Red Point Crux

Good afternoon from a drizzly England. I hope you’re all keeping safe and well.
Today, I’m excited to be reviewing Red Point Crux, a young adult mystery, by Morgan Shamy.

About

The Red Point Crux follows Megan Tucker (AKA: Red), a stubborn world-class climber, and Liam Reynolds, the inheritor of his parent’s cursed theatre.

Megan yearns to return to her professional climber status after an unfortunate failing, while Liam struggles to keep his family’s theatre afloat during a series of mysterious murders, linked to a horrific accident at a performance decades earlier.

Characters

Seventeen year old Megan Tucker (Red) is a stubborn young woman, running away from her past at every opportunity. She is terrified to be anything like her mother and fears failure over her climbing career. At times, I liked Megan because she was passionate and driven, but at other times I rooted against her, for her lack of loyalty to her friends and shunning of responsibility.

Nineteen year old Liam Reynolds the Third is a good-hearted and loyal young man, doing his best to keep his parent’s theatre running so the people who work there don’t lose their jobs. In every scene, I could see him doing his best to pull things together and came to admire him greatly.

Bellamy, a mysterious loner (reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera) captivated me from his first appearance. Claiming to have been close with Megan’s father, he was protective, intelligent and insightful, and aloof to the point of appearing cold at times. The personal turmoil within his character made him easy to empathize with as I wondered which path he would take.

Likes

The writing style is enjoyable, with varied pacing and two main point of view characters, Megan and Liam. The characters felt well-rounded, each with a unique history: their fears, desires, and personal quirks.

The MO of The Bridegroom Killer was inventive and made the murders more startling and poignant.

The growing friendship between Megan and Bellamy was well developed and kept me on my toes as I wondered if they would ever become an item.

One final love of mine comes with Megan’s revelation at the three quarter story mark, where she realizes ‘she had connected her identity to succeeding’ and is finally able to move forward with her life, on a happier path.

Overall, I found nothing to dislike.

Memorable Quotes

It was difficult to choose any number of quotes as there were many relatable ones I came across in my reading. Luckily, I managed to settle on four that had the greatest impact.

1) ‘We’re not people to be treated like machines. We’re human beings, with feelings.’

2) ‘You never know what people’s true intentions are- it’s why we must learn to step outside ourselves and truly see life from another’s point of view. Give people a chance to prove themselves before making a judgement.’

3) ‘It’s better to face the realities of the world, instead of living in a fake bubble that will only destroy you later.’

4) ‘So what if you fail? We need to feel heartache. We need to know the darkness, so we can learn compassion. So we can know what it is to really live.’

Overview

Overall, Red Point Crux, by Morgan Shamy is a wonderful, mysterious story of loss, family and the human mind.

Rated: 5 stars.
Recommended for lovers of young adult stories, with mystery, thrills and some romance mixed in.

To learn more about Red Point Crux, please visit its Goodreads page HERE

To learn more about author Morgan Shamy, please visit her Goodreads author page HERE.

Thank you for joining me for today’s review.
If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a comment below, or sharing via social media.

Have a wonderful week,
Ellie. xoxo