Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsSix Moon Summer - Review on Words and Wine
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 16, 2014
I want to make readers aware that all four of the books in this series are very much young adult appropriate. A ten year old would be able to read this series without running into sex, or curse words. No real gore, but there is some light horror moments. I found it to be less scary than Goosebumps. This may cause issues later as the series get progressively more adult, until the sex becomes graphic. The sex is honestly not that often, perhaps once a book or so.
From a writer’s perspective this can cause you problems. It means your reading age isn't consistent. You could lose younger readers this way. If the books weren't so intertwined in the same world this probably wouldn't be a problem. But, a young reader who likes the story and the world will probably want to read the next one which is suddenly full of sex, curse words, and descriptive gore and horror.
This is just my opinion, and kids are probably more adult than I remember. To me though, it was an abrupt shift.
I would rate Six Moon Summer Book One of Seasons of the Moon at PG to PG13. Star rating, about 3*s. Let me explain why only three stars.
So far I have never seen SM Reine charge for this book. Because of that I will probably jump the number of stars from three to four when leaving a review. I have to respect her giving me something I enjoy reading for free. Based on the story only, the writing, the cover art, and the description I want to say three stars.
I’m not going to describe the story in depth. You can read the review and any of the reviews on Amazon for that. But the basic story line for Six Moon Summer is: Rylie gets bitten by a werewolf. The next day this hot, black guy follows her around and seems to know all about werewolves: Seth. Seth tells her that if she fights the change for three months, and 6 moons, she won’t become a werewolf.
Moon is a vague word to use. Now to be clear, what the author means is every New Moon, and Full Moon. This is SM Reine’s werewolf lore.
The reason I rate it three stars is because the story is incredibly cliche and redundant. Normal girl isn't so normal anymore. Werewolves are falling off the shelves. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started reading and therefore I wasn't disappointed. I wanted some candy and I got some.
This candy was actually better quality than I anticipated. While the story and plot were predictable the writing was clear and precise. I didn't notice very many errors, and definitely not in the first page. Because of this, the predictable plot was far more enjoyable. The cliche characters had great development. I could see exactly who they were in my mind.
Though apparently Seth is black, for some reason this eluded me until the end of the second series. I don’t know if that was my bad, or the author’s. I have nothing against interracial couples, nothing at all. But it shocked my mind’s image of the character into something I had to rearrange. Not great for a reader.
The action builds nicely, and the climax gave me just enough answers while handing me a few more questions. These questions pushed me on to read Book Two. SM Reine accomplished her goal with this book.
Reine introduced me to her world and her characters, and then got me to want to know more, and to keep reading.
From a writer's perspective I would like to evaluate the whole package. The cover clearly communicates what the story is going to be about, and it's eye-catching. If you're into paranormal you would probably think this is going to be a great read.
Reine's title adds to the picture of the wolf. Clearly the wolf and the moon mean something to the girl in the picture. "Six Moon Summer" is a little confusing, but I looked at it and figured the author would tell me what she meant in her story. I was right.
Her book description was as cliche as the story, but it gave me enough information to know exactly what I was about to get into, and that I might like it. I don't know if it's the best, but it gets the point across. I did like the use of a tagline. Something like that could be used for quite a few things.
I have noticed Reine does not do this for every book. I feel like, as a writer, you should be consistent with your work and they way you present it.
I probably won't be reading this book again, but I would definitely recommend it to those who like candy.
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