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lou_willingham's review
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this quick and clean novella. It was an excellent first step for me to take into reading sci-fi, and I can't wait for more of Emma's captivating writing to be released to us.
I fell in love with the characters and the pace was so excellent I felt like I was following the story in real-time.
I fell in love with the characters and the pace was so excellent I felt like I was following the story in real-time.
snappydog's review
4.0
Evidently, I didn't read the blurb closely enough. I swear I did, but for some reason the image I had going into Moon-Sitting was that it was going to be a magical realism thing in which someone in something very like the real world was babysitting our actual moon for some reason.
This is not the case, although I may now have to write it (with credit to EM Harding for the idea, of course!). Moon-Sitting's world is an odd one: when a big, moonlike thing exactly ten miles in diameter suddenly crashed into the planet of Infinity, billions lost their lives. Thirty or so years later, Lucky is one of three moon-sitters, people charged with making sure that the big ol' cataclysmic ball of death doesn't do anything else nefarious.
I breezed through Moon-Sitting in a single (moon)sitting, finishing it in a little under an hour. As such, I probably haven't done full service to it and ought to read it again to clear up some details in my mind - there are some lingering questions of the 'I don't think I can make sense of why this would be the case' variety (a couple of etymological ones, actually, which in most works I would probably be willing to disregard under suspension of disbelief but Harding does pay some attention to the subject so I feel justified in wondering about the details), answers to which I could well have missed in a hasty read - but I enjoyed my time with it and felt compelled to keep going.
Well-written overall, and a lot of interesting conflict is packed into Moon-Sitting's short length.
This is not the case, although I may now have to write it (with credit to EM Harding for the idea, of course!). Moon-Sitting's world is an odd one: when a big, moonlike thing exactly ten miles in diameter suddenly crashed into the planet of Infinity, billions lost their lives. Thirty or so years later, Lucky is one of three moon-sitters, people charged with making sure that the big ol' cataclysmic ball of death doesn't do anything else nefarious.
I breezed through Moon-Sitting in a single (moon)sitting, finishing it in a little under an hour. As such, I probably haven't done full service to it and ought to read it again to clear up some details in my mind - there are some lingering questions of the 'I don't think I can make sense of why this would be the case' variety (a couple of etymological ones, actually, which in most works I would probably be willing to disregard under suspension of disbelief but Harding does pay some attention to the subject so I feel justified in wondering about the details), answers to which I could well have missed in a hasty read - but I enjoyed my time with it and felt compelled to keep going.
Well-written overall, and a lot of interesting conflict is packed into Moon-Sitting's short length.
feedthecrime's review
5.0
Ok so first things first, I NEED MORE FROM THIS WORLD ASAP!!
This is a novella so it is relatively short, but oh boy does it pack a punch!
There’s so much character development and world building in here that I became so engrossed in the story and the characters I just couldn’t put it down. The plot itself was so unique to anything that I’ve ever read before.
Read my full review here: https://feedthecrime.wordpress.com/2019/10/31/reviewing-moon-sitting-by-em-harding-em_writing-indieauthors/
This is a novella so it is relatively short, but oh boy does it pack a punch!
There’s so much character development and world building in here that I became so engrossed in the story and the characters I just couldn’t put it down. The plot itself was so unique to anything that I’ve ever read before.
Read my full review here: https://feedthecrime.wordpress.com/2019/10/31/reviewing-moon-sitting-by-em-harding-em_writing-indieauthors/
rogue_runner's review
3.0
A very cute novella (with a cover that I just want to stroke because it's so soft!) The pacing at the end was slightly off to me- but the worldbuilding was sublime, and there was so much packed into just over 100 pages of story.
sarah_bell's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a really interesting and engaging sci-fi novella with a unique concept, that packs a lot into its small page count.
Harding's world-building is excellent, especially for a novella. We get a really good sense of Lucky and her world. I also enjoyed the structure of this story, with us following Lucky's life as an adult moon-sitter and as a child. The way the story unfolds before us is really clever (it's hard to say anything else without getting into spoiler territory.)
Overall, if you want a quick but fascinating sci-fi read, I highly recommend!
Harding's world-building is excellent, especially for a novella. We get a really good sense of Lucky and her world. I also enjoyed the structure of this story, with us following Lucky's life as an adult moon-sitter and as a child. The way the story unfolds before us is really clever (it's hard to say anything else without getting into spoiler territory.)
Overall, if you want a quick but fascinating sci-fi read, I highly recommend!
shanaqui's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I feel kinda the same way about this as I did about Labours of Stone: I didn't quite follow it where it wanted to go. I was intrigued at the start of the story, but Lucky's eventual actions made me cringe back, and I didn't feel the narrative was fair to kind of judge Belle for going "uhhhh no" about them. Yikes.
margaretadelle's review against another edition
4.0
I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for review.
This books packs a whole lot of punch for being a novella. And the hardest part about reviewing it is that a large portion of what I would discuss happens post a very major reveal that totally changes the way Lucky thinks about herself. Suffice to say, said very spoilery bit felt properly gigantic and made the whole story feel bigger.
I loved the interactions between characters, although I would have liked a bit more between the three moon-sitters themselves. I got the gist of what their personalities were supposed to be, but having an extra scene or two to show the camaraderie would have made it that more potent when all the reveals were... well, revealed. There were some fairly emotional moments that I really appreciated. And a plot twist or two (even beyond the major reveal) that I wasn't expecting.
Suffice to say this book is very heavy sci-fi and wouldn't be a good fit for beginners to the genre. But it's a nice addition for those who love weird technology and unfamiliar worlds.
This books packs a whole lot of punch for being a novella. And the hardest part about reviewing it is that a large portion of what I would discuss happens post a very major reveal that totally changes the way Lucky thinks about herself. Suffice to say, said very spoilery bit felt properly gigantic and made the whole story feel bigger.
I loved the interactions between characters, although I would have liked a bit more between the three moon-sitters themselves. I got the gist of what their personalities were supposed to be, but having an extra scene or two to show the camaraderie would have made it that more potent when all the reveals were... well, revealed. There were some fairly emotional moments that I really appreciated. And a plot twist or two (even beyond the major reveal) that I wasn't expecting.
Suffice to say this book is very heavy sci-fi and wouldn't be a good fit for beginners to the genre. But it's a nice addition for those who love weird technology and unfamiliar worlds.
pamshenanigans's review against another edition
3.0
* The author reached out to me and provided an ARC for Moon-Sitting in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't affect my review.*
The Moon fell into the Ocean and the Waves wept. Their tears swept the lands clean and left the World feeling painfully empty. And so, to fill the aching void, the World gave birth to us, the people of Infinity. The World smiled and danced around the Stars with joy.
Things I liked about Moon-Sitting:
*Short, but action-packed* - The book is just 76 pages (for the formatting my ebook reader has) and it still managed to squeeze in and explore political, familial, and existential issues.
BLOG: Pam Who Cried Books || Twitter || Instagram
*The idea of babysitting the moon* - The concept was unique! Imagine babysitting the Moon which crashed on the world you live in and now sits quietly at its edge. Your world hires three Moon-Sitters to always be on the lookout for abnormal lunar activities.
*Dual timelines* - The book is in the POV of our main girl Lucky who has always been enchanted by the Moon. In one timeline, Lucky explores the world of Moon-Sitting in the present. In another, Lucky starts to slowly recover her childhood memories - both the bane and key to her existence.
I honestly think that this book had the potential to be a full-length book in order to better lay out the facts, establish a finer pace, and flesh out the characters and the world of Infinity and Urion.
Moon-Sitting is scheduled to be released on November 12! Check out the book if you're looking for a fast-paced and easy-to-digest science fiction title. :)
The Moon fell into the Ocean and the Waves wept. Their tears swept the lands clean and left the World feeling painfully empty. And so, to fill the aching void, the World gave birth to us, the people of Infinity. The World smiled and danced around the Stars with joy.
Things I liked about Moon-Sitting:
*Short, but action-packed* - The book is just 76 pages (for the formatting my ebook reader has) and it still managed to squeeze in and explore political, familial, and existential issues.
BLOG: Pam Who Cried Books || Twitter || Instagram
*The idea of babysitting the moon* - The concept was unique! Imagine babysitting the Moon which crashed on the world you live in and now sits quietly at its edge. Your world hires three Moon-Sitters to always be on the lookout for abnormal lunar activities.
*Dual timelines* - The book is in the POV of our main girl Lucky who has always been enchanted by the Moon. In one timeline, Lucky explores the world of Moon-Sitting in the present. In another, Lucky starts to slowly recover her childhood memories - both the bane and key to her existence.
I honestly think that this book had the potential to be a full-length book in order to better lay out the facts, establish a finer pace, and flesh out the characters and the world of Infinity and Urion.
Moon-Sitting is scheduled to be released on November 12! Check out the book if you're looking for a fast-paced and easy-to-digest science fiction title. :)
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