Sunday, August 25, 2013

Review Sundays: Blood Moon by Alyxandra Harvey

Blood Moon by Alyxandra Harvey 


When the vampire tribes convene for the rare Blood Moon ceremonies, Solange’s fight with her feral nature, a mysterious stranger, family secrets and forbidden magic put all of the Drakes in danger.

And when Nicholas Drake is torn between saving his little sister, Solange, or his girlfriend Lucy, who will he choose?


Review 


Blood Moon is the fifth instalment in the Drake Chronicle series, a series which I have followed with releases over the past few years and have enjoyed at that younger age and still enjoy now. I find on a whole the Drake Chronicle books are humorous, romantic, dangerous and action packed all in one. Harvey has taken a more original approach to the vampire novel, creating complicated rules and systems within the book, such as how the vampire children turn into vampires when they reach a certain age, the different types of vampires and the league of vampire hunters. 

I found Blood Moon to probably be the most action packed book in the series, as of far, due to it not focusing in on a couple people's story but seeing one big story that involves all of the characters from all of their points of view. It still involves relationships, danger, action and comedy... but in a more saturated way.. so there is more of it. 


You know I always imagined Solange Drake as blonde? Until this book mentioned her black hair in one of the dramatic scenes.. I have a tendency to vision someone's hair colour by their personality.. including Quinn with dark hair - yet his identical twin Connor with Blonde and Nicholas with golden blonde/brown. 


I found the relationship parts of this book particularly interesting, as it wasn't about getting the girl... it explored the difficulties of keeping up a relationship through differences and after bad situations and also shows how you can lose someone not physically but in the way their character changes - this was shown through couples, friendships and sibling relationships. 


I found I had empathy for Lucy in particular throughout the book, and I believe she is the character a lot of the readers will use as their point of view even in the parts when it's narrated by another character. For most of the book I didn't agree with the outrageous and uncontrollable behaviour of Solange, until the change in her, which gives extreme tension to her actions and the situation... where I begin to feel empathy for her. By the end of the book, I am confused about how to feel about Nicholas, I believe he cares a lot about Lucy, but there could be damage to his character from what happened to him in this book which I am eager to find out in the next and last book in the series - Blood Prophecy.


This book has an extract at the back which when reading I forgot about, so it was one of those horrible moments, when you are so into a book believing you still have a fair few pages left and then it suddenly ends right in the middle of everything. Now that's a cliff hanger if I've ever read one. 


I love the Drake Chronicles, especially this instalment in the series and can't wait to read the last book - but am a little sad it's the end. I think this kind of story that could go on for much longer as so much could happen - but all series have to end and sometimes the shorter the sweeter. I would recommend the Drake Chronicles to all readers, from about 15 and up, young adults, older readers - female and male - there are male perspectives too! It's not a mushy vampire love story - it's action, danger, fun, with a little tension between opposite sexes thrown in!


5/5 what else? 


Not convinced? Here are some quotes...


“Oh Crap," Connor muttered. "She's going Darth Vader on us.” 


“I knew damn well if Lucy broke up with me I'd still love her until I turned to dust.” 


“With her long dark hair and green eyes, she was pretty as a doll. You know, the kind of doll that came to life at night to kill monsters.” 


“what happens when all you love, becomes all you hate?” 





Reviewed for Bloomsbury Publishing UK

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