Blood and Other Matter

Blood And Other Matter is a thrilling disturbing story. The premise is unique and refreshing. It's a bit bizarre, but somehow it works to create an engrossing read full of twists and turns. I liked the story better than I expected, and it certainly kept my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. It is a unique spin on the “monster” tale, a moonlight ritual gone wrong and nearly an entire football team found dead. One by one, the surviving members end up dead. What happened that night and who is responsible???? Mass amnesia befell everyone involved, but nightmares slowly piece events together until a shocking revelation rocks those involved. Nobody will ever be the same. How do they stop the ball once it’s rolling and who will survive????

The ending is jaw dropping!!! I did NOT see it coming!!!

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

#Netgalley

Five stars all the way for this book! A true horror, written for the teen market that does not disappoint. Bevis lays out the story perfectly, revealing all aspects of the mystery at the exact moment. With an ending as expected as it is shocking, this is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I didn't inititally realize this was a horror movie, but it was a good book. it was suspenseful, sad, but fast-paced. i couldn't put this book down when i started to read it. it's geared towards YA, but as an adult, i enjoyed this!

Blood and Other Matter is ostensibly a story about a malevolent entity that goes on a murderous rampage. But at its core, this horror thriller is really a big metaphor for sexual assault and how it makes the victim feel. Due to that, this is an important book for young adults to read, but it also requires a trigger warning for those who have already personally dealt with this theme.

Bad things happen to us sometimes, and we're not usually at fault or in control of what happened. And when the bad thing is sexual assault, it can leave us feeling unsafe in our bodies, unsure of our choices, unable to pursue the healthy love we deserve, and full of revenge fantasies. The author looks closely at all of this and then answers the question: what would happen if traumatic events and unhealed emotions got mixed up with an ancient entity that wants to complete a vicious ritual?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Blood and Other Matter is the kind of horror book that gives you an exciting story to follow rather than just describing various gory scenes. When Tess shows up at her best friend Derrick's house covered in blood and with no memories of the bonfire she attended with the football team, things are bound to get messy. And do they ever get messy. As Tess and Derrick scramble to figure out what happened to Tess that night and what killed most of the football team, the few survivors begin to die one by one. That is when the scrambling turns in to a race to discover the truth before the last survivor is picked off.

Bevis came up with a very interesting (if not slightly overdone) plot, that really sucks you in. I spent hours reading, waiting to find out what was happening and how things would end. One of my favorite things about horror and mystery books is trying to figure out the twist; this book didn't have one, so I was a little bummed when we learned that the monster/killer is exactly what you are expecting from chapter one. It made the story more about how the characters got to the truth, rather than what they discover. It also felt like the actual monster didn't get enough of a story. Its backstory and information was very vague and it's motivations were even more so. 

My favorite thing about this book, was how well Bevis got into her characters heads. I loved feeling the fear and guilt right along with the football players as they realized they were going to die. And I loved feeling Tess and Derrick's confusion, relief, and terror as they learned various things about the slaughter and themselves. Overall, a worthy addition to the genre for the way it sucks you in and lets you feel the fear along with the characters.

This reminded me of the book Blood and Chocolate (not to be mistaken by the film) and I enjoyed the horror aspect of it. I wish I had read it sooner towards its release date, but alas at least I got to it!

I loved this book! It had a Final Destination feel to it for me. You have to read it to understand it!

Tess went to a bonfire the football team had. A few hours later she shows up to her best friend's house covered in blood. She has no memory of what happened!

I couldn't put this book down once I started it! I totally lost track of time. All that mattered was finding out what happened!

I could not put down Blood and Other Matter. It was thrilling and suspenseful, and every time I thought I figured it out, it dropped something unexpected. Kaitlin Bevis wrote a fantastic ya horror.

Derrick Hernandez and Tess D'Ovidio have always been best friends. Tess is invited to a bonfire with one of the football players and returns home covered in blood with no memory of what had happened. Of course Derrick is going to help her, but Tess and seven players were the only ones that made back from the party alive. As time goes on, one by one the survivors start dying under mysterious circumstances. Is Tess going to be next, or is she at the center of it all?

We start off with regular small town life, with Derrick as the sheriff's son and Tess as the girl that everyone assumes the worst about. They have such a great friendship, and really care about each others' well being. This is why Derrick doesn't call the authorities when Tess shows up looking like an extra from a horror movie, and they try to figure out what's going on for themselves. That is truly devotion, and it's something that Tess continually questions because of the disparity in their socioeconomic levels, as well as the trouble that follows.

From the moment that Tess arrives covered in blood, the book veers into horror territory. There are certainly concerns about what the football players wanted to do with Tess, considering she was the only girl there. While it didn't get to that point (not actually a spoiler, it's explicitly stated that the hospital exam indicated there was no sexual assault) if not for the horror elements, this could have been a completely different kind of book. We see all the effort that Tess and Derrick make to figure out what happened that night, especially as the deaths continue, even with out of character behavior on both their parts and skirting the law. I sucked in immediately, and the book ended with a very satisfying conclusion. This one is definitely good for those that love horror and YA novels.