Blood Moon coming September 9th, 2025 from Page Street YA; 384 pages
Content Warning: Graphic violence, murder, foul language
About the Author: “Britney S. Lewis is the Kansas award-winning author of The Undead Truth of Us and The Dark Place. She has a B.A. in corporate communications with an emphasis in business and art. When Britney isn’t daydreaming about new stories, she is an urban hiker, exploring the city on foot, looking for iced coffee. She can also be found watching TV shows with her husband and her pup or practicing West Coast Swing. She lives in Kansas City” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Britany S. Lewis on the following platforms:
Eighteen-year-old Mirabella Owens grew up in Timber Plains, surrounded by local legends of werewolves protecting humans from a vampire enclave; tales she didn’t pay any mind to after the disappearance of her mother when she was thirteen. But everything changes once Mira starts her freshman year at Lakeland University. Life seems ordinary enough until she crosses paths with Julian Santos, a mysterious boy with a cold demeanor directed solely at her. When she receives an unaddressed letter from her mother, she begins seeking answers regarding her mother’s disappearance, the town legends, and Julian’s secrets. As the two grow closer, their families’ ties to the local legends begin to unravel, and danger seeps in as Mira awakens a long-awaited, continued war between the werewolves and the vampires. And once the blood moon rises, she must uncover the truth, and Julian must decide if he will stick by her side.
I was super excited to dive into a paranormal romance, especially with a werewolf love interest, but overall, I’m left with mixed feelings. Right away, I noticed how repetitive Mira’s monologue was, and at times, there were lengthy passages that added little substance to the narrative. The romance often overshadowed the plot, which felt underdeveloped as a result. The writing itself also felt inconsistent—some lines were beautifully written while others fell flat. Another aspect that stood out to me was the way side characters were described primarily by race, and I was especially surprised to learn only after finishing the book that Mira is Black, as her identity isn’t explored. While the story is set in a university, the majority of the cast had the maturity of high school students, and I felt the setting could have been explored in more depth. Certain scenes reminded me heavily of Twilight—sometimes I enjoyed it, but other times it felt like they lacked originality. That said, I did love the scene where Julian drinks Mira’s blood, as it’s one of my favorite tropes in paranormal romance. I just wish their relationship hadn’t escalated to such intimacy in only two weeks. There was also a “love triangle,” but it never felt that way, since Mira spent most of her time with Julian, and very little time with the other love interest. Overall, I did enjoy the story enough that I might pick up the second book out of curiosity. I would recommend this to fans of Twilight or The Vampire Diaries.
Blood Moon releases on September 9th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Page Street YA for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer