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lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great read and a great sequel, I loved the developments, and I had a great time reading it!
singsthewren's review
4.0
This was a compelling follow up to Night Shine. I struggled a little to connect with the main character, which made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story, and there were a few times when the romance got SERIOULSY creepy and I couldn't tell if it was on purpose or not (I think it was...?), but overall I enjoyed it. I really liked Osian, which I think was part of the problem - it opens with him and I wanted to see more of him! But Raliel was a complex character with a lot going on, and I really loved Moon's journey over the course of the book. And great writing from Gratton, as always.
siavahda's review against another edition
5.0
HIGHLIGHTS
~let’s steal a demon
~nonbinary emperors are an inspiration
~unicorns always know
~never go swimming without your gills
~names are everything
Moon Dark Smile is the standalone sequel to Night Shine, aka one of my favourite books of 2020 (and of the last decade, for that matter). You don’t need to have read Night Shine to enjoy Gratton’s latest exquisite fantasy, but I strongly recommend you do – both because it gives you the backstory of and insight into many of Moon Dark Smile’s characters, and because it’s an objectively wonderful book.
But we’re not here to talk about Night Shine.
Raliel is the Heir to the Moon – daughter of the Emperor, one day to be Empress herself. Unlike her three parents, she isn’t able to take off the cool poise of her public self at the end of the day – it’s not a mask for her, but all she has. Which is maybe part of the reason her only real friendship is with Moon, the Great Demon of the palace. And that friendship is a big part (but not the only part) of why she steals Moon away to try and find out how to set it free from its binding to the royal family.
(Demons and spirits in Raliel’s world have nothing to do with good or evil, btw, or any kind of heaven or hell. A spirit is a being of aether – feel free to think of it as magic or energy – and demons are just spirits whose ‘house’ – their anchor to the material world – has been destroyed. A Great Spirit is one who is extremely powerful; a Great Demon is created when a Great Spirit’s house is destroyed. They have differing abilities, but superficially aren’t hugely different.
I say this so you understand that while Moon is extremely unhuman, it isn’t evil, and what Raliel does involves no Satanic bargains or whatever. Toss those kinds of preconceptions aside for this book.)
I went into Moon Dark Smile expecting to love it – it was one of my most anticipated books of the year! – and Gratton MORE than delivered. Between the elegantly shining prose, the expanded look at one of my favourite fictional realms, a plot whose twists and turns I completely failed to predict, and a trio of main characters who defied convention, I was swooning by the time I reached chapter three.
Superficially, the plot sounds fairly conventional; Raliel goes on a quest seeking a magical goal, even if it’s not an object. It is, in large part, a journeying story, both in the literal sense and in the personal growth sense – Raliel goes questing under the cover of the traditional Heir’s Journey, and one of her goals is to figure out who she is, find a sense of self, become more. She doesn’t really know who she is, and she wants to learn. We’ve seen this character arc before.
But it stands out from typical journeying plotlines in a few ways. The first is that Raliel (and Moon, and Raliel’s guard/companion Osian) do not have a set destination, or a specific quest object they’re looking for. Raliel and Moon genuinely do not know how to alter or end the binding between Moon and the imperial family, and they don’t have a single wise individual they can set out to talk to about it. This could have resulted in a very vague, lacking-direction kind of plot, but it didn’t; it felt very believable to me, and made Raliel and Moon even more sympathetic. It’s too easy to imagine being in their shoes and just having absolutely no idea where to even start, despite all their passion and determination to accomplish their goal.
The second thing is the emotional journey aspect, the development of the characters and the dynamics between them over the course of their travels. I adored all three of the main cast – Raliel, Moon, and Osian – but the way the relationships between them evolved? I didn’t see any of it coming. Things I expected or took for granted – because things always go That Way, especially in YA – didn’t happen at all, and I was completely blindsided (albeit delighted!) by other developments. I can’t emphasise enough how much I love to be surprised, how much I appreciate it when storytellers don’t take the expected, conventional approach or route – and I should have known better, because Gratton’s stories are always packed full of the best kind of surprises.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~let’s steal a demon
~nonbinary emperors are an inspiration
~unicorns always know
~never go swimming without your gills
~names are everything
Moon Dark Smile is the standalone sequel to Night Shine, aka one of my favourite books of 2020 (and of the last decade, for that matter). You don’t need to have read Night Shine to enjoy Gratton’s latest exquisite fantasy, but I strongly recommend you do – both because it gives you the backstory of and insight into many of Moon Dark Smile’s characters, and because it’s an objectively wonderful book.
But we’re not here to talk about Night Shine.
Raliel is the Heir to the Moon – daughter of the Emperor, one day to be Empress herself. Unlike her three parents, she isn’t able to take off the cool poise of her public self at the end of the day – it’s not a mask for her, but all she has. Which is maybe part of the reason her only real friendship is with Moon, the Great Demon of the palace. And that friendship is a big part (but not the only part) of why she steals Moon away to try and find out how to set it free from its binding to the royal family.
(Demons and spirits in Raliel’s world have nothing to do with good or evil, btw, or any kind of heaven or hell. A spirit is a being of aether – feel free to think of it as magic or energy – and demons are just spirits whose ‘house’ – their anchor to the material world – has been destroyed. A Great Spirit is one who is extremely powerful; a Great Demon is created when a Great Spirit’s house is destroyed. They have differing abilities, but superficially aren’t hugely different.
I say this so you understand that while Moon is extremely unhuman, it isn’t evil, and what Raliel does involves no Satanic bargains or whatever. Toss those kinds of preconceptions aside for this book.)
I went into Moon Dark Smile expecting to love it – it was one of my most anticipated books of the year! – and Gratton MORE than delivered. Between the elegantly shining prose, the expanded look at one of my favourite fictional realms, a plot whose twists and turns I completely failed to predict, and a trio of main characters who defied convention, I was swooning by the time I reached chapter three.
Superficially, the plot sounds fairly conventional; Raliel goes on a quest seeking a magical goal, even if it’s not an object. It is, in large part, a journeying story, both in the literal sense and in the personal growth sense – Raliel goes questing under the cover of the traditional Heir’s Journey, and one of her goals is to figure out who she is, find a sense of self, become more. She doesn’t really know who she is, and she wants to learn. We’ve seen this character arc before.
But it stands out from typical journeying plotlines in a few ways. The first is that Raliel (and Moon, and Raliel’s guard/companion Osian) do not have a set destination, or a specific quest object they’re looking for. Raliel and Moon genuinely do not know how to alter or end the binding between Moon and the imperial family, and they don’t have a single wise individual they can set out to talk to about it. This could have resulted in a very vague, lacking-direction kind of plot, but it didn’t; it felt very believable to me, and made Raliel and Moon even more sympathetic. It’s too easy to imagine being in their shoes and just having absolutely no idea where to even start, despite all their passion and determination to accomplish their goal.
The second thing is the emotional journey aspect, the development of the characters and the dynamics between them over the course of their travels. I adored all three of the main cast – Raliel, Moon, and Osian – but the way the relationships between them evolved? I didn’t see any of it coming. Things I expected or took for granted – because things always go That Way, especially in YA – didn’t happen at all, and I was completely blindsided (albeit delighted!) by other developments. I can’t emphasise enough how much I love to be surprised, how much I appreciate it when storytellers don’t take the expected, conventional approach or route – and I should have known better, because Gratton’s stories are always packed full of the best kind of surprises.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
I love this book and I have so many thoughts they will soon be released as an essay about both NIGHT SHINE and MOON DARK SMILE. I love the way that queerness is showed in so many ways, that there's an explicit idea of generational queer connection and trans role models, Kiran's acceptance of any kind of queerness his daughter could display, and the idea that villains are those who refuse to adapt and change, thereby unlinking fluidity and monstrosity from each other. Osian Redpop is the son of the Sorcerer of the Fourth Mountain, sent by his mother to kill Kiran or Raliel in order to get revenge for his father's death. Instead he grows to care for Raliel and the Emperor's family, enjoying his time at the palace and then helping Raliel on her journey. Moon and Raliel are trying to free Moon from the palace, and much of their journey is based on figuring out how to become a sorcerer and familiar in order to free Moon from the earlier binding which enslaves him.
As a sequel, MOON DARK SMILE wraps up dangling threads related to the slain Sorcerer of the Fourth Mountain, Kiran's ascension to the throne, and the fate of Night Shine and her wife. There's a new storyline with Raliel's friendship with Moon and her heir's journey, with several big things both introduced resolved. The series seems to conclude as a duology, with a very satisfying ending which somehow develops several characters even further right as things wrap up.
As a sequel, MOON DARK SMILE wraps up dangling threads related to the slain Sorcerer of the Fourth Mountain, Kiran's ascension to the throne, and the fate of Night Shine and her wife. There's a new storyline with Raliel's friendship with Moon and her heir's journey, with several big things both introduced resolved. The series seems to conclude as a duology, with a very satisfying ending which somehow develops several characters even further right as things wrap up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Animal death
Minor: Excrement, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Self harm
amazingracerose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
- 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
4.75
I fell head over heels for this magic system in the first book and didn’t think it could get better but it DID. I missed night shine but quickly adored moon and the whole cast of characters
ril_amber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I really don’t know how to rate this book. Some aspects of it worked for me, some did not, it was noce to ho back to characters from Night Shine and get a look at how the were doing all those years later, but the ending sure was something. I’m very salty for Osian, as he was honestly my favorite character here.
sabsey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I am now a Tessa Gratton fan possibly forever. This is probably my favourite fantasy read of 2023 so far. Although Moon Dark Smile is a sequel, I went into this without having read the first one and it was very accessible. Moon Dark Smile is very hard to talk about without spoilers, but all I can say is that I can't believe more word hasn't spread about this series.
The magic system is intricate and deftly woven, the world-building thoughtful, and it's my favourite kind of fantasy where gender and sexual diversity is the norm.
Our main character is Raliel Dark Smile, and her journey of loneliness, isolation and identity was so thoughtful, and so delicate. I could feel her pain radiating off the page, and the way this author built in all different types of love and relationships to counteract her darkness was achingly wonderful.
It's hard to talk about this too much more without spoiling it, so I'll just finish by saying that this book also has two of my favourite things of all time, which is demon possession - and a main throuple pairing.
I'm very, very excited now to go back and read the first one.
I am now a Tessa Gratton fan possibly forever. This is probably my favourite fantasy read of 2023 so far. Although Moon Dark Smile is a sequel, I went into this without having read the first one and it was very accessible. Moon Dark Smile is very hard to talk about without spoilers, but all I can say is that I can't believe more word hasn't spread about this series.
The magic system is intricate and deftly woven, the world-building thoughtful, and it's my favourite kind of fantasy where gender and sexual diversity is the norm.
Our main character is Raliel Dark Smile, and her journey of loneliness, isolation and identity was so thoughtful, and so delicate. I could feel her pain radiating off the page, and the way this author built in all different types of love and relationships to counteract her darkness was achingly wonderful.
It's hard to talk about this too much more without spoiling it, so I'll just finish by saying that this book also has two of my favourite things of all time, which is demon possession - and a main throuple pairing.
I'm very, very excited now to go back and read the first one.
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
What a fantastic "sequel" to Night Shine! This takes place years later and the original characters have grown up and started families of their own. Raliel is Kirin and Sky's daughter with another consort. And she decides to have a bit of an adventure. Lots of queer and trans joy in this one!
literary_valkyrie's review against another edition
3.0
Moon Dark Smile by Tessa Gratton
“With a name, one could remake oneself.”
~~~
I first would like to thank Tessa Gratton, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for the eARC. I loved the genderfluid and nonbinary characters and names. The details for the world and plot were really vivid; it made it easy to imagine what was happening in the book. I also loved the different names that Gratton came up with for the characters, it was a little difficult to tell who was who sometimes.
Overall, it was a very interesting book and absolutely great representation; with an amazing storyline.
“With a name, one could remake oneself.”
~~~
I first would like to thank Tessa Gratton, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for the eARC. I loved the genderfluid and nonbinary characters and names. The details for the world and plot were really vivid; it made it easy to imagine what was happening in the book. I also loved the different names that Gratton came up with for the characters, it was a little difficult to tell who was who sometimes.
Overall, it was a very interesting book and absolutely great representation; with an amazing storyline.