Ooof this is deep, so be prepared for some tough discussions specifically around death row, the US judicial system and the thorny tangle of forgiveness and the concept of justice in general.
The writing is of course for Sarah Crossan very poetic and I'm not sure it 100% suits this topic and story, as although this story is heart-breaking and the writing is beautiful it might make a different impact being written in a more straightforward way.

Have been a fan of Crossan's works in the past but this felt very dark and I did find it hard to fully immerse myself in that at times.

An emotionally harrowing book. The injustice and impact on all is portrayed so well in this book. Each relationship is fraught with complexities that Sarah Crossan portrays so well. The governor who is just doing his job, his daughter who is viewed only as his daughter in others eyes and someone to blame. Amongst this are the family ties and guilt. The inevitable ending leaves you questioning the American justice system.

Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

I loved this book. It is not an easy read in terms of emotional content by any means but the authors makes a difficult topic incredibly accessible with her lyrical verse style and I think this is one readers of all ages would benefit from. A sensitive exploration of family, grief and injustice which I was glad to see included resources for further education in the afterword.

Well this packed an emotional punch. It made me feel angry, sad and helpless; helpless because the level of suffering and injustice in this book hit me hard and there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn't just the difficult subject matter of death row and the twisted justice system; what also got to me was the upbringing of these young people, our protagonist Joe, by individuals who are supposed to love, nurture and protect them. Seeing such individuals dismiss, neglect and abandon them got me fired up and made me want to wrap Joe up in a big hug. The looming date of Ed's execution date weighed heavy on this book and the inevitability of the situation and the sadness made this a poignant read. The little sprinkles of hope here and there made this book for me. It showed that in the darkness there's still hope, in sadness there's still glimpses of happiness.
This was a surprising read and I'll definitely read more of Crossan's books in future. Her prose flowed easily, full of emotion and heart. Definitely go into this book without reading too much into what it's about. It'll make the experience of reading it so much greater and hit you harder.

Book Review
Title: Moonrise
Author: Sarah Crossan
Genre: YA/Family/Verse
Rating: *****
Review: I haven’t read much from Sarah Crossan but I have read One which made me cry, so when I got the opportunity to get my hands on Moonrise I was so excited to read it. Like One, Moonrise is written in verse and bounced back and forth between the past and present as it follows the relationship between two brother, Joe, and Ed while Ed is on Death Row. The opening introduces us to Joe who is seven years old when he finds out his brother, Ed is in prison and is being charged with murder despite his protests to his brother that he didn’t do I Ten years on, Joe is the only person still standing by Ed, even the rest of his family have turned on him and he has moved closer to the prison to spend the last weeks of his brother’s life with him as his execution date has been set. A year after the first phone call the family learn Ed was convicted and at that point their aunt moved in because their mother couldn’t cope and eventually left and never came back. Despite moving to Texas, Joe hasn’t seen Ed yet as he is too scared to go to the prison alone but their aunt won’t help them and his sister, Angela can’t get the money for another month so Joe is forced to look for work or they won’t be able to say their rent.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we bounce back and forth as Joe is working in Texas, fixing up an old car on the promise of getting a job with a local diner. He is also struggling with how he is going to support himself while he is there but this is overshadows by thoughts of his brother. Through Joe, we learn their mother was a drunk, drug addict or both and neglected her children but Ed was always around for his younger siblings, stealing food and attending parent-teacher conferences. However, one day his mother kicks him out when he confronts her which is what led to Ed disappearing and eventually getting arrested. As his family couldn’t afford a lawyer for Ed, he had do everything himself but after getting his date, Angela gets him a pro bona lawyer, who informs Joe that his visitation has gone through and he can visit Ed that afternoon. While Joe doesn’t really want to go he doesn’t really have a choice as he is one of the few people who believe that Ed is innocent and shouldn’t be in prison let alone on Death Row. When he gets to the prison he is obviously intimidated by the environment but he powers through it for his brother.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Joe gets to see his brother r the first time in a decade and he realises with a short, sharp shock that he doesn’t know this person, this person isn’t the brother he remembers but he tries to get to know him anyway but we can see there is something going on with Joe that we haven’t learnt about yet as he buys a scratch card instead of sending the money for Ed. He is also getting close to a girl called Nell who works at the diner who seems to encourage the bad side of him but she also gives him money for pizza when he doesn’t have any. We can also see joe starting the travel down the same road that led Ed to where he is as he steals a drunk girl’s wallet for the money as he is flat broke. Between the visits, Joe reflects on his children especially after Joe’s arrest and how his aunt tried to make him disappear from the family but Joe wasn’t willing to let his brother go that easily.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Joe has to ask his brother once and for all whether or not he did the crime he has been charged with and Ed is furious with him and refuses to see him for days, which Joe ends up spending with Nell. However, the prison priest delivers a letter from Ed where he explains everything that happened that night and it turns out that he was pulled over by the police officer but fled when he thought he was going to get him sent home, he ditched the car and was making his way to someplace else when he was picked up. It turns out that the officer’s camera was broken and he was shot after making a few more stops after Ed’s but Ed’s was the last one he called in so the police added two and two and got five. After hours of being interrogated, having sleep and water withheld, Ed signed the confession and even though it held no actual details of the crime he was found guilty and convicted as an adult meaning he got a death sentence. Ed explains when he made the confession he thought he would be able to explain what actually happened later but no one wanted to listen and now he is going to die in less than a month unless a miracle happens which is unlikely which both Ed and joe know.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Joe is getting to know his brother the best he can in the time that they have left but it isn’t helping Joe other than reminding him that his brother is going to die unless something happens. However, spending time with Nell is making him feel less alone and that his life isn’t as bad as it is and they even enter a relationship of sorts. Joe also suspects that she was the one behind getting the car running which secured him a job with the diner meaning he now has a source of income to support himself. People do warn him not to stay longer than he needs to, one women ends tells him she can to the town for her son who was a lifer and even after he was stabbed to death in prison she never left and now feels she can never leave and warns Joe not to fall into the small abyss she has when his brother is gone.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, as Ed’s execution date gets close his appeal are denied and his only hope now is the Governor but Joe doesn’t have much faith. However, his sister and aunt have arrived and with the exception of his mother, the family are together and will be until the end. Things are complicated though as Joe learns Nell’s father is the warden of the prison which upsets things between them but they manage to work through it. We also get some really heart-warming scenes of this family spending Ed’s final days together we really made me want to cry. I am sad though that Joe can’t be there at the end as only people over 18 can be there for the execution and he is the only person that has been there for Ed in the final month. Finally we have reached close to the end as it is now the day before the execution and I have a feeling that the Moon family aren’t going to get the miracle they have been praying for.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, I was right about the family not getting their happy ending as the Governor denies Ed’s final appeal and he is going to die. Seeing the family last meeting and having to say goodbye was heartbreaking and seeing Joe completely fall apart after hearing that his brother is gone was devasting but Ed does leave them something good. He leaves them the memories they have from when they were happy and the knowledge that all of them are now free. As the family head back to New York there is a final goodbye between Joe and Nell which seems so trivial in comparison to what happened with Ed and it is made worse realising that this does happen in real life. Sarah Crossan has mastered the art of writing some of the most depression books I have ever read and I hope she never stopped.

Sarah Crossan is one of my absolute favourite authors. She writes verse so well and I always look forward to a new release from her. Moonrise is just as insightful, heartfelt, and compelling as her previous books. This story in particular was heartbreaking and so beautifully written.

This book is classed as being young adult. I'm not quite sure how "young" they class as YA but I wouldn't want a teenager to read this personally. Due to the sensitive topics covered, especially the book's primary focus upon the death penalty.

At times this book was heartbreaking to read and very emotional. It certainly isn't a lighthearted read and focusses on the family of a convict on death row. The book felt like it flitted around a lot with sadness underpinning the entire story.

I find this book really difficult to review because I didn't enjoy it but I don't think you're meant to either. I really struggled to feel any emotional connection with the characters and didn't like the way the book is structured in verse. I'm not sure I would call it poetry...

I liked the fact that the book makes you think about the ethics and morality behind death row and the legal system. It made me very glad to live in a country where the death penalty does not exist.

An evocative read and also a hard one.

A book that literally gave me all the feels. I mean if you want your heart ripped out then this book is for you!

Sarah Crossman is an artist in creating such emotive books. Not only is it poetic but it’s shows injustice, hope and heartbreak.

Like everything Sarah Crossan writes, this is beautiful and gut wrenching. For me the poetry has the effect of intensifying the characters, the brevity of the words used just ratchets up the emotional kick. When you couple that with the subject matter, the death penalty, you cannot fail to be moved. Absolutely excellent.

Beautiful and captivating as ever. If you enjoyed Sarah's previous work One then you'll love this. Just as harrowing and just as stunning.

Moonrise is a wonderful and heart-wrenching book. It tackles tough themes and Crossan's writing is stunning. Exactly what we have come to expect from this award-winning author.

I went through so many emotions whilst reading this. Very thought provoking and moving. Another amazing book from Sarah Crossan.

This is a poignant and touching novel exploring another controversial topic. This is the sort of thing Sarah Crossan does with such great skill. If you have enjoyed her other work then you will certainly enjoy this. Beautiful, moving, thought provoking.

Beautifully written, great characters. Very moving and thought provoking. Great story.

Absolutely amazing verse novel from Sarah Crossan. As always with the power of well written books. It is a reminder of how the death row not only effects the accused but also those who around them. A must read!

Sarah Crossan can do no wrong in my eyes - her storytelling and characterisation is beautiful, and her use of language vivid and touching. Loved it, and recommended it - and Sarah's other books - to several friends.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion*

I have read the majority of Sarah Crossan’s work so picking this up was a ‘no brainer’.

Edward Moon was forced to sign a confession to a crime he never committed. Moonrise is told from Joseph Moon’s perspective some 10 years later as his brother has had his date set for his execution.

Edward, Angela and Joseph didn’t have the best upbringing when they were kids, their mother was an alcoholic and neglected them. It was down to their aunt Karen to take the up the role of the parent but as a christian had very strict rules. When Edward was seventeen he left home, unable to tolerate the his aunts strict demands. His moment of freedom was short-lived as he gets incarcerated for the murder of a local policeman. 10 years on and Joseph is to make the journey to Texas to find out what really happened and to say his goodbyes as Edwards execution has been scheduled. Joseph moves in to a decrepit motel room and gets by doing chores for the local diner. His month-long stay in Texas is to get to know his brother again only to say goodbye.

This book was just OK, it deals with a topic that is not widely written about in YA books but I did prefer ‘One’ and ‘The weight of water’. In true Sarah Crossan fashion this book is written entirely in verse, it can be read as individual poems or as a story whatever your preference. This book was not as thought-provoking as her other books and whilst the topic is something that intrigues me, I felt it could have been more emotional and had more character development, the emotional side of things just wasn’t captured well in the writing and I think that’s what let it down for me. It’s probably my own fault, as I tend to go into these book with high expectations. I feel like capital punishment could have been addressed more and given the audience more awareness of executions.

Even though I thought this was only OK, I would still recommend trying it for several reasons, 1. the topic, 2. it’s written in verse. 3. Everyone else seemed to love it.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars.