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gemstonejasper's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a beautiful fairy tale style story about the power of love over sorrow. It explores themes of family (both found/adopted and biological), love, sorrow, and memory. It especially focuses on the relationship between a mother/grandmother and daughter/granddaughter. I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook while following along in my physical copy. The audiobook is good. I love the voices she does for the characters. I could tell them each apart without paying attention to the "Luna said," "Xan said."
I think this would also be an excellent grandmother/mother/daughter buddy read idea because of the focus it puts on those relationships. I think it would be especially so in families that have one or more adopted members.
I would tell people to consider the content warnings before reading this. It's a middle grade story, so it isn't heavy on gore and violence. But it talks a lot about grief, losing a parent, losing a child, mental illness, kidnapping, confinement, gaslighting, etc. I think these are important themes and topics for kids to learn about (especially in that middle grade range) because if they haven't already, they will experience grief in some form. Just be careful and take care of yourself before anything else.
I think this would also be an excellent grandmother/mother/daughter buddy read idea because of the focus it puts on those relationships. I think it would be especially so in families that have one or more adopted members.
I would tell people to consider the content warnings before reading this. It's a middle grade story, so it isn't heavy on gore and violence. But it talks a lot about grief, losing a parent, losing a child, mental illness, kidnapping, confinement, gaslighting, etc. I think these are important themes and topics for kids to learn about (especially in that middle grade range) because if they haven't already, they will experience grief in some form. Just be careful and take care of yourself before anything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Confinement, Kidnapping, Bullying, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, and Gaslighting
caoxtina's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Grief, and Death
micaelamariem's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Around my birthday a couple months ago, I went to a used bookstore and picked up a few gems, including this one, which seemed perfect to read around Halloween.
The Girl Who Drank the Moonby Kelly Barnhill is a middle grade fantasy novel about a town that sacrifices a baby each year to the witch in the woods under the belief that she would curse them elsewise. The witch doesn't know why the town is abandoning their babies, but she tries to save them and give them each a loved home. Until one day, she accidentally enmagiks a baby by feeding her moonlight and decides to raise her as her own. Over the novel there are secrets that lead to the discovery of why the town must sacrifice babies and how the story began. The novel actually won a Newberry award!
The author, Kelly Barnhill, is a teacher turned author who loves promoting the arts for children.
I really enjoyed this story for a middle grade novel. There were a few themes that really struck out to me: the danger of sorrow vs hope, the fragility of memory, as well as some motifs of paper and birds and magic.
The worldbuilding of the novel is great, showing a vast landscape for readers to escape into, complete with its own laws and myths and origin stories.
The writing style was a little confusing and a lot whimsical. Half the time I wasn't quite sure what was going on but I enjoyed the ride, reminding me kind of like the show I just watched called Over the Garden Wall.
I loved the characters as well, each one combatting their own fears and sorrows. My favorite character was the Simply Enormous dragon Fyrian who was always childlike and naive, but had blocked out his own trauma which perhaps kept him this way.
Perhaps the main idea of the book is the hope and sacrifices we make for whom we love can combat sorrow. The witch and the girl formed a tightly-bound relationship like a mother and daughter and held hope for each other. The swamp monster and the dragon seemed to also care about each other. The boy from the town found his own love and hope, ready to change the world, as did the madwoman.
I would highly recommend this book to middle grade readers who like whimsical quirky things with deep messages and meanings or who like to make their own inferences in stories.
Overall, this was a four star read for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, Confinement, and Abandonment
marissasa's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This magical middle grade story was such a whimsical read. I listened to the audiobook on and off while driving and thought it was really well done, the narrator doing different voices for each of the characters really reminded me of listening to my mom do the same thing when she read stories for me as a child. Something I really appreciated about the story was that it didn't shy away from dark themes and that it treated its young audience as mature enough to understand the stakes and complex emotions of the main characters. Although some of the plot points were predictable, the final outcome still felt earned and I enjoyed all the forms of growth and character development we got to see over the years of their lives. The whole time I listened to this book I was thinking that it would make for an excellent animated show or movie and I really hope it gets adapted some day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
lisajuliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The last few months I have been struggling with reading, it kept giving me headaches or pain in my eyes. Most books I started I was unable to finish because I just couldn't read and eventually lost interest or hope. I managed to read a graphic novel and 2 very short books the last few months, but that was about it. Then this book came (along with a new pair of glasses to try) and I ~finally~ was able to finish it!
This book was an easy and quick read - if I had my pre-2022 reading abilities, I would've devoured this book in 2 or less days. The chapters were a perfect mix of medium or short, the occasional longer chapter didn't feel too long. It was easy to follow the switches between POVs, even if there was still some mystery around some characters.
The plot was interesting. When I read the summary, I knew I wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint.
However, at some point not getting answers to the dozen questions I had got a bit annoying. The whole time you're aware you don't know the full story, and I know that's on purpose because the characters suffer from magical amnesia, but it gets frustrating. Even by the end it still feels like there are questions unanswered.
Speaking of the end, it felt kind of rushed to me. The whole book is slow to medium paced, and then the last few pages are suddenly very fast. It didn't really give the ending the story deserved. It was over too fast.
I would still recommend this book. While it didn't become an all time favorite like I had expected, I still had fun reading it. I'll still cherish this book, think back to it with a smile.
My rating: 3.75☆
This book was an easy and quick read - if I had my pre-2022 reading abilities, I would've devoured this book in 2 or less days. The chapters were a perfect mix of medium or short, the occasional longer chapter didn't feel too long. It was easy to follow the switches between POVs, even if there was still some mystery around some characters.
The plot was interesting. When I read the summary, I knew I wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint.
However, at some point not getting answers to the dozen questions I had got a bit annoying. The whole time you're aware you don't know the full story, and I know that's on purpose because the characters suffer from magical amnesia, but it gets frustrating. Even by the end it still feels like there are questions unanswered.
Speaking of the end, it felt kind of rushed to me. The whole book is slow to medium paced, and then the last few pages are suddenly very fast. It didn't really give the ending the story deserved. It was over too fast.
I would still recommend this book. While it didn't become an all time favorite like I had expected, I still had fun reading it. I'll still cherish this book, think back to it with a smile.
My rating: 3.75☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death and Child death
theinkwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I like the idea of this more than the execution. I just feel like there was too much going on and the story would have benefitted from some editing to make it more comprehensible (both for its target audience, which I feel would really struggle keeping all the different plot lines separate, and just in general). I really loved the overall magical realism fantasy vibes, but I don't feel like vibes make up for the lack of cohesion in this case. Still not a bad book and I liked the story overall, but I don't feel like it lives up to its potential.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Violence and Death
carolinacortez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
WOW WOW WOW
La belleza de este libro es enorme (hay una razón por la que no le di las 5 estrellas, hablaré de eso después), hace siglos que no leía un middle grade y wow a veces se necesitan, son un abrazo para el corazón, volver a la simpleza de una enseñanza que podríamos pensar que como adultos ya tenemos pero muchas veces lo olvidamos.
La belleza de este libro es enorme (hay una razón por la que no le di las 5 estrellas, hablaré de eso después), hace siglos que no leía un middle grade y wow a veces se necesitan, son un abrazo para el corazón, volver a la simpleza de una enseñanza que podríamos pensar que como adultos ya tenemos pero muchas veces lo olvidamos.
" Ya he vivido bastante más de un periodo razonable en esta tierra. Y tengo mucha curiosidad por conocer lo que sigue."
Ame a todos y cada uno de los personajes, pero sobre todo amo con toda mi alma a Fyrian, el pequeño dragón que es simplemente enorme, amo su inocencia y lo feliz que es en cualquier situación, nunca falló en hacerme feliz
"Bebiste mucho de la luna y ahora la luna llena está dentro de ti."
Le di cuatro estrellas en lugar de cinco por qué, a mí gusto, la primera parte del libro es muy lenta, se siente como si no estuviera pasando nada (aunque si está pasando) pero se siente lento, si no hubiera sido por eso para mí era un libro perfecto.
En fin 1000% recomendado
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Death, and Mental illness
my_weird_bookish_heart's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Mental illness, Grief, and Abandonment
val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
drtx_bwt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Xenophobia and Violence