Ghost Heart by John Palisano

This is a horror story aimed at young adults and up.

Rick, a mechanic at a family garage, was at a club called the Universe when he met Minarette. The most gorgeous creature he had ever seen, and way out of his league. Strange events start happening around town when the bodies of some of his friends and family turn up drained of blood. Did his passing interest in Minarette stir up jealousy in her friends when they start targeting him for regular beatings? They seem different to most people-stronger and faster. Minarette then lets him in on the secret. They have ghost hearts and must feed on blood to survive for the short time they have left in this world. But will her friends push it too far and decide that killing him would be more expedient?

I'm very on the fence about this book. The tagline "Live fast, die young and leave a bloodthirsty corpse" really caught my eye. While the story did indeed touch on that, I felt that there were many holes in the plot and lots of questions left unanswered. For example what gets revealed under the club is pivotal to the story, yet goes nowhere. I thought that the characters needed more fleshing out. They seemed 2D and I never actually felt that their lives or parts in the story gelled. Rick is supposed to be the hero of the story and even though he has lost friends and family and has been beaten to the point of death a number of times, he comes across as whimsical and fluffy; pining after a dying girl. And this after he had just been used and abused by an ex-girlfriend. I was hoping for an in your face scary horror, but came across a lukewarm love story with dead end sub plots.

The essence of a good idea is there, it really is, but the execution just does not happen. I have no problem finishing a story with some questions when your mind is able to fill in the blanks with possibilities, but there were so many confusing moments and implausible actions, let alone feelings, that I was dissatisfied when I finished the book. Maybe others will pick up on a gem I didn't, but for me this was just average. A little work on it will go a long way.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.