Low Red Moon

August 23, 2010
Devlin, a pseudonym for author Elizabeth Scott, offers an eerie and engrossing paranormal murder mystery. Seventeen-year-old Avery witnesses her parents' brutal murder at their home deep in the woods, but she has no memory of the event. The writing reverberates with intense grief and desire, as Avery struggles to adjust to life without her parents; Avery loves the forest, and her isolation and loneliness are overwhelming when she is sent to live in town with her estranged grandmother. She soon connects with new kid Ben with chemistry so powerful that even the revelation that Ben is a werewolf can't separate them. Avery starts to recall pieces of what happened, but she realizes her time is running out when she is targeted and another family living in the woods is killed. As her connection to the forest grows, she is afraid the images she remembers mean that Ben is responsible for her parents' deaths. The plot is straightforward, without a lot of action, but the emotion pouring off the pages should sweep readers into this haunting story. Ages 12–up.

August 15, 2010
Devlin (novelist Elizabeth Scott writing under a pseudonym) breathes new life into a format that's lately verged on self-parody by wrapping her shy-teenage-girl-and-supernatural-male love story in an overarching tragedy. After Avery Hood is discovered with the mutilated bodies of her parents but no memory of what happened to them, her grandmother, Renee, who lives in the town outside the forest where Avery was raised, takes her in. Avery wants to help track down her parents' killers, but all she can recall is a flash of silver. Although Ben, a new student at her school, fascinates her, his silver eyes are disturbing—especially when she realizes he's a werewolf. As their powerful mutual attraction and Avery's mysterious connection to the forest grow, the menacing evil stalking her draws closer. Pleasingly concise for this overwritten genre, the story derives its power and authenticity at least as much from its well-observed study of grief as from the intense love story. Intriguing characters and a suspenseful plot that unfolds with elision and restraint add up to a promising series opener. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

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November 1, 2010

Gr 8 Up-Avery, 17, remembers her parents' broken bodies, the blood-enough to cover her-and a flash of silver; nothing more. She had been living in the woods with her mother and father, and their murders force her to move into town, to the home of a grandmother she barely knows. Enter the new boy in school. Ben lives in the woods, and something about him calls to Avery with a sharp, visceral pull. With his sometimes-silver eyes, Ben is something more than human, something that Avery wants but is not sure she can trust. Readers can feel Avery come alive in her sorrow, confusion, and desires. However, the romance aspect of the story continually threatens to overwhelm the mystery, which is wonderfully written. The constant I trust him, I don't, he's dangerous, he's not, gets a bit tiring. The ending leaves room for a sequel, but does not demand it. Devlin (aka Elizabeth Scott) has written a novel that will definitely appeal to fans of paranormal fiction/romance.-Melyssa Malinowski, Parkville High School, Baltimore, MD

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.