Title: Night of the Purple Moon

Author: Scott Cramer

Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Science Fiction

Length: 188 pages


THE RUNDOWN

Just like everyone on her small island town, seventh grader Abby Leigh is looking forward to the purple moon, an event caused by the earth being swallowed by a comet's tale. They watch the purple hues filter into the night sky, yawn and go to bed. It is when she awakens that she realizes what has become of the world as she knew it. 

Pounding on  her door wakens Abby. It's her friend Kevin who announces his parents are dead. Desperate to find the truth, she and her siblings try to find her father. Sadly, he too is dead. Slowly they begin to realize that anyone who has matured to puberty succumbed to the toxic space dust. The adults are gone. Now their only hope of survival is to stick together and build a new life all their own. 

They build a life, one rather civil, organized and tidy, but there is a renagade tribe of boys that threaten their upotia. Soon, they learn the CDC is conducting trials to create an antiboitic that can save them from falling to the same fate as their parents once they reach puberty. Abby and her crew must leave their little world behind and find a cure before it is too late. 

THE RECOMMENDATION

Night of the Purple Moon has all the elements of a successful book. The pace is fast and enthralling, the characters are likable, hard-working and kind and the premise is killer. What child hasn't fantasied about a world with no parents? I found myself wondering what would happen to my own children if suddenly this sort of thing were to occur. How would children survive without the adults that shepherd them? Cramer sets up his much tamer Lord of the Flies well, guiding us through each step of their new found independence so we can picture Abby's world and wonder what might become of our own should a tragedy of this magnitude befall us.

My qualms are few and minor compared to the above. The children acted very mature for their age. Almost instantaneously they formed a democratic society with scheduled chores, meetings and duties. I know my own children only need about five minutes alone before they are close to braining each other over a cup of applesauce. I had to suspend some disbelief that these children are the most kind, thoughtful, selfless children on the planet. Perhaps they are. Perhaps island air makes them saints. 

Another qualm was the middle dragged a bit. The conflict present was in the form of three boys who stole eggs and said the s-word. I admit I am a fan of dark literature, so when the boys laughed off stealing eggs and everyone went on their merry way I craved more. 

The last issue is the one that I think may be what's keeping Cramer's story down. I am not sure what audience he is writing to. The protagonists are mainly in middle school, though most middle schoolers might find the themes of mass death and body removal too dark for their developing minds. Teens are unlikely to pick up a book about children younger than them, and adults often read YA, but not generally MG. Unfortunately, that may keep audiences from picking up this title and missing out on an interesting story. 

Overall, it is a quality book worth 4 out of 5 stars.  

You can find the book here and Scott Cramer here.

I'm so excited it's finally here. Black Sea Gods is a book I've been waiting to read in print for over a year and a half. When I first met its author, Brian Braden on the ReviewFuse reviewers site I knew this guy had chops. He could make a mythological creature like a dragon so real, you'd think the guy had one in his back yard. His writing is so descriptive and detailed you can taste the salt spray and feel the vibrations as the world he creates shudders under its impending doom. 

Now, that I've peaked your curiosity, here's the premise. 

The fish have disappeared from the sea. The animals have vanished from the land. All humanity, and even the gods, tremble under the specter of a pending cataclysm. The demigod Fu Xi races home from the edge of the world bringing news of a looming god war, but finds his land under attack by monsters he once called his children. He discovers a terrible curse has been cast, one intended to destroy the gods and all life. To his shock, Fu Xi learns mankind’s hope rest solely on him, a simple fisherman and a banished slave girl.

Beset on all sides, Fu Xi knows he must act quickly and races west to rescue the saviors. Unaware of the real doom that awaits, Aizarg the fisherman and his party begin a perilous journey across a dangerous steppe. They seek the last of the Narim, the legendary Black Sea Gods, who hold the key to their salvation. Leading them is the rescued slave girl Sarah, the only one among them who knows the path to the land of the god-men.

Over seven days the defining struggle of gods and humans begins under the onslaught of a powerful force whose true objective and origin remain a mystery. Fu Xi knows the secret to victory resides in a fisherman and a slave girl, whose lives he must protect, even if it means the rest of the world must perish. 

BLACK SEA GODS transforms recently re-discovered Black Sea legends, possibly the root of all Eurasian mythology, with ancient Chinese mythology to create an unprecedented epic fantasy series.
 
It's priced at $2.99, so there's nothing to lose and a whole fantastic world to gain. 

Buy it on Amazon. 
Find Brian here. 

Part coming-of-age story, part thrilling ghost tale, The Haunting at Beecher Hill, surprised me. The story follows Jace Griffin, a likable fifteen year old still struggling to make his way in the rough landscape that is high school. In the opening scene Jace takes a dare and goes into the woods, an innocent enough act if these were just normal woods. These woods hold secrets that make the boys wary. Murders happened here and, as Jace finds out when he enters, the ghosts violence has wrought still linger. Jace gets a terrible nose bleed, blacks out and when he awakens realizes that nothing is the same. He is now haunted by the ghost of a murdered boy. He sees visions, hears voices and now doubts everything around him. He finally lands a girlfriend, but blows it when he has a vision of her as a bloated corpse. Jace must unlock the secrets of the past if he will ever be able to save his future.

The Haunting at Beecher Hills is solidly written. The characters feel real and the dialog is fitting. I had no trouble with setting or transitioning from one scene to another. And I like Jace. He is a sweet, well-intentioned young man who suffers greatly when this ghost attaches himself. There were parts that were down right scary. Luttery does not mess around when it comes to suspense and horror. I think those were the key scenes in the book, scenes that made me turn the light back on in a dark room or look behind me as I walked down the hall. It is hard to write horror and Luttery does it well.

There were a few things that struck me as odd in this book. For one, I was never sure if this was a YA book or adult. The protagonist is fifteen, so that suggests YA. However, the language (f-word) and sexual content made me think it was aimed at least at older YA. I would recommend the book for mature audiences. Another issue I had was that the book started off with the hauntings, but lost some momentum as Jace traversed through the world of high school. It took too long to get back to the paranormal happenings for my taste. There were a few errors, but nothing to stall my reading. Overall, it's a solid effort for Luttery and I think he has a strong career ahead of him.

Cheryl Abbott’s debut, REM, is an interesting take on dreams and the ability to enter dreams of others. Bradalynn Collier is haunted by nighttime visions and disturbing images in other people’s dreams. Each night she finds herself thrust into the unconscious minds of those around her. Obviously, this wreaks havoc on her psyche, making her restless, tired and afraid to go to sleep. Then she meets the mysterious Alexander, an Edward Cullen archetype without the fangs and pasty skin. Drawn to Alex, Brady finds herself seeking him out and wondering about his enigmatic and seemingly absent parents. When Brady starts wandering into Alex’s dreams and sees the darkness lurking there, she realizes there is more to this boy than meets the eye. The two embark on a relationship that strains the bonds of friendship she has built with her friend, Doug. Brady is then put to the test to see if she has what it takes to control her abilities and protect those she loves. 

The concept for REM is an interesting one. What if you could enter people’s dreams, know their inner-most secrets? Yet, Brady seems a reluctant hero for quite a while. She is sympathetic and likable. She clearly cares about her brothers and mother and is drawn (aren’t we all?) to the mysteriously handsome new boy at school. The plot moved solidly along, and though there were times where I longed for the pace to pick up a bit, I never stopped reading. Alex is appropriately sexy and cloaked in mystery. Doug, the valiant friend, plays his role well, too. And I found the ending to be intriguing, making me wonder what Abbott might have in store next for our characters.

I hope that in upcoming sequels that Brady really explores the depth and breadth of her power. There are vast dream worlds to explore and I would have loved to see more of that in this novel. I have a feeling, Abbott is keeping that rabbit under her sleeve for the next installment. I also longed for an antagonist to appear sooner in the story. I’ve always heard the fifty page rule for the major conflict to appear and REM stretches that a bit. Overall, REM is a solid, enjoyable story, that brings some fresh air to a tired genre and is worth the three dollar price tag.

You can find REM here. 
You can find Cheryl Abbott here. 

When I saw the cover art for The Scourge at the bottom of my own novel's “Customers who bought this item also bought...” page, I knew I wanted to read it. The haunting description of Fennel, a sightless girl who must be the water bearer for her people during the time of the scourge drew me in. The scourge are basically zombies-- humans turned flesh-eaters who attack the healthy, turning them sick as well. For some reason the scourge do not attack the sightless, so Fennel is tapped to take an agonizing walk down to the water through the throng of fleshies everyday. 

Then enter Peree, a tree-dwelling hunter, who has been given the task of being her keeper. Peree is her eyes while she slips through the masses of sick ones. Fennel's people and Peree's people live in an uneasy alliance. Yet, somehow these two find an instant connection, one that worries both of them. Groundies and Lofties do not mix. Fennel agonizes over the bond that grows between her and Peree. 

When the scourge doesn't leave after a few days as expected, Fennel's people get desperate. Fennel volunteers to search for the Hidden Waters supposedly buried deep within the safety of their  caves. Peree slips away to guide her. The two embark on a nail-biting journey through pitch-black caves where they are tested to the core of their being. 

I was instantly jealous of the premise of this novel. What can be more terrifying than walking into a mob of flesh-eating monsters with no sight? Henley is a master of upping the terror, bringing us in to Fennel's haunting journey to the water hole. And here's the amazing thing, Henley cannot employ any visual imagery. No visual imagery! It's amazing. I was expecting the book to flounder and die in a sightless world, but no. As a reader, I got used to wandering around a world without vision. Somehow Henley uses surrounding sounds, smells and touch to make a world as vivid as any with sight. I was in awe of how easily she accomplished something that even master writers would not attempt. 

I went online to look for a publisher for the novel. I was sure because of the quality that it had been picked up by one of the big six. However, I was surprised to learn it is self-published. There are gems out there in the self-published arena and this is one of them. I highly recommend this book to fans of speculative Young Adult fiction. You won't be disappointed. 

You can find The Scourge here. 
You can find A.G. Henley here.  


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