Review: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Book Reviewed: Moonglass (Review Copy)

Author of the Book: Jessi Kirby

Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011 (Today!!!)

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers

Recommended Ages: 12 and Up

Type: Young Adult Fiction

Page Count: 224 Pages

Date Finished: May 2nd, 2011

Reviewer: Roshini

Acquired/Source: Received a review copy prior to release date for a honest review on blog.

Synopsis:

From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead.

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever. (Via Goodreads)

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Review:

How can I describe this book? It was pure and brought tears to my eyes at some points! At first, I thought that this was just another book about a lost family member being a mermaid when I only saw the cover. Once I read the whole book though, I realized that the book was more contemporary and not the least bit fantasy.

Anna, the main character, has lived a life of guilt and misunderstanding ever since her mother died when she was a little child. The book starts with her and her father moving back to her dad's childhood town after he gets a promotion. Anna doesn't appreciate this very much through the first beginning chapters of the book. Moving is the least of her problems though, one huge problem that she does have though is the place where she moves and people there.

The romance is this books is sweet and warm. Anna and Tyler, a handsome lifeguard slowly become more than just friends in the book. What I love about the romance is that it doesn't suddenly hit you full blast on, it creeps higher and higher until you know its inevitable. This type of romance in young adult books is always the best because the main characters act a bit more realistically.

Reality, as mentioned before is very prominent in the book. Readers can feel what Anna goes through as the guilt and mysteries of her mother's death press down upon her. Any teenage girl could have this happen to her which is easily connected with in the book.

I love the theme of sea glass in the book. The title of the book comes from a word Anna and her mother make. Moonglass describes sea glass found at night using moonlight. The word it self shows one connection point Anna had with her mother.

Jessi Kirby explores the heart of a teenaged girl who loses her mother not from accidental death but suicide. This topic is less addressed in the young adult genre but shows prominency for something enormous! The way she vividly writes places people right on the beaches where Moonglass takes place for most of the movie. It makes the reader yearn to visit a beach in Moonglass, somehow.

Moonglass was a story that taught me many lessons. It let me glimpse into a life of a teenager whose mother died in a completely different way. Anna tries to make a fresh start away from all of this. Rejuvenatingly inspiring, Moonglass is a novel compared to red sea glass on a beach-precious, beautiful, and rare.

My Take on the Cover:

The cover and back of Moonglass is phenomenal. I love the sparkly finish that they gave it. It gives off a feeling of gems and glass. Anna and Tyler holding hands, looking out in the ocean represents their romance in the book. The background, which is the ocean shows off the setting magnificently! The title is both in words and on the cover-the letters are silver and indented with a moon behind it. The small pieces of sea glass reflecting because of the moonlight gives the cover yet another reason to be even more gorgeous.

Rating:

5: People will not be able to resist this Bookish Delight!

*Thank you to Jessi Kirby and the publisher for sending out this review copy to me!*

As of today, May 3rd 2011, the book is officially out in the bookstores for readers!

Jessi Kirby's Site

Buy the Book:

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