256 pages, Young Adult, paranormal
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (September 14, 2010)
$10.04 (Amazon.com, Hardcover) (05/28/10)
Procurement
I received this ARC from Ivy Devlin via a Twitter review request she sent out.
My Grade
Plot: 4
Setting: 4
Writing: 4
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Romance: 5
Overall: 27/30 = 90% = A
Cover/Title Bonus: 1 🙁
Overall
An emotionally intense paranormal read with an adorable romance. The paranormal aspect was original yet light. An easy and enjoyable read.
Summary (Goodreads)
Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents–and the fact that she can’t remember what happened to them even though she was there.
She’s struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn’t like any guy she’s ever met before.
It turns out there’s a reason why, and Ben’s secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents…
But what if that secret changes everything she knows about–and feels for–Ben?
First Line
I was covered in blood when the police found me.
Plot
I enjoyed Avery and her struggle with the death (murder) of her parents and the journey to finding out what exactly happened. The mystery element wasn’t a strong element. Therefore, I never felt like I was reading a mystery novel but rather a story of a young woman learning a brutal truth, overcoming grief from the loss of her parents and welcoming young love.
Setting
The town was called Woodlake and was represented as a pretty small town. There were very few people or places mentioned but it didn’t take away from the feeling of being a small town.
Most of the story takes place in the wooded area of the town.
Writing
The ARC edition was a very short read at just 196 pages with relatively short chapters with a total of 34 chapters.
The story was in first person present tense by Avery. This was the perfect narrative because Avery is the main character and she was very likeable.
The only thing negative thing I have to say about the writing is the abundant use of “—“ or em dash. They are aplenty in this book, so much that I was just about cringing whenever I saw another one. It was usually used when Avery’s train of thought or speech was paused and it made sense but it distracted me from the flow and absorption of the text. I understand using them when the character is upset and unable to continue talking, it shows emotion, but when it’s used so much as a result of the character debating what to say next it just takes away from the story, it draws the reader away. Either way, it was used a lot and it distracted me.
Originality
Ivy Devlin is the paranormal pseudonym for Elizabeth Scott, so that there tells you that she’s branching out of her normal element to bring us something original to her. I haven’t read any of Elizabeth’s other books, even though I own one, but I can assure you that this is an original tale of murder, loss, and love, with a very paranormal element thrown in.
Characters
Avery is the main character. She’s roughly 16 or 17, I don’t remember her exact age or even if it was stated. She’s cooping with the death of her parents, living with her grandmother that she hasn’t talked to in years, and meeting the new guy at school, Ben.
Ben is the new guy at school who wears moccasins. I thought that was hilarious but awesome. His eyes flash silver to Avery. He’s a cool dude that I immediately felt good about. His uncle Louis knows Avery’s grandmother.
Renee is the grandmother and she’s a super cool lady. I’m guessing she’s really not that old because of the things she’s doing with Avery. I enjoyed her character a lot.
There are a few minor characters: the sheriff and the town realtor.
Romance
The romance that blossoms between Avery and Ben is phenomenal. It’s a perfect view of teen hormones and I appreciate Ivy’s interpretation of it.
Cover/Title Bonus
I’m not a fan of either. I don’t “get” the title but the cover matches the title so….
Other Reviews
Mundie Moms – 5 stars (I’d link the review but it was full of spoilers and I do NOT approve of them. Also, the author name was misspelled. 🙁 )
Connect with Ivy Devlin
Trailer
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Great review, Jess! I can’t wait to read it!
OH this sounds good…I cant wait to read it, not even sure I have heard of it till now though – off to add it to my wish list!
I received this as well but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. Wait, so is Ivy… Elizabeth Scott?
Yup. She sure is. 🙂
If you look under the copyright page it says copyright 2010 Elizabeth Spencer. I typed that in and the only Elizabeth Spencer that was an author was born in the 20’s so did Elizabeth Scott get married? Cuz that confused me. I saw that she named herself on the Ivy Devlin website as Elizabeth Scott but the copyright in the book says Spencer.
Hey I finished Low Red Moon the other night and I thought it was a fairly good read. I wanted to let you know Avery is 17, Renee is older bc Avery refers to her as an “old lady” and the title is referenced when she is speaking to Ben looking at the moon outside of Bessie’s. Kind of how Stephenie Meyer references the titles in the books of the Twilight Saga.
Thanks for the details Tiffany.
yw.i’m still confused why the copyright page says spencer and not scott.