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juushikaTitle: Drawing Blood
Author: Poppy Z. Brite
Published: New York: Dell, 1993
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 403
Total Page Count: 69,294
Text Number: 200
Read For: fan of the author, checked out from the library
Short review: Twenty years ago, Trevor found his family dead—his father murdered his mother and sister, and then killed himself. Now, Trevor returns to his childhood home; with the help of Zach, a hacker running from the law, he hopes to face the demons of his past. Part romance, part horror story, set deep in the South, Drawing Blood is brought to life by Brite's rich prose which just treads the line of over-indulgent. While the conclusion didn't grab me, this book is addictive fun and will appeal to fans of Brite's style. Recommended.
This is the second Brite book I've read, and in both books the best part is her writing style. Rich and decadent to the point of being self-indulgent, but always in a good way: Brite's writing is simply fun to read. It's nearly a guilty pleasure, but there's just enough redeeming value to minimize that guilt. If decadent sex scenes, lurid violence, rich descriptions, and hints of the supernatural appeal to yo, then Brite will as well.
And since I loved the writing, I enjoyed Drawing Blood. The text is indulgent and addictive, the protagonists are beautiful and tragic youths (and therefore similarly indulgent and addictive) and the premise—the only surviving son of a murder family—is certainly attention-grabbing. The plot is strong enough to support these aspects: Brite takes her time, lingering on the mundane details that build character, including plenty of intriguing detail and paranormal events to assure that the book never drags. The only disappointment, for me, was the book's climax. It's supernatural, tense, and dense with action, but for whatever reason it simply didn't grab me—and so I didn't enjoy the end of the book as much as I did the rest of it. However, I believe this is the result of my preferences, not the writer's skill, and so I still recommend Drawing Blood. My favorite Brite book is remains Lost Souls, and I doubt any of her other novels will surpass it, but Drawing Blood is addictive fun, vivid and horrific and indulgent, and it's simply fun to read. If that sort of style appeals, pick this up—Brite will not disappoint.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
This is my 200th online-published book review. I've been writing book reviews on and off since I was a child, and started posting them on my LiveJournal in 2005. I still write them on and off (I take breaks from reading every now and then, difficult as that may be to believe; I also never manage to review every book I read) and 200 isn't a very official or meaningful number because some of my early reviews are rather unprofessional—but it's still a pretty cool landmark. Here's to hundreds more.
Author: Poppy Z. Brite
Published: New York: Dell, 1993
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 403
Total Page Count: 69,294
Text Number: 200
Read For: fan of the author, checked out from the library
Short review: Twenty years ago, Trevor found his family dead—his father murdered his mother and sister, and then killed himself. Now, Trevor returns to his childhood home; with the help of Zach, a hacker running from the law, he hopes to face the demons of his past. Part romance, part horror story, set deep in the South, Drawing Blood is brought to life by Brite's rich prose which just treads the line of over-indulgent. While the conclusion didn't grab me, this book is addictive fun and will appeal to fans of Brite's style. Recommended.
This is the second Brite book I've read, and in both books the best part is her writing style. Rich and decadent to the point of being self-indulgent, but always in a good way: Brite's writing is simply fun to read. It's nearly a guilty pleasure, but there's just enough redeeming value to minimize that guilt. If decadent sex scenes, lurid violence, rich descriptions, and hints of the supernatural appeal to yo, then Brite will as well.
And since I loved the writing, I enjoyed Drawing Blood. The text is indulgent and addictive, the protagonists are beautiful and tragic youths (and therefore similarly indulgent and addictive) and the premise—the only surviving son of a murder family—is certainly attention-grabbing. The plot is strong enough to support these aspects: Brite takes her time, lingering on the mundane details that build character, including plenty of intriguing detail and paranormal events to assure that the book never drags. The only disappointment, for me, was the book's climax. It's supernatural, tense, and dense with action, but for whatever reason it simply didn't grab me—and so I didn't enjoy the end of the book as much as I did the rest of it. However, I believe this is the result of my preferences, not the writer's skill, and so I still recommend Drawing Blood. My favorite Brite book is remains Lost Souls, and I doubt any of her other novels will surpass it, but Drawing Blood is addictive fun, vivid and horrific and indulgent, and it's simply fun to read. If that sort of style appeals, pick this up—Brite will not disappoint.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
This is my 200th online-published book review. I've been writing book reviews on and off since I was a child, and started posting them on my LiveJournal in 2005. I still write them on and off (I take breaks from reading every now and then, difficult as that may be to believe; I also never manage to review every book I read) and 200 isn't a very official or meaningful number because some of my early reviews are rather unprofessional—but it's still a pretty cool landmark. Here's to hundreds more.
