011
Julie
rated it:
Willa lives with her mom, step-father and 2 step-sisters. They are an unusual blended family in the fact that they all get along, they love each other and they are one big happy family.
There are secrets being kept in Willa's family though. Willa's mom will never talk about Willa's real father. In fact she will not talk about her life before Jack, Willa's step-father. Willa has a few secrets of her own. She can never share how resentful she is of Jack's 2 daughters. But there is another More...
There are secrets being kept in Willa's family though. Willa's mom will never talk about Willa's real father. In fact she will not talk about her life before Jack, Willa's step-father. Willa has a few secrets of her own. She can never share how resentful she is of Jack's 2 daughters. But there is another More...
Aug 16, 2011
Kiki
rated it:
I loved Life As We Knew it (and also enjoyed the accompanying novels), so I found this book to be somewhat of a disappointment. Pfeffer is dealing with several heavy emotional themes here--blended families, adolescent angst, "cutting" and murder (specifically, infanticide). Willa (love the name) is a nice girl a junior in high school, who gets good grades and is very respectful. She lives with her mom and her husband and his two daughters who are very priviledged (thanks to their hi
More...
Jul 24, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
Definitely an interesting read... Willa's family life is convoluted and complicated, but also probably similar to a lot of modern families, with all of her step-siblings and step-parents and parents of her step-sisters and her estranged father-turned-murderer back in the home town she doesn't remember. There was a lot going on, but not in a bad way. I think the author did a great job of keeping all the varied sides of Willa's life understandable.
Personally, I had some difficulty connec More...
Personally, I had some difficulty connec More...
Jul 21, 2011
Teri
rated it:
Susan Beth Pfeffer is a master story teller in such a unique way, she portrays immense levels of human emotions in her characters.
Blood Wounds will be released later in the year and in it is the story of Willa, a high school aged girl who tries so hard at living the perfect life, that when her past catches up to her it comes in the grisly package of her estranged father and the horrible crimes he has committed against his family.
Susan brings into her story such immense emotion on some More...
Blood Wounds will be released later in the year and in it is the story of Willa, a high school aged girl who tries so hard at living the perfect life, that when her past catches up to her it comes in the grisly package of her estranged father and the horrible crimes he has committed against his family.
Susan brings into her story such immense emotion on some More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 14, 2011
Joy (joyous reads)
rated it:
This book was such a disturbing read. It starts off with a picture of seemingly perfect nuclear family – each one supportive of each other. At one point, you couldn’t really foresee anything will go wrong to destroy Willa’s somewhat unusual family set up. She lives with her mother, her stepfather Jack, and his two daughters from another marriage. Everyone gets along - but like all other families, resentments and bitterness bubble close to the surface.
One blow was all it took for this More...
One blow was all it took for this More...
Oct 03, 2011
Allison
rated it:
Reading this book was a weird experience. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it, but it has some issues. On the plus side, it has a unique story line and I think it would work for certain reluctant readers. Willa, a high school junior from a blended family, finds out in the third chapter of the book that her biological father has gone on a murdering spree wiping out a bunch of blood family members she didn't even know she had. On the negative side, pretty much all of the family members includi
More...
Feb 07, 2012
Josiah
rated it:
"No saints in this world, sweetie. Just different kinds of sinners."
—Faye, Blood Wounds, P. 164
Susan Beth Pfeffer has a way with suspense. She can make readers feel as if the cold-blooded killer could be hiding around any corner, or could outwit even the most well-planned security net to burst through the door at any moment and commence his murderous rampage. And, for the first seventy pages or so of Blood Wounds, that's just the sort of tense, suspenseful More...
—Faye, Blood Wounds, P. 164
Susan Beth Pfeffer has a way with suspense. She can make readers feel as if the cold-blooded killer could be hiding around any corner, or could outwit even the most well-planned security net to burst through the door at any moment and commence his murderous rampage. And, for the first seventy pages or so of Blood Wounds, that's just the sort of tense, suspenseful More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 30, 2011
Karin
rated it:
Willa lives in a "happy family." Everyone gets along. Everyone loves each other. Everyone works together to keep their super busy lives in order. Willa does her part to keep everyone happy. She doesn't say anything about how she can't take private voice lessons or go on trips to other countries because her mother can't afford it. She sits quietly as her two stepsisters travel to Europe, take dressage lessons, play competitive tennis, the list goes on and on. Their mother pays for ev
More...
Sep 13, 2011
Asheley
rated it:
In a nutshell, I liked this book. The pacing is great. The story is entertaining, even with the serious themes it carries. It carried my attention well and was easy to digest.
I do have a few additional thoughts, however, that I would like to share:
1. Willa. Willa has been through so much in this story...from being a part of a blended family, to feeling inferior to her (much wealthier) stepsisters and always having to rearrange her life around their activities, to findi More...
I do have a few additional thoughts, however, that I would like to share:
1. Willa. Willa has been through so much in this story...from being a part of a blended family, to feeling inferior to her (much wealthier) stepsisters and always having to rearrange her life around their activities, to findi More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 19, 2011
Alisha
rated it:
I loved Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It. It was depressing, creepy, and wonderfully written. While Blood Wounds was depressing and wonderfully-written as well, I didn't find it as creepy as I had assumed I would. I think that has something to do with the fact that the synopsis of the Blood Wounds makes it seem like this is going to be a page-turning thriller with Willa basically running for her life due to her murderous father. Now, that's not exactly how it works out. The actual "
More...
Aug 11, 2011
Betty
rated it:
It is rare for me to finish a book the day I receive it. Blood Wounds is one of these books.
Pfeffer does a great job setting up the background in the first two chapters. Willa and her family sit down at supper; her stepfather makes a comment about happy families and unhappy families. We learn more about Willa's step-sisters. At the end of chapter two, we learn a secret that Willa has. Uh-oh.
The next day, Willa's Mother's best friend leaves a series of frantic phone More...
Aug 30, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
When I read the synopsis for this book I thought I was in for a suspenseful, action-packed thriller. Yeah, I was wrong. I was thinking I would be reading about Willa in a Witness Protection kind of program while her crazy father stalked her and she found out crazy secrets her mom had kept. Hmmm...yeah, wrong again! I was very disappointed in this book. This is not to say that you won't like it but it wasn't what I expected at all.
Willa is living with her mom and step-dad and More...
Willa is living with her mom and step-dad and More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 05, 2011
"Oh, why, why did you write this book', this was the thought that came into my mind throughout the reading of the book and I managed to finish it just for the sake of it.
The author has written 70 books and this is what she writes? I wonder how the other books are. The story started well off, with Willa and her happy family. I thought it was a mystery novel, it wasn't. Oh wait, this is a psychological thriller. It wasn't. May be a drama. What drama?
The characters are More...
The author has written 70 books and this is what she writes? I wonder how the other books are. The story started well off, with Willa and her happy family. I thought it was a mystery novel, it wasn't. Oh wait, this is a psychological thriller. It wasn't. May be a drama. What drama?
The characters are More...
Oct 03, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
My Summary: Willa lives a pretty good life with her mother, her stepfather Jack, and Jack's daughters Brooke and Alyssa. Willa and her mother know they're lucky to have found someone like Jack to love them and take care of them, but Willa can't help but resent her step-sisters, who've turned her mother into their personal chauffeur and get everything they want from their rich, estranged mo More...
My Summary: Willa lives a pretty good life with her mother, her stepfather Jack, and Jack's daughters Brooke and Alyssa. Willa and her mother know they're lucky to have found someone like Jack to love them and take care of them, but Willa can't help but resent her step-sisters, who've turned her mother into their personal chauffeur and get everything they want from their rich, estranged mo More...
Nov 12, 2011
Halle
rated it:
I'd have to say, at first, I thought this was going to be about a girl who goes into hiding as her father continues his murdering rampage, at least, that's how the synopsis made it sound. But, after the first 70 pages or so, I started to really understand what the story was about. I do think Pfeffer killed off the father too fast, though. But overall, it was a great book, my second favorite of all time. I read this book in one night; I couldn't put it down. It's really sad, I marked at least fiv
More...
