Moonrise SHORTLISTED FOR THE YA BOOK PRIZE

This was so, so sad. You got a really good sense of all the character’s emotions through the way it was written and the verb form worked really well for this kind of story.

A heartbreaking look at the criminal justice system, the effect having a family member sentenced to death has on the family and how frighteningly easy it is to railroad poor kids without an education into the prison system for something they did not do.

jesus christ why have I read the most depressing books this week.

This was the harrowing coming of age story of a seventeen year old boy, Joe, who’s brother, Ed, has just been given his execution date, after 10 years of incarceration. The book provides an insight into a perspective that is not usually considered in death row cases. As a non-American reading this book the injustice of a broken prison system was heartbreaking and infuriating. The looming date is felt throughout the narrative and soon enough I felt I was on this journey with the characters. For a Young Adult novel I believe Crossan provided an excellent environment that doesn’t focus primarily on the positives and negatives of capital punishment but discusses the heartbreak and pain for everyone involved. Moonrise is a realistic story of life and death, love and heartbreak.

When I read the synopsis, I thought this was going to be a five-star read for me because of how hard hitting it sounded. Personally, I did not find the heart wrenching reaction I was looking for. The characters were unpalatable and there was a little romance in it that didn’t need to be there. What did I like about it? The writing style was great. The death penalty is a controversial topic and is not something I have read in books before but would like to explore more of it in the future.

I don’t think I will ever be okay after reading this book. I can’t stop crying 🌙💔