Ties to the Blood Moon
The Blood Moon Series Volume 1
by Robin P. Waldrop
YA Fiction
Genevieve is a teenage girl who moves in with her aunt in Alaska after the death of her mother. Soon after her arrival she learns the things she was raised to believe only existed in fairytales are in fact a big part of her history. When it gets to be too much she seeks refuge in the arms of her new boyfriend, William, only to find out he's not who she thought he was either.
The author provided a free copy of this book for my honest opinion.
Ties to the Blood Moon, the first in the YA Blood Moon series, is the story of Gen Labreck’s initiation into the supernatural world of werewolves and vampires. Being the mother of three teen girls, I didn't find Gen’s behavior and attitude completely unrealistic but I did find her unlikable and annoying. However, the mystery held my attention, allowing me to ignore this mild irritation. What I did find very distracting were the grammatical and punctuation mistakes, as well as awkward or repetitive phrases.
The author, Robin Waldrop, relies heavily on mysticism to jump-start Gen’s romantic interests, which in my opinion just doesn't work. I never cared about either of the guys in the love triangle, since I wasn't under the same spell that the heroine was. There was more development of the relationship with Joseph; enough that I felt a tug of pity for him at the end. But that was it. Personally, I would rather have more character development than know what kind of jeans Gen wore on a particular day or what Aunt Bev’s room looked like.
I read some of Waldrop's other reviews for Ties to the Blood Moon and the major complaint seemed to be the similarity between Twilight and her book. Yes, the scene backdrops are in this book but the story and outcome is different. I didn't find them as objectionable as others obviously did, although, I found them a little gimmicky. Once past the Twilight-esk props, which mostly end about a quarter of the way into the book, it is an original, interesting plot. Coincidentally, this is where the story’s pace picks up speed and captures the reader’s interest (at least mine).
Constant twists and turns in the story keep the reader guessing until the climax, which doesn't disappoint. What was a let-down was the end. It felt rushed and weak, as if Waldrop didn't know what to do next. Coincidentally, this is also where she returns to the Twilight crutch.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the Blood Moon Series. I have even recommended it to one of my daughters and a friend.
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Thursday, October 22, 2015