HORROR FICTION REVIEW : HIGH MOOR III : BLOOD MOON BY GRAEME REYNOLDS

The war has begun... 

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I am so pleased, excited, and honoured to be able to bring you, cherished Ginger Nuts readers, an exclusive first look at the final book in the High Moor trilogy: High Moor 3: Blood Moon. As far as I’m concerned, this is the most anticipated book of 2015, and we are bringing it to you first.

Please note: If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, there will be spoilers for those, but as always, I will refrain from giving you any spoilers for Blood Moon.

Blood Moon picks up where Moonstruck left off. If you recall, Connie Hamilton set off on a killing spree, hunting down anyone who may have had something to do with her daughter’s death. Blood Moon sees Steven Wilkinson waking up in a military hospital, recovering from Connie’s attack. He meets Dr. Rose Fisher and Colonel Brian Richards, both of whom claim they want to help him.

Marie and John are holed up in an isolated cottage awaiting their new roommate, Daniel. Michael is in the hands of the military and with Daniel’s help, Marie and John try to find a way to rescue their alpha.

Although the military works under the pretense of helping the werewolves, it quickly becomes obvious that some members have another agenda. Things begin to deteriorate and soon, the werewolves find themselves in a war to prevent their population from becoming extinct.

What first attracted me to High Moor was its characters. It’s one thing to have a bunch of werewolves running around eviscerating people, but it is another thing entirely to have characters so well fleshed out and realistic that you care about them, even when they are in their werewolf form. We watched many of these characters grow up and have continued to follow them throughout their lives, cheering their successes and mourning their failures. If you’ve loved these characters as I have, you will be happy to know that you will continue to love them throughout Blood Moon.  I was a little concerned that because so much time had passed between books, Reynolds would have a hard time getting back into the heads of his characters. That was not the case. These characters are just as vivid and lovable as ever.

Another thing I love about the High Moor trilogy is the way the author describes the settings. The story takes place in different locations around Europe and in Russia. Reynolds is a master at making you feel like you’re right there, in each and every scene. You can almost feel the cold wind against your face and smell the same scents each character experiences. He describes silence in a way that makes it terrifying and when a wolf bares its teeth and snarls, you experience every bit of the terror the characters feel.

Blood Moon is darker and bloodier than the previous books in the series. The werewolves are more vicious than ever, and Reynolds does not hold back the violence in this book, so if that kind of thing bothers you, beware. However, there is a bit of humour thrown in to break up the violence and tension, and Reynolds demonstrates that he can write more than gore and brutal death scenes. One of my favourite lines from the book comes when Reynolds describes the fog. “Ethereal and wraith-like, forming indistinct yet vaguely recognisable shapes in its dance, before dissipating back into the impenetrable white blanket shrouding the trees.”

Okay, I know some of you are wondering about the end of the book and I won’t keep you waiting any longer. How does it all end? Without giving you any spoilers, I will tell you that although I finished the book last night, as I type this review, I feel a lump rising in my throat as I think about the way it ended. I am sad that it’s over. I will miss the characters whom I have grown to love and the stories they brought with them, but I truly think there was no better way to end the series.  Reynolds provides his readers with a completely satisfying conclusion to the High Moor trilogy. And the epilogue? Perfect. Although the series may have come to an end, I take tremendous comfort in knowing that Chris Barnes will be narrating the audio book and through him, I can experience this book all over again in a new and exciting way. This makes me ridiculously happy.

Oh, and one other thing, Blood Moon has hyphens, but only a few.

Look for High Moor 3: Blood Moon on October 27, the night of the full moon.

UK customers can pre-order this fantastic book here.  If you’re in the U.S., pre-order it right here.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a little something in my eye.

DAWN CANO