Reviews

The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink

daffodildyke's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious 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

3.75

as a huge night vale and alice isn’t dead fan, it was a given that i would probably enjoy this. i did enjoy it, but not maybe in the ways i expected. 

i think i would describe it as “if coraline took place in the world of the magnus archives, but very clearly aimed at tweens”

that is not a bad thing, lots of that is a good thing, i just think there were some aspects that simply didn’t interest me (the tween angst, the budding romance etc.) but the concept of of being trapped in the dream and the powers of halloween and all that was so interesting to me !! 

i feel like the beginning of the book, whilst it does link to the story, sets it up slightly off-piste to where most of the story actually sits when it comes to tone and whatever.

i really enjoyed the dynamic between the key characters

when they were the only people not trapped in the dream and had to figure out how to proceed, and i mostly enjoyed the part where esther was the only one aware of the situation they were all in, but that bit felt like something was missing that i cannot quite place<spoiler/>

i think i would like to read this again, and my thoughts and feelings on it are likely to increase in fondness as it becomes part of my halloween experience.

mary_rose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

I think this is one I'm gonna have to listen to next year for Halloween. Lately I've been so focused on how well things are written because I am obsessing over my own writing. I didn't dive into the nature of the book--the fact that it's a middle-grade book and that it should be embraced with halloween in mind. I'd like to go back to it with a different mindset and enjoy it properly. 

matturay's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sirflorencek's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective fast-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

4.0

chiron_00's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.5

lindsayb09's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

callunavulgaris's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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? No

3.25

sweetbriar15's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

skylercauldron's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

nicolemhill's review against another edition

3.0

Pleasant enough MG, but not quite as well executed as Fink's adult novels. My biggest problem, I think, is that Esther feels less like a 13-year-old and more like an author mouthpiece. But overall, this is likely an enjoyable, if not overly memorable, read for Halloween-loving kids.