Bleed More, Bodymore

This was such a different read than I was expected. It was a bit of whodunnit, a bit of dark fantasy, and a whole lot of death.

To start I will premise with I am from Baltimore. A lot of the themes and feelings related to the city the main character grapples with I can completely relate to. There was also a bit of nostalgia since I haven't lived in Baltimore since I was 14 years old.

I'll begin with Joey, the main character. She is hardened and she has attitude. She has the attitude of someone that has been screwed over one too many times. Her upbringing was hard, and her personality reflects it. She has a very deep seeded distrust for the police. So, when she picks up her friend's car that needs a tow and finds a body in the trunk she's none too thrilled about the attention from the police that brings her. And the attention it brings her friend after he cannot be found for questioning. The longer he's missing the more it's assumed he caused the person in the trunk's death. To everyone other than Joey. She believes wholeheartedly that her friend could never do such a thing. And when she goes finding answers she finds way more than she bargained for.

This is where things get a little crazy. The beginning starts off strong. We're introduced to the characters, the setting, and the mystery that surrounds Joey's friend Wayland, the body found, and the suspicious substance that was found with it. As she's digging, we start getting more into the fantasy part of the book. And then halfway through the book things start to really get weird. Which, I love weird. Except this was kind of confusing weird. When everything was said and done, I was left with more questions than answers. I did enjoy the premise and the ending, but I just wish some of the plot holes were tidied up a bit better. Most were left unanswered or answered so briefly you could almost miss it. There is one twist that I thought was clever but again was a bit confusing for a lot of the book.

The writing was also a bit difficult at times. Sometimes it would be sped up and get confusing. Almost as if it was rushed. Which I think may have had something to do with Joey's state of mind at times, but it was hard to tell.

Due to it being a bit confusing and some questions going unanswered or not being answered thoroughly enough I gave it a lower rating. However, overall, I felt the premise of this was very interested. If you like a book that's weird and dark, I suggest this one.