Creature of Moonlight
by Rebecca Hahn
♦publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
♦release date: May 6th, 2014
♦hardcover, 313 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review
A stunning debut novel about a girl who is half dragon, half human, and wholly herself.
As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a wild dragon who is sending his magical woods to capture her.
Fans of Bitterblue and Seraphina will be captured by A Creature of Moonlight, with its richly layered storytelling and the powerful choices its strong heroine must make.
As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a wild dragon who is sending his magical woods to capture her.
Fans of Bitterblue and Seraphina will be captured by A Creature of Moonlight, with its richly layered storytelling and the powerful choices its strong heroine must make.
Review: If you’re in the mood for a fairy tale, not a retelling, but a wholly unique creation with as much darkness, mystique, and wonder as a story straight from Grimm, Creature of Moonlight is what you want. With dozens of odd little creatures leering out of the woods, a lady with the knowledge of how to knit pine needles into pure vengeance, and girls who run off into the woods to escape their fears never to be seen again, Rebecca Hahn’s debut spares no creativity to spin Marni’s magical story. On the contrary, readers looking for a fast-paced action-heavy adventure will not find it here. This story takes it’s time relinquishing all of its secrets and fleshing itself out, and I was completely mesmerized by the language, the intrigue, and the mystery.
The sincerity of all the characters is what really engaged me here. Even inhabiting such a world of fantasy doesn’t stop each and every one from feeling completely genuine in their actions and emotions, from Marni who just seems to want to find freedom and a place of belonging, to her Grandfather who lovingly made incredible sacrifices to protect her, to the Lord who persistently tries to win her over, the Queen who unexpectedly befriends her, and even the King who will never let her live in peace because of who she is. They just all struck me a completely sure in what they were doing and why.
Marni was an incredible character with a heaping share of determination, stubborn attitude, and strength of heart. She’s the only girl who is lured into the woods and doesn’t disappear, but she’s torn between letting herself be taken for good, and living in a world that seems to have nearly forgotten her. When she finds herself at court, she seems pulled toward the small happinesses she finds there, too. She’s constantly trying to find a place where she belongs, where she feels free, and what it is that will define “home” for her.
It’s a really gorgeous story, and so beautifully told. It ambles off into so many curious corners and is so far off the usual plotting paths. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend to all lovers of fairy tales.
Aw, amazing review sweetie. I'm glad you mostly loved this book :D I was going to read it.. but then I didn't feel like it before my time went out on Edelweiss :p Ack. But maybe one day :) It do seem like a beautiful book.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to this one too. Just heard about it this week.
ReplyDeleteCreature Of Moonlight is such a beautiful book. I'm so glad I found this gem of an author/book. Your wonderful review captures all the wonderful elements that I loved in the story. LOL-it makes me wan to go and re-read it again! Glad you enjoyed this one as well :)
ReplyDeleteGood to know it's not a retelling
ReplyDeleteOhh I so wanted to read and love this book! I started but the writing somehow threw me off - but so far everyone is pretty excited about this book so I might pick it up again after all..
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Jodi Meadows' Newsoul books! I mean to, I swear, but just haven't. This one sounds like one I can't put off, though. But March 2015? I'm crying. Great pick Becky!
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of this, though I think I'd kind of forgotten it, but now you make me want to pick it up right now! I love the idea of a fairy tale that's not a retelling. I love retellings, but there's something about a book with that kind of feeling without knowing the story. :) Great review Becky!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely made me want to read this! I LOVE fairy tales (I've enjoyed Seraphina and Cornelia Funke's books, for example) and this one sounds perfect. Thanks for reviewing it!
ReplyDeleteThis looks awesome, I can never get enough of original fairy tales! Definitely going to have to pick this up at some point.
ReplyDeleteA fairytale straight from the Grimms, this sounds like a book for me! The more you wrote, the more I'm interested in this book. It has now earned it's spot on my 'ultimate wishlist' shelf on Goodreads :D
ReplyDeleteAw, what an awesome thing to say!! :)Thanks, Hillary! I'm glad I can introduce you to books you think you'll like---thats why I do this ol' blog of mine! If you want original fairy tales, The Glass Casket is also an awesome one. I thought it was going to be a Snow White retelling but it wasn't. Completely unique and so good.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can come across another copy of this to read. It is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteNope, it's completely unique! Though I do love a good retelling also ;)
ReplyDeleteI know I'll likely re-read this one sometime, too. And I can't wait to see more from this author!
ReplyDeleteI can see how people get turned off by the slow beginning, and writing is so unique it's almost cryptic until you get used to it. But yea, I hope you give it another try, Danny! The story as a whole turned out really wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYup, this one has that kind of whimsical, dark, not straightforward feel that Grimm stories tend to have LOL, if that makes any sense. I hope you enjoy it, Mel!
ReplyDeleteI love retellings, too---but two of my favorite books this year have been original Fairy tales: this one and The Glass Casket. I can't wait to see how you feel about this one, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to pick up Seraphina for so long! I'll have to try it out soon.
ReplyDeleteFairy tales really never get old, do they? I can't seem to get enough of them either lol.
ReplyDeleteYou should, it's really good! (if you like dragons) :)
ReplyDeleteThe Glass Casket sounds interesting. Thank you for recommending it to me! :)
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