Yes, if you couldn't tell, this picture is of the copy I got from the library. What? I can't possibly afford to buy EVERY book I want, and even if I could, where would I keep them all?
Anyway, before I begin, let me just say this: I am sometimes not very bright. This is the FIRST BOOK Dia Reeves wrote, meaning she wrote this BEFORE she wrote Slice of Cherry. And yeah, I read Slice of Cherry first. *facepalm* Very good, Lyndsey, way to do your research. No wonder you were so confused last time. So after reading THIS book, I have to say that Slice of Cherry makes WAY more sense. No, they are not sequels or anything, but they are set in the same place the same time... So if you're going to read this author's books, I suggest you read them in the order that she wrote them. Duh.
Alright; on to the review.
The main character of this book is Hanna. Her story starts as she finishes a hitch-hiking journey halfway around the world to Portero, where her mother lives. The voice of her father is constantly in her head and it quickly becomes clear that Hanna is not normal. Beautiful, but with hallucinations, depression, and an unhealthy obsession with the color purple (hence the title). Apparently her father is recently dead, and she has possibly just killed her Aunt Ulla, and she has run away to her Mom (Rosalee)'s place. Hanna has never met her mother before and Rosalee is a little less than pleased to see her. It turns out that Aunt Ulla is not, in fact, dead, merely injured and (understandably) unwilling to take Hanna back. Rosalee eventually agrees to take Hanna in under the condition that if, after two weeks, she does not fit in, that she will leave her mother's town. Hanna agrees.
Hanna is sent to the Portero High School where, although at first she does not fit in, her beauty and courage, as well as a few lucky moments, eventually do get her into the 'in' crowd. If you'll remember from my last review, Portero is not a normal town; it is a town with monsters and monster-slayers, and where murder, mutilation, and all things gory are not at all uncommon. At first Hanna is terrified beyond all belief at this, her strong determination manages to pull her through the shock and horror and she is actually able to make friends and even a boyfriend.
I'll say this now; I thought the romance in this book was MUCH more realistic than the romance in Slice of Cherry. In fact, I thought this was an altogether better book than Slice of Cherry. Everything felt more flowing and natural, and although sometimes unlikeable I thought Hanna made a pretty relateable narrator. Once again, the main theme of Dia's book was family, particularly Hanna's determination to win her mother's love at all costs after sixteen years without a mother.
However, once things seem to be turning out alright for Hanna, tragedy strikes and it quickly becomes evident that Rosalee is possessed. I will not spoil what is truly an exhilarating climax, but I will say that it is definitely worth reading. The third half of the book is by far the best; I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages I grew so involved.
All in all, Bleeding Violet is the best book this author has written so far and it is definitely worth looking into. Warnings include some gore (not as much as Slice of Cherry) but there was definitely graphic violence, swearing, sex, and drug use. A good story for those who love a fast-paced, exciting read.
I give this book five hearts.
Romance, Violence, Denizens of the dark...sounds like a PBS Kids show for sure.... :)
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