Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Hardcover: 257 pages

Release date: February 14th, 2012

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

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Goodreads Summary: Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

After reading this book, my first thought was to reread and go through its brilliance over again. Another was: This book is one of the reasons why I love contemporary. The idea that this might happen to someone in real life is tremendous. It was also the first time that I got hooked from the very first page because most of my favorites are quite dull at the beginning. I just wish they gave the summary it deserves. It would not have strike me as interesting if it wasn’t for the cover and rating.

Lucy is obsessed with finding Shadow, the artist who paints great canvasses around the city with his friend, Poet. We all know at the beginning that Ed is Shadow and he and Lucy know each other quite well from two years ago. Their story is a proof that the person you’re looking for might be standing right in front of you. You just have to stop looking and start seeing.

I loved how Cath Crowley incorporated art. She made it be appreciated even by those who don’t have a talent with it. I have felt like I’ve delved into Lucy and Ed’s head every time they describe and give meaning to every graffiti moon Shadow and Poet made. The sense of peace Lucy felt, I felt. And I don’t blame her for liking Shadow’s character. His depth as an artist was as profound as when he is Ed.

Ed, Lucy, Leo, and even Jazz were very remarkable characters. I guess ‘remarkable’ is an understatement since I’ll remember them for a long time. Ed is an introvert and a very flawed guy. It’s a great move for Crowley to create a main character that had loved someone else before the heroine. It made him more real and just like Lucy, it makes my hope soar high for a living guy like him. Lucy is consumed with the idea of meeting her potential Mr. Right, Shadow. She’s peculiar in a way but I think that what makes her really cool. She’s a no-nonsense person and a kind of girl I’d want to have as a friend in real life. The way she sees and interprets what she perceives is enviable. She and Ed are like two puzzle pieces fit for each other.

The book also has a few chapters written in poetry from Leo aka Poet’s POV. All of them are short but enough to know what’s on his mind. I’m not a big fan of poetry but I had fun reading it on this one.

Graffiti Moon is full of passion for art and literature, hope, romance, and adventure. I therefore conclude that Australian YA authors are to watch out for. It’s pathetic since Melina Marchetta and Markus Zusak are both Australians and I came into realization just now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kopf Books for Young Readers for providing an e-galley of this book. 

Completely smitten!!