Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Bloomsbury, 2010

"I was covered in blood when the police found me." The opening line of this book pulls you right in, we;re not wasting any time here! Avery, as mentioned, was covered in blood, but can't remember why. She knows that her parents were killed, and she found them (hence the blood), but can recall nothing of the attack. Who did it, and why? Her and her family have always lived on the outskirts of society--literally. They live way out in the woods, just on the edge of the forest, with just a few not-so-close neighbors. Avery had been homeschooled up until this year. Her father was a writer for Woodlake's little newspaper, and has certainly written things that might cause diasgreement, but enough to cause murder? It just doesn't add up, and Avery can't remember it.

Then she meets Ben, the new boy in town. Avery and Ben's relationship begins to develop and slowly Avery begins to remember flashes of the night her parents were killed. At the same time Avery starts to realize that there's something...not-quite-human about Ben. Could Ben, the beautiful boy with the shady past and the tight connection to Avery, have had something to do with that night? Or is there something even less human and more sinister hiding in the forest?

I'm kind of on the fence with this book. I really wanted to like it, and there were definitely some great parts, but overall I wasn't completely in love with it. I have to say that physically it's a gorgeous book. I think the cover is beautiful, and there are great little red accents on each page. The story was intriguing, too...it was part murder-mystery, part paranormal romance. I suppose what got me was the speed with which Avery and Ben developed their bond. It felt like (ugh) Bella and Edward all over again. 'Our eyes met and from that moment on we were connected for all eternity' kind of stuff. I know people like that kind of 'love at first sight' stuff, but to me it always sounds too good to be true.

Still, the rest of the storyline was interesting enough, and I always enjoy a good murder mystery. If I were rating this book (which I should probably start doing, huh?), I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi