Review: Saltwater Moons by Julie Gittus

Title: Saltwater Moons
Author: Julie Gittus
Pages: 268
Publisher: Lothian Books
Release Date: August 7, 2008

In the beginning it seems so simple. A poem in the mail. A weekend invitation to the coast. But when Sun says yes to a midnight walk, her life becomes suddenly complicated. Saltwater Moons tells the story of Sun Langley during her final months of Year Twelve. There's the intensity of her first relationship, complicated by the fact she continues to exchange poems with her boyfriend's best mate. It's a story about love and betrayal, about constantly longing for the things we can't have.

My Thoughts: When I finished Saltwater Moons last night, I had mixed feelings. There were a lot of things that happened that brought out my anger, but I just could not stop reading. I thought the story was intriguing, the setting was nice, and I really liked the writing. (All the Australian books I've read so far have great writing.) Those must have been the reasons why I couldn't put the book down because I know some of the characters weren't the ones who kept me going.

I couldn't sympathize with the main character Sun. I just wasn't able to fully understand her actions and behavior. She allowed the situation between her and Mark to continue... And for what? She knew what type of person Mark was, so it was pretty obvious where the relationship was headed. She also knew that she had feelings for someone else, Mark's friend Tycho. Now, I might have gotten annoyed with Sun, but I don't believe she was a horrible character. She made mistakes like any normal person. I do believe she learned something and gained strength from all this, but I just don't get why she put herself through that. I wish she had the courage to confront Tycho in the first place instead of allowing Mark to take over.

I didn't like Mark. All the things he said to Sun... I'm sure she's not the first girl to hear those words from him. And every time he was with her it never seemed like he was ever completely there. His behavior might be his way of coping with his stressful home life, but I don't believe that's any excuse. As for Tycho, he didn't get nearly as much page-time as Mark, but from what we did get, he sounded like a nice guy. He definitely wasn't perfect though. At least he sounded better than his friend. I honestly wondered what he thought of Mark & Sun. Because, to me, it was obvious Tycho was interested in Sun and shouldn't Mark have known that? But I guess Mark's too selfish to care. And Sun wasn't strong enough to stop it from happening.

I know it may seem like I didn't like this book, and I know it might not make sense with me saying that I have mixed feelings, but overall... I actually did. I just didn't enjoy the decisions and behaviors of certain characters. So would I recommend this book? Yes. And if the author were to write more books, I would definitely be interested in reading them.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Nic @ Irresistible Reads for sending this out! :)