I clicked on this for the title which is one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs the song actually fits the storyline about the twins who have a rough relationship, part of the book is set in the 1600s the way the past and present are woven together is very cool. I liked this part of the book but I didn't think the twins reasons for fighting were strong and it felt as if I missed something but I didn't it jut wasn't set up well. The sisters story was good but I wish it had been developed more. This is book is about witches, this is not a spoiler it's set up in the first few chapters, I wanted more witchcraft it was mostly in the last quarter and I think my main problem with this book is that is was missing something there needed to be more happening. The first half was all set up this is normal except this book is only 272 pages when a book is that short it needs a faster pace or in the case of this one it needs to be longer.

The charterers are all okay there's not much time for character development and in a standalone I don't need the charterers to be amazing the only character I had a problem with was Heather's aunt whose name I can't even remember she was more of a plot device then a character. What bothered me is that it seemed unrealistic for her to give Heather so much freedom when she had just gotten out of a wellness center for cutting herself. There really isn't much more to say this book was good none of the problems really bothered me until I finished reading it, I always like finding a nice standalone and the writing was great it flowed well and swapped between time periods flawlessly. But it needed to be longer, the ending was rushed and I wanted more chapters in the 1600s and more magic. Basically this a quick intriguing paranormal standalone that is worth reading but that could have been so much better if the author had spent more time developing the story.

This was a good book about witches. I enjoyed the family aspect of it. I loved her friends and the romance that happened over time. Fiona was such a great friend. I enjoyed aunt abbie. This did have a craft vibe from it. I also enjoyed the stories from the past.

This isn't my one of my typical reads, but the mention of Scotland and hint of witches reached out and grabbed me.

Heather is a girl who clearly has some issues - not only with cutting, but recurring nightmares involving twin sisters, Prudence and Primrose, both witches from the 1600s. Throughout the story, the POVs rotate between these three characters, although the sisters' chapters are much shorter. The historical flashbacks, witchcraft, and the author's take on a 'blood witch' are my favorite parts of this novel, but these aspects aren't really delved into until nearly halfway through the book. Heather and her supporting cast of friends have some fun scenes and Robby is sweetly charming, but I'm relieved the teen romance didn't overshadow the plot.

Once the pace really got rolling and the building suspense drew me in, the story wrapped up rather abruptly, leaving me a little frustrated. When I noticed so few pages remaining near the end, I even wondered if there might be a sequel. Admittedly I might have missed something, but I had trouble buying into the initial conflict that pitted the twin sisters against each other. Their later conflicts - absolutely, but it seemed a weak springboard.

A wonderful setting, believable characters, and suspenseful mystery interwoven with witchcraft and magic - I just wish it would have been a little longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Oddly enough, I just watched a documentary on Netflix about witches in Scotland, and what Primrose goes through as she is accused of witchcraft and then tortured was very close to what the documentary said happened back then. The idea of blood magic as related to a girl who cuts was interesting, although this didn't get too much into the psychology of what drove Heather to cut, because it seems this was more to do with her visions and history than her mental state. I think teen readers will eat this up, both because of the different locale for the witchy history and the romance between Heather and Robby. The romance didn't take over the narrative, which focused more on Heather's connection to Primrose and Prudence in the past.

*Update: My review is now posted on my blog!

This was a big disappointment for me. There were many things that weren't my cup of tea. My full review will be posted on my blog on 2/13. I will post an update with a link to the review on 2/13

I was excited to pick up this book because I've really enjoyed Demetria Lunetta's other books. Unfortunately this one just really didn't work for me. The plot was okay, if a bit far fetched at times. But I wasn't a fan of the writing at all. It felt uneven, clunky, and awkward. The way the Scottish characters accents were written was honestly painful to read. I had to skip over all the random dinnaes and cannaes because it was just too ridiculous. I was often bored waiting for something to happen. And there was a lot of repetition, especially in Prudence and Primrose's sections.

I found myself much more interested in the 1600s story line than Heather's and I'm disappointed we didn't get as in depth with that as I was expecting we would. I never really connected with Heather's character. Her friends didn't feel well fleshed out, the romance didn't have much chemistry, and a lot of Heather's actions seemed incredibly random, which made it strange when her friends and family just went along with them. The premise sounded intriguing, but overall this just wasn't the book for me.

As much as I want to love this this I just can't. I've been sitting here for about 10 minutes trying to figure out my thoughts and they all just lead me to I didn't like it.

The story was so intriguing and there were parts I truly loved. Heather, our main character, has been cutting herself and having just returned from a stay at a Wellness Clinic she travels across the sea to visit her Aunt Abbie in Scotland. Her parents aren't thrilled, but she swears she's better and convinces them to let her go. She goes every summer so she already has a group of friends waiting for her. Sounds more like a contemporary novel right...well what we don't know from the beginning is that there is a reason for Heather cutting herself and what she cuts into her skin has a far deeper meaning than Heather thought.

Okay so my description isn't really spooky, but the author does a great job at filling in the spooky and I liked it. The story flips back and forth from Heather's POV to two sisters Primrose and Prudence who lived in the 1600's. Their story is filled with witchcraft and it isn't a pretty one because during that time witches were executed and the two sisters didn't exactly get along so there was tension even in their house. I liked this part and I wanted so much more, but the author didn't really get down to the whole witch storyline until to late in the story. There was so much build up and at 90% in the story I knew the author was going to rush and she did. It really killed the whole story for me. I wish she would have given herself an extra 100 pages because I think the story could have been fantastic with those extra pages. She could have spent so much more time with Heather's grandma and the whole coven plot line. As it stands though once the meat of the story finally happens it's all over in the blink of an eye.

And the ending was very problematic for me. I won't spoil anything, but in a certain scene I could feel the author going "hmm only have 10 pages left, better wrap this up quickly". It was such a disappointment and not believable in the slightest. I know it's witches and that's not believable ( well for some it is so please don't take offense) much either, but the ending was just ridiculous and too nice. I expected more wickedness from all parties involved.

I also hated the romance. I've been trying to lighten up my thinking on romances lately because I know I can be pretty harsh and they usually aren't my cup of tea, but this one was just horrible. Heather has been in love with Allistair, Robby's brother forever and never even looked at Robby. Well the first summer that Allistair is gone she all of a sudden sees what I great guy Robby is and wants to date him. Oh and Robby has grown up and gotten cuter, that helped her decision too. What a bunch of bull! Robby we know has been in love with Heather forever, but knew she pined for his brother so kept his feelings to himself. Well like I said the brother is at college with his girlfriend so Robby decides to finally speak up. Now them getting together wouldn't have bothered me if they had a conversation about her liking his brother and what her feelings were at this moment and if she had always thought he was somewhat cute. It really bugs me that they just left so much unsaid and that made their whole relationship feel false and strained. I didn't like it and I didn't buy it. I would have preferred there to be no romance or maybe she could have gravitated towards Fiona, her single friend. That would have been so much better.

I also didn't like Aunt Abbie. Heather had issues and nobody knew these issues tied into witchcraft so Heather should have been watched more. I get giving a teenager space, but she just got back from a hospital and you are going to let her run around unsupervised?? Oh and lie to her parents! Talk about being a complete waste of a character. And her whole story line bothered me. I again would have preferred a different set of actions. Maybe Heather could have went to Scotland for school? That would have at least given her reasons for not being supervised. All Aunt Abbie did was give Heather room to cut herself and get her friend almost killed.

So these were my main problems with the book. I had a few other ones, but these were my main gripes and as you can see they were pretty big areas of the book that I had problems with. The story could have been so good and with the market lacking in witches these this really could have been a hit. As it stands though this is a very forgettable book filled with way too many plot problems for me.

Oooh this book! I honestly devoured it in one night, a feat so staggering I still can't believe it. One night makes it sound even longer than it took. It was actually just a few hours. I needed a book to take my mind off of a few things that were bothering me and I couldn't have made a better choice. From the opening chapter I was completely hooked!

The story follows the main character Heather on her annual trip to Edinburgh to visit her aunt and grandmother. However, things aren't as they used to be. Heather has just checked out of medical centre for self harm. She's been plagued by reoccurring nightmares and has had a difficult time coping with them. She keeps on reliving the witch trials that took place in Edinburgh in the 1600s. I don't want to give away anything but...while in Scotland Heather learns a lot about her family history and is forced to confront those haunting her in her dreams.

What I really loved about the book were the historical flashbacks to 1600s Scotland. They were written in a way that kept me wanting more and more. These flashbacks were short and sweet but left me with a ton of questions each time one appeared. There was so much suspense and tension! That's part of what made this novel so enjoyable to read. The author kept the reader on their toes. Scotland itself is a huge character in the story and it made me long to go back. I lived in Edinburgh for a year and I miss it a lot. Every description of a street, monument or area just made my heart leap. *sigh* Oh Scotland, I love you so much!

I did become a bit frustrated at the end. The quick pace and panic inducing pace of the novel slowed down a lot. It started to drag and that slightly took away from the tense feeling that I felt throughout. That said, Bad Blood is still a book that I highly recommend. This is a standalone that you don't want to miss out on!

I wanted to like this, but something about it was just so hard to read. The ending was anti-climactic and to be completely honest, just plain boring. I didn't really care what happened because the characters just weren't anything I was invested in.

A magical summer with relatives in Scotland is exactly what teenager Heather MacNair needs. Though dreams about witches from a time long past were confusing at first, Heather soon learns more about her family's past.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Cow! I am left speechless and wanting so much more. It has been a long time since I have read a book in one day.

Bad Blood follows Heather on her trip to Scotland to visit her aunt following a recent release from the Wellness Center.

Heather doesn't know what changed or why she started cutting, but personally for me there were a few scenes that made me cringe. She also had super vivid nightmares that are increasingly disturbing.

I don't want to give anything away. This is a book to be enjoyed and savoured. Awesome work by Demitria Lunetta. So Good! I just want to keep gushing. I need more!

All I can think of is Taylor Swift with that title... But once you get past the title... This book was really good, and the writing was addicting. There were a few witchy parts that reminds me of The Craft, so I was ecstatic about that. There are flashbacks between present and then back to the 1600's with a couple of sisters that have magic. There was some serious betrayal going on in the past, and I loved it!