Dark Moon: The Blood Altar, Vol. 3

Dark Moon: The Blood Altar #3

by HYBE (Creator), ENHYPEN (Primary Contributor)

Following the intense showdown against Chris, Sooha has recognized the error of her vampire-hating ways. Now she and the boys can continue their exciting high school days without a hitch, focusing solely on the upcoming nightball championship and Decelis’s rivalry with Sunshine City…right? If only it were that simple! The principal of the orphanage where Heli and his friends were imprisoned has tracked them down―and she comes bearing bad news. The vampires’, Chris’s, and Sooha’s pasts and futures may be more intertwined than any of them thought…and the very world may be in danger!

Genres: Manhwa, Fantasy, Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Vampires, Comics

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The battles are still rather hard to follow, and the middle section of this volume is a long sequence with the vamps and werewolves playing a game that seems to be a mix of rugby and basketball, which is effectively another, very long battle. All but a couple of the boys don't have even a one-note personality, and just in general this story is very, very silly. HYBE, the author, has created two other manhwa based on Korean boy bands, so this is absolutely a franchise/cash grab on fans of a singing group I don't have much interest in. Like a good number of the Webtoon titles I've sampled, the art was created on a tight schedule, and looks like it was.

So why am I enjoying it so much? Rather than feeling cynical, it is energetic, with melodramatic story beats in between the guys fighting an opposing faction of vampires. The pages fly by, and it's just fun to read.

There's also something inherently appealing about a secret princess or otome story for me, though that's definitely a subgenre that I aged past being the primary demographic for quite a while ago. :) That might not be handled as well as other stories of its ilk are--Sooha herself, and the majority of the guys, could have used some more scenes together before the large-scale battling started, so there'd be a bit more weight behind the guys all responding with the exact same level of agony when Sooha is inevitably kidnapped by the bad guys.

Why I should decide to stick with this rather than Komi Can't Communicate, which I see as a superior title, is beyond me. But I'm definitely up for the next one...

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Let's be even closer friends."

There might have been a MAJOR info dump in the early half, but I'm thankful we have answers! Even more than that though, the higher rating of this volume is directly because that sports match was EPIC!

I may sometimes get confused or feel not fully engaged in certain spots (usually during an info dump LOL), but the action scenes are so so so good in this series, that I ALWAYS boost my rating because of it! I really felt the intensity of that match and how there was much more on the line than simply a championship title! Plus seeing each boy give more than 100% of his all and just look awesome, I couldn't get enough of it and totally get why Sooha felt blown away!

Speaking of her, I admire how she handled everything after everything that happened in the previous volume and how she gave these guys a second chance! I love how she reflected on how the guys knew her secret and yet still befriended her and that now it was her chance to do the same for them. It showed a lot about her character and how courageous she is.

I also really liked the conversation she had with Solon because I feel it directly addressed my concern in volume two of her feeling "out of character." That conversation revealed SO much and I was pretty shocked by what was shared. Good job Solon for asking the right questions!

Lastly, I am once again LOVING the Heli and Sooha moments! I SHIP THEM SO HARD!!! The way Heli was SUCH a gentleman and spoke about not wanting to lose her trust made me swoon! Granted, I love ALL the guys and absolutely loved how each guy had a lot of focus in this volume, but those Heli and Sooha moments are everything!

I'm thankful to have answers to the questions that have been being asked and see what's to come even though it looks pretty scary right now! Will be eagerly looking forward to the next volume!

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this volume is also so good!!

There was a lot more information given on the origins of the boys' condition as vampires, as well as the reason why they feel so drawn to Sooha, which were my two main questions, so far. I was really glad they took the time to include chapters that gave more information and the fact that one of those moments was shared by Marge was extra cool!

I also really enjoyed the last chapters in this volume! They were full of action, as well as mystery and intrigue, especially since now we know Dardan's identity and get a glimpse at his plans, but not enough to know how he will proceed going forward!

Finally, as always, I loved finding similarities between scenes in the webtoon and Enhypen's music videos and this third installment reminds me a lot of Tamed-Dashed's music video!! The Enha members wear their nightball uniforms in many scenes on that one 🥹 I can't wait to read the next volume, it's released next month already!!

[J]

이 웹툰이... 저를 이렇게 왜 웃게 하고 있는지 모르는데.. 나는 줄거리를 심각하게 못 여긴다.. 친구랑 같이 큰소리로 읽고 있어서.. 우리 연기를 잘 한 것 같다 ㅋㅋㅋ 아무튼.
뒷이야기를 좀 더 설명해서 줄거리가 좀 더 어두워진다. 그리고 예술이 굉장히 이쁘다 진짜로. 난 엔하이픈 팬 아니어도 이걸 심각하게 여기지 않으니까 재미있게 읽은 것 같다.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume! And again the only reason it’s a four star instead of a five is due to the rivalry between Heli and Khan over Sooha, not to mention Khan’s low key pushiness towards her about his feelings. Like okay at least he told her but why does it feel so…disingenuous? Almost like a hostage situation if that makes any sense, lol. Sooha clearly doesn’t like him that way and I just feel he’s pushing a bit? I don’t know, but I do know that I prefer Khan with his brothers over Khan simping over Sooha because he just turns creepy every time.

ANYWAYS!! Despite that part there was a LOT to like, mainly all the background info on Sooha and the vampire boys and, wow, that was a lot but a lot of things make so much more sense now! And rubber banding back to the beginning, I love how Sooha put Heli’s mind to rest and how she still trusts them all even after recent events and I just loved that part sooo much, especially in how it’s getting her and Heli closer together. 🤭🥰

And what’s going on with Sooha’s “sleepwalking”? Very curious about that. The Nightball game was super good along with the best part being the boys going all detective ninja mode—so good but oh boy are they all in trouble now!

Dardan’s a real piece of work and I hope he dies horrifically by the end…


‼️Content‼️

Language: dick; hell; hellish; what the; crap; heck; bullcrap; damn it; sh*t (2); bastards

Violence: injuries and blood (PG-PG-13); fighting hand to hand (PG-PG-13); a guy bites a girl’s neck; a vampire is mentally killed (PG)

Other: vampires and werewolves; supernatural powers; death and grief; reincarnation; characters are grabbed and kidnapped; a girl is lying on a table like altar

[라우라 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bueno Hybe, parece que he conseguido hackear vuestro sistema.
En cuanto a este volumen, me ha encantado. El plot twist no me lo veía venir, es increíble todo lo que se revela y todo lo que me queda por saber seguro. La historia me está encantando aunque aún no consigo conectarla con los mvs de Enhypen. Es verdad que los últimos capítulos del volumen son un partido y a mí eso me da más igual, pero bueno, aún así estoy amando el lore

[Michelle Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always believe this was written by a 13 year old on Wattpad. Still it’s a light read that makes me laugh. It’ll be interesting to see how the story progresses and see if our girl chooses the vampire or the werewolf. Oh gods, it’s twilight all over again🤣

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could I'd give this a 3.5 star rating. Overall still like the story and love the art. This volume just wasn't my favorite. The beginning was great, the middle was boring, the ending was meh. Sooha makes a stupid decision that had me rolling my eyes. I'm hoping the next volume is better.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of the rugby game and what felt lots like just a bunch of cliches. Also the FL seems very much tstl in this volume. But I got one more from the library and I don’t hate it.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

enhypen wildin in this one

[Hally · Rating 4 out of 5]

ya va cogiendo ritmo

[stormy ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m so obsessed with jino

[Ziyue Lan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically read the webtoon version, but yeah still adding it here.

[Camilla Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely where the story drops in quality. Still not too bad though. However, there are definitely things I would change. The other vampires needed to have a bigger reaction to finding out Solon was half werewolf. For all the hype it got, when they finally found out, they literally didn't say a word about it or react at all and that seemed odd to me, like the author was just done with the whole thing and didn't care about making it a big deal anymore. But it had already been made a big deal in the past so the story needed to stick with that. Also, the nightball game needed to be shorter. It took up about 1/3 of the whole book, and I do not read this story to watch vampires and werewolves play sports😅 The storyline is still really interesting though, so even if it's not the best, I still recommend it.

[endeavoursofvic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my Review for Volume 2 and 3 because I read them in one sitting:
okay so. Basically: this series has potential, i kind of see the vision. There are moments I like. But at the end of the day there is just as much I don't like.

Special Shoutout to Solon and Khan for actually being very decent. (...I realized while writing this that this might just be because they are based on my biases xD but honestly - if anything that should make me more picky about their portrayal... so i'll still go with this)

For every positive - I have a negative - so 3 Stars felt on brand.

+ Pls give my girl Sooha more agency and more of a brain though... Like - there was some stuff she should've figured out by herself before she was shown.

[loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume contains some of my favorite chapters from the series. It includes Shion's first time using his power, Marge telling us more about the vampires' past, and the nightball tournament which is always fun.

I do wish that there was more time given to Sooha dealing with her emotions surrounding how she found out about the vampires. As someone who spent her whole life hating vampires, it feels jarring that she did not have more mixed feelings about this fact.

I overall enjoyed this volume and I look forward to the next! Dark Moon is a guilty pleasure for me since it contains a lot of context for Enhypen's lore.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twilight so much! But oh so much more fun! That game reminded me of that baseball thing they did in there, just as much chaos, power, and people going all out. It was so cool! Plus, we learn some more secrets and truths about the werewolves, vampires, and the first vampire, and more! It was so fun and fab! And then there is the competition between Khan (werewolf) and Heli (vampire) over Bella, um Sooha. All the other werewolves/vampires are also all for her, but these two really really want her.
And things got really exciting in the end! I need to read on, but I only got the first 3 volumes, argh!

[Eliza Orlic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already can't wait for volume 4 to come out in print. I like to wait for them to release physically instead of reading the webtoon, and every time it is worth the wait. The plot flows very naturally and this volume was full of action from the big school game which I'm not a big fan of, but it still even had me interesting. This is definitely my favorite webtoon from HYBE.

[Genres and Journals *Tia* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of cringe moments but we get a lot of backstory and information in this one which was really interesting. Fun to see how this lines up with Enhypen’s music videos. Also I love the werewolves and can’t wait to learn more about them. Hope &teams’s graphic novels come out soon.

[Willow Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much of this volume is angry, blurred shots of a ball game I couldn't care less about, to the point I was skipping pages. I've enjoyed the cliche teen romance up to this point. Not so sure going forward...

[Bel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and especially the chemistry between Sooha and Heli. In the last few books we also learn a bit more about Chris and the true identity of Sooha and Solon. This is an action packed series all beautifully illustrated and a great pick for fans who love vampires and werewolves!

[haia · Rating 5 out of 5]

anti-climactic ending but it’s enhypen so i forgive them

[lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

They’re all so cute I wanna put them in my pocket.

[Akansha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heli has started to act like a creep in front of Sooha. And Sooha is still an annoying fmc with no personality whatsoever.

[chey ⋆ ｡ﾟ ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

heli should have been sworn to protect me.

[B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun. My expectations as to where the story was going were completely subverted. I'm looking forward to seeing where book 4 takes the story!

[nza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

[Destiny Hove · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MVS MAKE SO MUCH SENSE NOW. I love these books so much. Only if &TEAMs webtoon was in print cause I know they are interconnected.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read, the more their music videos make sense

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good plot twist. Great story!