Rise of the Blood Moon

by Alan Gibbons

Stunning new fantasy sequence from the author of the Blue Peter Award-winning 'Shadow of the Minotaur'. It has always been this way. The Helati are slaves. Each month, at the full moon, they are expelled to face the demon host, the Lost Souls.But something has changed in the fabric of the times. The demons are controlled by a new master, the Darkwing. Now the danger is permanent, the horror incessant.In a southern port, however, a fourteen year old slave girl, oblivious of her destiny, holds the key to ending the nightmare of the Lost Souls. But will she ever understand the secret that is hidden deep in her memory, the secret of the Black Tower?Alan Gibbons' latest novel is an epic fantasy that takes you through a fabled land, reminiscent of a mythical ancient India. On a roller-coaster ride you will meet shape-shifters, demons, magic, tyrants, an evil lord who is the master of the living dead and countless fighters for evil...and for good.

Genres: Fantasy

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.

Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.

Reviews

[Lilith · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5- Its been years since I read this and I never finished it, all I can remember that I didn't like it much, but it had some redeeming qualities.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rise of the Blood Moon is a lot of things. It is about forging friendships in unlikely places, betrayal, falling in love, fighting for what is right, fighting for freedom and ending slavery and oppression in a compelling, supernatural way.

The Darkwing is a grotesque vampire like creature who feeds on blood and brings back the dead into zombie-monster like forms and controls them.

It is all up to one slave girl named Cusha who has a hidden past to change the fate of the world.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. It was interesting and I liked the Egyptian, supernatural elements that made this book a good read!

[Erisa Gucija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vishtar kept me going!😍

[Mads ✨is balls deep in the Animorphs reread✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I've given this book three stars, my overwhelming feeling after reading it was one of disappointment.

The story itself is fantastic; I mean, a slave caste who are barred from the city to be attacked by demon/zombie hordes every night, and an ancient community of warrior shapeshifters? These are just some of the fabulously exciting and ever so slightly scary ideas in this book.

The writing, however, is shocking, which really peed me off while reading it. With a little more skill and flair, this could have been gorgeous to read. As it was, climatic scenes which could have really benefited from some detail and eloquence were let down by the messy, skippy prose. It ISN'T prose, in fact, and that is the problem. Instead it's just slightly immature and erratic scribbling.

Maybe my standards are too high. But this book definitely left me with that unpleasant taste in my mouth - the distinct taste of 'If only someone would rewrite this, it could be so much BETTER.'

[Neill Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Muzals, the Children of Ra, became the dominant force in the world they ended the balance between the Sun god and the Moon god and created a world of war and conquest. Their sorcerers experimented with raising the dead but lost control and the Darkwing and his minions became strong. When the Darkwing imprisoned one of the Holy Children, Gardep must betray his destiny as a Muzal warrior to assist the twin of the Holy Child to rescue her brother.

[Katie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

takes a while to get into but is good once you get past the beginning parts

[Telle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read.I read it a long time ago and just decided to read it again. I remembered enjoying this book. When I read it again I still enjoyed it.

[Kirstyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had its flaws (honestly, there were a lot of them) but, despite that, it was an easy and enjoyable read.