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nickyfox13's review
4.0
A refreshingly unique take on vampirism and period pieces. This is the story of Zephyr Hollis, a social activist with a reuptation for being a vampire suffragette. It is a creative look on the treatement of those people marginalize for being considered "other", which were supernatural creatuers in this novel. Zephyr is a sleuth who solves crime through her own unconventional means, and believes in what she does sincerely, even if the fact that bills don't get paid. She earns a reuptation as a result of her actions.
Zephyr is a wonderful narrator and a fully dynamic character. The pace of the novel starts out chaotic and a bit difficult to understand because I felt it lacked context of introduction; jumping right into the action proves to be an overall positive trait because the novel pickes up a fast pace as the plot settles in. I appreciate that the writing does not bother to linger on useless details. The blurb seemed to make a deal of romance, but I'm glad that any mention of romance was minimal at best; instead of being a long, drawn-out subplot, the romance merely is a layer of characterization for Zephyr.
4.5 stars, mostly for the initial chaotic pacing.
Zephyr is a wonderful narrator and a fully dynamic character. The pace of the novel starts out chaotic and a bit difficult to understand because I felt it lacked context of introduction; jumping right into the action proves to be an overall positive trait because the novel pickes up a fast pace as the plot settles in. I appreciate that the writing does not bother to linger on useless details. The blurb seemed to make a deal of romance, but I'm glad that any mention of romance was minimal at best; instead of being a long, drawn-out subplot, the romance merely is a layer of characterization for Zephyr.
4.5 stars, mostly for the initial chaotic pacing.
jackiehorne's review
4.0
See full review at RNFF:
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2014/06/urban-fantasy-decidedly-not-la-mode.html
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2014/06/urban-fantasy-decidedly-not-la-mode.html
elusivity's review
4.0
Another feisty heroine, another sexy immortal love interest, vampirism as a tragic disease, and all set in the slinky 1920s. Familiar tropes, but well written and infused with sufficient uniqueness to make this a truly excellent beginning to a promising series. Recommended!
kblincoln's review
4.0
Moonshine was an uneven experience for me. I loved, loved, the prohibition-era feeling of it (the heroine rides around on a bicycle in the snow and is called the "vampire suffgatte").
I loved the non-European character of Amir, as well as the emphasis on immigrants rights/vampire rights of all those new vampires living in tenements.
Quite an interesting twist on the whole vampire culture.
Zephyr is an ex-Defender (killer of vampires and Others (there seems to be fairies and djinni too) who has reformed and now lives in the big city teaching night classes and demonstrating for rights for the Others.
Right as she finds and rescues a young boy forcibly turned vampire, one of her students asks for her help in finding the crime boss ultimately responsible for vampire gang violence in the city.
The story was fine, the plot drew you in, and the side characters from the Italian immigrant Giuseppe who plucks Zephyr's heartstrings to the society reporter who plays Pygmalion to Zephyr to her hick Montana Defender Father were engaging and fun to read.
Where the story was uneven was somewhat on the dialogue level/action level where all of a sudden important action was glossed over, and in the details of the ultimate plot revelation where several people are revealed to be important people or to have does questionably wrong things and I wanted that to be more tightly woven into the plot so that I could go back and say "ah ha, I see that here".
Still, quite an engaging book and definitely not the same old same old urban fantasy. I'll defininitely be paying attention to the next book in the series.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Grilled cheese sandwhich with sauteed peppers for the comfortable, old-timey feeling of the world created in this novel with the spiciness of Amir and the vampire culture to give it pep.
I loved the non-European character of Amir, as well as the emphasis on immigrants rights/vampire rights of all those new vampires living in tenements.
Quite an interesting twist on the whole vampire culture.
Zephyr is an ex-Defender (killer of vampires and Others (there seems to be fairies and djinni too) who has reformed and now lives in the big city teaching night classes and demonstrating for rights for the Others.
Right as she finds and rescues a young boy forcibly turned vampire, one of her students asks for her help in finding the crime boss ultimately responsible for vampire gang violence in the city.
The story was fine, the plot drew you in, and the side characters from the Italian immigrant Giuseppe who plucks Zephyr's heartstrings to the society reporter who plays Pygmalion to Zephyr to her hick Montana Defender Father were engaging and fun to read.
Where the story was uneven was somewhat on the dialogue level/action level where all of a sudden important action was glossed over, and in the details of the ultimate plot revelation where several people are revealed to be important people or to have does questionably wrong things and I wanted that to be more tightly woven into the plot so that I could go back and say "ah ha, I see that here".
Still, quite an engaging book and definitely not the same old same old urban fantasy. I'll defininitely be paying attention to the next book in the series.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Grilled cheese sandwhich with sauteed peppers for the comfortable, old-timey feeling of the world created in this novel with the spiciness of Amir and the vampire culture to give it pep.
sling's review
3.0
Loved the setting, liked the heroine and her friends, found the family as plot devices sort of odd, liked the character / idea of the love interest, didn't like the relationship.
For me, this book started out as three stars, moved to four, then dropped back to three.
Moonshine had great world building, finished an interesting story but still left a lot of threads waiting to be picked up in the sequel....which I will be definitely picking up at a future date.
For me, this book started out as three stars, moved to four, then dropped back to three.
Moonshine had great world building, finished an interesting story but still left a lot of threads waiting to be picked up in the sequel....which I will be definitely picking up at a future date.
maryrobinette's review
4.0
Zephyr Hollis is a woman ahead of her time. The novel is a pretty rollicking adventure through 1920s Manhattan with all the elegance and grit of that period, mixed in with vampires, golems, djinn, and sooth-sayers.
jaimewrites's review
2.0
This one was a DNF for me. The writing was all right, but the main character was afflicted with extreme Mary Sue syndrome. The pace felt off to me, as well. It's a shame, because I loved the setting and concept! Someone else might enjoy this book a lot more than I did. It just didn't hold my interest enough to keep going.
nyxshadow's review
2.0
http://nyxshadow.unblog.fr/2011/04/04/moonshine-alaya-dawn-johnson/
un peu déçue moi
un peu déçue moi
trishabee2000's review
3.0
Another book in the realm of vampire fiction. This one follows the comings and goings of vampire suffragist. You read right,suffragist. Set in the time of Prohibition and vampires seeking equal rights, you have to be in a mood to sift through all of the elements being thrown at you and to look at the whole vampire myths in a new way. This has the making of a series but like many books in a series, the first is often the weakest. This book does have the potential of becoming something quite interesting.
Oh yeah, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Oh yeah, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.