Friday, December 19, 2014

Book Review: Moonlight by Ann Hunter (no spoilers)

Book: Moonlight
Author: Ann Hunter
Publication: March 3rd, 2014
Source: Author for Review
Read: Nov 17- Dec 12, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

One vow. One curse. One thousand moons.

 While Princess Aowyn's six brothers are favored by their father, Aowyn is the jewel in her mother's crown. When the Queen dies, Aowyn takes a vow to protect her brothers and father from the hungry eyes of the queen's handmaiden, Ciatlllait - who is more than she seems.

 In order to save her family, Aowyn risks a dangerous deal with the dark creature Sylas Mortas. But magic comes with a price: and Aowyn soon realizes the one she has paid is too steep

. Only true love can reverse the spell...but it will take one thousand moons.

 Set in a Celtic world, "Moonlight" is the story of faith and true love woven through a breathtaking retelling of the classic folktale "The Swan Princess".
.
My Thoughts:

* I recieved Moonlight from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own and I was in no way compensated for this review*

I read The Wild Swans and watched the Russian movie in preparation for reading Moonlight. This novel is based on the celtic story of "The Swan Princess." The basic premise is that Aowyn's brothers are turned to swans. Aowyn makes a deal with the villan Sylas Mortas. She will not speak for one thousand moons. 

I have to give props to Ann Hunter for writing a novel where the main character does not speak for most of the novel. I'm sure it was no easy feat. I already knew Aowyn from reading The Subtle Beauty, but I have to say I fell in love with her character more through reading Moonlight. I think she made a very bold choice for her brothers. 

Then Aowyn meets Xander. Xander comes to the kingdom with plans for war, but fate has other ideas. Their love story reminded me a little bit of Airel and Eric's relationship from Disney's Version of The Little Mermaid. Xander was forced to get to know Aowyn when Aowyn could not communicate with Xander unless she was willing to risk her brother's safety. Aowyn had to keep her promise to Sylas while getting to know Xander. I loved the way Aowyn's name was eventually revealed. 

The beginning of Moonlight was slow for me, but the second half really picked up and got more into the elements of the fairy tale. I really enjoyed the way The Swan Princess was worked into this story. I think it added richness to the story. Overall I think Moonlight was a great book. I did not enjoy it as much as The Subtle Beauty, but I enjoyed it never the less. I will be reading Fallen soon. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hi my name is Rachael and I want to thank you for commenting on my blog. I appreciate every single comment I receive and I reply back to all comments.