Low red moon is a young adult paranormal romance story by Ivy Devlin. It is the first book in the Low Red Moon series. I bought my copy at the Boekenfestijn in Eindhoven a few months ago. I finally got time to read it. And I sure didn’t regret buying a copy.
I was the girl who’d been found with her parents’ bodies, I was the girl who couldn’t remember what had happened. Who should have had a story to tell but didn’t. I was the girl who’d been covered in blood but who hadn’t had a mark on her.
The story follows seventeen year old Avery who has been living in the woods at the border of a small town named Woodlake. She likes living there, but one day her life changes forever. Her parents have been murdered. Avery is the one who was sitting next to their demolished bodies when someone found her. But she doesn’t remember anything of that night. The only thing she remembers from this gruesome moment is silver. She saw silver, silver that moved quickly, so fast it didn’t seem human.
She goes to live with her grandma, Renee, who lives closer to town. Her life goes on, Avery still doesn’t remember. Her life is turned upside down again by a moccasin wearing boy named Ben. He is new in town, and Avery thinks he is beautiful. But then she starts feeling things. Feelings that doesn’t seem to be hers. They’re his.
Branches snagged me, my tired feet and legs sore from working with Renee and making me clumsy. But I kept walking. I knew where I was going. I was going home.
Avery soon discovers he isn’t normal. He is something more. But she trusts him. Completely. But than she sees his eyes flash silver. And then she is lost. Who is he? Did he kill her parents? Was he there that night? Will she ever remember what happened? Will she help catch her parents killer?
Low Red Moon is a story that didn’t grab me at the beginning. It took some time getting into it. But when I did, it didn’t let go. I was sucked into this town, into the woods, into Avery’s life. And it wasn’t all romance. It is a really good story, filled with suspense, framed in romance. No predictable family ‘I don’t like your boyfriend’ stuff. No long-winded ‘finding out who and what the paranormal guy is’ lines filling chapter after chapter. Just simple, out there but still filled with mystery. And plot twists and turns. Let’s say, I didn’t expect the ending. I really didn’t. And that is a really big thing for me. After reading many books, I can’t help guessing at times who did it. But this time I was all wrong. What a great story this was. Well done Ivy Devlin! You really surprised me.
Oh, and can I mention I really love the way the book looks? It’s awesome! I love the red ink in it, the trees at the bottom of the pages, the word ‘moon’ printed in red. Love it. The only thing I didn’t like was the copy I have is bound too tight: it doesn’t open all the way. That didn’t make reading it any easier. But I didn’t care. It was a great story.
4 out of 5 stars
