Title: Blood Moon (The Ravenscliff Series #3)
Author: Geoffrey Huntington
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The mystery of the Tower at Ravenscliff is at last revealed, in the long awaited continuation of The Ravenscliff Series.
A returning threat roams the halls of Ravenscliff Manor, the mad sorceress Clarissa, but she is only one of many problems facing Devon March. His budding relationship with Cecily takes a hit when he discovers she might be his (gulp!) sister, while his pal Marcus is mysteriously linked with the savage, gorilla-like beast that turns up in Misery Point on nights of the full moon.
The only way to solve these mysteries is to take another trip down the Staircase Into Time, with Devon emerging at the Ravenscliff of thirty years ago. A time when his guardian Amanda and the mysterious Rolfe are toddlers, and the Madman, Jackson Muir, is very much alive.
Reviewing Blood Moon is tough. When I was younger, I was in love with The Ravenscliff Series. I devoured the first two books, started rooting for main character Devon, and fell in love with the spooky, crumbling mansion, Ravenscliff Manor. Unfortunately, the wait between parts two and three was too long. While I loved the characters, setting, and adventures when I was twelve-thirteen years old, I no longer find them that enthralling now that I’m twenty-two. If a teenager or middle grader would read the books today, they’d probably love it, but I had to wait ten years for a third installment, and it ended up being a dissapointment.
In typical fashion for the Ravenscliff series, the book is filled with charismatic main characters, action, suspense, and a solid dose of horror. Mad sorceress Clarissa has returned to Ravenscliff, and forms a new threat for Devon. Unfortunately she’s not the only threat though, and Devon and his friends are once again forced to take a trip down the Staircase Into Time, to the Ravenscliff of thirty years ago.
The writing is great, the action is spot-on, but it reads a little juvenile. There are also some consistencies with the first two books that annoyed me, like how it used to be the east wing that was closed off, and now, all of the sudden, it’s the west wing. Wait, what? And why change that? Does it really make a difference?
Anyway, if you like stories that have tons of plot, tons of cliffhangers, and are suspenseful and entertaining, give this series a shot. Keep in mind though that it’s a good fit for its audience, but may sound too juvenile for older audiences.
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