Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you a whole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny’s other half is human. Which is a good thing.Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds.For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny’s been having some weird symptoms — fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon.Even though it’s easy to be in denial, it’s hard to ignore evidence. There’s only a month until the next few moon, and Danny’s time is running out.Peter Moore speaks to adolescents in a voice that will have them laughing, set in a world that will get them thinking.
a wulf in vamp clothing [a description]:
On the surface, Red Moon Rising would appear to simply be a quirky story about a teen wolf-vamp named Danny Grey. With a vamp for a mom and a wulf for a pop [yep these wolves are wulves], Danny has always felt somewhere in between. At a young age he went through genetic therapy to get rid of his wulf tendencies. And while his light blue eyes and “blood lust” claim him as a vamp, his dark brown hair and strength are clear signs that his wulf side is still strong [insert Star Wars joke]. Having turned his back on his Dad, and wulves in general, Danny has tried to be all the vamp he can be. However when he starts noticing pains in his teeth, hair on his arms, and that SynHeme, a commercial synthetic blood beverage [nom nom nom], is making him queasy, Danny quickly realizes that maybe his inner wulf wants to come out and play. In a society where wulves are repressed and viewed as unclean animals being a wulf is for the dogs, and Danny begins to struggle with who he truly is and how he will fit into this world.
hungry like the wolf [aka reasons cutie reallly liked this book]:
I like when a book has something to say. Don’t get me wrong, I do like myself a good, mind numbing read every now and then, much like I do *heart* myself a good TV sitcom, but as a whole, I tend to want an author to share with me their world view and maybe try to show us a little somethin’-somethin’ about human nature. Peter Moore does so in Red Moon Rising. He combines his quirky, fast paced writing style which flows easily from the pages with a deeper message. It’s nothing new nor is it Earth shattering, but I think that’s why I like it. It’s simple. To the point. Something we all need to remember: Oppression of a group of people based on social prejudiced is grossly unacceptable. Furthermore, we can not judge a people as a whole by the actions of a few. While the main plot thread of Red Moon Rising is about Danny dealing with his seemingly inevitable change into a wulf, there is a deeper message and a bigger story that is churning under the surface of this tale. And that, my friends, is what sold me hook, line, and sinker. The potential with this story, what could become of Danny, what will happen in his world, and what role he will play in the “bigger picture” have really got me excited about this story. Plus, I like my werewolves nice and brutish with a side of horrifying as they are in Red Moon Rising. Give me primal beasties any day of the week over fluffy, four legged creatures that can curl up in your lap. The end.
there’s a bad moon on the right [aka reasons cutie was a little dissatisfied]:
There were a few things that held me back while reading the story. The first being the scope of the world, which was almost to grand for the length of this novel. I felt a little jarred at times, while trying to keep up with the lingo of the book. The dictionary in the back did help, but in some ways it made it more difficult to get into a reading grove. I almost wish there had been a little set up from Danny about the world he lived in, instead of just pushing us [the readers] into the story without much to hold onto. Also, I felt some of the story lines were either rushed or just didn’t need to be there. For example, I would have traded the whole love story with Juliet for more info on Huey Seele. Not to say I don’t love meself a good love story *coughTwilightercough*, but for this first book of the series [*crosses fingers* sequel please?] my extremely humble opinion is that the love interest should have been introduced but maybe dealt with on a bigger scale later on. Or that another 100 pages should have been added to this novel. In conclusion: I wanted more in a BIG way and a GOOD way from this book. This was a simple case of: cutie has a lot of questions and needs to have them answered.
survey says:
All in all, I didn’t think this was the perfect novel, it did leave me a little wanting, but in the end, the great far out weighed the somewhat negative, and I’d have to say I am totally sold on this story. I really like Danny. I am beyond impressed that Mr. Moore decided to make this story not about Danny’s issues with his family who pulled together in the end to help their loved one…. Fancy THAT! A young adult novel breaking away from the family drama norm and creating a solid loving family support system! Um… where was I? Oh yeah, I really liked this book.
The four is cause I really really liked it a whole lot.
Thank you again to the good people over at Disney Hyperion for
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Thanks for sharing! ^_^ This was a good one, I liked it. Gunther is one of the most hateable villains I've seen in awhile, largely because he's so immature. You're right in that the love story has a real tacked-on feel. Maybe Moore was trying to use werewolves to speak to social issues and someone at Hyperion said "We need a romance in this." So it goes. Still a great read.
-LupLun
Lupines and Lunatics
My recent post Red Moon Rising
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Well I'm glad to hear that this book is good. I have seen it around a lot and it has caught my eye. Nice review!
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I just saw a review of this book yesterday on LupLun's and it sounded really cool. I liked that both of you commented on the supportive family, definitely something I like to see since it's rarely found in YA books. I enjoyed your review and it's moved RED MOON RISING up the to buy list.
My recent post Early Review – Born at Midnight by CC Hunter
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And thank you for commenting! I agree. It did feel like a complete after thought, the love story that is. I'm not against it, I just wish it had been given more time to develop. And Gunther is the King of the Douches. Seriously, what a @$$. 😉
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Thanks! *blushes* I'm glad word is spreading about this book, because it doesn't seem to be getting all the much publicity and the author is apparently public shy.
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Truly, the supportive family thing is up there in my top five reasons why I *heart* this book. It starts off rocky, but they do pull together in the end, and that just melted my heart. Too often, authors now use family discord as a tool to liven up the plot and keep the protagonist from their goal. Frankly, I find it crass 9 times out of 10. =) Thank you for reading and commenting!
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I had never heard of this one but it sounds really good and different!
My recent post Real Live Boyfriends by E Lockhart
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Hey Cutie-
That was a really great and honest review! It's what I love about the Bookworms, you give both sides of the story. I have seen this book around for awhile and wondered what it was about, aside from the blurb. Thanks for letting me know. It sounds interesting and another book to add to the TBR pile. You guys are killing my eyes with all this reading! Maybe I'll listen to this one!
Heather
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It was different, which I liked. Sometimes fantasy books start to blur together. I like when one stands out. Now I'm rambling. *blushes* Sorry!
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I have to take mini reading breaks due to eye pain! I totally understand. But it hurts so good I can't stop! 😉
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