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novoaust's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
The Crescent Moon is the first story of a trio of philosophical novellas. What Doble does with this one is nothing short of masterful. I was captivated from the get go, and while this is just a novella, I read it in one sitting. It's a comfortable read, yet though provoking and surprisingly emotional.
One of my main praises for The Fangs of War was that the writing seemed to be crafted carefully, with each word selected purposefully. While not a short novel by any means, the prose felt tight and refined, and we see that here as well. Simply put, the writing is beautiful. Literary art. There are plenty of memorable quotes in this one and I found every aspect of how The Crescent Moon was written to be executed perfectly. Even something like dialogue, which many new authors can struggle with, was done so well. Following My'ala as she ages, I found that Doble manages to perfectly encapsulate her growth and maturity, largely through how she speaks and how she thinks. At the start of the novella, we are introduced to a 10 year old girl, and how she speaks is reflective of her age. As the story progresses and she grows, so does the sophistication in her speech. This may come off as a minor detail, but I was impressed at how well this was done seeing that this is just a short novella.
While this is a philosophical story, there are fantastical elements, and they too had me intrigued. The world building is suprisingly detailed, and while Doble had to resort to a bit of info dumping at the start to build the world, what is built is quite large and impressive in scale. I actually love this desert setting, which gave me Moroccan or Tunisian vibes. It felt as though we were thrown into a city like Tunis, rich which history and beauty. I oddly found myself also interested in the sub plot of the story, even while knowing it existed to help future the philosophical aspects of the story. I cared about the city being invaded, the lives lost, and the overall impacts that came with the invasion of Arbash.
As mentioned before, this is a philosophical story, mostly centered on the question that is "what is the meaning of life?" Doble manages to touch on this topic with carefully selected words and well crafted symbolism, as well as showing us aspects of life. We see growth, turmoil, frustration, love, grief, and many other aspects of life that many of us will experience. While there is a more definite conclusion, I feel as though Doble's main goal with this one is to make us think. He touches on various potential answers to the question of "what is the meaning of life?" We see this answered in regards to love, greed, duty, etc. He presents possible solutions based strictly off of emotion (love, for example) versus a more pessimistic (or pragmatic, depending on how you see things) answer. This story is thought provoking, and it was quite nice to have a story allow me to think and come to my own conclusions. I was left thinking about sitations in which duty could become selfishness. In which love can cloud judgment. How grief can be handled. How the many challenges and difficulties in life should be approached.
The Crescent Moon was simply a delight to read.
One of my main praises for The Fangs of War was that the writing seemed to be crafted carefully, with each word selected purposefully. While not a short novel by any means, the prose felt tight and refined, and we see that here as well. Simply put, the writing is beautiful. Literary art. There are plenty of memorable quotes in this one and I found every aspect of how The Crescent Moon was written to be executed perfectly. Even something like dialogue, which many new authors can struggle with, was done so well. Following My'ala as she ages, I found that Doble manages to perfectly encapsulate her growth and maturity, largely through how she speaks and how she thinks. At the start of the novella, we are introduced to a 10 year old girl, and how she speaks is reflective of her age. As the story progresses and she grows, so does the sophistication in her speech. This may come off as a minor detail, but I was impressed at how well this was done seeing that this is just a short novella.
While this is a philosophical story, there are fantastical elements, and they too had me intrigued. The world building is suprisingly detailed, and while Doble had to resort to a bit of info dumping at the start to build the world, what is built is quite large and impressive in scale. I actually love this desert setting, which gave me Moroccan or Tunisian vibes. It felt as though we were thrown into a city like Tunis, rich which history and beauty. I oddly found myself also interested in the sub plot of the story, even while knowing it existed to help future the philosophical aspects of the story. I cared about the city being invaded, the lives lost, and the overall impacts that came with the invasion of Arbash.
As mentioned before, this is a philosophical story, mostly centered on the question that is "what is the meaning of life?" Doble manages to touch on this topic with carefully selected words and well crafted symbolism, as well as showing us aspects of life. We see growth, turmoil, frustration, love, grief, and many other aspects of life that many of us will experience. While there is a more definite conclusion, I feel as though Doble's main goal with this one is to make us think. He touches on various potential answers to the question of "what is the meaning of life?" We see this answered in regards to love, greed, duty, etc. He presents possible solutions based strictly off of emotion (love, for example) versus a more pessimistic (or pragmatic, depending on how you see things) answer. This story is thought provoking, and it was quite nice to have a story allow me to think and come to my own conclusions. I was left thinking about sitations in which duty could become selfishness. In which love can cloud judgment. How grief can be handled. How the many challenges and difficulties in life should be approached.
The Crescent Moon was simply a delight to read.
thebookishdesigner's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
For such a short read the story covers a lot of ground. We follow our main character My’ala over a few years as she tries to unravel the mystery that is the meaning of life, with the help of Artemis her mysterious teacher.
The writing is simply beautiful. The prose, symbolism and world building are all so perfectly done I was finding myself completely lost in the srory. You know those books that pull you in so tight you forget you are reading? That is what The Crescent Moon did for me. I really could gush over the writing all day, the world building alone deserves all five stars, it’s to the point and beautiful. There is not a wasted word here.
This 100% has re-read potential and I think any reader could pick up on a new detail and have a new train of thought depending on your mood at the time of reading. Not only is this an entertaining read, it does challenge the reader to think about the questions being posed by My’ala and perhaps come up with their own theories and thoughts. This novella would be great for a book club or buddy read.
I don’t poses the writing skills to fully explain my thoughts in a review, it’s taken me almost a week to come up with this, but Doble has crafted something truly fantastic in The Crescent Moon and I can’t wait to see where he takes this series.
The writing is simply beautiful. The prose, symbolism and world building are all so perfectly done I was finding myself completely lost in the srory. You know those books that pull you in so tight you forget you are reading? That is what The Crescent Moon did for me. I really could gush over the writing all day, the world building alone deserves all five stars, it’s to the point and beautiful. There is not a wasted word here.
This 100% has re-read potential and I think any reader could pick up on a new detail and have a new train of thought depending on your mood at the time of reading. Not only is this an entertaining read, it does challenge the reader to think about the questions being posed by My’ala and perhaps come up with their own theories and thoughts. This novella would be great for a book club or buddy read.
I don’t poses the writing skills to fully explain my thoughts in a review, it’s taken me almost a week to come up with this, but Doble has crafted something truly fantastic in The Crescent Moon and I can’t wait to see where he takes this series.
connorjdaley's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a new novella from the author of The Fangs of War, however it is in its own world. This just released this month so show some indie support!
This novella asks ‘what is the meaning of life?’ And it seeks to answer that question through introspection, life experience, and plenty of soul searching. My favorite thing about the book is that the chapter titles are all feasible answers to the question, but they are presented as the experiences, not necessarily the answers. Love, duty, grief. It’s a very humble book.
I’ll be honest with you, if you’re not prepared for an emotional rollercoaster, this book is going to knock you on your ass. Actually, it will anyway, and it’s not really sorry.
My absolute favorite part of this is the author’s choice to make the story within a fantasy world. It could just as easily have been our own world, a scifi world, a horror world, but the author created (another!) fantasy city and way of life to go with it. It’s fresh and real and adds to every move the author made. I’m floored. This was my first read by the author.
“And the healing she had seen was immediately shattered, taken by the horns of grief.” EJ, we see you, we know what you did.
Personally a 5/5*, this was incredible.
jamedi's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5 out of 5 stars)
Review: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
Interview with E.J. Doble: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
The Crescent Moon is a really unique novella by the author E.J. Doble, and the initial book on the future series The Realm of Prophets. Our protagonist, My'ala, will meet a mysterious stranger, Artemis the Hermit, being really young (she's around 9-10 years during the first encounter), embarking herself on a relationship where both will try to answer the question "What is the meaning of life?"
I was offered an ARC of this novella, and actually, I devoured it, despite I was a little bit leaning because this is a book so different from what I usually read, as it feels closer to a philosophy essay that has been written with a story form, using the several encounters between the Hermit and Mya'la as a way to firstly propose questions that are derivated from the principal one, and later when May'la is growing, to assimilate and start integrating how the things that happen in her life reveals part of the meaning she's looking for.
It's a really well-written novella, something that shines more due to its nature. When so much weight is over the prose, certainly it's a challenge to get the level the reader is expecting, but certainly, E.J. Doble nailed it, keeping the adequate poetry tone when required, and using symbolism that translates perfectly the philosophical teachings he wants to dissert about.
The chosen setting is an Arabic city, as a symbol of how much of our current philosophical flows are given by masters of this culture, despite this is not always appreciated. The conflicts that appear around the city, and how they affect My'ala's family serve as a way to continue developing the reflections and as something that forces My'ala to mature earlier.
This short novella is certainly a piece of art, which I enjoyed while reading. I feel this review is shorter than usual, but it's the first time I find myself with this kind of book in front of me. Certainly, I can say I enjoyed it, and the craft is really well done, so if you want something less thick, but which will make you think, The Crescent Moon is certainly a great option.
Review: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
Interview with E.J. Doble: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
The Crescent Moon is a really unique novella by the author E.J. Doble, and the initial book on the future series The Realm of Prophets. Our protagonist, My'ala, will meet a mysterious stranger, Artemis the Hermit, being really young (she's around 9-10 years during the first encounter), embarking herself on a relationship where both will try to answer the question "What is the meaning of life?"
I was offered an ARC of this novella, and actually, I devoured it, despite I was a little bit leaning because this is a book so different from what I usually read, as it feels closer to a philosophy essay that has been written with a story form, using the several encounters between the Hermit and Mya'la as a way to firstly propose questions that are derivated from the principal one, and later when May'la is growing, to assimilate and start integrating how the things that happen in her life reveals part of the meaning she's looking for.
It's a really well-written novella, something that shines more due to its nature. When so much weight is over the prose, certainly it's a challenge to get the level the reader is expecting, but certainly, E.J. Doble nailed it, keeping the adequate poetry tone when required, and using symbolism that translates perfectly the philosophical teachings he wants to dissert about.
The chosen setting is an Arabic city, as a symbol of how much of our current philosophical flows are given by masters of this culture, despite this is not always appreciated. The conflicts that appear around the city, and how they affect My'ala's family serve as a way to continue developing the reflections and as something that forces My'ala to mature earlier.
This short novella is certainly a piece of art, which I enjoyed while reading. I feel this review is shorter than usual, but it's the first time I find myself with this kind of book in front of me. Certainly, I can say I enjoyed it, and the craft is really well done, so if you want something less thick, but which will make you think, The Crescent Moon is certainly a great option.
rebeccareader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The Crescent Moon is the first in a novella trilogy. It’s unrelated to his previous fantasy work (which I loved!) but this is an unexpected delight.
.
The Crescent Moon is a quiet, comforting, yet thought provoking novella. We follow My’ala, a young girl living in the greatest city in the world, Arbash. A completely isolated guarded city, surrounded by desert and sea. Brimming with beauty and peaceful solace. We watch My’ala as she wishes to know what’s beyond the walls of her city and essentially be an inquisitive young explorer.
.
We see My’ala learning the way people live, how they think and we watch as she seeks to determine the meaning of life with a mysterious man with eyes like the night sky and an old tree dating back to the Prophets who founded Arbash.
.
It sounds like a lot. But The Crescent Moon is a comforting, small story that shows off life. It shows the good, the bad and how change and something new can be terrifying yet also beautiful.
.
Ethan is a fantastic writer and within a small page count, you experience something quite unique. It really was “the great euphoria of human existence” in a book. I’d highly recommend!
.
The Crescent Moon is a quiet, comforting, yet thought provoking novella. We follow My’ala, a young girl living in the greatest city in the world, Arbash. A completely isolated guarded city, surrounded by desert and sea. Brimming with beauty and peaceful solace. We watch My’ala as she wishes to know what’s beyond the walls of her city and essentially be an inquisitive young explorer.
.
We see My’ala learning the way people live, how they think and we watch as she seeks to determine the meaning of life with a mysterious man with eyes like the night sky and an old tree dating back to the Prophets who founded Arbash.
.
It sounds like a lot. But The Crescent Moon is a comforting, small story that shows off life. It shows the good, the bad and how change and something new can be terrifying yet also beautiful.
.
Ethan is a fantastic writer and within a small page count, you experience something quite unique. It really was “the great euphoria of human existence” in a book. I’d highly recommend!
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