Ramona Reads: Review: Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Night of the Purple Moon

by Scott Cramer

Goodreads Description:

Space germs wipe out virtually everyone who has passed through puberty.

Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple. 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 on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure.

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.

My Review:

Night of the Purple Moon is a great read for dystopia and YA fans! Being a huge fan myself, I have to say that this book is one of my top favorites, and I have read TONS of dystopia books. I was offered this book from the author himself and I’m glad that I got the chance to review It because this one was a real page turner.

It’s the night of the purple moon—when Earth enters the comet’s tail, and astronomers predict weeks of colorful sunsets and sunrises, and best of all—a purple moon. The whole world has a front view seat and is excited for the event. Little did they know, this ‘purple moon’ was going to do more than just provide a colorful scene, the space dust is going to [unknowingly] kill anyone that has hormones of puberty. So, who does that leave? You guessed it—the children. The world as they know it is in chaos with children trying to survive on their own.

In a small foggy island, away from the main cities, thirteen-year-old Abby must do all she can in order to protect her living family members—her little brother Jordan and baby sister Toucan. As they work together to find a plan, they end up gathering all the kids from their island and developing a small community to take care of themselves. Suddenly, children start dying once they hit puberty, and Abby (and the other elders) must find another way to save them before it’s too late, even for them.

This incredible story will take you on a rollercoaster ride as you engage in the adventure and journey these children have to go through in order to survive. They experience death and survival that a great apocalypse story will bring.

The characters were amazing, especially Abby, who is a true female heroine in this story. She goes through so many obstacles to survive and her commitment to protect these children is astonishing. Her brother Jordan is a typical young boy who tries his best in helping, and he does a great job. We meet other characters like the potential love interest, Kevin, who is into technology and a true leader—so that helps with the survival. And Emily, who is Kevin’s sister, is sweet and helps a lot with the younger children and farming. There are many more survivors that are equally good and bad, and each of these characters play through well.

The plot is amazing and unpredictable, which will have you flipping through these pages as fast as you can to see what’s next! The story is well-developed and well-written, so you won’t have any trouble seeing this story unfold before your eyes. I love how there is so much action and suspense throughout the story--there were plenty of twists and turns that will capture you in.

Overall, we experience death, loss, survival, courage, action, suspense and just enough romance to keep you on your toes. I highly recommend this book to children 13 or older, young adults that love a good dystopian story, or even adults—like me—who just love YA and Dystopia!

Five Beautiful Butterflies*****