Seventeen-year-old Harper Westbrook isn’t afraid of monsters…she is one.
For the past three years, she’s been one of the Blood Bound—girls and women cursed with a bloodlust only satisfied by killing terrible men. Once every three months, she trades in her pom-poms for a lethal throwing axe. Her life is led by a strict set of rules to keep her dark secret as hidden as the bodies she buries.
And her number one rule? Stay away from Grayson Jones.
The boy she was totally falling for until the night her curse manifested, everything went horribly wrong, and she killed his father. It was self-defense. Or at least that’s what she keeps telling herself.
Grayson is an investigative reporter for their school paper, and he’ll stop at nothing to find the truth behind his father’s gruesome death.
As he follows new clues down darker and darker paths—to an unbelievable world of mythical beasts and the men who hunt them—Grayson doesn’t realize he’s on a collision course with Harper’s biggest secrets. Now, she must stop him before he exposes her family to the Hunters, even if it means risking her life and heart.
Because who could ever love a monster like her?
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Captivating!
"Mystery, murder, and romance? The Killing Rules by Bree Despain has it all. Harper Westbrook is your average cheerleader by day, but after practice her own extra curricular activities include hunting and murdering bad man to keep her curse at bay. When Hunter becomes the hunted, she must work with Grayson Jones, who she’s forbidden from seeing, in order to solve the case. Once I saw the vibes of this book compared to Jennifer’s Body with a mix of Dexter, I knew I had to read it. From the dedication alone, “For all the girls who would choose the bear… Be the bear,” I knew this book was going to be good. I really appreciated the journalism aspect of the story, and how including it was a great way to teach the reader about information control and bias when it comes to events happening in your world. These topics were great reminders that we need to be aware of the information being presented to us (or what information is being hidden), and use critical thinking skills to learn the facts in order to form an educated unbiased opinion. The investigating and hunter aspects reminded me of an early Supernatural episode, where the brothers would roll into town to hunt a monster and perform their own investigation to track it down. The paranormal aspects set the mysterious/ suspenseful vibe for the story, with the investigation/ thriller side keeping you hooked and turning the page. Once I got into the story I couldn’t put it down, this book ended my reading slump. The characters were intriguing and complex, adding layers to the story and relationships. Each character had their own inner world they were experiencing behind the scenes of the main events. I loved how this showed that despite what was going on in their world, everyone continued to show up for each other and live their lives as they wanted without letting their problems control them. Harper and Grayson’s relationship was sweet, their characters had good chemistry. I enjoyed their consulting with the magic 8 ball, and how the keychain become a reoccurring character of its own. The pacing throughout the story was steady, however the events leading up to the end felt a bit rushed in comparison. It seemed like there was still a lot of ground to cover nearing the end, that I thought this was actually going to be book 1 of a series. Despite the rushed events, I felt like the ending was able to to tie up all the loose ends nicely. The world building and lore of the Blood Bounds was very intriguing. This story felt like a small glimpse into their vast world, and I would love to see the author revisit their world in the future. If you’ve ever wondered what Elle Woods would be like as a murder, read Harper’s story to find out. From my reading experience, The Killing Rules is a modern story that captures the vibes from early 2000s media such as Jennifer’s Body, Dexter, and Supernatural. It is the perfect read to pick up this fall if you’re feeling nostalgic and love a good mystery. Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book. All thoughts are genuine and entirely my own."
