Okay, yet again, I have to apologise for a month-long absence. SORRY! It’s felt like a slog to get through anything at the moment – I think a lot of people get like this when winter comes and Christmas is around the corner. I just want Christmas now!
(Oh, while I’m here – what do you think of my new space-themed blog?! I love it so much. Huge thank you to my friend JoelyĀ for the illustrations!)
Anyway, recently, I stumbled upon a couple of blog posts in my Google Drive from ages ago that I’d completely forgotten about. That means that today, you get a new book review. Woooop! I’m going to be reviewing Moonrise by Sarah Crossan, and I’ve also got my review coming up for Editing Emma by Chloe Seager. Let’s go!
‘They think I hurt someone.
But I didn’t. You hear?
Coz people are gonna be telling you
all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.’
From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?
Moonrise by Sarah Crossan: My Thoughts
Before Moonrise, I’d read two Sarah Crossan books: One and We Come Apart. I loved them both but have a special place in my heart for One. It was painfully emotional, gripping and impossible to put down. I think I read both of her books in a day or two each, mainly because of how quick her writing style is to read and due to the fact that I just can’t put them down until they’re finished.
I was lucky enough to nab a proof copy of Moonrise at YALC this year (I think it was the first thing I picked up and I was SO HAPPY). The cover is beyond beautiful and the description sounded intriguing. First impressions are a big thing, and I knew I’d love this just from the cover alone. (Okay, I admit – I’m a big book-cover-judger). I could not wait to get it home and read it – I knew I’d probably love it so it had a lot of pressure to live up to my expectations!
And… it definitely did. My god, it did. I loved it so much. The poetic writing style returned and this time it felt even better and more refined than Crossan’s previous books. The story was so intense and I couldn’t stop reading. I really wanted to find out what happened to his brother – was he really going to die on Death Row for a crime he didn’t commit? I won’t give away the ending but the last half of the book kept me up way beyond when I should have gone to sleep because I just had to find out what happened. There aren’t many books that make me do that and so far, all of Sarah Crossan’s have.
I can definitely say without a doubt that Sarah Crossan is one of my favourite authors. I had the pleasure of meeting her at YALC and hearing her speak with her We Come Apart co-author Brian Conaghan, and I’m still over the moon (no pun intended) that I managed to get a copy of Moonrise. You should too!
