“Blood Moon”
Written by Lucy Cuthew
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
“Society is disgusting. You are amazing”.
In verse, Lucy Cuthew uses poetry, imagery, and symbolism
to create Blood Moon, a timely portrayal of how high school teens view
sex, menstruation, and friendship. Cuthew’s story begins as our main narrator,
Frankie, loses the trust and respect of her best friend, Harriet, as she reacts
negatively to Harriet’s decision to send an inappropriate photograph of herself
to their teacher.
Although the story is told in a format I strongly
dislike, I still feel that the novel feels whole and encompasses the plot well.
Frankie is a sweet and quiet girl, who spends her time learning about astronomy
and physics, while crushing on a cute boy named Benjamin. Frankie’s reputation landslides
after she has a sexual experience with Benjamin, then promptly has her period. Harsh
begin to spread, as well as jokes, photos, and lies, with Harriet seemingly at
the epicenter.
I personally loved the portrayal of the friendship between
Frankie and Harriet. When the characters are spending quality time, it feels nostalgic
and warm, as if the reader wishes they were at the same sleepover. When bitter
emotion turns their blood cold, we feel like we’re in the room when it happens.
The story feels important and interesting, as it questions
the readers’ opinions on ‘slut-shaming’, bullying, sex, menstruation, and
friendship. I feel that the lessons that we come away with are relevant in
today’s society, when many citizens feel that this country is full of people
who dislike women and disrespect them. Additionally, I recommend this novel to
those who enjoy reading coming-of-age stories about teens in high school, with
themes centering around first love, bullying, perception of self, and female friendships.
I felt reminded of Speak, Carrie, and a favorite, Jennifer’s Body.
Unfortunately, I felt that the format took me out of
the story often. Many of the characters use teen slang far too often, to the
point of it being distracting rather than realistic. I felt that the epic poem
style of this story left out many important aspects that I enjoy. I felt it
harder to relate to characters and harder to see myself through the same lens.
I have not ever enjoyed the verse style of reading a full fiction story. I do
believe that if you personally enjoy verse fiction storytelling, you’d enjoy
this.
In conclusion, I thought this short novel to be enthralling,
as it made me question my own thoughts on the subject. It also made me regret
some things that I have said about my fellow gender in the past. This story
allows you to take many lessons: how to treat others, how to respect ourselves,
who we need to respect, and how to be respectful. I do not imagine many of
those who need to learn these lessons will read this story, but I appreciate
how this novel could create a dialogue. I would be interested to read more from
this author.
For this novel, I give a few trigger warnings for: threats
of sexual assault, rape, bullying, and sex.
I received a complimentary advance copy from Walker
Books at Candlewick Press to read and review. Thank you to the publishing company
for the opportunity.
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