I practically read Blood Moon in one sitting. Told in verse, Blood Moon is a fabulous story about female empowerment, friendship, and bravery. If you love books about girls taking down the patriarchy, and love verse novels, you have to read it! Keep reading this book review to see why I loved it!
Summary
BLOOD MOON is a YA novel about the viral shaming of a teenage girl. During her seminal sexual experience with the quiet and lovely Benjamin, physics-lover and astronomy fan Frankie gets her period – but the next day a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an innocent, intimate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying and damaging.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW; cyber bullying, sexism, rape threats
What I loved at the core of Blood Moon was the friendship between Frankie and Harriet. It’s a story that examines those moments when your friends feel like they’re drifting away from you. Their interests diverging. When you feel like one of you are changing at a faster rate. At the same time, Blood Moon is very much about the shame around both female sexuality and menstruation. The societal shame associated with periods and taking charge of female pleasure.
Blood Moon is told in verse and text messages. It’s about growing up and first experiences, and the ways society will try to shame girls into ashamed women. Some parts of the book were difficult to read, because of how emotional it was. The cyber bullying, the bullying and slut shaming of her peers, and the ways the sexism surges in Frankie’s face. I appreciated how Cuthew was able to discuss these issues, while also discussing friendship fall outs. (I am also a HUGE fan of supportive parents in YA!)
Blood Moon is a powerful book that I know will impact teens today. It helps de-stigmatize periods and sex in a book that will be practically impossible to put down. Find Blood Moon on Goodreads, Amazon (& UK), Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.