This is normally the kind of story that I would totally go for--in a slightly obscene sort of way. Books that deal with the darker side of teen life and fatalistic events that cause a person to grow up have been among my favorite for years now (putting Lovely Bones and If I Stay right at the top). I expected Blood Wounds to live up to that expectation...and for some reason it didn't do it for me. 
 I didn't connect well with Willa. She seemed so separate. At first, she was a quiet kid with some definite internal problems, despite her outwardly calm demeanor, and then she was a slightly bratty child who complained a lot. I don't know...something about the character development was missing. Willa cuts--this part was well done throughout the book. Her pent-up feelings being released by cutting made sense. The abrupt end to the cutting tell-all was a little less convincing. I almost wish that her parents had discovered the tools, etc. and there had been confrontation. 
 The writing is good here, but SBP really can do better, I think. Maybe I was expecting the wrong things when I went into the book--more thriller action, real horror, those kinds of things? Still, there was definitely a compelling element to the story--the pacing was quick (and the book was short) so I was able to (and really wanted to) keep reading. I think part of me kept hoping it would live up to my expectations.