Bleeding Hearts by Josh Aterovis

Title: Bleeding Hearts
Author: Josh Aterovis
Publisher: PD Publishing
Buy the book: Amazon, Author

Blurb:

Killian Kendall is used to being overlooked, even in his own family. That’s about to change. With the arrival of a new kid at school, Killian’s whole world is about to be turned upside down. The new guy is openly gay and, for reasons he can’t really understand, Killian finds himself drawn to him. When the boy is killed in a brutal attack, and Killian is injured in the process, Killian begins to questions everything around him. The police seem eager to write the attack off as a random mugging, but Killian was there and he knows better. With the help of the murdered boy’s father and his friends, Killian starts his own investigation. His search turns up hatred in small town America, and before it’s over, more people will be dead, and Killian’s life will be on the line again.

Review:

Bleeding Hearts is a young adult coming of age mixed with mystery, murder, angst, and teenage first love. The simplistic prose is likely to appeal to both teenagers and adults, creating an easy to read and enjoy story. As the first book in a series, the story tends to focus on the narrator and his sexuality while the mystery is woven in almost as a subplot. In some ways this works very well and in other parts, the story suffers but overall Bleeding Hearts offers a charming young man on the cusp of new horizons with infinite possibilities. This book and likely the series will appeal to those fans of the young adult genre that are looking for some deeper issues presented without overwhelming intensity.

Killian Kendall is the first person narrator and a sophomore in high school. On the first day of school he meets Seth, a new boy that admits immediately he’s gay. Despite the homophobic atmosphere of the town and high school, Killian befriends Seth. All too soon violence strikes at the two new friends leaving Killian gravely injured and Seth dead. Everyone seems to have dismissed the crime as a random act but Killian is not so sure. He decides to ask a few questions around school but soon becomes embroiled in personal drama as his own sexuality comes into question and he soon has a few too many admirers.

For the majority of the story, the focus is on Killian’s acceptance of his sexuality and then dealing with a sudden plethora of wannabe partners. The mystery subplot does come into play much more prominently towards the end and the connections made from Seth and Killian’s friendship have long lasting affects. Killian’s characterization and growth dominate the book and the plot tends to indulge his angst and immature emotions. Given his age and difficult time of understanding then accepting his sexuality, especially in a hostile environment of both home and at school, Killian’s roller coaster emotions are often understandable. He does tend to cry a lot and there is a fair amount of angst and whining involved, but nothing overwhelmed the book. Mostly Killian is kept sympathetic as he struggles to understand his own confused desires in the midst of his family’s disapproval and the one friend who could understand dying.

Seth’s death sparks off many repercussions. For starters Killian comes out as gay very soon which forces him to live with Seth’s father, Adam, who later becomes his legal guardian. There is a minor thread about Killian’s overbearing father but this is mostly dropped other than to mention his father ends up in jail at the end of the book. I’m not clear why Killian’s father is in jail but he’s built as a typical abusive, overbearing, domineering man. Killian then struggles with coming out at school, a potential relationship with his best friend, another potential relationship with a new friend, and a beard that wants more than a pretend relationship. This love quagmire dominates the plot of the book for the most part as Killian tries to come to terms with all the changes in his life. He tends to be self absorbed and make a lot of mistakes but these are innocent and out of immaturity and inexperience. He has a few too stupid to live moments – especially at the end – but this is pretty typical for teenagers.

Due to the many personal relationships, the actual mystery is talked about but not explored for the majority of the story. There are numerous clues and a lot of foreshadowing, to the point that I easily figured out the evil culprit pretty early on. There aren’t too many options so the real mystery becomes when will Killian figure it out and what will he do. Well this isn’t the strength of the book as the ending is improbable and slightly eye rolling, but Killian as a narrator has a lot of youthful charm and charisma. Besides the murder aspect, part of the book feels unfocused and drifting as the teenage angst and drama carries the story forward. There are a lot of elements the story tries to tie together such as teenage bullying, coming out, hostile home environment, homophobic school, several possible love interests, murder, stalking, new guardians, new younger brother (with issues there), and several sexually confused teenagers. The book starts with Seth being the only gay character and ends with at least half dozen gay or confused young men and adults introduced. So there is a lot going on from the start to finish. For the most part the writing keeps the book on track and moving with easy to read prose and an engaging, interesting narrator.

Bleeding Hearts presents a lot of issues and mostly tackles them well with a few hiccups. The strength is the great character of Killian, strong descriptive setting, and inherent empathy towards the subject. The story moves easily so you won’t be able to put it down and the wealth of possibility sets up what could be a great series. I can’t wait to read more about Killian and his exploits as he grows and matures. If you’re looking for a solid young adult coming out story that handles intense issues but never lets the drama overwhelm the story, check this out. Hopefully you’ll like it as I did.