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A review by camilleisreading24
Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn
4.0
Loved this book! I wish I had stumbled upon it in my tweens; it was spooky and atmospheric and I would’ve devoured it.
The 90s feel gave me nostalgia — divorced parents, no cellphones, and a guy with an earring? This book has it all!
Cynda’s parents split up ten years ago when her dad left her mom for one of his students. (The fact that said student was 18 at the time is definitely brought up, but not as big of a deal as you’d think. Again, the ‘90s…) While her mother and stepdad are traveling, 16 year old Cynda goes to stay with her dad, his wife Susan, and her 6 year old half brother Todd, at the remote inn they run in a small Maine town. This is Cynda’s chance to have a relationship with her dad and finally get to know her stepmom and brother. At first, the inn is boring and Cynda chafes at all the chores she is expected to do. She meets Will, an artistic boy her age, but when the mysterious Vincent Morthanos comes to stay at the inn, all thoughts of a friendship or romance with Will leaves Cynda’s mind. Vincent is older, a poet, and the most handsome man Cynda has ever met. When he starts paying special attention to her, she can hardly believe it. Never mind that Will’s grandmother tells tales of a murdered girl whose ghosts haunts the inn since her killer was never found. Never mind that as she grows closer to Vincent, Cynda begins to resent her absent father, bossy stepmother, and annoying little brother more and more…
Like most vampire books, this one has themes of predation and isolation. I thought the story was well paced and readable. It’s also a fascinating contrast to the vampire books I was actually reading at 13 (hi Twilight) and there are moments of real danger and terror here.
The 90s feel gave me nostalgia — divorced parents, no cellphones, and a guy with an earring? This book has it all!
Cynda’s parents split up ten years ago when her dad left her mom for one of his students. (The fact that said student was 18 at the time is definitely brought up, but not as big of a deal as you’d think. Again, the ‘90s…) While her mother and stepdad are traveling, 16 year old Cynda goes to stay with her dad, his wife Susan, and her 6 year old half brother Todd, at the remote inn they run in a small Maine town. This is Cynda’s chance to have a relationship with her dad and finally get to know her stepmom and brother. At first, the inn is boring and Cynda chafes at all the chores she is expected to do. She meets Will, an artistic boy her age, but when the mysterious Vincent Morthanos comes to stay at the inn, all thoughts of a friendship or romance with Will leaves Cynda’s mind. Vincent is older, a poet, and the most handsome man Cynda has ever met. When he starts paying special attention to her, she can hardly believe it. Never mind that Will’s grandmother tells tales of a murdered girl whose ghosts haunts the inn since her killer was never found. Never mind that as she grows closer to Vincent, Cynda begins to resent her absent father, bossy stepmother, and annoying little brother more and more…
Like most vampire books, this one has themes of predation and isolation. I thought the story was well paced and readable. It’s also a fascinating contrast to the vampire books I was actually reading at 13 (hi Twilight) and there are moments of real danger and terror here.