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mebius's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
At the start of this month I noticed I had a few too many pre-orders to keep them all. I had to go through them, had to ask myself the question "do I really want and need this book?" and had to cancel quite a few of them. But no matter how often I tried I couldn't bring myself to cancel this book-order. Because it's sci-fi and I don't read as much sci-fi as I'd like to because it's hard to find the non-space-war ones; and because it's a collection of letters. And so last week it arrived!
Like with all sci-fi novels it took me a few chapters to really get into the story. That's mostly because the universe as it is is a normal situation for our heroine. She uses words I didn't understand right away, she described places I couldn't locate right away and she talked about technical gadgets that are not invented yet. However, the more I read, the more the universe in this book started to feel familiar and realistic to me.
I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure if the letterform of the novel really feels like a letterform. The letters were too long, the descriptions too detailed. It aren't really letters to begin with. The heroine of the story is filling notebooks with everything that has happened to her so her spouse can read them whenever they see each other after some time apart. I envy them both: Her for having the time to write all this and them for having the time to read all this.
However, although the story is absolutely not action-packed, I really enjoyed the unique blend of magic, sci-fi, mystery and romance. I grew incredibly curious about what was happening and what was going on and I really enjoyed all those moments our heroine almost met her spouse and missed them by a few seconds. I have to admit that the final conclusion wasn't the amazing moment I had thought it would be, but the journey was quite intriguing and pleasant!
Like with all sci-fi novels it took me a few chapters to really get into the story. That's mostly because the universe as it is is a normal situation for our heroine. She uses words I didn't understand right away, she described places I couldn't locate right away and she talked about technical gadgets that are not invented yet. However, the more I read, the more the universe in this book started to feel familiar and realistic to me.
I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure if the letterform of the novel really feels like a letterform. The letters were too long, the descriptions too detailed. It aren't really letters to begin with. The heroine of the story is filling notebooks with everything that has happened to her so her spouse can read them whenever they see each other after some time apart. I envy them both: Her for having the time to write all this and them for having the time to read all this.
However, although the story is absolutely not action-packed, I really enjoyed the unique blend of magic, sci-fi, mystery and romance. I grew incredibly curious about what was happening and what was going on and I really enjoyed all those moments our heroine almost met her spouse and missed them by a few seconds. I have to admit that the final conclusion wasn't the amazing moment I had thought it would be, but the journey was quite intriguing and pleasant!
pandoozled14's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked most of the book but the woo woo healer stuff took a (half)star off for me.
laelyn's review against another edition
3.0
What a unique, fascinating read this was. "The Moonday Letters" is the first book by Emmi Itäranta that I've read and I am more than intrigued by her lyrical, at times almost poetic prose. The translation is superb, or at least reads amazingly (I obviously don't know the original). I very much enjoyed the overall theme of love, longing, loss and I'm always a fan of books broaching the topic of nature and environmental collapse. It's done beautifully in this time, showing clearly the consequences of the way we treat our planet in a soft science fiction setting that takes us to different planets of the solar system.
The pace is a very slow one, and I admit the book didn't manage to keep me engaged all the way through. The entire middle part of it drags on and the lyrical prose can only do so much to make up for it. This isn't helped by the fact that it's an epistolary novel, which is, admittedly, not my favourite. It's still very well done, no doubt. It's generally a book that is rather light on its plot and the mystery driving it forward. Its central focus is the relationship between our protagonist, Lumi, and her spouse, Sol. The latter disappears surprisingly, and Lumi tries to follow them and find out what happened to them. It's an intriguing mystery at first, when she finds information that link Sol to a group of ecoterrorists. None of the characters are very memorable though, and I couldn't tell you that much about them. I did enjoy Lumi and Sol's relationship, it was a beautiful thing.
In general, this is a gorgeously written epistolary novel that is both nuanced and very slow, focusing less on plot than the relationships between the central characters and ending on a bittersweet note. What it really achieves is make you want to save our beautiful planet.
Many thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the arc!
The pace is a very slow one, and I admit the book didn't manage to keep me engaged all the way through. The entire middle part of it drags on and the lyrical prose can only do so much to make up for it. This isn't helped by the fact that it's an epistolary novel, which is, admittedly, not my favourite. It's still very well done, no doubt. It's generally a book that is rather light on its plot and the mystery driving it forward. Its central focus is the relationship between our protagonist, Lumi, and her spouse, Sol. The latter disappears surprisingly, and Lumi tries to follow them and find out what happened to them. It's an intriguing mystery at first, when she finds information that link Sol to a group of ecoterrorists. None of the characters are very memorable though, and I couldn't tell you that much about them. I did enjoy Lumi and Sol's relationship, it was a beautiful thing.
In general, this is a gorgeously written epistolary novel that is both nuanced and very slow, focusing less on plot than the relationships between the central characters and ending on a bittersweet note. What it really achieves is make you want to save our beautiful planet.
Many thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the arc!
theknightgarden's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
neonlavender's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bonemade's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
stthais's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
talvihalla's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
aknglvsbl's review against another edition
4.5
I enjoyed this incredibly original story, from the solar system setting, the lyrical and magical POV to the mystery and eco-resistance plot. The author has written a very compelling character with a unique view at the world, the past and beyond. I really liked how gender non-conformity was considered and included. My only wish was getting to know Sol a bit more, but it seems, like the sun, they are elusive and beyond reach.