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jlefae's review against another edition
5.0
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Shattered Moonlight is a slightly darker retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, that also gives off some very strong Snow White vibes. It is so beautifully descriptive, that I had no issue throughout the entire book really being able to visualize exactly what the authors had in mind. The fight scenes are written extremely well, in a way that's easy to follow and, again, I can picture it in my head exactly how the authors pictured it in their heads.
The entire story was interesting enough that I never thought about not finishing it. It's really a very exceptionally well-written book. Something about it just didn't blow me away. It felt extremely predictable to me. While I know that it's a retelling of a childhood fairytale, there were no plot twists or anything that happened that came wildly out of left field, no surprises. It all just felt a bit obvious to me.
There's one spicy scene, and it seemed to come absolutely out of nowhere. So, Celine has these dreams where she can talk to the Hawthorne tree, it glows silver, and we find out later that she's communicating with Danu, the goddess. She begins seeing a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in those dreams, and they hardly have any conversation other than him telling her, "Hey, you're gonna go on a quest, and it's going to be really hard, but you can do it. You're the one who has to do it." There's nothing romantic or flirty about any of their conversations. And then suddenly, she has another dream, sees this man, who is so obviously her wolf Fenrir in human form, and he's calling her love and flirting and he kisses her, and then he takes her over to a tree, and they get together. Don't get me wrong, the actual scene itself is *chef's kiss*. But it came out of nowhere. There was no build-up. There was nothing to even remotely hint at them having any sort of romantic connection. It almost felt like they realized there were no spicy scenes in the book, wrote one, and plopped it in wherever they flipped the page.
Once that scene happens, it becomes clear that the person is actually the Prince she's going on this big quest to save, especially when he won't even tell her his full name. If she knew she was rescuing this man she supposedly is in love with and wants to spend the rest of her life with, I'm sure he felt she would get too emotional and wouldn't be able to properly achieve the ultimate goal and defeat Vanessa, the powerful sorceress.
There's nothing wrong with this book at all. It's got stunning descriptions of the world, it's got such exquisitely written fight scenes and other scenes alike. The dialogue all feels quite real and unforced. It's just quite predictable. I'm sincerely hoping that the second book in this series will be a bit less so. If you're looking for a book that will distract you and you can just mindlessly read, or you're looking for a sort of fluffer book or pallet cleanser book between some much darker and more intense novels, this is absolutely the book for you. It's really a very quaint, whimsical little world they've created here.
Shattered Moonlight is a slightly darker retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, that also gives off some very strong Snow White vibes. It is so beautifully descriptive, that I had no issue throughout the entire book really being able to visualize exactly what the authors had in mind. The fight scenes are written extremely well, in a way that's easy to follow and, again, I can picture it in my head exactly how the authors pictured it in their heads.
The entire story was interesting enough that I never thought about not finishing it. It's really a very exceptionally well-written book. Something about it just didn't blow me away. It felt extremely predictable to me. While I know that it's a retelling of a childhood fairytale, there were no plot twists or anything that happened that came wildly out of left field, no surprises. It all just felt a bit obvious to me.
There's one spicy scene, and it seemed to come absolutely out of nowhere. So, Celine has these dreams where she can talk to the Hawthorne tree, it glows silver, and we find out later that she's communicating with Danu, the goddess. She begins seeing a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in those dreams, and they hardly have any conversation other than him telling her, "Hey, you're gonna go on a quest, and it's going to be really hard, but you can do it. You're the one who has to do it." There's nothing romantic or flirty about any of their conversations. And then suddenly, she has another dream, sees this man, who is so obviously her wolf Fenrir in human form, and he's calling her love and flirting and he kisses her, and then he takes her over to a tree, and they get together. Don't get me wrong, the actual scene itself is *chef's kiss*. But it came out of nowhere. There was no build-up. There was nothing to even remotely hint at them having any sort of romantic connection. It almost felt like they realized there were no spicy scenes in the book, wrote one, and plopped it in wherever they flipped the page.
Once that scene happens, it becomes clear that the person is actually the Prince she's going on this big quest to save, especially when he won't even tell her his full name. If she knew she was rescuing this man she supposedly is in love with and wants to spend the rest of her life with, I'm sure he felt she would get too emotional and wouldn't be able to properly achieve the ultimate goal and defeat Vanessa, the powerful sorceress.
There's nothing wrong with this book at all. It's got stunning descriptions of the world, it's got such exquisitely written fight scenes and other scenes alike. The dialogue all feels quite real and unforced. It's just quite predictable. I'm sincerely hoping that the second book in this series will be a bit less so. If you're looking for a book that will distract you and you can just mindlessly read, or you're looking for a sort of fluffer book or pallet cleanser book between some much darker and more intense novels, this is absolutely the book for you. It's really a very quaint, whimsical little world they've created here.
nencsa's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
katlikesreadingbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I was immediately interested in reading this book. I will say it had mixes of all different fantasy books I read but its story was very different from ones I’ve read before. This book had me turning page after page wanting to know what had occur. I thought I knew what was going to happen then completely blown away. If you love fantasy, romance, and paranormal stories, this is a MUST READ for you.
joyffree's review
adventurous
hopeful
4.25
This was sort of a mix of fairytales - A bit of Red blended with a little dash of Beauty sprinkled with some evil sorceress vibes
No matter which tale it flavored from it was a solid read
Great cast of characters - Wonderful world-building - A believable and engaging story that kept me captive from beginning to end
Celine was such a well-crafted female lead. She had a touch of innocence blended with a whole lot of bravery. Her reactions were believable. She didn't hide her feelings.
I saw part of the ending coming but the author still had a surprise or two up their sleeves.
Highly recommend
No matter which tale it flavored from it was a solid read
Great cast of characters - Wonderful world-building - A believable and engaging story that kept me captive from beginning to end
Celine was such a well-crafted female lead. She had a touch of innocence blended with a whole lot of bravery. Her reactions were believable. She didn't hide her feelings.
I saw part of the ending coming but the author still had a surprise or two up their sleeves.
Highly recommend
helengarrawayauthor's review
4.0
Shattered Moonlight is a fairytale retelling of Red Riding hood, and although all the typical milestones of the story are hit there is enough originality to make this story an engaging and an enjoyable read.
Celine is a feisty heroine, the cursed prince an afflicted hero who follows the expected trope but makes you love him all the same.
Well written and engaging, this is a quite a fast read at 159 pages, easily read in one sitting. The story of Celine, her faerie lord and the white wolf are blended beautifully. The end is wrapped up rather quickly, all in a nice bundle, but satisfying all the same. You don't really want the story to end.
A lovely story, well written. You won't regret reading it.
Celine is a feisty heroine, the cursed prince an afflicted hero who follows the expected trope but makes you love him all the same.
Well written and engaging, this is a quite a fast read at 159 pages, easily read in one sitting. The story of Celine, her faerie lord and the white wolf are blended beautifully. The end is wrapped up rather quickly, all in a nice bundle, but satisfying all the same. You don't really want the story to end.
A lovely story, well written. You won't regret reading it.
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