Blood Moon

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this incredible book via the author's Twitter page, but this does not affect my review in any way.

For me, verse has this emotional intensity and power that never fails to draw me in. Here Cuthew has achieved the same effect with this empowering tale of female friendship that rails against patriarchal stigma. 

Periods are often shunned as a taboo topic, but here the shame is forced to stop. I loved reading Cuthew's author note about how her struggles with endometriosis informed Frankie's story and actually this is something that we need to discuss more. Women's struggles are being silenced because it is a topic that some people find uncomfortable and this is inexcusable. The stigma around periods needs to be broken and books like this help the process of breaking down that wall.

We need to have those uneasy discussions that may be prompted by the story about periods, but also about our culture of online shaming and the double standards around sexuality. Frankie is shamed for her intimate experience, but Benjamin does not experience this to the same extent. Every aspect of Frankie's life is affected by what should have been a private moment and sadly this is a reality for so many people around the country. 

There is just something about the sparsity of language in a verse novel that just packs such an emotional punch and really helped me to connect with Frankie. Her relationships with Harriet, her dad and Benjamin were so well drawn through just a few words. The characters all felt so real and easy to empathise with, never feeling two-dimensional or flat. Their voices were so clear through Cuthew's clever manipulation of language, showing her immense skill. 

Blood Moon has clearly established a new bold, fiercely feminist voice in YA literature that I am desperate to hear from again soon.

I've seen a lot of hype about this book and it deserves every single word. Blood Moon is brilliant. Here are three reasons you should buy it now.

1. We need more YA novels about periods, to help demystify and normalise them. Blood Moon does a great job of exploring the unnecessary stigma around periods, as well as the toxic nature of online shaming. The novel has a positive, empowering message which it's brilliant to see in YA.

2. I loved the friendships in Blood Moon. They were messy and imperfect and very real. Arguments feel like the end of the world because friendships often are your world when you're a teenager, so the implications of them breaking down are astronomical. I loved the group chats, the hashtags and the in-jokes, the laughter and the tears. Frankie's bond with Harriet is really special, but it also feels like a real teenage friendship. Frankie's other relationships, with her parents and the boy she likes, are also really strong and her brilliant support network is essential to the novel's success. I love how much, as an adult, I now relate to Frankie's Dad - he's outdated jokes and language really made me giggle!

3. This is the second novel written in verse I've read this year. It's a great format to read: fast paced, every word counts and every line flows. I think it works particularly well for teen novels because everything is so quick and fleeting - conversations flow in a very realistic way and you get a great insight into the protagonist's thoughts. Visually, Blood Moon is wonderful. It is immediately clear and accessible to anyone who picks it up.

I really loved Blood Moon and read it in two sittings. I would recommend it without hesitation.

I was provided with an advanced copy of Blood Moon on NetGalley.

Gosh! This is a much needed book, right?!

In fantastic blank verse style - which brilliantly suits the novel - Lucy Cuthew delves into teenage friendships, periods, online shaming and love.

Cuthew confidently chips away at the taboo over periods - hooray! Seriously, this is very much needed!

I really loved the empowering message of this book and I also appreciated how it didn't shy away from depicting the brutality and effects of being publicly shamed. Unfortunately it's something that too often happens in our everyday society and I believe the author did a good job of showing it.

I think that this book can definitely be the starting point for a much needed conversation about periods and the absurd fact that this topic is still considered as a taboo. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something natural and we should be able to freely talk about it.
This novel also deals with online bullying and threats, messy friendships and so much more.

I think this is a must read for everyone!

This verse novel can only shock as social media sharing starts out to shame and quickly escalates into violent threats towards a young girl, guilty only of starting her period. Frankie and Harriet are best friends and part of a close group of others. But when Harriet does something silly and Frankie calls her irresponsible they argue. Things go from bad to worse as Harriet tries to enact revenge. So when a secret, known only to Frankie and a new boyfriend, is discovered and sent viral, Frankie thinks Harriet is responsible.
Frankie tries to manage the shame herself, but after the threats become seriously violent and abusive, she is forced to tell her parents. But it's the realisation by Frankie's friends that this is unacceptable for all girls that gives them the power to fight back.
This is a powerful message about how social media dictates society's treatment of girls v boys. What happens is not Frankie's fault, yet the online abuse she receives makes her life impossible. Peer pressure and crowd mentality takes over. It is easy to see how this could tip young adults, or even younger children, over the edge into taking steps from which there is no way back. We must educate everyone into thinking before posting and considering the feelings of everyone. This is a book all YA should read.

Bea watched a film while I devoured #BloodMoon by @LucyCuthew on #NetGalley - a spectacular novel in verse that will make you laugh, cry, and scream in frustration. The unfairness of online shaming, unnecessary embarrassment about periods, & the strength of friendship. Fab #UKYA https://t.co/1uDz51VBom

I read Blood Moon in a single sitting last night and I was blown away. It's powerful and heartbreaking but also incredibly funny, deeply relatable and wonderfully uplifting.

Lucy Cuthew is a force to be reckoned with. Her writing is fresh and full of impact. Her characters are so real that you forget you're reading a book - it's more a film or memory. I love that Frankie is obsessed with astronomy too. We don't see nearly enough female protagonists with STEM leanings in books for young people. And she isn't the classic 'geek' (not that there's anything wrong with being a geek - I'm a self-confessed geek). She's cool (but not too cool). She's every girl. We follow her excitement, her joy, that feeling of an early crush - that thing where you don't even realise that you're smiling. Navigating life, navigating future aspirations. And then, the Incident. Everything escalates and that escalation is so masterfully executed that I couldn't put the book down. I read the second half with my heart in my mouth. I cried. Tears of devastation but also happy tears because, amazingly, this book that broke my heart also put it back together again. And somehow, amidst all of that, I laughed so much too. How is that even possible? It takes a rare kind of talent to do that to you over and over again.

I'll be recommending this book to everyone. It's a masterclass in writing and in the art of humour but also an urgent, compelling, and sensitive story about periods, online shaming, and relationships with friends and family.

I'll never get those words out of my head: 'it's only blood'.

Feels all too plausible (acutely so!) and verse style makes it very accessible and punchy. Powerful read that does offer a positive and feminist conclusion to draw some hope from!