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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
This book was WONDERFUL, and will be loved by fans of classic horror. There are several references to horror classics, the mood is well established, and there was several times I was at the edge of my seat for the story's hero and his companions. I'm a sucker for a main character who is a self professed romantic, so Emile endeared himself to me immediately. Even though I saw the ending coming, it was still lovely and the journey made the expectation a good thing instead of a let down.
Beautiful writing, wonderful sense of place, fun characters....I would strongly recommend this book to any fans of classic horror.
Beautiful writing, wonderful sense of place, fun characters....I would strongly recommend this book to any fans of classic horror.
dark
emotional
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
There's a scene where a LOT of spiders crawl all over the main character.
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Alchemy of Moonlight is a well-written balance of mystery, romance, and horror. From the beginning, you're thrown into the mystery, with a hint of the horror to come. Having the main character keep secrets from the reader early on helps with this a lot too. I found myself connecting to this outsider perspective of the MC.
As for romance, we get two love interests and I found myself rooting for one over the other, probably because I prefer friends-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers. Still, unlike most horror with romance, this didn't skimp on the romance. That means the reader gets a chance to become invested in the relationships before danger befalls them. This personally made it feel deeper and more impactful.
There is definitely horror, with little bits throughout leading up to intense action. I'm not normally a fan of horror by itself, but having the scariest parts develop later had more of an impact since I was so invested in the characters by then.
Overall, I really enjoyed the many conflicts and difficult choices balanced with the mystery, horror, and romance. And, unlike many novels I read, this managed to resolve everything by the end and I adore that.
As for romance, we get two love interests and I found myself rooting for one over the other, probably because I prefer friends-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers. Still, unlike most horror with romance, this didn't skimp on the romance. That means the reader gets a chance to become invested in the relationships before danger befalls them. This personally made it feel deeper and more impactful.
There is definitely horror, with little bits throughout leading up to intense action. I'm not normally a fan of horror by itself, but having the scariest parts develop later had more of an impact since I was so invested in the characters by then.
Overall, I really enjoyed the many conflicts and difficult choices balanced with the mystery, horror, and romance. And, unlike many novels I read, this managed to resolve everything by the end and I adore that.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I PRIDE myself on reading very taboo books/books with tropes or topics that are socially strange so to finally have a book that truly threw me the whole time is so refreshing. I thought I had solved the plot at the beginning but boy was I wrong in the best way
Was a little too YA for me. The love triangle also didn't make sense to me as there is one clear winner and the other I don't get.
Thank you Page Street for giving me this copy for review. Unfortunately, the book didn't resonate with me as expected. While I appreciated elements such as the captivating resolution to the love triangle, the intriguing twist involving the mother, and the gripping werewolf encounters, I found the overall pacing to be sluggish. The narrative seemed to drag on until the final chapters, which finally picked up momentum. Moreover, the dialogue felt too contemporary, lacking a sense of historical setting.
Regrettably, the characters failed to engage me. Henri, despite his potential, was too easily forgiven for his shortcomings, and Bram appeared rather bland, serving mainly as a foil to Henri. Emile's perspective, though not uninteresting, didn't captivate me as much as I had hoped. His romantic entanglements and plotting felt disproportionately lengthy compared to the action at Udolpho, and the romantic developments seemed somewhat implausible.
Overall, while the book had its merits, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
Regrettably, the characters failed to engage me. Henri, despite his potential, was too easily forgiven for his shortcomings, and Bram appeared rather bland, serving mainly as a foil to Henri. Emile's perspective, though not uninteresting, didn't captivate me as much as I had hoped. His romantic entanglements and plotting felt disproportionately lengthy compared to the action at Udolpho, and the romantic developments seemed somewhat implausible.
Overall, while the book had its merits, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.