Low Red Moon

Jan 17, 2012

aidanadia rated it

Shelves: unpalatable-literature, fooled-by-the-cover, ya-paranormal, books-of-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 m...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Zanzarr rated it

Shelves: made-me-want-to-claw-my-eyes-out-an, reviewed, worst-books-ever

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 (...moreI 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.(less)

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Sep 06, 2010

Warnie B. rated it

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, young-adult, first-reads, weres-shifters

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...moreI 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 possibbly 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. (less)

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Apr 13, 2010

Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, arcs-i-own, books-i-own, mundie-moms-review

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

Ivy hit her mark with me, as her paranormal, murder mystery is set in a small town, out in the forest, which has more than just wolves in it. I love this setting. I really like that the forest is a cha...moreThis 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!(less)

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Aug 25, 2011

Katrina rated it

So Im a cover love Kinda girl, the cover initially sucked me in, very pretty and the inside very alluring. The blurb intriging so it found its way home with me.

The begninning of the book was definelty created as the magnet in this story, filled with suspense, murder, mystery. A Love interest added in to create that love story and he filled the paranormal element so many of us readers enjoy.

I wasnt sure what to expect from the begining of the story It had me intrigued but...more

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Nov 18, 2010

Rebekah rated it

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 16, 2011

Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, arcs-i-own, books-i-own, mundie-moms-reviews, signed-books-arcs

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 char...moreThis 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!(less)

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Sep 16, 2010

BOOK BUTTERFLY rated it

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, ...moreI 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.(less)

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Jun 01, 2010

Alexa rated it

Shelves: read-in-2010, ya

Low Red Moon is an addictive read, I gulped it down in one sitting, staying up way past my bedtime to find out what happened. It is deliciously creepy in that tales around the campfire, shivers down the spine, I'll just check the doors locked, kind of way.

It's also a love story and a gorgeous, heart stopping, swoonworthy one too. Avery and Ben have so much chemistry, and their scenes together are so hot, I'm surprised the book didn't combust. They do have one of those instant connect...more

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Dec 30, 2011

Read2review rated it

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

Where can I start with this book? Firstly on goodreads.com you can mark books out of 5 stars however I don’t think that 5 stars is enough! It should have 10 or even 11 stars! I read this book in 2 and a half hours as I couldn’t stop reading it, there is something seriously spellbinding about this story.

The two main characters were very vivid and you instantly felt a connection to Ben. There were a cou...more ** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

Where can I start with this book? Firstly on goodreads.com you can mark books out of 5 stars however I don’t think that 5 stars is enough! It should have 10 or even 11 stars! I read this book in 2 and a half hours as I couldn’t stop reading it, there is something seriously spellbinding about this story.

The two main characters were very vivid and you instantly felt a connection to Ben. There were a couple of Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) similarities: The way he was very mysterious at the beginning (although it was Avery wanting to stay away from him not the other way around), he was 17 (there was even the “how old are you” “17″ bit that was so like twilight that I had to laugh) and also the fact that the two lead characters Ben and Avery were bonded (very much like Twilight’s imprinting). For someone who loves twilight this will only enhance this story and for those who don’t like twilight the similarities won’t be prominent. I think as a twi-hard they were prominent for me because I am a twilight nerd.

The ending was amazing! You thought that it was Ben that was the bad person which after the love story between Ben and Avery was heartbreaking then when it twists and it’s another character you are filled with a sense of happiness mixed with “oh crap get out of there!”

All through the book there were hints of more that could be done with this story and I really hope there is a follow up. For example with another popular series there is a different bad character in each book, could easily be done with Low Red Moon. I feel there is a lot of undiscovered knowledge with the forest and the wolves that could be discovered in further books. In short…… I am hoping there will be more to the Low Red Moon series!

I would recommend this book for everyone! If you haven’t read any supernatural romances yet and want to start then this is the best place. Also for people who have been reading this genre for a while you will still thoroughly enjoy this book.

* Read More At : http://read2review.com/our-reviews/i/ivy...(less)

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Mar 09, 2011

Reading Vacation's Mom rated it

REVIEW
Low Red Moon is a romantic paranormal murder mystery. If that doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what will.
The romance between Avery and werewolf Ben was sweet. Ben clearly had Avery’s best interests in mind and he formed a strong bond with her. Avery seemed to fall for him quickly given her fragile state-of-mind. I wish that they had moved a little more slowly in the beginning, although I did like the way their relationship eventually grew.
The werewolf part of this story was u...more

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Jan 26, 2012

Steffanie rated it

I found this book totally unbelievable! There was nothing realistic except he fact that most of the book was total bullshit.

The book starts of with the death of Avery's parents, she is found near the body and covered in blood but cannot remember what had happened or how she had survived, all she could remember was something silver.

Avery was homeschooled until she was fifteen but never really fitted into high school, more so, after the deth of her parents. I never really unde...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Erica rated it

Low Red Moon was a book I really had no idea what to expect when I had started it. It was a good read, but I had some issues with the overall plot.

The plot was interesting. The book was too short for some of the whys to some of the ideas raised to fully be fleshed out, and that left me dissatisfied. The whole deal with the forest was probably the biggest. I didn't quite get why everything happened because of it.

I overall liked the characters in Low Red Moon. I could not s...more

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Oct 29, 2011

MaryAnn Oprea rated it

What attracted me to read this book was . . . the cover! (stares at cover and sighs). It's so pretty! Yes, I'm such a girl, but I can't help it! It's so shiny, and pretty and RED. And don't get me started on the inside. Each chapter has a pretty tree, the word moon is red throughout the book, the pretty red forest footer...see! Everything is so pretty!
This book was a great read. A paranormal murder mystery, one of my favorite types, which didn't let me down. We are introduced to Ave...moreWhat attracted me to read this book was . . . the cover! (stares at cover and sighs). It's so pretty! Yes, I'm such a girl, but I can't help it! It's so shiny, and pretty and RED. And don't get me started on the inside. Each chapter has a pretty tree, the word moon is red throughout the book, the pretty red forest footer...see! Everything is so pretty!
This book was a great read. A paranormal murder mystery, one of my favorite types, which didn't let me down. We are introduced to Avery Wood, your average teenager who has gone through the unthinkable...the death of her parents, and cannot remember a thing about it (except for the colour silver), and is now forced to live with her grandmother. A YA novel would NOT be complete without the mandatory sexy, tormented leading man. . . enter Ben. And of course, the fact that she now has a red streak in her which somehow due to her parents death has her targeted as being cursed. (not like Avery's life is stressful enough!)
Throughout Low Red Moon, the reader is left to wonder constantly throughout the book whether Ben (the now new love interest of our leading lady) is somehow connected with the death of her parents because his eyes remind her of the same silver she saw at thier death.
Devlin does a fantastic job of capturing the readers attention, and keeping them guessing throughout the entire book. I mean, seriously, the funnest part of a murder mystery is trying to figure out who did it before the book ends. Well my friends, this book will have you convincing yourself it's one characted, but then you will find yourself changing your mind again, and again, and again! (so fun!)
Not only are we swept up in the mystery, but Devlin does a phenomenal job of sweeping the reader up with the romance between Avery and Ben. (le sigh) Young love, ahhhh so sweet. I loved reading about how their relationship develops and how they overcome the hurtles that are thrown in their way. This book will make you gasp and sigh and smile.
I recommend this book to readers who love playing sleuth and reading about new love. Don't let this book slip through your fingers! A must read for any YA fan.

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Aug 21, 2011

Kate McMurry rated it

Shelves: werewolf, ya-fantasy, ya-mystery, ya-paranormal, ya-paranormal-mystery, ya-paranormal-romance, young-adult-fantasy, young-adult-mystery, young-adult-paranormal, young-adult-paranormal-mystery, young-adult-paranormal-romance

A suspenseful young-adult, paranormal romance

Avery Hood was the first person to find the bodies of her parents. They were brutally murdered in the woods near her home, a dilapidated shack in the country that her father built himself.

Avery is so traumatized by the event, she has amnesia and can't remember anything about that night, other than a flash of silver, moving inhumanly fast. Night after night she has violent, bloody dreams that terrify her, but her memory remains elu...moreA suspenseful young-adult, paranormal romance

Avery Hood was the first person to find the bodies of her parents. They were brutally murdered in the woods near her home, a dilapidated shack in the country that her father built himself.

Avery is so traumatized by the event, she has amnesia and can't remember anything about that night, other than a flash of silver, moving inhumanly fast. Night after night she has violent, bloody dreams that terrify her, but her memory remains elusive.

Prior to the murder, Avery led a very sheltered life, homeschooled by her back-to-nature parents. She is sent to live with her grandmother Renee, and though Renee lives close to where Avery's parents lived, Avery has seen very little of her over the years because Renee and Avery's father were estranged. Avery is broken-hearted about her parents, a fish out of water at her school, and struggling to feel any connection to her grandmother. Then a mysterious, new boy named Ben shows up at school. Avery is extremely attracted to him, but he has eyes of the strangest shade of silver....

This book is filled with fascinating echoes of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The setting is purposefully narrow. There is a snapshot of small-town life, but the primary emphasis is on the beautiful woods by Avery's former home, which are a major contributor to the plot. They simultaneously represent the happiest memories of Avery's life as well as the most tragic event, and the secret to her parents' murder lies somewhere in those woods.

If it were not for some situations of strong violence, I would recommend this book for teens as young as 13. Teen girls are more likely to enjoy this book than boys, because of the emphasis on the romance storyline, but the murder mystery plot is very important to the book and provides a very interesting counterpoint to the romance.

I rate the story as follows:

Heroine: 4
Love interest: 4
Subcharacters: 4
Fantasy Elements: 4
Writing: 4
Mystery Plot: 3 for adults and older teens; 4 for younger teens
Overall: 4

I received this book through the Amazon Vine review program.(less)

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Jul 30, 2011

Elizabeth "Liza" rated it

Shelves: ya, wolves, series, romance

When I read the synopsis for 'Low Red Moon' I thought it had all the makings of a good novel, but I found it a little disjointed. The story as a whole is a combination of romance, the paranormal, and a mystery. The book is short and the story felt rushed.

The story is told from Avery's point of view and it starts with her recollection of the events after her parents death. I sympathize with Avery, as this must be a very traumatic experience, not only did she lost her parents, but h...moreWhen I read the synopsis for 'Low Red Moon' I thought it had all the makings of a good novel, but I found it a little disjointed. The story as a whole is a combination of romance, the paranormal, and a mystery. The book is short and the story felt rushed.

The story is told from Avery's point of view and it starts with her recollection of the events after her parents death. I sympathize with Avery, as this must be a very traumatic experience, not only did she lost her parents, but her memory of the crime and on top of all she had to live with a grandmother she hardly knew. Some things did not seem believable to me, for example that she will be back in school within days of the incident.

There are very few characters in 'Low Red Moon', the more important were Avery, her grandmother, and Ben. I liked Ben, although it was a little confusing to keep track of both his and Avery's feelings (I wouldn't want that bond, for sure.) The relationship between Avery and Ben is my least favorite part of the book. I know what you must be thinking, but it was way too fast be feel realistic. I understand they had some sort of supernatural bond, but you just don't fall in love that fast. Also, they were struggling with other issues and this fast development was very confusing to them too. And what is up with all the suspicions, and changing their mind about trusting each other (it seem that by the hour)?
Another main character was the 'woods' and they seem to have eyes, ears, feelings, and a long memory.

The writing felt a little rushed and somewhat confusing, since Avery seemed to change her mind quite often.

The mystery component of the plot I did like, and although I had my suspicions on who murdered Avery's parents, Ms. Devlin kept me guessing until the end. The ending was also very fast paced and left it wide open for the sequel, 'Moonrise' due to be published on January of 2012.

About the cover: The cover is very pretty, the color red matches the title and also symbolizes the blood spilled in the woods. The letters are silver, which is another color that is significant to the plot. The pages of the book are just as pretty, with red letters at the beginning of each chapter and red drawings at the bottom of the pages (see my post from Friday to see it.) (less)

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Jul 14, 2011

Sara rated it

Shelves: 3-stars

Plot: 3 Stars
I really love shapeshifters, so this novel is right up my alley. But for all of the werewolf talk, we never really learn much about the lore or the creatures. Avery learns they exist, and accepts it as fact a bit quickly. She barely denied it for a day before accepting it as normal. But with that easy acceptance, there was ample opportunity for her to learn all about them, and that just didn't happen. All we learn is a few details about the change. Although I was disappointed ...morePlot: 3 Stars
I really love shapeshifters, so this novel is right up my alley. But for all of the werewolf talk, we never really learn much about the lore or the creatures. Avery learns they exist, and accepts it as fact a bit quickly. She barely denied it for a day before accepting it as normal. But with that easy acceptance, there was ample opportunity for her to learn all about them, and that just didn't happen. All we learn is a few details about the change. Although I was disappointed about that aspect, I did enjoy Avery's struggle with memory loss and moving on from her parents' deaths. The ups and downs she experiences seemed genuine and realistic for a teenager.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
This novel was a quick read, but not as quick as it seemed like it should be. It's a pretty short novel, but it read more like a 350 page novel that was a quick read. The story starts out strong, and grabs you right away. Somewhere in the middle though, it seems like Avery keeps repeating herself (both in thought and in action). There is a point around two-thirds of the way through in which I wondered if the plot had stalled. But then it picks right back up and slaps you upside the head. Although there weren't too many twists and turns throughout, the ending and the events leading up to it were definitely a surprise.

Characters: 2 Stars
I wanted to enjoy these characters as I read, but I feel like we don't learn too much about anyone. We learn the most about Avery, as she is the main character, but it just doesn't seem like enough. We get bit and pieces about her past and her parents, but not a lot of detail. Instead, she's too engrossed in trying to remember the murder. I wish we could've learned a bit more why her father and grandmother stopped speaking, because that played a big part considering Avery goes to live with her grandmother. Ben was a complete mystery. I normally like mysterious characters, but Ben was mostly a mystery because we didn't really learn anything about him. We find out what he is, but never much about his past or personality.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
The cover was a little simple, but really gets the feel of the novel across. The forest was such an important aspect of the story, that I can't imagine the cover not including the trees and branches. The red chosen for the novel was a good choice when mixed with the shine from the foil. I think a darker, more blood-like red wouldn't show up quite as well. The font choice for the cover isn't my favorite, but it does stand out against the branches. My favorite aspect of the cover is the moon that takes the place of the second "o" in moon. Although it's not a part of the cover, every time the word "moon" came up in the novel, it was in red, while the rest of the text was black. Normally little touches like this really make a novel for me, it was a bit disconcerting at first, but I did eventually get used to it.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Abigail of All Things Urban Fantasy. (less)

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Jul 13, 2011

Jessica Martinez rated it

Shelves: werewolf

misunderstood teenage girl, doesn't care about being popular.
mysterious and hot guy who has a strong connection with her.
girl falls in love with hot guy.
hot guy is not your average high school heartthrob.
girl researches and discovers about hot guy, but can't stay away from him.
someone wants to kill girl.
hot guy saves her.
girl and hot guy are happy and in love, willing to fight whatever comes their way.
the end.....until the sequel Moonrise comes out...more

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Jun 20, 2011

Christine rated it

I read this book twice because I enjoyed reading it. It's a typical paranormal romance, with a few bonuses that are splendid. Naturally, I have a list.
1. It's Twilight but not so obnoxious...so to speak. I have to defend the paranormal romance writer in general. They've all seen the success of books with insta-love, brooding boys, and sweet somewhat lonesome girls. They're popular. Teen girls LOVE them. Single women LOVE them. Moms LOVE them. I mean, you see what I mean. If it ain't broke, ...more

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Jun 14, 2011

Laura rated it

Firstly, I should say that this book is beautiful to look at. The cover is gorgeous and the little red forest at the bottom of every page is ever-so pretty! I picked up this book based entirely on the cover and, once again, my instincts steered me well.

I was dubious when I got home and read the blurb. I've read a few werewolf books over the last couple of years and I've found the format to be somewhat prosaic and predictable. While Devlin's book didn't come with any shock-horror twist...moreFirstly, I should say that this book is beautiful to look at. The cover is gorgeous and the little red forest at the bottom of every page is ever-so pretty! I picked up this book based entirely on the cover and, once again, my instincts steered me well.

I was dubious when I got home and read the blurb. I've read a few werewolf books over the last couple of years and I've found the format to be somewhat prosaic and predictable. While Devlin's book didn't come with any shock-horror twists, it certainly breathed life into a genre that wouldn't usually grip me. This engagement came largely from the relationship between Avery Hood, the heroine of the tale (I loved the fairytale surname) and Ben Dusic.

It's become the norm for there to be a tortured heroine and a moody, mysterious stranger leading the romance of paranormal romance texts. But somehow, Devlin takes this norm and adds more fire, more passion than has been on offer from many authors. You'll read their scenes with your heart in your throat and you'll have white knuckles as you yell "Just kiss, damn it!" at the pages. Devlin builds the tension between the lovers and allows it to reach tantalising crescendos! Seriously...you'll be wishing for a werewolf of your very own when you're through with this.

Avery is a sound protagonist. She goes through a terrible ordeal (not wholly original, I know, but Devlin doesn't shy away from the gory details) and emerges lonely and broken. Sent to live with her estranged grandmother, she misses her mother, father and the forest in which they lived. Avery is connected to the forest in a strange and intriguing way. I liked Avery's confusion when it came to Ben, and thought the strained relationship between her and Renee (her grandmother) was well presented.

I only had a couple of niggles with this book. Firstly, some of the dialogue was strangely structured. I know that the school rule: "New Speaker = New Line" isn't infallible, but there were times in the book that the conversation was oddly set out. It was only a small niggle but it did distract me from the otherwise great story.

The second niggle was...well, I'm not entirely sure that it was a niggle! Every time the word "moon" popped up in the book, it was set apart from the text as it was dropped down in a red font. Although there was a part of me which kind of liked this quirk, I mostly found that the font change drew my eye away from the rest of the story.

These are only very minor grievances. On the whole, I enjoyed this quick and gripping read. The fiery romance of desire and doubt between Avery and Ben kept me hooked. The portrayed humanity of the wolves was nicely juxtaposed to the inhumane greed of the people.

I look forward to seeing more from Ivy Devlin in future! You can find more about this new voice and her great debut, here on Goodreads!(less)

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Jun 10, 2011

Jade Walker rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011

original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com/

I received this book as a trade today from Read It, Swap It and started reading it straight away, I've just finished it.

First of all, I have to admit that I was a bit unsure about this read, I've been a little bored of werewolves for a while and only got this book because I was looking for something other than dystopian for a while, so i didn't exactly set my hopes too high. As well as this, I have read a few bad revie...more

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Feb 20, 2011

Annie rated it

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I picked up this book. Someone had already told me they’d hated it (after I’d bought it), but I’d also seen some good reviews... Possibly that’s the way it will be for this book, some will love it some won’t. But I honestly didn’t see anything in this book to land it on such a knife edge. A book like Fallen, reading that I can understand the hate it or love it phenomenon, but not with this book.

Avery is a lovely character, who despite her uniqu...moreI wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I picked up this book. Someone had already told me they’d hated it (after I’d bought it), but I’d also seen some good reviews... Possibly that’s the way it will be for this book, some will love it some won’t. But I honestly didn’t see anything in this book to land it on such a knife edge. A book like Fallen, reading that I can understand the hate it or love it phenomenon, but not with this book.

Avery is a lovely character, who despite her uniqueness is easy to relate to and extremely likeable. Ben is gorgeous and they have great chemistry together - one reviewer called this book “sexy” and I can see that in it. The natural connection that they have and the shortened length of this book meant that there wasn’t much ‘love building’ interaction between them - you know those little scenes in a book where characters see how kind and smart and wonderful the other person is. Hopefully ‘Ivy Devlin’ can build some of that into a sequel.

The mystery aspect was interesting and I can see it getting even more interesting in future books (although the main mystery started in this book appears to have been wrapped up). I would definitely consider revisiting this world and Avery and Ben in a sequel. I liked this book. They paranormal aspects were interesting, and held a heavy hand over the plot, I’d like to know more about the ‘lore’ and myth hinted at in the book.

It wasn’t the most complicated, the most detailed, the most exciting and deep book in the universe. Frankly it was short. But I enjoyed it. And hey with such an awesome cover and all the pretty red illustrations and stuff inside I didn’t mind that it was short and sweet. I felt like I got my money’s worth. Crude but honest. ;)

It you want a sexy romance with a bit of action and mystery, something you can read in an afternoon, then pick up Low Red Moon. It’s an enjoyable read.

P.S. SPOILER: Can someone who’s read this book explain to me why the baddie stopped fighting once his arm was broken? (less)

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Feb 14, 2011

Katy rated it

Recommends it for: Older teens

Facing death isn’t something you should have to do at seventeen. For Avery Hood, death comes screaming in the night leaving her behind trying to put the pieces of her parents back together, begging them not to be dead. The only witness she has no memory of what happened. Sent to live with her estranged grandmother, Renee, Avery is continually drawn back to the house in the woods where she lived with her parents. She wants to remember that night. She wants to find the person who killed her pa...more

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Feb 01, 2011

Valerie rated it

Shelves: 2011-read

low red moon by Ivy Devlin

Summary:
Avery just witnessed her parent’s brutal deaths. She doesn’t remember a thing. Well that’s not quite true. She does remember silver moving quickly. What does that mean? Who killed them and why? Avery lived in the forest with her parents. They taught her to love the forest to befriend it. They taught her at home until just the last year or so. She went to high school hoping to make friends but everyone there seemed to think she was differe...morelow red moon by Ivy Devlin

Summary:
Avery just witnessed her parent’s brutal deaths. She doesn’t remember a thing. Well that’s not quite true. She does remember silver moving quickly. What does that mean? Who killed them and why? Avery lived in the forest with her parents. They taught her to love the forest to befriend it. They taught her at home until just the last year or so. She went to high school hoping to make friends but everyone there seemed to think she was different. She was different and it didn’t bother her. Her parents had taught her to be comfortable with who she was. Now she is shunned even by the one friend that she had. Now she is the only survivor of a brutal murder, the only witness. Now she lives with her Grandma, someone her Dad had nothing to do with and she hardly even knows. Enter the new boy, Ben. Ben is gorgeous and hot. Avery immediately feels connected to him. But his eyes, those brown eyes, sometimes flash silver. What is that? Could it be the silver from the night her parents died? Does she trust Ben? She is certainly drawn to him. Is she safe?

My thoughts:
Wow! I loved this book. It is the type of book that you read in one sitting because you can’t put it down. The author does a great job of weaving the paranormal world with a murder mystery. A lot of paranormal are all about the paranormal but this book is mostly focused on the murder mystery with the paranormal taking a side seat. That’s okay because they overlap a lot and because I think this book set the stage for a sequel with more paranormal.
I love wolf stories. This one is a good one. Ben is a wolf. Some of the myths are there and others are different. It is well crafted. The big difference from other wolf stories of late is that Ben isn’t sure how he will act or what he will do as a wolf. It makes for an interesting problem.
Ben and Avery have a very immediate connection. That connection drives the book and their relationship forward very fast. I think that adds to the paranormal aspects of the book. What is this bond between them? Is it dangerous? Should Avery stay away from Ben as his uncle wants her to? Can she stay away from him? Avery is isolated from every social part of being a teenager. Ben is hiding things. What about the murder investigation? Who can Avery trust?
If you are the paranormal type and can add some mystery then this is a must read. Add it to your TBR list and move it to the top! Enjoy the read.
(less)

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Jan 26, 2011

Jenyy rated it

I gotta say, when i finished reading this book, i realized its actually a lot like the eternal ones, without the werewolf and the reincarnation thingo. Its all about trust, no?

I picked up this book, one because of the awesome red cover and two, the colours in the pages. Although, what i don't get is about the red printed word : moon, in the story. Shouldn't it be forest? Since, she is VERY connected to the forest and that the forest tells and fears things, and she can just feel it.
...more

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Jan 17, 2011

Beverly rated it

This is one of those books that I picked up because of the cover. I kept reading because of the writing. This has been one of my favorite reads of the New Year. I’ve discovered that I really enjoy wolf stories and this is an excellent one. Devlin’s paranormal debut is a strong one. Avery is a strong female character. No one will be accusing her of being a doormat. I like the relationship between Avery and Ben. The attraction between them fairly jumps off the page.

I also felt that ...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Ruby rated it

Originally posted on http://rubysreads.com[return][return]Wel... 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. Althou...moreOriginally posted on http://rubysreads.com[return][return]Wel... 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.(less)

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Dec 30, 2010

The Library Lady rated it

Shelves: ya-books, fantasy

Uneven,BUT:
1)This is no great work of the literary art, but after all, this is YA. And there is no use of double multiple syllable adjectives here, or an obsession with "eyes"
2)Ben is said to be good looking, but it isn't hammered home with a sledge hammer, and he's not overconfident and creepy.
3)Avery is not a smart ass know-it-all, but a teen dealing with grief and emotion. Neither she nor her grandmother Renee is passive or air headed, they are strong women making cho...more

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Dec 22, 2010

stephanie rated it

Shelves: 2010, paranormal, young-adult

review for ARC-uncorrected:

not going to lie, i was expecting more. if i were the editor on this book, i would maybe say, "this is a good second draft, but keep working on fleshing those characters out! pick up some of the strands in the plotline and remind me, is this a two-book deal?"

it starts off so promising! i think that's perhaps what makes this so hard. there IS promise here. there IS potential. it just never quite fulfills anything that is set up. not the cha...more

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Dec 14, 2010

Erin (Bookish in a Box) rated it

Low Red Moon follows Avery Hood as she tries to piece together the events of the night her parents were killed. She was there, a witness, but she can't remember more than flashes of color and movement. And then there's the new boy in town...

I read Low Red Moon on a sunny Friday afternoon, but I was transported to Avery's woods, with its deep, dark rumors of shapeshifting, bloodthirsty creatures. For a supernatural novel, it's very subtle, exploring town and family politics over the myt...more

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title link	preview: Low Red Moon
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