I received Night of the Purple Moon (The Toucan Trilogy, Book 1) from Scott Cramer for reviewing purposes earlier this year. It’s a great read and Scott is a brilliant writer (who has even written a guest post On the Writing of a Novel for me!) yet throughout the reading process I found myself feeling conflicted about my impending review. Do I write that I enjoyed it/I was rooting for our young protagonists from the beginning/it’s too heartbreaking and that by the end I had no more tears left to shed and is somewhat similar to a constant battle in The Hunger Games.
Synopsis
Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly germs from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults.
For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon. But nobody has predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet when the germs attack the hormones produced during puberty.
On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her — adolescence.
Review
How much I enjoyed the book: 6/10
How good the book was: 9/10
When I started reading NOTPM I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. Dystopian fiction holds a special place in my heart, but I’m not a fan of kids (in real life of otherwise! haha). The book started off as a seemingly traditional family story however within mere pages everyone, including the reader, is thrown into a state of confusion. A world without immediate adult authority may sound like freedom, but the harsh realities of life and the responsibilities it brings rapidly hits each child as they cope with their impending doom.
Sheer panic, desperation and hopelessness are not the greatest emotions to feel secondhand, but Scott manages to grab you by the heart and force you to care about each and every child – which is a huge feat for me.
Unfortunately, on multiple occasions I wondered why I was putting myself through so much pain, misery and depression. If your emotions are easily influenced by literature like I am, this will definitely have you reaching for your tissue box. We spend much of the book empathising with the kids I felt exceptionally proud to see them coping so well. Each success became a symbol of hope for us all, whilst each failure became a reminder that life (literally) isn’t always smooth sailing.
I found myself quite stunned towards the end of the book. Having forgotten that I was reading a dystopian novel, I hadn’t anticipated the moralistic aspects to come. Hidden under the mask of a novel focussing on children, Scott Cramer was asking some very mature questions:
Is it possible to survive in a world where it’s every man for himself?
How far is our own society from this type of isolationist mentality?
Of course these are questions to deep to delve into in a review, so I shall be saving them for a later date.
All in all, I think Night of the Purple Moon was written exceptionally well. Despite the tears, within the first few chapters I had no doubt that I’d be completing the series.
Recommendations
If you are up for a heavily emotionally young adult book, this is the one for you! Otherwise dystopian fiction fans or anyone looking for a ‘coming of age’ novel this is a brilliant one for you.
