arsala's review
2.0
I got this book from the Nocturnal Readers Box, a subscription box that delivers horror books relating to a theme as well as bookish goodies that go with the theme. July's theme was The Feast, which was supposed to be "darker than ever." I did not get that at all with this book. I was halfway through Bleed before I decided it was not worth my time and decided to leave it unfinished.
Kurtz's writing style bored me to tears; he seemed to have a habit of telling rather than showing. His descriptions were pretty good, but I felt really detached from the story and ESPECIALLY the characters. I really didn't give a shit about Walt. From the beginning I wasn't a fan of him. He was WAY too perky and his attitude was insufferable. Then, when Walt starts to become obsessed with the mysterious stain growing on his ceiling, he goes to sleep and the next day he's an asshole. There was no transition--one day he's nice and then the next he's a psychopath. His girlfriend Amanda was just there, and pretty much all she did was worry about Walt and bitch about it to her friend Nora. That's it.
When I read the description on the back before reading Bleed, the plot seemed so intriguing. A dark red spot on a ceiling that grows into a "grotesque, muttering creature" and drives the owner of the house to murder. I was so excited to see how that would play out. But reading it, the spot/creature seemed so cliché, ceaselessly moaning, "Bloooooood, blooood," and, "Moooore, mooore," like a zombie crying about brains. And if that wasn't enough, it asks Walt to give it an name as if it were a dog and not a monster... And out of all names Walt picks Gwynplaine. Really?
So since I didn't finish I can't say that much more. Bottom line, I didn't like Kurtz's writing style, I didn't like the characters, and the spot/creature was a huge disappointment. If you like books filled with chills and thrills, something that'll get under your skin, don't read this book.
Kurtz's writing style bored me to tears; he seemed to have a habit of telling rather than showing. His descriptions were pretty good, but I felt really detached from the story and ESPECIALLY the characters. I really didn't give a shit about Walt. From the beginning I wasn't a fan of him. He was WAY too perky and his attitude was insufferable. Then, when Walt starts to become obsessed with the mysterious stain growing on his ceiling, he goes to sleep and the next day he's an asshole. There was no transition--one day he's nice and then the next he's a psychopath. His girlfriend Amanda was just there, and pretty much all she did was worry about Walt and bitch about it to her friend Nora. That's it.
When I read the description on the back before reading Bleed, the plot seemed so intriguing. A dark red spot on a ceiling that grows into a "grotesque, muttering creature" and drives the owner of the house to murder. I was so excited to see how that would play out. But reading it, the spot/creature seemed so cliché, ceaselessly moaning, "Bloooooood, blooood," and, "Moooore, mooore," like a zombie crying about brains. And if that wasn't enough, it asks Walt to give it an name as if it were a dog and not a monster... And out of all names Walt picks Gwynplaine. Really?
So since I didn't finish I can't say that much more. Bottom line, I didn't like Kurtz's writing style, I didn't like the characters, and the spot/creature was a huge disappointment. If you like books filled with chills and thrills, something that'll get under your skin, don't read this book.
hannahmae91's review
1.0
I'm not a very eloquent person so I can't explain what exactly was wrong with this book. Suffice it to say, it was poorly written. Wording was odd, character behavior, plot...and it made no fricking sense. And I bought it! After hours of hunting down a decently priced copy! This is example number 79 for why I don't like to buy books that I've never read before. Because I just get angry when they suck. Really, really angry.
This book is nonsensical and the writing is deplorable. Don't read it.
This book is nonsensical and the writing is deplorable. Don't read it.
lanternsjourney's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book in my Nocturnal Readers Box last year. I was putting it off because gore is not usually my type of horror. However, this book was really well written. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen and the story itself felt very original.
This book is called bleed, and for a good reason. It down right disgusted me. The monster was gross and scary. This book would have not been my cup of tea if I wasnt so interested in the story.
I knocked it down one star because I felt the back story of the monster framing the story could have been stronger. I would've also liked to have experienced more of Amanda and Walt's bond.
This book is called bleed, and for a good reason. It down right disgusted me. The monster was gross and scary. This book would have not been my cup of tea if I wasnt so interested in the story.
I knocked it down one star because I felt the back story of the monster framing the story could have been stronger. I would've also liked to have experienced more of Amanda and Walt's bond.
saekoshiro's review against another edition
5.0
Lovers of gore, read this. If you have that movie reel vivid imagination, don't eat while you read.
While he did not read it, I very thoroughly discussed the details of the book with my husband. Together we determined 'It's Kurtz must have watched tentacle hentai and read Johnny the Homicidal Maniac' LOL.
This was one of the most morbid and disgusting books I have ever read. I loved it. And a nice little twist was the bloody cherry on top.
EDIT: I found that an independent film maker tried to make a series to represent the book starting in 2017. It most likely didn't pan out for them, but there is about 20 minutes of footage at the following link if you are interested: https://watch.seeka.tv/#/catalog?fi=11e710a6-e0aa-4b90-85a2-0a94b668199a
While he did not read it, I very thoroughly discussed the details of the book with my husband. Together we determined 'It's Kurtz must have watched tentacle hentai and read Johnny the Homicidal Maniac' LOL.
This was one of the most morbid and disgusting books I have ever read. I loved it. And a nice little twist was the bloody cherry on top.
EDIT: I found that an independent film maker tried to make a series to represent the book starting in 2017. It most likely didn't pan out for them, but there is about 20 minutes of footage at the following link if you are interested: https://watch.seeka.tv/#/catalog?fi=11e710a6-e0aa-4b90-85a2-0a94b668199a
readbyashleyd's review against another edition
5.0
HO-LY SHIT!!! This might just be the best damn book I read all year! This book had me hooked right from page one, it sunk its claws right into me and didn’t let go until I was finished and gasping for air from being utterly and completely mind blown. This is easily one of the most gruesome and gory books that I’ve read and I devoured every second of it. It’s absolutely addicting and impossible to put down! Horror fans, do yourself a favour and pick up this bloody brilliantly gem of a horror novel!
last_page_books's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, you really see the extremes some people will go for a little companionship.
motherhorror's review
3.0
This book came in a Nocturnal Readers Box last year. I remember Vince and Jessica (owners of the NRB) told me that this book was "strange horror".
When my friend Mindi said she was reading it this month, I jumped on board.
Strange horror indeed.
This is a difficult book for me to review because there's a lot I didn't enjoy but the things I did like about it are really important to me. For instance, the premise is insane and original. I doubt I'll ever read anything like it again--Kurtz created a monster that terrified me to the core. Last night, I had visions of it coming up my stairs before I drifted off to sleep...I had to push those thoughts far from my mind. So as a horror novel, it's successful. It scared me and entertained me.
Which leads me to the next thing I loved about it, the writing. Ed is a deft hand at spinning a compelling story in an effortless, fluid way. His storytelling voice keeps me engaged and turning the pages. Not once did I feel there were any gaps or dead space, the pace was perfect.
Now for some of the critical comments,
I'm not a huge fan of gratuitous gore and this book is page for page the goriest book I've ever read; carnage galore. A blood fest. It started making me a little sick to my stomach.
The book *is* titled Bleed, so I mean, no surprise that it's *bloody* but it's a lot. Too much for me.
I know that some people enjoy that so you know who you are and you can add this book to your list of bloodlusty books but there are readers like me who are fine with some, enjoy it even, but we have a line and this went beyond that. There are still others who don't like blood and violence at all and so I'll caution you to *not* pick this one up. *wink*
Secondly, I approach books with a real drive to form connections with the characters, I'm an emotional reader. I like horror stories to have developed characters so that the risk factor is really high for me, I'm emotionally invested in these people so I want to see what happens to them. In this book, I had a hard time with the characters. Walt and Amanda were not very interesting people *before* things took a turn so when Walt's motivations shift, I found myself not caring very much and I wasn't asking myself basic reader's questions, like why would this happen to a seemingly normal person? It was strange to not invest in Walt or his relationship with Amanda considering where the story ultimately takes them. I feel like that could have had so much more tension if I could have gotten a better sense of their personalities early in the building phase of the book.
Lastly, the subplot from the 1900s that is our introduction and is then threaded through the book was a bit over the top. I'm not sure I bought into that, or maybe I just didn't want to. I don't know, it was rough.
Overall, this book has for sure hooked me to read more from Kurtz. I own his book The Rib From Which I Remake the World so I'm excited to read that. I'm just not sure this is a horror book I can just generally recommend to everyone--it comes with a bit of hesitation so, for those reasons, I rated it a little lower. I think most horror fans are not also Gore-Fest fans, that's a specialized taste.
When my friend Mindi said she was reading it this month, I jumped on board.
Strange horror indeed.
This is a difficult book for me to review because there's a lot I didn't enjoy but the things I did like about it are really important to me. For instance, the premise is insane and original. I doubt I'll ever read anything like it again--Kurtz created a monster that terrified me to the core. Last night, I had visions of it coming up my stairs before I drifted off to sleep...I had to push those thoughts far from my mind. So as a horror novel, it's successful. It scared me and entertained me.
Which leads me to the next thing I loved about it, the writing. Ed is a deft hand at spinning a compelling story in an effortless, fluid way. His storytelling voice keeps me engaged and turning the pages. Not once did I feel there were any gaps or dead space, the pace was perfect.
Now for some of the critical comments,
I'm not a huge fan of gratuitous gore and this book is page for page the goriest book I've ever read; carnage galore. A blood fest. It started making me a little sick to my stomach.
The book *is* titled Bleed, so I mean, no surprise that it's *bloody* but it's a lot. Too much for me.
I know that some people enjoy that so you know who you are and you can add this book to your list of bloodlusty books but there are readers like me who are fine with some, enjoy it even, but we have a line and this went beyond that. There are still others who don't like blood and violence at all and so I'll caution you to *not* pick this one up. *wink*
Secondly, I approach books with a real drive to form connections with the characters, I'm an emotional reader. I like horror stories to have developed characters so that the risk factor is really high for me, I'm emotionally invested in these people so I want to see what happens to them. In this book, I had a hard time with the characters. Walt and Amanda were not very interesting people *before* things took a turn so when Walt's motivations shift, I found myself not caring very much and I wasn't asking myself basic reader's questions, like why would this happen to a seemingly normal person? It was strange to not invest in Walt or his relationship with Amanda considering where the story ultimately takes them. I feel like that could have had so much more tension if I could have gotten a better sense of their personalities early in the building phase of the book.
Lastly, the subplot from the 1900s that is our introduction and is then threaded through the book was a bit over the top. I'm not sure I bought into that, or maybe I just didn't want to. I don't know, it was rough.
Overall, this book has for sure hooked me to read more from Kurtz. I own his book The Rib From Which I Remake the World so I'm excited to read that. I'm just not sure this is a horror book I can just generally recommend to everyone--it comes with a bit of hesitation so, for those reasons, I rated it a little lower. I think most horror fans are not also Gore-Fest fans, that's a specialized taste.
charshorrorcorner's review
3.0
I read this book with our horror group at Shelfari.
The main character, Walt, buys a fixer-upper house. He has a new job as a teacher and once the house is ready he plans to propose to his girlfriend and has already purchased her a ring. This house is Walt's first step to obtaining the life he really wants. Then he notices a small stain on his ceiling. A stain which, within a few days, starts to spread and drip down. The stain looks like blood.
And so the nightmare begins.
This story was extremely gory and brutal which I didn't mind at first because it seemed integral to the story. I did reach a point, though, where I thought the story was going a bit too far and the body count was still continuing to rise. Also, I don't feel like what happened was adequately explained-and sometimes I'm ok with that and happy to come up with my own ideas. In this case, however, I felt a bit like I was left hanging.
This was a decent read. It kept me engaged and the pacing was fast; the book went by in no time. It did have some portions that were just not believable. If you are willing to suspend pretty much all of your disbelief, this is a good read. If you can't, or if you need all the loose ends tied up, this may not be the book for you.
The main character, Walt, buys a fixer-upper house. He has a new job as a teacher and once the house is ready he plans to propose to his girlfriend and has already purchased her a ring. This house is Walt's first step to obtaining the life he really wants. Then he notices a small stain on his ceiling. A stain which, within a few days, starts to spread and drip down. The stain looks like blood.
And so the nightmare begins.
This story was extremely gory and brutal which I didn't mind at first because it seemed integral to the story. I did reach a point, though, where I thought the story was going a bit too far and the body count was still continuing to rise. Also, I don't feel like what happened was adequately explained-and sometimes I'm ok with that and happy to come up with my own ideas. In this case, however, I felt a bit like I was left hanging.
This was a decent read. It kept me engaged and the pacing was fast; the book went by in no time. It did have some portions that were just not believable. If you are willing to suspend pretty much all of your disbelief, this is a good read. If you can't, or if you need all the loose ends tied up, this may not be the book for you.
findingmontauk1's review against another edition
4.0
this book had me all SORTS of disturbed and grossed out but in the best ways. I found myself clutching my pearls and grimacing often. and it never ended. it was relentless. the whole story hooked me and kept me entertained. I would love to see a tv/film adaptation of it great book and that ending...!