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stephinthestacks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dramagirl2003's review against another edition
I'm in the middle of too many books right now, and I'm just not in the mood to carry on with this one. I own it, so I have the privilege to be able to come back to it later
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
leopardsummer8's review
4.0
Welcome back to reasons why Abby should never, ever be allowed to be a detective. (To be fair, I did accuse the murderer at one point...along with literally every single other character.)
Blood and Moonlight is yet another fantasy mystery where I failed to accurately predict the murderer, but apparently, that's something I enjoy. It masterfully balances the ratio of mystery and fantasy elements to create an enticing story filled with suspense and drama.
We meet Catrin, an orphaned young woman who works with the architect until she witnesses a brutal murder. From there, she must work with the detective - Simon - to find the murderer and stop him as quickly as possible. I didn't love the fantasy elements as much as I did the mystery ones, I think because I'm more used to the genre and found them to be fairly predictable. However, I didn't officially "catch the killer" because there were so many red herrings. That being said, the plot twists were foreshadowed enough that I think it is possible to find the murderer before the big reveal.
I had mixed feelings on pretty much all of the characters. I liked Catrin more as the story progressed and she became more strong-willed. Simon was the only character that I liked the whole way through. Juliane and Remi both grew on me the further I got into the book. Most of the other characters I didn't really care for. I will admit that the romance was a bit more fast-paced than I usually prefer, but that wasn't a big deal.
Fantasy mysteries are quickly becoming my favorite subgenre, and if you are like me and prefer fantasy stories with elements of mystery more than romance, Blood and Moonlight is a wonderful gateway into the genre.
4.25/5
Also, to my cousins who will now get to read this with my lovely annotations, I apologize for being paranoid about everyone and also for proposing a drinking game in the first chapter. To be fair, my annotations were pretty tame compared to my e-books.
Blood and Moonlight is yet another fantasy mystery where I failed to accurately predict the murderer, but apparently, that's something I enjoy. It masterfully balances the ratio of mystery and fantasy elements to create an enticing story filled with suspense and drama.
We meet Catrin, an orphaned young woman who works with the architect until she witnesses a brutal murder. From there, she must work with the detective - Simon - to find the murderer and stop him as quickly as possible. I didn't love the fantasy elements as much as I did the mystery ones, I think because I'm more used to the genre and found them to be fairly predictable. However, I didn't officially "catch the killer" because there were so many red herrings. That being said, the plot twists were foreshadowed enough that I think it is possible to find the murderer before the big reveal.
I had mixed feelings on pretty much all of the characters. I liked Catrin more as the story progressed and she became more strong-willed. Simon was the only character that I liked the whole way through. Juliane and Remi both grew on me the further I got into the book. Most of the other characters I didn't really care for. I will admit that the romance was a bit more fast-paced than I usually prefer, but that wasn't a big deal.
Fantasy mysteries are quickly becoming my favorite subgenre, and if you are like me and prefer fantasy stories with elements of mystery more than romance, Blood and Moonlight is a wonderful gateway into the genre.
4.25/5
Also, to my cousins who will now get to read this with my lovely annotations, I apologize for being paranoid about everyone and also for proposing a drinking game in the first chapter. To be fair, my annotations were pretty tame compared to my e-books.
abookeachday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
5.0
Most of the time I take phrases like "for the fans of..." with a huge bag of salt. Anything with a vampire is for the fans of Twilight or the Vampire Diaries. And anything with murder is for the fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper. So, since the summary didn't really speak to me at first I didn't really get this book at first. But it kept on popping up and I started to get intrigued and now the sequel is out and I just got a little TOO curious.
I was in love with this book after the first reading session. I planned on reading only for an hour, but I had trouble putting the book down after a lot longer than that. The combination of all the different elements of this story works insanely well and the writing style really fits me as a reader. The emotions are so prominently there, despite the whodunnit elements and the historical fantasy elements of the story. I could really feel what our heroine was feeling.
This book indeed combines the thrill of catching a serial killer, one that might get closer and closer to our heroine with every chapter, with the excitement of exploring a world with magic and the warmth of a lovely romance based on a lot more than looks. And although there are so many different elements in this story, it never felt like the author had issues focussing or giving everything the attention it deserved.
On top of that I absolutely loved the characters in this story. The author does an amazing job including characters with mental illnesses and allowing them to be much more than just their illness. I also like how none of these characters were perfect. They were all flawed, they all had issues they needed working on, they all sometimes did something problematic. These characters were real and layered and complicated and I can't wait to reunite with them in the sequel.
I was in love with this book after the first reading session. I planned on reading only for an hour, but I had trouble putting the book down after a lot longer than that. The combination of all the different elements of this story works insanely well and the writing style really fits me as a reader. The emotions are so prominently there, despite the whodunnit elements and the historical fantasy elements of the story. I could really feel what our heroine was feeling.
This book indeed combines the thrill of catching a serial killer, one that might get closer and closer to our heroine with every chapter, with the excitement of exploring a world with magic and the warmth of a lovely romance based on a lot more than looks. And although there are so many different elements in this story, it never felt like the author had issues focussing or giving everything the attention it deserved.
On top of that I absolutely loved the characters in this story. The author does an amazing job including characters with mental illnesses and allowing them to be much more than just their illness. I also like how none of these characters were perfect. They were all flawed, they all had issues they needed working on, they all sometimes did something problematic. These characters were real and layered and complicated and I can't wait to reunite with them in the sequel.
heckle6's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
Ok this was so great. I loved the murder mystery side of the story and I felt like the different plots worked well together, with the magic, romance, and thriller. The murders itself reminded me somewhat of the Jack the Ripper cases in London so that was a really interesting surprise. I Had thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am hoping to read the sequel soon because it sounds just as good.
Ok this was so great. I loved the murder mystery side of the story and I felt like the different plots worked well together, with the magic, romance, and thriller. The murders itself reminded me somewhat of the Jack the Ripper cases in London so that was a really interesting surprise. I Had thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am hoping to read the sequel soon because it sounds just as good.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
This is definitely a case of where the cover and the premise sounds better than what is inside. I will say it was ambitious and I enjoyed parts of the serial killer aspects.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.