Graffiti Moon: A Review

I do not own this picture. I got it from Goodreads (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VkwtP5SWL.jpg) for review purposes only.

Blurb from Goodreads (which I do not own but am using for review purposes only):

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.

Title: Graffiti Moon

Author: Cath Crowley
Source: Net Galley

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Tentative Publication Date: February 14, 2012 (first published August 1, 2010)

Genre: YA Contemporary Art Romance. Yes, the art descriptor is necessary, because it's not just a romance, it's a romance centered on an artsy passion. No magic but the magic of love, if you would.

Cover: I LOVE this cover. How pretty is it? I mean, really. It feels like you're looking into a world they've made for themselves which is full of color and splashes of graffiti. I'd say that'd be pretty spot on, though I don’t completely remember them chilling out in a tube. Regardless, I really like this cover. And I saw the old cover from the first release, which also got to the point well, but this cover wins, hands down.

The Plot: This whole book is based on a one night, city-wide search for the graffiti artist, Shadow. It reminded me of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but with art, not music. Lucy and Ed search on the last night of Year 12, a night of partying for most, for the elusive graffiti artist that has stolen Lucy's heart, even though she's never met him. It's told in 3 perspectives, well really, 2.5; Lucy's, Ed's, and Poet's. I say 2.5 because Poet's part is small and consists mainly of poetry. I want to briefly go on the record and say that I normally abhor multiple perspectives. I normally feel like I never get enough perspective of whatever character I like the most. Graffiti Moon was different. Very balanced that way. BUT, this novel is a slow burn novel, if you're looking for lots of things actually happening action wise, this probably isn't your book. It isn’t boring; it's just contemplative.

The Romantic Element: This book is a very slow burn. It's got lots of cute moments and close calls, and it has all the nicely frustrating bits you'd expect from a good YA romantic movie. I liked Lucy and Ed, and the romance read realistic--they didn’t jump each other or fall instantly in love like you'd typically get. It had more of an authenticity as you wondered whether or not things would actually work out for them.

Carry-on Factor: You learn a lot about art from this book, in a similar way that I felt I was learning while reading Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. At some points, I even paused to google artists because I just had to see the colors and awe-inspiring-ness that they were talking about, and since the art talked about is real (as far as I know all of it is), you can actually google it, which is a neat aspect. You're also reading about life in Australia, so you get to learn about that too.

Overall: This was a good "what the hell, let's do it, all in one night" adventure read. You stumble around with Lucy and Ed looking at art by the Shadow and Poet, and you learn a lot about them as you learn a lot about art. If you think that'd be your cup of tea, you wouldn’t be disappointed in the slightest. I do have to say that Crowley's writing is beautiful. I know I said only Poet's sections are actually poetry, but the whole book reads so lyrical that you could easily believe the whole book is poetry. So many quotables, I tell you. On every page, Crowley said something in such an original way, that I'd say that's worth the read alone. 

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Yes" by Beyonce. I really like this song, and this cd (way better than any of her stuff since, imo)

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review. I do, however, have several Amazon affiliate links within this post. 

Happy Writing and Reading :)