Mundie Moms

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Book Review-Low Red Moon

By Ivy Devlin
Published by Bloomsbury
To Be Released on Sept. 14, 2010
Source: from Ivy Dublin
5 stars

Her parents are dead. She can't remember what happened. And now she's in love with the most dangerous creature in the forest.

The only think Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver-deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together.

Then Avery meets the new boy in school-Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. Ben is a werewolf, but Avery trust him-at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.

Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must read for teen paranormal fans. A powerful YA voice makers her debut with this breathless, spooky novel- a book to be devoured in on sitting. (taken from book's back cover). *spoiler free book review*

This book is the whole package, as not only did I love the story, but the book's layout is amazing! I absolutely love the cover, which may not be the final cover, and the details on each page of the book. I'm a sucker for a good wolf story, and Low Red Moon has great werewolf mythology.

Ivy hit her mark with me, as her paranormal, murder mystery is set in a small town, out in the forest, which has more than just wolves in it. I love this setting. I really like that the forest is a character in the book. Avery Hood grew up in the forest. She knows everything about the forest, and then her parents where brutally murdered there. Now the forest and Avery are tied together. She can sense it's sorrow, and it's warning. There's something in them that wants Avery.

The only thing Avery can remember from the night her parents were murdered, is she saw silver and something inhuman. Due to the trauma of it all her mind has blocked out the details, and no matter how hard she tries to remember anything, she can't. Dealing with losing her parents, she meets someone who knows something about grief, the new, hot boy Ben, who also lives out in the woods, not far from where Avery lived with her parents. There's something about him that she can't deny, a connection, a bond so strong, neither of them can fight it. When she sees the flash of silver in his eyes, Avery knows there's something more to Ben, something he's hiding. Ben is a werewolf, but not the kind that turn when the moon is full and attack innocent people.

I really enjoyed Avery and Ben's characters together. I liked the bond they had, and I liked that while there's a strong connection between them, Avery has doubts about Ben and the night her parents were murdered. Avery herself is such a strong character, determined to find out what happened, at any cost. She's struggling with the death of her parents, being taking from her home in the forest, and is now living in town with her Grandma she barely knows. I really liked the relationship between Avery and her Grandmother. It's real, raw and broken.

There's only a small handful of characters, two of which include Avery's Grandmother Renee, and Ben's Great Uncle Louis, both of whom also have ties to the forest, and secrets that start to be revealed in Low Red Moon. It's not just wanting to know more about Ben and Avery, and what's lurking out in the forest that wants to destroy those with paranormal powers that has me wishing I had the sequel, but the little secrets and the plot twist have left me dying for more. I'm looking forward to Low Red Moon's sequel.

While I'm a sucker for the werewolves, there's a new paranormality that I really enjoyed and am eager to read more about. Low Red Moon has a perfect blend of mystery, who done it, and great chemistry between Avery and Ben. It's a must read!

*Book jacket picture was taken by me, and is noted as not being the final cover for the book*

7 comments:

  1. This looks amazing!!! So cool.

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  2. Looks like this is going to be a great year for werewolves! Can't wait to snag a copy of this in September!

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  3. Another added to my list... thanks for sharing!

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  4. I'm linking to your review when I post mine today.

    I must mention thought that you state this as a spoiler free review yet in the very first paragraph you say: "I'm a sucker for a good wolf story, and Low Red Moon has great werewolf mythology." And later state that Ben is a werewolf.

    Yet, no where in the summary does it mention it's a werewolf tale, therefore, I don't think you can state this as a spoiler free review at all. I'm not sure what you classify as spoiler but good grief that is a major point to this entire book!

    Nothing in my review says anything about wolfs or werewolves.

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  5. Actually, I am looking at the ARC right now, and it says right on the back "Ben is a werewolf". So, I don't think mentioning that qualifies as a spoiler...

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  6. And there's another good point, quoting from an ARC should not be done "without comparison to the final corrected text." (even though I see a general paraphrase of this on Amazon.com)

    Another words, you're seeing text that may or may not be actual copy for the printed book.

    Anyway, after reading the book and writing my own review, stating that huge plot point is not something that should be included in cover copy or a review. I'm disappointed to see it on the ARC back copy.

    Anyway, the author name is still misspelled.

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  7. Jess- This is a spoiler free review and it makes no difference if I quoted what the ARC or the back of the book said. Nothing is being spoiled. It doesn't ruin the story knowing he's a werewolf, as there's a lot more to the book.

    I think it's great you have a review, but just because you didn't write about wolves in your review, doesn't mean anyone else who's read the ARC/book won't mention wolves. I haven't read your review, so I don't know all you said.

    I can't help that you're mad about what's written on the back of an ARC or book. That's something you'd need to discuss with the publisher about.

    Nothing I posted wasn't done without approval from the author.

    Georgia-Thank you for pointing that out.

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