Moonlands (Unabridged‪)‬

Moonlands by Steven Savile is a young adult paranormal mystery/romance novel. Ashley Hawthorne looks like a regular 15 years old girl (almost sixteen), but she is very special. A group of loyal people took her from the Moonlands almost sixteen years ago for her safety. Now someone is out to kill Ashley (aka Ashkellion) before she comes of age at sixteen (and can try and claim the throne). They need to keep her safe.

Blackwater Blaze (and his pack) are sent through the moongate to London to kill Ashley and eliminate the threat to the king. His pack first encounters Targyn Fae (a warden who protects Ashley) and all of the pack is killed except Blackwater Blaze. At daylight Blaze transforms back into a man (because of the sun). He continues to watch Ashley hoping for an opportunity to kill her. Will the wardens be able to keep her safe? What happens when Ashley finds out her true heritage?

Moonlands was a very hard novel to get into to. It took me four tries to read this novel. Once I got about halfway through the book, I found it more interesting and engaging. I think part of the problem was too many characters. It is hard trying to keep track of all the people protecting Ashley, Ashley’s friends, and the characters in the Moonlands. There is also the two separate worlds and the magical elements (as well as the evil forces). There is a lot packed into one book (I just gave you a to-the-point overview). I give Moonlands 3 out of 5 stars. I found the romantic elements a little strange considering that Ashley was only fifteen (almost sixteen). She seems a little young for a to-die-for love (but kids grow up so fast these days). Overall, the premise is very interesting, likeable characters, and interesting setting.

I received a complimentary copy of Moonlands from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

AudioBook Review: Stars Overall: 4 Narration 4 Story 4

A dive into a darker fantasy kicked off with a touch of a slow start as the characters are given time to develop. Ashley, at 15, is convinced she is just normal, with busy parents and nothing special to set her apart. Those dreams are all too soon answered and we are off and running in a hard to put down story.

Saville uses his fresh perspective in this fairy tale inspired fantasy. Ash is a wonderfully well-built character: smart, determined and a little daring, even as I felt her appeal wane a bit with the overly used self-deprecating trope of “I’m not special” and a fairly unnecessary love interest later in the story. Sometimes it is perfectly acceptable to have a heroine that is flawed, and learning without the self-deprecation. Her greatest strength is her willingness to do what needs be done: swallowing her fear and moving forward.

World building is second to none in this story, Savile’s descriptions and reveals bring the world to life, giving a sense of a dream come to life. Certainly a high point of the story. The plotting arc moved steadily early on, but in the latter part of the story the elements felt as if they combined to rush to the end: taking a bit of the shine off of the characters. Sadly Ashley lost much of the sparkle that made her special early on in the midst of the rush to the end…..
Additionally, unlike other teen/ya reads, Ashley’s parents are NOT invisible, her mother is totally supportive and wholly involved, diving right in to lend a hand and support her daughter.

Narration for this story is capably provided by Becky Doughty, and her voicing of Ashley is convincing and feels age appropriate. Her ability to vary delivery and pitch changes to delineate the other characters, and a slight diminishment in the brightness of Ashley’s personality as the story went forward and the character did, in fact, seem to lose some of her spine followed the trajectory of the plot nicely.

While answering many questions, leaving more unanswered with the underlying mystery and a touch of a cliffhanger at the end, the story will leave you wanting more. The strength of description and unique world led to the 4 stars for story. The ending and rush to the finish was a touch disappointing, and while I hoped to see a trajectory for Ashley’s character that went upward rather than dither a bit with some of her decisions, I see potential for her to grow and develop further, and I am curious to know what happens next.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title via AudioBook Blast for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.