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Low Red Moon #1
Красная луна
Эйвери Худ ничего не помнит о ночи, когда убили ее родителей. В ее памяти остались только серебристые вспышки - нечеловечески быстрые и несущие смерть. Она пытается выяснить, что же произошло, но у нее ничего не выходит. Проще смириться и попробовать заново собрать свою жизнь по кусочкам. Вскоре Эйвери знакомится с интересным парнем, который переехал в их городок совсем недавно. Его зовут Бен, он красив и загадочен, а его глаза словно светятся холодным серебряным светом. И самое главное - он, кажется, любит Эйвери. Наконец девушка встретила того, кому она может доверять…или ей это только кажется?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2010
60 people are currently reading
4358 people want to read
About the author
Ivy Devlin
3 books300 followersHi there, I'm Ivy. I write young adult paranormal romance, and my novel, Low Red Moon, is in stores now!
You can find me at http://www.ivydevlin.com and I'm also on twitter and facebook
You can find me at http://www.ivydevlin.com and I'm also on twitter and facebook
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 575 reviews
January 18, 2012
The cover of “Low Red Moon” is positively enchanting. When my friend and I spied it on the shelf, we immediately picked it up, startled at how the book glowed. I am not immune to beauty, and I certainly was not immune to this book. Despite my reservations toward the book’s contents, I couldn’t walk away fast enough with it in my hands.
My fascination ended with the cover, for face-deep beauty cannot possibly hope to redeem the ugliness inside. The blurb describes this story as “part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance”. “Low Red Moon” is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I have ever read, and a complete travesty to all the genres it claims to be a part of.
I have noticed lots of reviewers commenting on the artistry of Devlin’s writing, calling the book “poetic”. I am of the opinion that these unenlightened readers have not encountered true poetry; had they done so, they would not have used this term so sparingly. Devlin’s writing really leaves something to be desired. The turn of phrase is forced where it should be eloquent. The author also has the tendency of employing the tool of repetition to emphasise a particular moment of self-reflection or discovery. For example:
At least every two chapters, Devlin uses a certain phrase to start a series of sentences in order to create the perfect mindset so that we can understand the distraught protagonist better. My criticism about this method is simply overuse. Excessive reliance on one method of writing can allow for the story to become monotonous– which it most definitely did.
Another major point of criticism about “Low Red Moon” for me would be the ridiculous abundance of dashes in the writing. There is nothing wrong with a healthy dose of dashes, and yet this book managed to cross the line by a mile. If I had a dollar for every time Devlin used the em dash in this book, I would be filthy stinkin’ rich. There are two notable instances in which Devlin uses the dash:
1. To demonstrate an interruption in thought in order to insert extra information about something that Avery already talking about:
2.To give an aposiopetic impression; that Avery is so emotional that she simply cannot complete her sentence:
If I were to count, there would be at least a hundred instances like these. There are far more many dashes than necessary! It is outrageous that an editor did not address this miscarriage in literature! Decent, crafty and professional prose should not ever rely on too many dashes. Instead of properly concluding a single thought that Avery has, she breaks it off untimely with a dash and for what purpose? Is it to create a sense of foreboding, or to capture and emphasise a particular emotion? Devlin’s method of writing grief is almost a mockery to the idea of grief. As if grief could be summarised in a set of broken sentences - and yet Low Red Moon makes sure to drive home only that point.
The mystery in this book is a puerile effort at best, and I suggest Devlin hone her abilities before writing another embarrassment of a novel. The “whodunit” question should be burning in my mind but somehow Devlin makes me not a care a lick, because her idea of mystery stops with mushrooms and the colour silver. If such a lack of effort can be characterised as an amazing feat of mystery writing, why even bother reading something like Sherlock Holmes?
Furthermore, there seems to be a trend of writers disregarding the mantra of show, don’t tell. I keep repeating this, and with good reason - because it is the marker of good writing. Except some stilted conversation, there is virtually no relationship between Avery and Ben at the beginning, no sense of drama whatsoever. Two pages later, Avery and Ben fall headlong into this desperate romance which comes on completely unannounced. As a reader, I find it very infuriating that two characters can jump to a star-struck relationship that Romeo and Juliet would have envied, and all without the requisite development.
To quote the good words of George Orwell, “Good prose is like a windowpane”. Unfortunately, this book boasts neither good prose nor the characteristics of a windowpane.
My fascination ended with the cover, for face-deep beauty cannot possibly hope to redeem the ugliness inside. The blurb describes this story as “part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance”. “Low Red Moon” is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I have ever read, and a complete travesty to all the genres it claims to be a part of.
I have noticed lots of reviewers commenting on the artistry of Devlin’s writing, calling the book “poetic”. I am of the opinion that these unenlightened readers have not encountered true poetry; had they done so, they would not have used this term so sparingly. Devlin’s writing really leaves something to be desired. The turn of phrase is forced where it should be eloquent. The author also has the tendency of employing the tool of repetition to emphasise a particular moment of self-reflection or discovery. For example:
“That I wasn’t moving. Wasn’t blinking.
That I was sitting with my parents’ bodies, holding their hands in mine,
That I’d tried to put what was left of them back together. That all the blood on me came from me trying to make them whole when they were broken. From me trying to put them back together.” (pg 2).
At least every two chapters, Devlin uses a certain phrase to start a series of sentences in order to create the perfect mindset so that we can understand the distraught protagonist better. My criticism about this method is simply overuse. Excessive reliance on one method of writing can allow for the story to become monotonous– which it most definitely did.
Another major point of criticism about “Low Red Moon” for me would be the ridiculous abundance of dashes in the writing. There is nothing wrong with a healthy dose of dashes, and yet this book managed to cross the line by a mile. If I had a dollar for every time Devlin used the em dash in this book, I would be filthy stinkin’ rich. There are two notable instances in which Devlin uses the dash:
1. To demonstrate an interruption in thought in order to insert extra information about something that Avery already talking about:
“It was strange not to be eating a sandwich on her homemade bread. I’d hated it, actually-the heavy weight of it and how it didn’t even look like regular bread-but now I missed it.” (pg 10).
2.To give an aposiopetic impression; that Avery is so emotional that she simply cannot complete her sentence:
“I couldn’t even hear them, and then I-
I wasn’t in the kitchen anymore.” (pg 17).
If I were to count, there would be at least a hundred instances like these. There are far more many dashes than necessary! It is outrageous that an editor did not address this miscarriage in literature! Decent, crafty and professional prose should not ever rely on too many dashes. Instead of properly concluding a single thought that Avery has, she breaks it off untimely with a dash and for what purpose? Is it to create a sense of foreboding, or to capture and emphasise a particular emotion? Devlin’s method of writing grief is almost a mockery to the idea of grief. As if grief could be summarised in a set of broken sentences - and yet Low Red Moon makes sure to drive home only that point.
The mystery in this book is a puerile effort at best, and I suggest Devlin hone her abilities before writing another embarrassment of a novel. The “whodunit” question should be burning in my mind but somehow Devlin makes me not a care a lick, because her idea of mystery stops with mushrooms and the colour silver. If such a lack of effort can be characterised as an amazing feat of mystery writing, why even bother reading something like Sherlock Holmes?
Furthermore, there seems to be a trend of writers disregarding the mantra of show, don’t tell. I keep repeating this, and with good reason - because it is the marker of good writing. Except some stilted conversation, there is virtually no relationship between Avery and Ben at the beginning, no sense of drama whatsoever. Two pages later, Avery and Ben fall headlong into this desperate romance which comes on completely unannounced. As a reader, I find it very infuriating that two characters can jump to a star-struck relationship that Romeo and Juliet would have envied, and all without the requisite development.
To quote the good words of George Orwell, “Good prose is like a windowpane”. Unfortunately, this book boasts neither good prose nor the characteristics of a windowpane.
March 1, 2017
I felt like this book had a really promising start--Avery is found in the woods covered in her parents' blood after they've been murdered and mutilated and though she was there, she can't remember a thing. I was really interested in the mystery of what happened and why, and also in finding out how Avery would deal with the loss and horror of it.
Low Red Moon turned out to be a real mish-mash of things--paranormal romance, murder mystery, environmental mysticism... Unfortunately, they didn't really seem to mesh very well at all; none of those themes actually connected within the story, so it ended up feeling sloppy and jumbled. I really kept expecting everything to come together in a way that made sense by the end, but they never did. Maybe Devlin is leaving that for a sequel?
I had a lot of trouble with the writing as well; it's overwrought and awkward and riddled with typos and tense changes and grammatical errors, and while Devlin's copious use of dashes and ellipses and commas makes the dialogue feel pretty natural at times, often it just makes things overly repetitious or confusing. Many times I found myself having to reread sentences over and over in order to figure out what on earth she was trying to say. There are also a lot of inconsistencies; take this paragraph, for instance: "Between his shoulder blades I felt a tiny patch of hair, a small triangle about two fingers wide. Downy soft, like baby's hair, impossibly soft. But it was hair. Not like baby's hair." Um, what? But you just said it was like baby's hair. I think it's supposed to read, "But it wasn't hair," and so imply that it was fur, but even with that change, it's awkward and unclear. There's a lot of that here.
Now, to be fair, I am extremely picky about grammar and punctuation and spelling errors in books, and what I read was an uncorrected advance proof. However, I'm generally able to put those problems aside if the plot and characters are compelling enough. Sadly, that just wasn't the case here. Neither Avery nor Ben felt particularly well-developed to me, so I was never really drawn to care about them; I just never got any real sense of their personalities. Renee and Louis were probably the most interesting characters to me, but even they lacked that spark of believability. Same with the plot as a whole...there was a real lack of depth here. The copy I have seems way more like a rough draft than it does an almost finished product, and I really hope it goes through some heavy editing before it's actually released in its finished form. I think with some work it could be a really interesting story--the bones are there. But as it is, it feels not quite done.
Still, there were enough elements in Low Red Moon that interested me that I might possibly pick up the sequel from the library whenever it's released (I'm assuming there will be a sequel, because there are so many unanswered questions left at the end of the book, and also, doesn't EVERYTHING have a sequel these days?).
I'm giving it two stars only, because in the end I just really didn't connect to any of the characters, the plot wasn't convincing enough for me, and the grammar stuff really bugged me. But most people are not as ridiculous as I am about grammar, and I think that a lot of fans of books like Shiver and Hush, Hush will really enjoy this.
Received this book through First Reads.
Low Red Moon turned out to be a real mish-mash of things--paranormal romance, murder mystery, environmental mysticism... Unfortunately, they didn't really seem to mesh very well at all; none of those themes actually connected within the story, so it ended up feeling sloppy and jumbled. I really kept expecting everything to come together in a way that made sense by the end, but they never did. Maybe Devlin is leaving that for a sequel?
I had a lot of trouble with the writing as well; it's overwrought and awkward and riddled with typos and tense changes and grammatical errors, and while Devlin's copious use of dashes and ellipses and commas makes the dialogue feel pretty natural at times, often it just makes things overly repetitious or confusing. Many times I found myself having to reread sentences over and over in order to figure out what on earth she was trying to say. There are also a lot of inconsistencies; take this paragraph, for instance: "Between his shoulder blades I felt a tiny patch of hair, a small triangle about two fingers wide. Downy soft, like baby's hair, impossibly soft. But it was hair. Not like baby's hair." Um, what? But you just said it was like baby's hair. I think it's supposed to read, "But it wasn't hair," and so imply that it was fur, but even with that change, it's awkward and unclear. There's a lot of that here.
Now, to be fair, I am extremely picky about grammar and punctuation and spelling errors in books, and what I read was an uncorrected advance proof. However, I'm generally able to put those problems aside if the plot and characters are compelling enough. Sadly, that just wasn't the case here. Neither Avery nor Ben felt particularly well-developed to me, so I was never really drawn to care about them; I just never got any real sense of their personalities. Renee and Louis were probably the most interesting characters to me, but even they lacked that spark of believability. Same with the plot as a whole...there was a real lack of depth here. The copy I have seems way more like a rough draft than it does an almost finished product, and I really hope it goes through some heavy editing before it's actually released in its finished form. I think with some work it could be a really interesting story--the bones are there. But as it is, it feels not quite done.
Still, there were enough elements in Low Red Moon that interested me that I might possibly pick up the sequel from the library whenever it's released (I'm assuming there will be a sequel, because there are so many unanswered questions left at the end of the book, and also, doesn't EVERYTHING have a sequel these days?).
I'm giving it two stars only, because in the end I just really didn't connect to any of the characters, the plot wasn't convincing enough for me, and the grammar stuff really bugged me. But most people are not as ridiculous as I am about grammar, and I think that a lot of fans of books like Shiver and Hush, Hush will really enjoy this.
Received this book through First Reads.
November 15, 2010
The only thing really working towards this book was the building mystery that surrounded it and it's probably the only reason I finished the book since I wanted to know the ending, which ended up disappointed me, since I didn't think the motive behind the actual act was believable or enough.
While I can surely sympathized with the lost that Avery was going through when she lost her parents in a horrific way, her pain and sorrow dragged on way to much, stretching it from chapter to chapter.
Ben plays the part of the mysterious new boy in town that holds a secret and has felt connected to Avery the minute he saw her. Yeah, something we've all seen in many, many, many other paranormal books before, which normally I wouldn't mind, but in this case I thought it was way to rushed, meaning they had two conversations then proceeded to-make-out-like-mad, rush and I didn't have time to feel any sparks between the two.
The writing had some great potential and I thought the actually concept is quite intriguing, but all in all, Low Red Moon isn't a book I enjoyed very much and it's not something I can recommend.
While I can surely sympathized with the lost that Avery was going through when she lost her parents in a horrific way, her pain and sorrow dragged on way to much, stretching it from chapter to chapter.
Ben plays the part of the mysterious new boy in town that holds a secret and has felt connected to Avery the minute he saw her. Yeah, something we've all seen in many, many, many other paranormal books before, which normally I wouldn't mind, but in this case I thought it was way to rushed, meaning they had two conversations then proceeded to-make-out-like-mad, rush and I didn't have time to feel any sparks between the two.
The writing had some great potential and I thought the actually concept is quite intriguing, but all in all, Low Red Moon isn't a book I enjoyed very much and it's not something I can recommend.
December 29, 2011
I read the synopsis for this book was nearly blown away. So why didn't reading the actual book seal the deal and knock me off my feet? It reminded me a little too much of Twilight, only with werewolves and more poorly written that's why. No offense to Twilight, I absolutely loved the books and I heart Mrs. Meyer, but one Twilight was enough. And after several highly disappointing movies, I'm glad to leave the series behind.
Ben and Avery's meeting is almost exactly like Bella and Edward's (the central characters of the Twilight saga). Avery is in the office of her school, when new boy Ben walks in, upon spotting her he gives her a strange, verging on hateful, look, and storms out of the office. (Remember something vaguely similar to that in Twilight?) Ben also ends up saving Avery from a falling tree, um hello? Edward, Belle, parking lot, car? And the fact that Avery claims to 'love' and 'need' Ben as soon as she lays eyes on him is unbearably annoying and tastelessly clichéd. She doesn't know anything about the guy, yet he's suddenly THE ONE. I'm the kind of gal that likes for the characters of a book to get to know each other (at least a little) before they even begin to admit that they might have feelings for each other, let alone possibly love one another.
And the whole thing with the title...I don't get it. Even after reading the book. What did the damned moon have to do with anything??? Ben even admitted that he didn't shift according to the moon. And the little 'low red moons' that were peppered throughout the manuscript made me want to rip pages upon pages out of the book. It nearly drove me nuts and was an extremely amateur thing to do. And am I the only one that noticed the similarities between the titles TWILIGHT and LOW RED MOON? What's up with that?
And something else that grated on my nerves was the fact that the book got raving reviews from authors I love and I was expecting a good read. This seems to be happening a lot lately. Authors that I respect will review a book and call it 'sexy', 'thrilling', or some other really intriguing adjective and I think well if such and such liked it then it MUST be good. But then I'm reading the book and when I'm finished I'm asking myself 'How was that sexy or thrilling?'
The scene at the end with the murderer(I won't reveal who it is in case even after this review you still want to read it) was also clichéd and cheesy.
This book wasn't up to par at all. I was thoroughly disappointed.
I recommend this book to no one. Not even those poor souls that LOVE the Twilight movies.
Ben and Avery's meeting is almost exactly like Bella and Edward's (the central characters of the Twilight saga). Avery is in the office of her school, when new boy Ben walks in, upon spotting her he gives her a strange, verging on hateful, look, and storms out of the office. (Remember something vaguely similar to that in Twilight?) Ben also ends up saving Avery from a falling tree, um hello? Edward, Belle, parking lot, car? And the fact that Avery claims to 'love' and 'need' Ben as soon as she lays eyes on him is unbearably annoying and tastelessly clichéd. She doesn't know anything about the guy, yet he's suddenly THE ONE. I'm the kind of gal that likes for the characters of a book to get to know each other (at least a little) before they even begin to admit that they might have feelings for each other, let alone possibly love one another.
And the whole thing with the title...I don't get it. Even after reading the book. What did the damned moon have to do with anything??? Ben even admitted that he didn't shift according to the moon. And the little 'low red moons' that were peppered throughout the manuscript made me want to rip pages upon pages out of the book. It nearly drove me nuts and was an extremely amateur thing to do. And am I the only one that noticed the similarities between the titles TWILIGHT and LOW RED MOON? What's up with that?
And something else that grated on my nerves was the fact that the book got raving reviews from authors I love and I was expecting a good read. This seems to be happening a lot lately. Authors that I respect will review a book and call it 'sexy', 'thrilling', or some other really intriguing adjective and I think well if such and such liked it then it MUST be good. But then I'm reading the book and when I'm finished I'm asking myself 'How was that sexy or thrilling?'
The scene at the end with the murderer(I won't reveal who it is in case even after this review you still want to read it) was also clichéd and cheesy.
This book wasn't up to par at all. I was thoroughly disappointed.
I recommend this book to no one. Not even those poor souls that LOVE the Twilight movies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2016
There're only a few things I like about Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin--aka Elizabeth Scott, according to the information I found on amazon.com, first the pretty book cover and the fine book design. That's it.
I picked up the book mostly because I found the recommendation from Melissa de la Cruz, author of the Blue Bloods series, but how I regret reading this book now! Dear Miss de la Cruz, you fail me big time! *sighs*
Okay, instead of vampires, Low Red Moon offers us werewolves. We get a 'forbidden' romance. We get an orphaned girl and her estranged grandmother trying to rebuild their relationship, we also get the tragedy of Avery witnessing the gruesome murder of her parents but she lost the memory due to the shock, making it impossible for her to identify the killer. So who is the evil murderer? The mysterious werewolf; Ben: the new boy in town and Avery's love interest; or one of the townies who wants to take Avery's parents' land and thinks said parents were in the way?
The setting above seems promising enough, but like so many other half-ass paranormal young adult novels, the author, Miss Devlin focused too much on the romance between her male and female leads, spending too much time on the sexual tension, on her female lead daydreaming about her pretty boy. Too little time and space were left for the family relation, the myth about werewolves, the mysterious connection the main girl supposed to have with the forest and murder mystery to develop. I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised to find the story leaves much to be desired.
Back then I once called Fallen by Lauren Kate and Evermore by Alyson Noel 'Twilight riff-offs', but Miss Kate and Miss Noel are more or less their own women when it comes to writing despite how similar the relationships between their main couples are with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's, but it isn't the same with Miss Devlin. Frankly, I had never read a book which is so underdeveloped, so reeks of Twilight before. Whenever a 'romantic' scene comes up, I'd roll my eyes and think: "Oh, did Miss Devlin copy Stephenie Meyer's writing and put it in her own book or something?"
You might be puzzled by why I'd say such harsh thing, but I bet after you finish reading Low Red Moon, you would know what I mean.
And the story also shows plenty of Twilight Symptoms:
(a) The main couple always hang out in the forest, for no good reason.
(b) The male lead takes off his shirt in the forest for no good reason.
(c) The male lead has to be beautiful boy. Yes, the 'beautiful' part is especially highlighted for many times. Okay, now we know romance between ordinary boy and ordinary girl has no market in the YA genre.
(d) The female lead is beautiful, but doesn't know it.
(e) In a handful of situations, the female lead should be afraid of the male lead, but she isn't afraid.
(f) The male lead wants to stay away from the main girl, for unknown reason.
(g) The main couple falls in love, for no good reason.
(h) The male lead tries to stay away from the main girl with some "NO I'LL HURT YOU! I'M DANGEROUS!" excuses, but of course he can't keep himself away.
A story about a werewolf boy and a human girl can be beautifully, meaningfully and romantically written, but sadly Low Red Moon isn't one of those books. Many different issues were brought up by the author but they were merely being touched upon very briefly and lightly, giving you no satisfaction and insight. The setting is lame, the tone and the writing style is nothing special, the murder mystery is half-ass at best, the so called 'romance' is a lot 'OH HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE HIM!!!' teenage soap opera. I saw no solid foundation for the 'love' between these two, other than sexual attraction and the halfhearted explanation of the mysterious 'bond' between them.
The lack of depth and development in ALL of the characters is one of the major reasons why Low Red Moon turns out to be such a letdown. None of character is likable, none of them manages to keep me interested. Ben and his grandfather are too thinly written that it is difficult to identify with them. We are supposed to sympathize with Avery's grandmother but I found her to be highly unlikable when she kept bossing Avery around and withholding information from her.
Although the book is narrated by the main character Avery, but I don't find her to be believable for half of the time. The only part about her that hints at her strength and maturity is the part she went to school after her parents' funeral and withstood the gossips and cold-shouldering of her schoolmates. Then there's nothing else. For starters, I don't think Avery acts like a traumatized girl who had witnessed the murder of her parents at all. For a girl who had survived an attack of a cold-blooded killer, she shows too little fear and concern for her own safety, she seems to be a little too bold even when she was alone in a dark forest, knowing fully well her parents' murderer is still at large and may strike again.
Plus, Avery's mysterious connection with the forest and Ben is NEVER explained, that's really awful when the heroine's supernatural ability comes out of nowhere!
As it turns out, the murderer is...Okay, who cares about who the murderer really is anyway? Even to the end of the book I still can't understand why on earth would he kill Avery's parents and the other townies! He seems to kill those people for no good reason! And said murderer also tries to kill Avery by...damaging a tree so it would fall down when Avery walks pass it? Does it mean Avery weight as much as an elephant so when she walks in the forest, trees would fall down due to the vibration of her heavy steps!? What a silly murder attempt! Why don't he just shoot her or run a car over her or something?
The Final Words:
Low Red Moon is a very short, very dull and very undeveloped book, to a point that I wonder why would I spend so much time writing such a long
rant for it.
I picked up the book mostly because I found the recommendation from Melissa de la Cruz, author of the Blue Bloods series, but how I regret reading this book now! Dear Miss de la Cruz, you fail me big time! *sighs*
Okay, instead of vampires, Low Red Moon offers us werewolves. We get a 'forbidden' romance. We get an orphaned girl and her estranged grandmother trying to rebuild their relationship, we also get the tragedy of Avery witnessing the gruesome murder of her parents but she lost the memory due to the shock, making it impossible for her to identify the killer. So who is the evil murderer? The mysterious werewolf; Ben: the new boy in town and Avery's love interest; or one of the townies who wants to take Avery's parents' land and thinks said parents were in the way?
The setting above seems promising enough, but like so many other half-ass paranormal young adult novels, the author, Miss Devlin focused too much on the romance between her male and female leads, spending too much time on the sexual tension, on her female lead daydreaming about her pretty boy. Too little time and space were left for the family relation, the myth about werewolves, the mysterious connection the main girl supposed to have with the forest and murder mystery to develop. I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised to find the story leaves much to be desired.
Back then I once called Fallen by Lauren Kate and Evermore by Alyson Noel 'Twilight riff-offs', but Miss Kate and Miss Noel are more or less their own women when it comes to writing despite how similar the relationships between their main couples are with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's, but it isn't the same with Miss Devlin. Frankly, I had never read a book which is so underdeveloped, so reeks of Twilight before. Whenever a 'romantic' scene comes up, I'd roll my eyes and think: "Oh, did Miss Devlin copy Stephenie Meyer's writing and put it in her own book or something?"
You might be puzzled by why I'd say such harsh thing, but I bet after you finish reading Low Red Moon, you would know what I mean.
And the story also shows plenty of Twilight Symptoms:
(a) The main couple always hang out in the forest, for no good reason.
(b) The male lead takes off his shirt in the forest for no good reason.
(c) The male lead has to be beautiful boy. Yes, the 'beautiful' part is especially highlighted for many times. Okay, now we know romance between ordinary boy and ordinary girl has no market in the YA genre.
(d) The female lead is beautiful, but doesn't know it.
(e) In a handful of situations, the female lead should be afraid of the male lead, but she isn't afraid.
(f) The male lead wants to stay away from the main girl, for unknown reason.
(g) The main couple falls in love, for no good reason.
(h) The male lead tries to stay away from the main girl with some "NO I'LL HURT YOU! I'M DANGEROUS!" excuses, but of course he can't keep himself away.
A story about a werewolf boy and a human girl can be beautifully, meaningfully and romantically written, but sadly Low Red Moon isn't one of those books. Many different issues were brought up by the author but they were merely being touched upon very briefly and lightly, giving you no satisfaction and insight. The setting is lame, the tone and the writing style is nothing special, the murder mystery is half-ass at best, the so called 'romance' is a lot 'OH HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE HIM!!!' teenage soap opera. I saw no solid foundation for the 'love' between these two, other than sexual attraction and the halfhearted explanation of the mysterious 'bond' between them.
The lack of depth and development in ALL of the characters is one of the major reasons why Low Red Moon turns out to be such a letdown. None of character is likable, none of them manages to keep me interested. Ben and his grandfather are too thinly written that it is difficult to identify with them. We are supposed to sympathize with Avery's grandmother but I found her to be highly unlikable when she kept bossing Avery around and withholding information from her.
Although the book is narrated by the main character Avery, but I don't find her to be believable for half of the time. The only part about her that hints at her strength and maturity is the part she went to school after her parents' funeral and withstood the gossips and cold-shouldering of her schoolmates. Then there's nothing else. For starters, I don't think Avery acts like a traumatized girl who had witnessed the murder of her parents at all. For a girl who had survived an attack of a cold-blooded killer, she shows too little fear and concern for her own safety, she seems to be a little too bold even when she was alone in a dark forest, knowing fully well her parents' murderer is still at large and may strike again.
Plus, Avery's mysterious connection with the forest and Ben is NEVER explained, that's really awful when the heroine's supernatural ability comes out of nowhere!
As it turns out, the murderer is...Okay, who cares about who the murderer really is anyway? Even to the end of the book I still can't understand why on earth would he kill Avery's parents and the other townies! He seems to kill those people for no good reason! And said murderer also tries to kill Avery by...damaging a tree so it would fall down when Avery walks pass it? Does it mean Avery weight as much as an elephant so when she walks in the forest, trees would fall down due to the vibration of her heavy steps!? What a silly murder attempt! Why don't he just shoot her or run a car over her or something?
The Final Words:
Low Red Moon is a very short, very dull and very undeveloped book, to a point that I wonder why would I spend so much time writing such a long
rant for it.
May 29, 2017
I was intrigued by the premise of Low Red Moon as soon as I watched the trailer and read the synopsis. The setting seemed eerily perfect—small town community, a family living practically "off the grid", superstitious murmurings about creatures in the forest and a dangerous new guy at school. A teenage girl survives a brutal attack on her family but is left with no recollection of what happened. I had to know why she couldn't remember what happened to her parents. But more than that, I wanted to know why she was spared. Enter the new guy. Good looking and more than a little dangerous. All of this combined made me extremely anxious to dive in and solve the mystery.
Unfortunately none of the puzzle pieces ever lined up for me.
In my opinion Low Red Moon would've been a better book without the romance. Yes, that's what I said—without the romance. I'm normally a sucker for a good paranormal romance but this one was way too rushed for my taste. I don't understand this trend in YA—characters lock eyes one time and immediately pledge their eternal devotion to one another. Where's the build up? Where's the "getting-to-know-you" stage? Quite a few times, I even flipped back to make sure I hadn't accidentally missed a couple of chapters.
I also feel very strongly that Low Red Moon would've been a much more impactful, tighter book if we had gotten more time devoted to Avery's life before the murders. I wish the book had a prequel. Or even an extensive flashback sequence would've worked. Something that would've showed the type of person Avery was prior to the attacks. Something that painted a vivid picture of the family dynamics. Something that made me deeply care for them all on a personal level. While Avery does often reflect on what a kind and loving family she had, it didn't really touch my heart.
The best aspect of Low Red Moon was when Avery and her grandmother were rebuilding their relationship. I found their interactions to be compelling. Here was a woman who hadn't been in Avery's life for many, many years and now was thrust in the position of surrogate mother and father. There were so many levels there to sort through and I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. Her grandmother was a strong character; one with a few secrets of her own. I loved how protective she was of Avery and the distance she went to try and bridge the gap between the two of them. As for Avery herself, I thought she was a bit of an enigma. If my parents had been brutally dismembered and the killer was still at large, I think I'd be a little hesitant to go trampling about the woods late at night by myself. I didn't understand how that thought never even crossed her mind. Many of her choices didn't seem believable to me.
Overall, Low Red Moon was a somewhat shaky start to a series that I believe still has potential. Amazon.com lists Low Red Moon as having 256 pages. My ARC had 196. So I'm hoping the final version will expand on the romance and show the reader how Ben and Avery came to fall in love. I also feel that the ending was strong. With a little tightening up and more time put into character relationships and motivations, this series could be really great. There is nothing lacking in the folklore behind the supernatural presence in the woods. The superstitions regarding the wolves intrigued me immensely. I wanted to learn more about them—tales of wolves taking human brides in exchange for peace treaties.
Unfortunately none of the puzzle pieces ever lined up for me.
In my opinion Low Red Moon would've been a better book without the romance. Yes, that's what I said—without the romance. I'm normally a sucker for a good paranormal romance but this one was way too rushed for my taste. I don't understand this trend in YA—characters lock eyes one time and immediately pledge their eternal devotion to one another. Where's the build up? Where's the "getting-to-know-you" stage? Quite a few times, I even flipped back to make sure I hadn't accidentally missed a couple of chapters.
I also feel very strongly that Low Red Moon would've been a much more impactful, tighter book if we had gotten more time devoted to Avery's life before the murders. I wish the book had a prequel. Or even an extensive flashback sequence would've worked. Something that would've showed the type of person Avery was prior to the attacks. Something that painted a vivid picture of the family dynamics. Something that made me deeply care for them all on a personal level. While Avery does often reflect on what a kind and loving family she had, it didn't really touch my heart.
The best aspect of Low Red Moon was when Avery and her grandmother were rebuilding their relationship. I found their interactions to be compelling. Here was a woman who hadn't been in Avery's life for many, many years and now was thrust in the position of surrogate mother and father. There were so many levels there to sort through and I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. Her grandmother was a strong character; one with a few secrets of her own. I loved how protective she was of Avery and the distance she went to try and bridge the gap between the two of them. As for Avery herself, I thought she was a bit of an enigma. If my parents had been brutally dismembered and the killer was still at large, I think I'd be a little hesitant to go trampling about the woods late at night by myself. I didn't understand how that thought never even crossed her mind. Many of her choices didn't seem believable to me.
Overall, Low Red Moon was a somewhat shaky start to a series that I believe still has potential. Amazon.com lists Low Red Moon as having 256 pages. My ARC had 196. So I'm hoping the final version will expand on the romance and show the reader how Ben and Avery came to fall in love. I also feel that the ending was strong. With a little tightening up and more time put into character relationships and motivations, this series could be really great. There is nothing lacking in the folklore behind the supernatural presence in the woods. The superstitions regarding the wolves intrigued me immensely. I wanted to learn more about them—tales of wolves taking human brides in exchange for peace treaties.
September 16, 2010
I should’ve known better. I’ve grown more and more wary (no, not quite weary) of paranormal romances, because so many of them use the exact same formulae, with the same underwhelming results. LOW RED MOON may be an interesting enough read for the eternally paranormal romance-happy, but the number of conventions it uses unfortunately did not win me over.
Is it really even necessary to talk about the many paranormal romance conventions that appear in this book? I will just start listing them in question form: Why is Ben attractive aside from his beauty and the inexplicable allure that Avery feels towards him? Why does Avery seem like she would be nonexistent outside the mystery behind her parents’ death and her attraction to Ben, i.e. why does she not have interests, passions, hobbies, and worries outside of the usual “I wish things could go back to how they used to be”?
Also, why do people believe that as long as they don’t mention what, exactly, the type of supernatural creature in the story is, that this makes the story all the more credible? Here, let me explain it to you, in a way that Avery, for some reason, refuses to: IT’S A WEREWOLF ROMANCE. Does thinking that she might be dealing with a werewolf make Avery less credible, when within the first few pages of meeting Ben, she already tells him that she knows there is something unusual about him?
LOW RED MOON’s writing is reminiscent of any number of those paranormal romance visual franchises (Twilight, The Vampire Diaries) that make so much money nowadays. The dialogue is always being spoken at either a fearful, hissy whisper or in the literary equivalent of Kristen Stewart’s expressionless monotone. Ben behaves only like he is always on the verge of breaking down over his concern (or, I suppose, luuuv) for Avery, telling her in panicky voices to leave him alone, go away, save herself, stay away from him. And of course Avery has a one-track mind and cannot. Stay. Away. Of course.
The prose is what I think I’ll call “melodramatic teen prose” from now on: there are a lot of repetitions, repetitions that one seems to think will make the story seem cool, cool or otherworldly, otherworldly in a highbrow manner, and oh—how I love the dashes that appear everywhere—to indicate the dropping off of thought—interruptions because—gasp!—IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE PARANORMAL ROMANCE MELODRAMA, DAMNIT.
Reading this is kind of like how I imagine reading a screenplay of The Vampire Diaries would look like, which was one of the biggest reasons why I stopped reading L. J. Smith.
A sadly great number of recent paranormal romances out there make Twilight look good in comparison, and I’m sorry to say that LOW RED MOON was no exception. If the promise of a low-key supernatural murder mystery intrigues you and you are supremely devoted to paranormal romances so that conventions don’t bother you, then you could give this a try. Otherwise, I would honestly say that you should stay away, or else you’ll end up like me, writing this sort of review in order to expression the frustration that this book manages to eloquently wrap up all that is cliché about YA paranormal romances.
Is it really even necessary to talk about the many paranormal romance conventions that appear in this book? I will just start listing them in question form: Why is Ben attractive aside from his beauty and the inexplicable allure that Avery feels towards him? Why does Avery seem like she would be nonexistent outside the mystery behind her parents’ death and her attraction to Ben, i.e. why does she not have interests, passions, hobbies, and worries outside of the usual “I wish things could go back to how they used to be”?
Also, why do people believe that as long as they don’t mention what, exactly, the type of supernatural creature in the story is, that this makes the story all the more credible? Here, let me explain it to you, in a way that Avery, for some reason, refuses to: IT’S A WEREWOLF ROMANCE. Does thinking that she might be dealing with a werewolf make Avery less credible, when within the first few pages of meeting Ben, she already tells him that she knows there is something unusual about him?
LOW RED MOON’s writing is reminiscent of any number of those paranormal romance visual franchises (Twilight, The Vampire Diaries) that make so much money nowadays. The dialogue is always being spoken at either a fearful, hissy whisper or in the literary equivalent of Kristen Stewart’s expressionless monotone. Ben behaves only like he is always on the verge of breaking down over his concern (or, I suppose, luuuv) for Avery, telling her in panicky voices to leave him alone, go away, save herself, stay away from him. And of course Avery has a one-track mind and cannot. Stay. Away. Of course.
The prose is what I think I’ll call “melodramatic teen prose” from now on: there are a lot of repetitions, repetitions that one seems to think will make the story seem cool, cool or otherworldly, otherworldly in a highbrow manner, and oh—how I love the dashes that appear everywhere—to indicate the dropping off of thought—interruptions because—gasp!—IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE PARANORMAL ROMANCE MELODRAMA, DAMNIT.
Reading this is kind of like how I imagine reading a screenplay of The Vampire Diaries would look like, which was one of the biggest reasons why I stopped reading L. J. Smith.
A sadly great number of recent paranormal romances out there make Twilight look good in comparison, and I’m sorry to say that LOW RED MOON was no exception. If the promise of a low-key supernatural murder mystery intrigues you and you are supremely devoted to paranormal romances so that conventions don’t bother you, then you could give this a try. Otherwise, I would honestly say that you should stay away, or else you’ll end up like me, writing this sort of review in order to expression the frustration that this book manages to eloquently wrap up all that is cliché about YA paranormal romances.
April 13, 2010
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!
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!
April 16, 2011
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!
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!
July 9, 2012
Avery's parents are murdered and though Avery's the one who found the bodies, she can't remember anything about that night. She moves to town to live with her grandmother, a woman she doens't know well. She also meets Ben, the great-nephew of a forest recluse. They have this connection and they have a really hard time not touching each other when together. Their relationship goes physical really quick.
I enjoyed the book, though I felt like it needed more character and plot development. I would've liked Ben and Avery getting to know each other before getting physical. And I had real issues with the ending. The mystery of Avery's parent's murder was kind of obvious. Not too dynamic. And Avery really disappointed me because...
***SPOiLER***she thinks that Ben is the murderer so she runs away from him. And right into the real murderer's hands. Duh. Stupid. Through the whole book it's about Avery and Ben trusting each other and choosing to be together. And then when Ben can't remember what he was doing the night of the murder and he doubts himself, Avery suddenly does, too. I would've liked her so much more, and the book too, if she'd relied on her own feelings and TRUSTED him. Because he obviously wasn't the killer. She disregarded all the other incidents and ran. What a pansy. ***SPOiLER OVER***
There are some passionate makeout scenes in this book.
I enjoyed the book, though I felt like it needed more character and plot development. I would've liked Ben and Avery getting to know each other before getting physical. And I had real issues with the ending. The mystery of Avery's parent's murder was kind of obvious. Not too dynamic. And Avery really disappointed me because...
***SPOiLER***she thinks that Ben is the murderer so she runs away from him. And right into the real murderer's hands. Duh. Stupid. Through the whole book it's about Avery and Ben trusting each other and choosing to be together. And then when Ben can't remember what he was doing the night of the murder and he doubts himself, Avery suddenly does, too. I would've liked her so much more, and the book too, if she'd relied on her own feelings and TRUSTED him. Because he obviously wasn't the killer. She disregarded all the other incidents and ran. What a pansy. ***SPOiLER OVER***
There are some passionate makeout scenes in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2017
Когда какая-нибудь книга становится популярной, то рождение кучи кривых копий неизбежно. В случае серии Роулинг у нас есть "Таня Гроттер", "Денис Котиков" и т.д. 'Красная Луна" же является копиркой с Майеровских "Сумерек". Обычно книги - копирки получаются в раз пятьсот хуже чем оригиналы, с которых они слизаны. Это я к чему? Это я к тому, что дебютную серию Стефани назвать кладом литературы язык не поворачивается, но правило выше к ней применимо. То есть, Вы, мой дорогой читатель, понимаете, что произойдет если с откровенно графоманскую книжонку скопировать? А получится "Красная Луна". Эту книгу я решила назвать так:
"Что было бы если бы Белла в итоге выбрала Джейкоба?"
Самая движуха, как любит выражаться моя дорожайшая сестра, пришлась на самое начало книги, то бишь на момент, когда родителей главной героини, Эйвери, жестоко убивают у нее на глазах. Девушка не помнит лица убийцы, ни самого убийства, только серебренные вспышки. Эйвери начинает жить у бабушки. И тут в школу приходит он, Эдвар... нет, Стефа... тьфу ты, Бен, вот! И у него есть какая-то тайна (какая именно несложно догадаться. Мы тут плагиат на сумерки читаем, але!). Его родителей тоже убили, и теперь он живет со своим дедушкой. Что - что? Вам мало мистики? Сейчас будет еще: Волосы Эйвери окрасились в красный на следующий день после убийства родителей, этот феномен так же повторяется, когда убивают их соседей. Эйвери и лес как-то связанны между собой. Она - избранница леса. Вроде бы интересно, но Айви не объясняет нам природу этой связи. У нее только волосы окрашиваются, стоит кому - то нарушить лесной фэн-шуй или у нее еще какие-то скилы появились? Возможно этот момент прояснится позже, ведь есть сиквел, но у меня нет никакого желания с ним знакомиться.
Девлин делает очень большой акцент на любовной линии Бена и Эйвери. Не то чтобы я против. Если Вы загляните в мои прочитанные, то только романы жанра "contemprory" и найдете. Я не особо придирчива в этом плане, наоборот, я люблю почитать или посмотреть розовые сопли. Романс между этими двумя настолько кривой, настолько повторяющийся, настолько скучный, что мне было ровным счетом на них плевть. Серьезно, в их отнощения идут по одному сценарию: она не знает верить ему или нет - он не может показать ей себя в виде волка - он ее зажимает (неважно где: в углу кафешки, в доме где ее родителей убили) - они друг друга хотят и приступают к совместному раздеванию - их кто-то обламывает (в первый раз биология паренька, во второй - бабушка, а дальше все по кругу. В их чувства просто не верилось. Эйвери и Бен словно два актера, недавно выпустиевшиеся из какого-нибудь заштатного ПТУ, которых поставили в один кадр и сказали показать любовь. Черт, да мне интересней было узнать про совместное прошлое бабки Эйвери и дедушки Бена!
Об убийстве и расследовании герои вспоминают ближе к концу. И тут у Эйвери проскальзывает теория о том, что именно Бен, потеряв самообладание в виде волка, совершил убийство. И если бы Айви придержалась этого сюжета, то книга вышла бы лучше, намного лучше! Ведь появилась бы почва для такой драмы и таких метаний! Эйвери бы любила Бена, но не смогла бы быть с ним из-за того, что он оставил от ее предков одни ошметки, а Бен всю жизнь прожил бы с горким осознанием того, что он убийца, Ты ведь на этом акцент ставила, Девлин! Тебе нужны были сопли и терзания, ты бы их получила! Почему автор всегда отбрасывают самые интересные варианты? Кто же убийца? Тут вообще все банально. Убийца - шериф, который, собственно, и вел расследование. И это был самый идиотский финал, который только мог быть у этой истории. Шериф (тоже, видимо, из заштатного ПТУ) часто появлялся в доме бабушки Эйвери. Что ему мешало зарубить за чашкой чая бабку с внучкой непонятно. К его чести стоит сказать, что он сообразил, что от ненужных свидетелей, пускай с амнезией, надо избавляться, но на помощь подоспели два мохнатых рыцаря в лице Бена и его деда. Шериф был объявлен сумасшедшим, а наша красноволосая Покахонтас с ее Джейкобом счастливы.
Представьте, что вы читаете фанфик, который явно написан девочкой лет двенадцати. В нем все так мило и наивно, и даже самые кровавые моменты описываются очень сухо и без лишнего упоминания красной жижи, что течет по нашим венам. Вот на что похожа "Красная Луна", и я бы простила этой истории многое, но Айви Девлин не двенадцать, а я не настраивалась читать фанфик.
Рецензия на LiveLib
Самая движуха, как любит выражаться моя дорожайшая сестра, пришлась на самое начало книги, то бишь на момент, когда родителей главной героини, Эйвери, жестоко убивают у нее на глазах. Девушка не помнит лица убийцы, ни самого убийства, только серебренные вспышки. Эйвери начинает жить у бабушки. И тут в школу приходит он, Эдвар... нет, Стефа... тьфу ты, Бен, вот! И у него есть какая-то тайна (какая именно несложно догадаться. Мы тут плагиат на сумерки читаем, але!). Его родителей тоже убили, и теперь он живет со своим дедушкой. Что - что? Вам мало мистики? Сейчас будет еще: Волосы Эйвери окрасились в красный на следующий день после убийства родителей, этот феномен так же повторяется, когда убивают их соседей. Эйвери и лес как-то связанны между собой. Она - избранница леса. Вроде бы интересно, но Айви не объясняет нам природу этой связи. У нее только волосы окрашиваются, стоит кому - то нарушить лесной фэн-шуй или у нее еще какие-то скилы появились? Возможно этот момент прояснится позже, ведь есть сиквел, но у меня нет никакого желания с ним знакомиться.
Девлин делает очень большой акцент на любовной линии Бена и Эйвери. Не то чтобы я против. Если Вы загляните в мои прочитанные, то только романы жанра "contemprory" и найдете. Я не особо придирчива в этом плане, наоборот, я люблю почитать или посмотреть розовые сопли. Романс между этими двумя настолько кривой, настолько повторяющийся, настолько скучный, что мне было ровным счетом на них плевть. Серьезно, в их отнощения идут по одному сценарию: она не знает верить ему или нет - он не может показать ей себя в виде волка - он ее зажимает (неважно где: в углу кафешки, в доме где ее родителей убили) - они друг друга хотят и приступают к совместному раздеванию - их кто-то обламывает (в первый раз биология паренька, во второй - бабушка, а дальше все по кругу. В их чувства просто не верилось. Эйвери и Бен словно два актера, недавно выпустиевшиеся из какого-нибудь заштатного ПТУ, которых поставили в один кадр и сказали показать любовь. Черт, да мне интересней было узнать про совместное прошлое бабки Эйвери и дедушки Бена!
Об убийстве и расследовании герои вспоминают ближе к концу. И тут у Эйвери проскальзывает теория о том, что именно Бен, потеряв самообладание в виде волка, совершил убийство. И если бы Айви придержалась этого сюжета, то книга вышла бы лучше, намного лучше! Ведь появилась бы почва для такой драмы и таких метаний! Эйвери бы любила Бена, но не смогла бы быть с ним из-за того, что он оставил от ее предков одни ошметки, а Бен всю жизнь прожил бы с горким осознанием того, что он убийца, Ты ведь на этом акцент ставила, Девлин! Тебе нужны были сопли и терзания, ты бы их получила! Почему автор всегда отбрасывают самые интересные варианты? Кто же убийца? Тут вообще все банально. Убийца - шериф, который, собственно, и вел расследование. И это был самый идиотский финал, который только мог быть у этой истории. Шериф (тоже, видимо, из заштатного ПТУ) часто появлялся в доме бабушки Эйвери. Что ему мешало зарубить за чашкой чая бабку с внучкой непонятно. К его чести стоит сказать, что он сообразил, что от ненужных свидетелей, пускай с амнезией, надо избавляться, но на помощь подоспели два мохнатых рыцаря в лице Бена и его деда. Шериф был объявлен сумасшедшим, а наша красноволосая Покахонтас с ее Джейкобом счастливы.
Представьте, что вы читаете фанфик, который явно написан девочкой лет двенадцати. В нем все так мило и наивно, и даже самые кровавые моменты описываются очень сухо и без лишнего упоминания красной жижи, что течет по нашим венам. Вот на что похожа "Красная Луна", и я бы простила этой истории многое, но Айви Девлин не двенадцать, а я не настраивалась читать фанфик.
Рецензия на LiveLib
January 7, 2011
Originally posted on http://rubysreads.com[return][return].... This was not my favorite book. For one thing, it was incredibly rushed. Though the book clocks in at 244 pages, they are pages with fairly large print, wide margins and double-spacing. It's basically a short story in hardcover, a la Linda Howard's Ice. It's got a pretty cover, though. All red and shiny.[return][return]Low Red Moon tells the story of Avery Hood, a seventeen year-old girl whose parents have just been murdered. Although Avery was found at the crime scene by a deputy, she doesn't remember the events of the night her parents died. Except for a disturbing flash of silver. The flash of silver is both ominous and repetitive. Although I guess it makes sense that Avery would cling to the only memory she has of that night. Still, it's drummed into our heads again and again and again and--okay, I'll stop. Anyway, Avery returns to school immediately after her parents' deaths. That's weird but necessary to the plot: it means she gets to meet the mysterious, hot new boy. Who rocks a really awesome pair of moccasins. No, seriously. Just how are moccasins sexy, exactly? Yeah, I don't know, either.[return][return]The new boy's name is Ben. Avery experiences the inevitable instant attraction to Ben. He feels it too. At first, he tries to push her away. Then he can no longer deny the attraction or the special connection between them. This is a theme that is repeated often these days, especially in Teen fiction. It's one that I can get behind. The special connection angle works for me in Maggie Steifvater's Lament and Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series. But Avery and Ben's "connection" alternately bored me and made me want to roll my eyes. It was also, due to the short length, terribly rushed. I don't like Romance novels where the hero and heroine jump into bed together within a few short pages of meeting each other. Avery and Ben do the teenage equivalent. You blink and they're making out. With heavy petting. Hee, that's funny, given this is a werewolf story.[return][return]The major thing that Low Red Moon suffers from is a lack of characterization. We never learn much about Avery, Ben, or Avery's grandmother, Renee. Avery falls into "I read some stuff on the internet and now I understand everything" trap. Not to mention the utter and COMPLETE stupidity she exhibits near end of the novel. If Ben weren't so lame himself, I'd say she didn't deserve him. As it is, I think they'll be very happy together. After all, yearning after Avery seems to be Ben's only skill. I give them a couple of decades, at least. Sadly, even Avery's parents suffer from one dimensionalism. They come off as your standard, every day neo-hippies. Renee is...I'm not even sure. She can build a porch, though. Her past, which is meant to be mysterious, isn't. What is a mystery is what really drives Renee. Why did she make the decisions she did? What, exactly, happened between Renee and Avery's father? I can't help thinking he hated her because she married his father because he was the easy choice. That's simply speculation, though, as motivation is lacking in this novel. Central to the plot of this book is who killed Avery's parents. I figured out who it was mainly by process of elimination and an unsuccessful red herring. What I still don't understand is, why? I mean, Devlin tells us, but I don't buy it. It comes off as lame and unconvincing.[return][return]What I really didn't like, though, was how many things were left unexplained. All we learn about Devlin's werewolves is brought up and dismissed in a few lines. Then there's Avery's sort of friend, Krista, who is so incredibly insignificant that I'm not sure how she made it into the story at all. Ben and Avery's mystical connection is neither fully explored nor explained. Neither is Avery's mother's nervousness on the night she was killed. When I closed Low Red Moon, all I could think was, "Wait--what?"[return][return]I haven't heard anything, but I suppose the unanswered questions could be because the author intends to make this into a series. Too bad that the plot, the writing, and characterization are all so uninspiring, that I definitely won't be buying any potential sequels.
November 13, 2010
Low Red Moon — not to be confused with the Caitlin R. Kiernan novel by the same name — is Ivy Devlin’s entry into the field of YA paranormal romance. The protagonist is Avery Hood, a teenage girl whose parents have just been murdered. Avery remembers only brief flashes from that fateful night. Now, she’s trying to deal with her grief, adjust to her new life with her grandmother, and piece together her memories to solve the mystery. Then, she learns that her new boyfriend, Ben, has a secret — and that he may have been involved in the killings.
First, the good: The mystery plot is suspenseful and moving. In the climactic scene, when all is revealed, Devlin ties her story in with the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” Hints of the fairy tale had been present in the novel from the beginning (wolves, a grandmother, the surname Hood). It’s at the finale, though, that the fairy tale and Devlin’s clever twist on it really shine through. Also compelling is Avery’s relationship with her grandmother, Renee. The two had become near-strangers after a fight between Renee and Avery’s father, and now they forge a tenuous bond in their mutual grief.
What doesn’t work so well: First, the disjointed, breathless writing style. It works in the first scene, when Avery recounts the few moments she remembers of the night of the murders. It’s less effective when Devlin continues to use that style throughout the story. One quirk in particular is used often enough to become distracting; namely, starting a sentence, cutting it off with a dash or ellipsis, and then continuing it in a new paragraph:
"I stopped in the hall. After what I’d seen, after everything, I was —
I was hurt."
"I would eat some of Mom’s awful trail mix from the pantry at the kitchen table, and then I would…
I would do what I knew was right."
The romance is also lackluster; there simply isn’t much development of it. We’re told that Avery and Ben are physically attracted and that there is a metaphysical connection between them too, and then they make out a lot. It’s presented as an epic love. This is common in young adult romance currently, and it seldom works for me. If I’m to believe two characters have a true, strong love, I want to see them talking; I want to see them doing things together other than making out. The trouble is, there’s precious little for Avery and Ben to do or to talk about. Neither character is strongly defined beyond their grief (Ben has lost a family as well) and their attraction to each other. The publisher’s blurb mentions Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, but in that novel, we got to see Grace and Sam watch bad movies and cook together. There was a sense that they’d like each other just as much in a world without magic or werewolves.
The blurb also calls Low Red Moon “a book to be devoured in one sitting,” and they’re not kidding. This is an extremely short novel that only takes a few hours to read. I recommend waiting for the paperback if you are interested in reading Low Red Moon.
review originally posted at Fantasy Literature
First, the good: The mystery plot is suspenseful and moving. In the climactic scene, when all is revealed, Devlin ties her story in with the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” Hints of the fairy tale had been present in the novel from the beginning (wolves, a grandmother, the surname Hood). It’s at the finale, though, that the fairy tale and Devlin’s clever twist on it really shine through. Also compelling is Avery’s relationship with her grandmother, Renee. The two had become near-strangers after a fight between Renee and Avery’s father, and now they forge a tenuous bond in their mutual grief.
What doesn’t work so well: First, the disjointed, breathless writing style. It works in the first scene, when Avery recounts the few moments she remembers of the night of the murders. It’s less effective when Devlin continues to use that style throughout the story. One quirk in particular is used often enough to become distracting; namely, starting a sentence, cutting it off with a dash or ellipsis, and then continuing it in a new paragraph:
"I stopped in the hall. After what I’d seen, after everything, I was —
I was hurt."
"I would eat some of Mom’s awful trail mix from the pantry at the kitchen table, and then I would…
I would do what I knew was right."
The romance is also lackluster; there simply isn’t much development of it. We’re told that Avery and Ben are physically attracted and that there is a metaphysical connection between them too, and then they make out a lot. It’s presented as an epic love. This is common in young adult romance currently, and it seldom works for me. If I’m to believe two characters have a true, strong love, I want to see them talking; I want to see them doing things together other than making out. The trouble is, there’s precious little for Avery and Ben to do or to talk about. Neither character is strongly defined beyond their grief (Ben has lost a family as well) and their attraction to each other. The publisher’s blurb mentions Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, but in that novel, we got to see Grace and Sam watch bad movies and cook together. There was a sense that they’d like each other just as much in a world without magic or werewolves.
The blurb also calls Low Red Moon “a book to be devoured in one sitting,” and they’re not kidding. This is an extremely short novel that only takes a few hours to read. I recommend waiting for the paperback if you are interested in reading Low Red Moon.
review originally posted at Fantasy Literature
January 13, 2012
Dare I say that this book was...WORSE than Twilight!?
At least Stephenie Meyer attempted to broaden the vocabulary in her sentences.
Low Red Moon had such basic sentences, a sloppy and boring storyline and turned out to be just a book about a horny teenager with beastiality issues. Please do NOT even get me started on the sheer lack of descriptive language!
Here's a summary of the story according to Frankie (If you are easily offended I suggest you don't read it):
I give this two stars because I am generous. It really deserves only one star, but the cover and red ink astounded me. The story is a total waste of time, but if by chance you happen upon this book, stop by to admire the cover and flick through for the red ink. I'd have set this book aflame if I didn't appreciate it's beautiful cover and pages.
At least Stephenie Meyer attempted to broaden the vocabulary in her sentences.
Low Red Moon had such basic sentences, a sloppy and boring storyline and turned out to be just a book about a horny teenager with beastiality issues. Please do NOT even get me started on the sheer lack of descriptive language!
Here's a summary of the story according to Frankie (If you are easily offended I suggest you don't read it):
I give this two stars because I am generous. It really deserves only one star, but the cover and red ink astounded me. The story is a total waste of time, but if by chance you happen upon this book, stop by to admire the cover and flick through for the red ink. I'd have set this book aflame if I didn't appreciate it's beautiful cover and pages.
January 18, 2011
I have to start this review off by talking about how gorgeous the copy of the book I received is. It has a shiny metallic red cover and has a lovely red illustrated page immediately inside. Every mention of the word 'moon' is in red ink. I literally swooned over this when it arrived! This is the sort of book that you see on the shelves and you just want to touch it. It is very covetable!
I was really intrigued about this book when I first heard about it because Ivy Devlin is a pseudonym for Elizabeth Scott. It's always interesting when authors write under a different name - usually when they're writing in the style of a genre that they're not normally associated with or writing for a different age group. I'd also read a lot of reviews of 'Low Red Moon' which were quite mixed, so I was looking forward to getting an opportunity to make up my own mind. I ended up loving it from start to finish!
The author herself says that she was influenced by the children's tale of Little Red Riding Hood and there are definitely some identifiable aspects. But this was also a truly original story. One of the signs of a good book for me is great characters and I immediately loved the central protagonist, Avery Hood. She's just lost both of her parents in a brutal murder that she witnessed but can't remember any of the details of and she's now living with her grandmother, Renee.
Avery doesn't have any real friends to speak of and she's always been close to her parents so she feels isolated and alone after their deathes. The three of them were always their own little unit which was cemented by the fact that they lived in the forest and she was homeschooled a lot of the time. Her memories of her parents are emotive and touching and I liked the way that she wasn't embarrassed or ashamed about who she was. She'd always been taught just to be herself. Throughout the book Avery struggles to recall the events of that night but when she meets new boy Ben Dusic and sees his silver flashing eyes, she gradually starts to piece things back together and remembers small incidents which she hopes will lead to the arrest of her parents murderer. The relationship between Avery and Ben escalates quickly as they feel a connection to each other straight away. I enjoyed the way in which Avery starts to discover the truth about Ben and is willing to accept him for who he truly is.
'Low Red Moon' is a marvellous read. It's got romance, excitement and mystery and the suspense is built up nicely as it heads towards a dramatic conclusion. I'm definitely going to be recommending it to people I know - it's a fantastic book.
I was really intrigued about this book when I first heard about it because Ivy Devlin is a pseudonym for Elizabeth Scott. It's always interesting when authors write under a different name - usually when they're writing in the style of a genre that they're not normally associated with or writing for a different age group. I'd also read a lot of reviews of 'Low Red Moon' which were quite mixed, so I was looking forward to getting an opportunity to make up my own mind. I ended up loving it from start to finish!
The author herself says that she was influenced by the children's tale of Little Red Riding Hood and there are definitely some identifiable aspects. But this was also a truly original story. One of the signs of a good book for me is great characters and I immediately loved the central protagonist, Avery Hood. She's just lost both of her parents in a brutal murder that she witnessed but can't remember any of the details of and she's now living with her grandmother, Renee.
Avery doesn't have any real friends to speak of and she's always been close to her parents so she feels isolated and alone after their deathes. The three of them were always their own little unit which was cemented by the fact that they lived in the forest and she was homeschooled a lot of the time. Her memories of her parents are emotive and touching and I liked the way that she wasn't embarrassed or ashamed about who she was. She'd always been taught just to be herself. Throughout the book Avery struggles to recall the events of that night but when she meets new boy Ben Dusic and sees his silver flashing eyes, she gradually starts to piece things back together and remembers small incidents which she hopes will lead to the arrest of her parents murderer. The relationship between Avery and Ben escalates quickly as they feel a connection to each other straight away. I enjoyed the way in which Avery starts to discover the truth about Ben and is willing to accept him for who he truly is.
'Low Red Moon' is a marvellous read. It's got romance, excitement and mystery and the suspense is built up nicely as it heads towards a dramatic conclusion. I'm definitely going to be recommending it to people I know - it's a fantastic book.
March 13, 2011
With the new "Red Riding Hood" movie coming out I've been wanting to sink my fangs into some retellings of the classic girl meets wolf story.
While this was a modern-day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood it wasn't anything to howl at.
Sure there were similarities to the old story... but with a twist ---
For example: The girl's name was Avery Hood
She and her parents lived in the woods
Grandma was there but her fam didn't dig her
Parents were murdered
Avery goes to live with Grandma
She meets a mysterious boy with silver wolfy eyes
They really like talking about eyes, "What big eyes you have"
And while that is cool and a bit off from the original story (brownie points for that) it just didn't speak to me. There were times where the author was trying to be all poetic and junk but she kept repeating herself. YES! I get it!! Avery's parents died!! I soo understand! Over and over and over again that was mentioned. The detail of how the parents were killed was in fact awesome but I don't need to be reminded of it several times.
But that was just me.
I did however enjoy the ending.
But it just moved way to slow. I understand that it is hard to make a fairytale into a full length novel but I would not have been upset in the least for a shorter version of the tale just to make it work better.
I do think this would be a great movie and I really loved the cover (pretty pretty shiny shiny). I also liked how MOON was highlighted in RED every time it was printed and the little tiny trees in the corner of each page. Those were fab.
Should you read it? Well, it's not a long story so I don't see what it could hurt, but I wouldn't get your hopes up for wanting to take a trip Grandma's house anytime soon. I'm seriously not packing my picnic basket after reading this one.
While this was a modern-day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood it wasn't anything to howl at.
Sure there were similarities to the old story... but with a twist ---
For example: The girl's name was Avery Hood
She and her parents lived in the woods
Grandma was there but her fam didn't dig her
Parents were murdered
Avery goes to live with Grandma
She meets a mysterious boy with silver wolfy eyes
They really like talking about eyes, "What big eyes you have"
And while that is cool and a bit off from the original story (brownie points for that) it just didn't speak to me. There were times where the author was trying to be all poetic and junk but she kept repeating herself. YES! I get it!! Avery's parents died!! I soo understand! Over and over and over again that was mentioned. The detail of how the parents were killed was in fact awesome but I don't need to be reminded of it several times.
But that was just me.
I did however enjoy the ending.
But it just moved way to slow. I understand that it is hard to make a fairytale into a full length novel but I would not have been upset in the least for a shorter version of the tale just to make it work better.
I do think this would be a great movie and I really loved the cover (pretty pretty shiny shiny). I also liked how MOON was highlighted in RED every time it was printed and the little tiny trees in the corner of each page. Those were fab.
Should you read it? Well, it's not a long story so I don't see what it could hurt, but I wouldn't get your hopes up for wanting to take a trip Grandma's house anytime soon. I'm seriously not packing my picnic basket after reading this one.
April 21, 2013
There is a real shift in the balance between presentation and content for this book. I think that the cover and pages are far too artsy and yes it kind of grabs you through that, but the content is very disappointing. To be honest, if a book has a good plot and reads great with complex characters e.t.c. I won't care at all about if every time "moon" is written it is in bold red. Nor will I care if there are a bunch of patterns on the pages. I buy a book to read it, and sure the artwork was pretty but it wasn't the sole purpose of why I read a novel.
Anyway, I don't really like the characters very much to the point where most of them just irritate me. There are a lot of things that don't really seem to get explained very well and I had to read a lot of it again to really understand what the author was trying to say. A lot of times there are breaks at the end of a paragraph during a sentence where it breaks off and in the next paragraph the sentence begins again and is finished. That was done so many times and got really annoying. I don't really like the style or pace. Admittedly I didn't purchase the book - it was a birthday present because my friend saw it was about wolves and I was going through that embarrassing twilight phase.
I think that for younger teens this would be a nice little short book to read but other that that I found a lot of it just plain annoying and found myself wanting to finish it for the sake of it.
Anyway, I don't really like the characters very much to the point where most of them just irritate me. There are a lot of things that don't really seem to get explained very well and I had to read a lot of it again to really understand what the author was trying to say. A lot of times there are breaks at the end of a paragraph during a sentence where it breaks off and in the next paragraph the sentence begins again and is finished. That was done so many times and got really annoying. I don't really like the style or pace. Admittedly I didn't purchase the book - it was a birthday present because my friend saw it was about wolves and I was going through that embarrassing twilight phase.
I think that for younger teens this would be a nice little short book to read but other that that I found a lot of it just plain annoying and found myself wanting to finish it for the sake of it.
March 26, 2015
Эйвери Худ ничего не помнит о ночи, когда были убиты ее родители. В ее памяти остались только серебристые вспышки – нечеловечески быстрые и несущие смерть. Она пытается выяснить, что же произошло, но у нее ничего не выходит. И все становится еще запутаннее, когда в маленьком, тихом городке под названием Вудлейк, полностью окруженном лесами, где каждую ночь слышится волчий вой, появляется Бен. Новый парень красив и загадочен, а его глаза с��овно светятся холодным серебряным светом.
«Если ты чего–то не видел, не значит, что этого не может быть».
«Красная Луна» — это мистический роман Айви Девлин. История о первой любви, о дружбе, о семье, о скорби, о прощение. Интриги немного простоваты и предсказуемы, но автор уверенно и увлекательно ведет повествование, от которого практически невозможно оторваться. Романтика очень милая и красивая. Сама история в целом мрачноватая, но динамичная. «Красная Луна» — это смесь сумеречной саги Стефени Майер и «Дрожи» Мэгги Стивотер. Жа��ь вторую книгу не издали, автор оставила много вопросов без ответа.
«Если ты чего–то не видел, не значит, что этого не может быть».
«Красная Луна» — это мистический роман Айви Девлин. История о первой любви, о дружбе, о семье, о скорби, о прощение. Интриги немного простоваты и предсказуемы, но автор уверенно и увлекательно ведет повествование, от которого практически невозможно оторваться. Романтика очень милая и красивая. Сама история в целом мрачноватая, но динамичная. «Красная Луна» — это смесь сумеречной саги Стефени Майер и «Дрожи» Мэгги Стивотер. Жа��ь вторую книгу не издали, автор оставила много вопросов без ответа.
October 8, 2019
I take no pleasure in writing bad reviews, but some books warrant them. This book is so badly written I laughed aloud several times at truly terrible prose. The dialogue is probably the most egregiously awful dialogue I have read in a long time, and there is a lot of it. Across the board the writing is just plain bad, from the prose, to the character development (is there any?), to the plotting. Look, here's the thing: this is a shiny teen werewolf romance book. And honestly that's why I picked it up - I wanted a fast fun werewolf read, and this fit the bill. I'm giving it an extra star for delivering what it advertised, despite the poor execution.
February 13, 2011
Once I finished it, I thought about how much it could have been. The entire "mystery" was so eye-rolling predictable and I could not follow half the plot because the pages were overloaded with paragraph upon paragraph useless "memories" of what used to have been. If they actually had something to do with the plot they might have been semi-interesting. I had to force myself to finish this one.
September 14, 2010
Sadly lackluster and predictable
In Ivy Devlin's debut, LOW RED MOON, the story starts in a tragic place: seventeen-year-old Avery Hood has recently witnessed the gruesome murder of her parents, but she can't remember what happened. All she remembers is blood and a repeated flash of silver. Now living with her previously estranged grandmother, Avery tries to go back to school, but the students ignore or reject her, all except the new, mysterious Ben. Avery encounters Ben again and again, and despite their immediate connection, she must decide whether his supernatural origins point to the death of her parents.
Sadly, LOW RED MOON doesn't contribute anything new to this oversaturated genre. The romance, which forms the heart of the novel, felt flat and unbelievable. Like so many other paranormal male leads, Ben had no characteristics other than being beautiful and possibly dangerous. Avery came across as bland and without her own interests. Their relationship happens almost instantly and the intensity was never explained, though there were hints of supernatural bonding. Even with such intensity, the relationship felt empty, since its depiction focused heavily on their sexual chemistry and little else. Touches of character development, like when Avery and Ben talk about their parents' murders, were too brief and far between. Slow pacing and a lack of action also hindered the book in its first half, and the writing throughout felt forced with its repeated use of dashes and trailing sentences. The mythology had hints of originality, like Avery's connection to the forest, but it was never developed enough to make it interesting or convincing. Few side characters existed, and those that did were either ignored or not explored enough. The villain was predictable and none too threatening. Additionally, though I make it a point to not compare books to TWILIGHT, this book contained too many similarities to it to go unmentioned.
On the positive side, LOW RED MOON was a way to explore the voice of a popular contemporary YA author writing under her paranormal pseudonym. Checking in at about 250 pages, the book is shorter and more concise than most. Moments about Avery's grief and her reconciliation with her estranged grandmother were also sometimes stirring. The actual book itself is also beautiful, with splashes of red print and delicate details inside.
However, despite the beautiful layout and the potential for a moving examination of grief and recovery, LOW RED MOON failed to grab me. There are hints in the ending that a sequel will follow, and if so, I hope Devlin develops her characters more, expands her mythology, and provides Ben and Avery with a relationship built on more than instant attraction.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.
In Ivy Devlin's debut, LOW RED MOON, the story starts in a tragic place: seventeen-year-old Avery Hood has recently witnessed the gruesome murder of her parents, but she can't remember what happened. All she remembers is blood and a repeated flash of silver. Now living with her previously estranged grandmother, Avery tries to go back to school, but the students ignore or reject her, all except the new, mysterious Ben. Avery encounters Ben again and again, and despite their immediate connection, she must decide whether his supernatural origins point to the death of her parents.
Sadly, LOW RED MOON doesn't contribute anything new to this oversaturated genre. The romance, which forms the heart of the novel, felt flat and unbelievable. Like so many other paranormal male leads, Ben had no characteristics other than being beautiful and possibly dangerous. Avery came across as bland and without her own interests. Their relationship happens almost instantly and the intensity was never explained, though there were hints of supernatural bonding. Even with such intensity, the relationship felt empty, since its depiction focused heavily on their sexual chemistry and little else. Touches of character development, like when Avery and Ben talk about their parents' murders, were too brief and far between. Slow pacing and a lack of action also hindered the book in its first half, and the writing throughout felt forced with its repeated use of dashes and trailing sentences. The mythology had hints of originality, like Avery's connection to the forest, but it was never developed enough to make it interesting or convincing. Few side characters existed, and those that did were either ignored or not explored enough. The villain was predictable and none too threatening. Additionally, though I make it a point to not compare books to TWILIGHT, this book contained too many similarities to it to go unmentioned.
On the positive side, LOW RED MOON was a way to explore the voice of a popular contemporary YA author writing under her paranormal pseudonym. Checking in at about 250 pages, the book is shorter and more concise than most. Moments about Avery's grief and her reconciliation with her estranged grandmother were also sometimes stirring. The actual book itself is also beautiful, with splashes of red print and delicate details inside.
However, despite the beautiful layout and the potential for a moving examination of grief and recovery, LOW RED MOON failed to grab me. There are hints in the ending that a sequel will follow, and if so, I hope Devlin develops her characters more, expands her mythology, and provides Ben and Avery with a relationship built on more than instant attraction.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.
November 6, 2017
2.5 stars
This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogs...
Avery's parents were murdered. She doesn't remember much about that fateful night, except that she was covered in their blood, and she saw a flash of silver. Leaving her house in the woods to go live with her grandmother, she is haunted by her parents' deaths.
Ben is a new boy at school. Despite her being called "cursed" due to the blood-red pieces that appeared in her hair, he is drawn to her, and her to him. Soon, Avery learns that the legends of wolves, who are more than merely wolves, are true, and that something evil is after her.
So this book had a few good things. First off, the mystery of who murdered Avery's parents. Really, that's the main thing that kept me reading. I also felt some empathy towards Avery's character as she struggled through the difficult time after their deaths, trying to untangle her memories and remember her childhood home in a more positive light.
The rest of the book wasn't all that great. Ben was just a pretty face. Literally. I had no clue who he was as a person besides pretty and caring about Avery. He needed wayyyyyyy more character development.
Then there's the romance between Avery and Ben. While their attraction is more of a paranormal or supernatural nature, it still bothered me how Avery literally falls for Ben after her parents are barely dead. And it's not a slow, building attraction. No, and a slight spoiler alert here, but she kisses him after visiting her childhood home in the middle of the night! And he's there with no explanation! I feel like the traumatic memories of her dead parents would probably overshadow her crush on this pretty boy but I guess not....
This book had a lot of potential. If it had been longer, it may have been a lot better. The author needed to develop the character a lot more, and the romance needed more development as well. Not to mention, the ending....very unsatisfying, in my opinion.
I'd also like to mention that the sequel, Moonrise, doesn't appear to be available anywhere so...if you wanted to read the sequel, you've run out of luck.
Overall, disappointing. I liked the murder mystery and Avery's struggles with coping with her parents' deaths, but the book was too short and the romance was not at all believable.
This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogs...
Avery's parents were murdered. She doesn't remember much about that fateful night, except that she was covered in their blood, and she saw a flash of silver. Leaving her house in the woods to go live with her grandmother, she is haunted by her parents' deaths.
Ben is a new boy at school. Despite her being called "cursed" due to the blood-red pieces that appeared in her hair, he is drawn to her, and her to him. Soon, Avery learns that the legends of wolves, who are more than merely wolves, are true, and that something evil is after her.
So this book had a few good things. First off, the mystery of who murdered Avery's parents. Really, that's the main thing that kept me reading. I also felt some empathy towards Avery's character as she struggled through the difficult time after their deaths, trying to untangle her memories and remember her childhood home in a more positive light.
The rest of the book wasn't all that great. Ben was just a pretty face. Literally. I had no clue who he was as a person besides pretty and caring about Avery. He needed wayyyyyyy more character development.
Then there's the romance between Avery and Ben. While their attraction is more of a paranormal or supernatural nature, it still bothered me how Avery literally falls for Ben after her parents are barely dead. And it's not a slow, building attraction. No, and a slight spoiler alert here, but she kisses him after visiting her childhood home in the middle of the night! And he's there with no explanation! I feel like the traumatic memories of her dead parents would probably overshadow her crush on this pretty boy but I guess not....
This book had a lot of potential. If it had been longer, it may have been a lot better. The author needed to develop the character a lot more, and the romance needed more development as well. Not to mention, the ending....very unsatisfying, in my opinion.
I'd also like to mention that the sequel, Moonrise, doesn't appear to be available anywhere so...if you wanted to read the sequel, you've run out of luck.
Overall, disappointing. I liked the murder mystery and Avery's struggles with coping with her parents' deaths, but the book was too short and the romance was not at all believable.
October 10, 2010
Low Red Moon is a heartbreaking story that explores Avery's grief all the way throughout. It's a different and a new twist into the idea of werewolves. I wouldn't really say this book would be 'paranormal romance', more like a 'werewolf romance'. Devlin creates a creepy and eerie atmosphere full of a mysterious plot, a romantic relationship, and a bit of a paranormal theme.
Although mysterious and paranormal, this novel was way too much on the paranormal side. Devlin focused a lot on Ben and Avery's relationship and Avery's grief the whole time. She spent too much time telling us Avery's grief. I understand that Avery was at a loss, her parent's just got murdered, she was struggling, but Devlin could have moved on and stopped with the grief, and explored more on to the paranormal genre, instead of just focusing on the grief and romance.
Devlin was superior at conveying Avery's grief. She succeeded in describing Avery's emotions. It really came through in this novel and I felt as if I was her sometimes. But, this novel to me was a bit rushed and sudden. Devlin just throws in other problems or other parts that were happening. It was very intense, making me want to know more and keep reading, but, at the same time, a bit confusing.
Avery was really emotional and was struggling, she was having a hard time getting over the fact about her parents death. Her mind just stopped, it cracked, bursting out all the emotions. As day by day went on, it got worse and worse because she was trying to piece up what had happened at that night. Ben, on the other hand, was very alluring and mysterious. He was really attracted to Avery and I felt that he was attached to her too quickly.
The chemistry between Avery and Ben was very fast paced and intense. Though, it was very sudden, I got used to their relationship. It was also a bit unrealistic to me. They both were very attracted to each other and was 'in love'.
Devlin stirs a book with a lot of new twists, drama, and action. It wasn't the best it could be, it could have been better. Even though this wasn't a 'wow', I still look forward more of Devlin's future novels because she has great potential as an author.
Although mysterious and paranormal, this novel was way too much on the paranormal side. Devlin focused a lot on Ben and Avery's relationship and Avery's grief the whole time. She spent too much time telling us Avery's grief. I understand that Avery was at a loss, her parent's just got murdered, she was struggling, but Devlin could have moved on and stopped with the grief, and explored more on to the paranormal genre, instead of just focusing on the grief and romance.
Devlin was superior at conveying Avery's grief. She succeeded in describing Avery's emotions. It really came through in this novel and I felt as if I was her sometimes. But, this novel to me was a bit rushed and sudden. Devlin just throws in other problems or other parts that were happening. It was very intense, making me want to know more and keep reading, but, at the same time, a bit confusing.
Avery was really emotional and was struggling, she was having a hard time getting over the fact about her parents death. Her mind just stopped, it cracked, bursting out all the emotions. As day by day went on, it got worse and worse because she was trying to piece up what had happened at that night. Ben, on the other hand, was very alluring and mysterious. He was really attracted to Avery and I felt that he was attached to her too quickly.
The chemistry between Avery and Ben was very fast paced and intense. Though, it was very sudden, I got used to their relationship. It was also a bit unrealistic to me. They both were very attracted to each other and was 'in love'.
Devlin stirs a book with a lot of new twists, drama, and action. It wasn't the best it could be, it could have been better. Even though this wasn't a 'wow', I still look forward more of Devlin's future novels because she has great potential as an author.
October 7, 2010
I definitely had high hopes for this book, and was sort of expecting it to be like Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. (Especially since the cover is so similar.) Sadly though... miss Ivy Devlin disappointed me. I was a little intrigued at the beginning as Ben entered and he and Avery seemed to have some chemistry. I think the thing that really turned me off of the book was how unbelievable it was. Yes, I know, it's Paranormal YA, so it's not supposed to be REAL, but I think it has to be BELIEVABLE. What makes a Paranormal YA book so good is that it's written so well, you WANT that world to be real, and the characters to be real. In Low Red Moon, the romance was so intense and fast paced that it was fake. Think Edward and Bella, but times ten. Avery meets Ben. Avery is attracted to Ben. That night... Avery makes out with Ben in her house where her parents were KILLED. A couple days later... Avery and Ben are madly in love and don't want to leave each others' sides. It was highly unbelievable. I think that Ivy Devlin had the right idea by writing a book about werewolves, romance, and a murder but she just didn't execute it right. I really liked the plot, I hated the characters and the timeline the plot took up. It was seriously, tops, three weeks. My honest opinion? Ivy Devlin has potential, but not in YA Paranormal romance. The parts I loved most about the book were the mysterious parts about the murder. And I LOVED the ending. (Which, for some people, might be TOTALLY shocking. I guessed part of it, but was shocked by the other part.) I think Ivy Devlin should write murder mysteries. Or thrillers. Something to that extent. Ivy Devlin as an author is good, but not so much as a paranormal romance author. My suggestion? Borrow the book and see if you like it, don't buy it right away. And keep your eye out for future Ivy Devlin books.
p.s. not sure if this was super spoiler-y or not, so I marked it as spoiler-y just in case.
p.s. not sure if this was super spoiler-y or not, so I marked it as spoiler-y just in case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2010
I had such high hopes for this book. I have been reading more and more books about wolves lately and this book had captured my interest. When it arrived a few months back, I wanted to read and review it immediately, but I knew I needed to wait closer to release day.
The book starts off with Avery grieving about her parents death. They had been brutally murdered, but Avery can't remember who did it or why. All she remembers is being found afterwards, sitting next to her parents and trying to put them together again. She is taken in by her Grandmother Renee who has secrets of her own. Ben moves to town after his family is murdered as well. They are drawn to each other from the moment they first meet and come to realize they are meant to be together.
Yes, there was romance and paranormal, but this book did not do well as a whole. There were unanswered questions, the story flowed badly, and it had a tendency to skip around with dialogue. The plot was something that could have been great, but the execution of the book was not. I feel that the author skipped around too much and never stayed focused on one thing at a time. We could have had a beautiful romance between Ben and Avery, but it felt forced.
Even though I finished this book, it is not one I would read again.
The book starts off with Avery grieving about her parents death. They had been brutally murdered, but Avery can't remember who did it or why. All she remembers is being found afterwards, sitting next to her parents and trying to put them together again. She is taken in by her Grandmother Renee who has secrets of her own. Ben moves to town after his family is murdered as well. They are drawn to each other from the moment they first meet and come to realize they are meant to be together.
Yes, there was romance and paranormal, but this book did not do well as a whole. There were unanswered questions, the story flowed badly, and it had a tendency to skip around with dialogue. The plot was something that could have been great, but the execution of the book was not. I feel that the author skipped around too much and never stayed focused on one thing at a time. We could have had a beautiful romance between Ben and Avery, but it felt forced.
Even though I finished this book, it is not one I would read again.
March 25, 2014
Low Red Moon was a decent debut novel.
I thought the premise was promising and interesting, Avery was a quirky girl not often found in YA literature, and I am enjoying the combination of murder mystery and paranormal.
I felt like the characters, the character development and an aspect of the paranormal element could have been fleshed out and delved into more completely.
Be that as it may, I did finish it in a single afternoon and hopefully the sequel will have the things this was lacking.
I thought the premise was promising and interesting, Avery was a quirky girl not often found in YA literature, and I am enjoying the combination of murder mystery and paranormal.
I felt like the characters, the character development and an aspect of the paranormal element could have been fleshed out and delved into more completely.
Be that as it may, I did finish it in a single afternoon and hopefully the sequel will have the things this was lacking.
March 29, 2010
While probably not the best of the genre, definitely well worth the read for those who like paranormal YA fic. I was a tiny bit annoyed at a certain aspect of the plot, but there is no way to tell it without spoiling, so I'll leave it be. It's not enough to ruin my opinion of the book and I doubt it would keep most from enjoying it thoroughly.
Hope to see the author do more, perhaps even with these characters.
Hope to see the author do more, perhaps even with these characters.
August 15, 2021
i think the plot of this book was very interesting with the romance and the murder mystery’s but the writing made it quite hard to get through at times. It was VERY repetitive and some parts almost felt like i was reading a wattpad story with the constant stuttering and the cringe worthy romance scenes.
Although i did like the plot twist at the end, i feel like it wasn’t thought out very well and it kind of felt like the most unrealistic part of the book, even though the book was about werewolves - because who would brutally murder 5 people and attempt to kill a 6th because they refused to let the council tear down the place they lived (the forest) ??
it was also very hard to imagine the people and scenes in your head because there was little to no description of the characters and scenery or houses.
so apart from the bad writing i did enjoy the book and thought it was a fun little read, i just wish the author would’ve been more creative and descriptive with the writing, and perhaps explained the ending better.
Although i did like the plot twist at the end, i feel like it wasn’t thought out very well and it kind of felt like the most unrealistic part of the book, even though the book was about werewolves - because who would brutally murder 5 people and attempt to kill a 6th because they refused to let the council tear down the place they lived (the forest) ??
it was also very hard to imagine the people and scenes in your head because there was little to no description of the characters and scenery or houses.
so apart from the bad writing i did enjoy the book and thought it was a fun little read, i just wish the author would’ve been more creative and descriptive with the writing, and perhaps explained the ending better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2018
I have always been a fan of paranormal romance - I see a novel about a girl and a wolf, I pick it up.
I had great hopes for this book since the cover is so catchy. Five chapters later, I found that it was merely like Twilight. The pattern is uncanny - the setting in the woods, the way the wolf boy couldn't stay away from the girl, the way he tells her she's in danger, and up until the girl looks up the history of the boy in the internet thus finding out he's a wolf.
If you're not a fan of Twilight, then this will be painful to finish. And even if you had been a fan of Twilight, you will find yourself reading almost the same story all over again.
I was on the edge of abandoning it after 100 pages.
I had great hopes for this book since the cover is so catchy. Five chapters later, I found that it was merely like Twilight. The pattern is uncanny - the setting in the woods, the way the wolf boy couldn't stay away from the girl, the way he tells her she's in danger, and up until the girl looks up the history of the boy in the internet thus finding out he's a wolf.
If you're not a fan of Twilight, then this will be painful to finish. And even if you had been a fan of Twilight, you will find yourself reading almost the same story all over again.
I was on the edge of abandoning it after 100 pages.
April 14, 2024
I am so glad to be done with that.
The writing is terrible so many dashes and unfinished ‘thoughts’/sentences & it’s written as if the readers are illiterate.
Avery mentions the bond and other little things prematurely quite a bit because 3 pages later Ben explains the bond to her, how would she have known that then? It’s ridiculous. Everything is ridiculous but it didn’t even start off poorly which is the most annoying thing.
I think I might have enjoyed this if I was a little kid learning to read.
The writing is terrible so many dashes and unfinished ‘thoughts’/sentences & it’s written as if the readers are illiterate.
Avery mentions the bond and other little things prematurely quite a bit because 3 pages later Ben explains the bond to her, how would she have known that then? It’s ridiculous. Everything is ridiculous but it didn’t even start off poorly which is the most annoying thing.
I think I might have enjoyed this if I was a little kid learning to read.
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