Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves is a very strange book indeed. I would say if this book were made into a movie, it would be a cross between Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Trippy is the word that comes to mind while I read the adventures of Hanna Jarvinen. Hanna is a biracial teenager born from a Finnish father and a black mother, who may or may not be a professional escort, and never wanted her to begin with. Hanna not only is manic-depressive, hallucinates, and sees and talks to her dead father, but won't think twice about killing to get what she wants.
Hanna may sound a bit bloodthirsty, but she is pretty much the only "normal" one when she decided to live in Portero, Texas where her mother is. Hanna ends up on her mother, Rosalee's doorstep and has this fantasy that she will be welcomed with open arms. Rosalee does anything but, and is bit wary of her daughter, probably due to the fact that Hanna may have killed her aunt but hitting her head with a rolling pin. Hanna shrugs it off, and is more concerned that she didn't get all the bloodstains out of her dress. Hanna pleads with Rosalee to let her stay and is given two weeks where she must try and fit in. Hanna thinks this is a piece of cake, but Rosalee thinks Hanna is doomed to fail since Portero is not your normal, everyday American town.
The first day of high school for Hanna is very weird, to say the least. The whole school wears earplugs and the majority of the student body is in black while Hanna wears purple. She doesn't just stand out because of the way she looks, (she loves to wear long dresses and high heels) but because she's a transy. Transies are people who haven't grown up in Portero and usually wear bright colors because they have no idea that if you stand out too much, you may just end up dead. Hanna becomes fixated on Wyatt, who wears green because he's Mortmaine; one who hunts the evil creatures causing mayhem in town. Hannah practically jumps for joy because everyone is freakier than she is and decides she wants to be Mortmaine and fight evil alongside Wyatt.
Now Hanna has to be on the look out for things called lures that turn you into glass, doors that appear out of nowhere that will show you worst nightmare, and monsters that want to take your soul and suck you dry. Things hit really close to home when Rosalee becomes possessed by a nasty spirit called Runyon, who used to be Mortmaine but went off the deep end. Runyon is causing major mischief and it's up to Hanna to stop him before he destroys Portero.
Bleeding Violet was one reading experience I will not soon forget. I have to hand it to Dia Reeves for writing a very imaginative story, but one that is not comfortable reading. And in all honesty, I would be very wary in allowing any teen under the age of sixteen to read this book. The violence and bloodshed will make your head spin and have a bit of a sadomasochistic feel to them, especially when Rosalee, who channels Runyon, decides to torture and kill a young boy she finds at the lake with the help of Hanna. This a very squeamish, snuff like stuff.
Along these lines, the topic of sex, especially between Wyatt and Hanna is somewhat a fade to black kind of variety, which I couldn't understand at all. I guess it is one thing to explain the scene above in graphic detail, but when Wyatt and Hanna have sex, which I really don't think added anything to the story, it was glazed over as in they kiss, fade to black and next where Hannah is pulling on her underwear and thinking how great it was.
This is where I have to ask, why in a young adult book like Bleeding Violet, are graphic scenes of voice and murder acceptable to be written in great detail, but when a our main character like Hanna has a tender moment with Wyatt, that leads to sex, why is that glossed over? Extreme violence is perfectly okay, but showing detail sex scenes are not? What gives?
These issues aside, I absolutely adored Hanna. Her tenacity, positivity and unique personality were a breath of fresh air. Hanna has this wonderful inner strength and big caring heart, even though her actions may be strange, but then again Bleeding Violet is one massively, wacky book.
I was on the fence on what grade to give Bleeding Violet because I wasn't sure what to think. It's not all that often and author like Dia can make me have such a strong visceral reaction, where I was flinching as I read. I certainly wouldn't recommend this for anyone younger than high school. Hanna was the saving grace for me and one character I can't help but applaud for her bravery and facing down those who feel she is not worthy or important.
Katiebabs
