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Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew - Review

Friday, November 13, 2020

Where did I get it? I bought it at Warwick Books, in Warwick, when I was on holiday there a few weeks ago. I had heard about it at YALC At Home, when Lucy was on one of the panels, and I liked the sound of the book so when I saw it I picked it up. 


What's it about? It's a book told in free verse like books by Sarah Crossan or The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. Frankie is a teenager who is really into space and astronomy. She wants to apply to do a special programme in astronomy, along with her best friend Harriet. The two of them have a telescope at the bottom of their gardens, where they spend many a night watching the stars and the moon.

Harriet has recently gone a bit boy crazy, and on an outing for a birthday, she's really into Jackson and trying to get to know him. Frankie meets Benjamin, and the two of them make friends. It turns out they're both into physics and the stars. They end up having a sexual experience together and at the end of it, Frankie gets her period, meaning her blood ends up on Benjamin. The two of them agree that it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's just blood after all. 

But then someone at school finds out and soon everyone knows it's Frankie whose period started. A meme of her and a picture of some blood goes viral. She and Harriet fall out and she obviously doesn't trust Benjamin anymore. Frankie feels ashamed and like she is disgusting, and she spirals into feeling really sad and alone. 

It's time to fight back. It's just blood, after all. 

I loved Frankie and wanted her to do really well. I loved her interest in physics and the stars and liked how this was incorporated. I liked Benjamin and their relationship. Harriet is a total nightmare for a lot of the book but she is a great character too. I liked how the whole thing about something like this going viral was handled, I liked how ashamed Frankie felt when she really didn't need to, and how we saw her fight through that. It's a really good book and especially for a teen audience. It's okay to have sex, you're allowed! Be safe, and make sure the person is around your age - those are my two piece of advice. 


What age range is it for? I'm going to say from 14 onwards. 


Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No, but I do want to say that I was worried there might be a bit of "all girls have periods! The only people who have periods are girls!" neither of which are true, and which would be cissexist. But, there isn't any of it, and I was pleasantly surprised and was glad about it. 


Are any main characters people of colour? No 


Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? Not really, but Frankie does get to quite a low point and I was quite worried about her at one point, so I would look after yourself there. 


Is there any sex stuff? Yes, obviously, but it isn't very graphic. 


Are drugs mentioned or used? No. There's maybe a little alcohol use? 


Is there any talk of death? Not really. 


Are there swear words? Yes, they're used so well and I really liked their inclusion 

 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none. This is a great book. 


Would I recommend the book? Yep absolutely. I'll look forward to what Lucy writes next! 


Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? Because I'd just bought it and I love picking up new books!
 

What do I think of the cover? It's cool, it's relevant to the story. 

 

What other books is it like? It's like Sarah Crossan's books in terms of emotional impact. 


How many stars? Five out of five

 

Where is the book going now? Oh I'm definitely keeping it!




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