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its_vendetta's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's giving "and we'll do it with the power of friendship" but like I'm not mad about it.
Mixed feelings throughout the book, but I decided to round up to 4 bc I truly did enjoy it!
Mostly rounded up bc they all ended up together in a poly relationship!! THANK GOD. I was going to lose it if he ended up only picking one of them after ALL OF THAT.
I think the thing that threw me off was the amount of plot twists in the book. Like kept me on the edge of my seat for sure, but by the end, I was just expecting another "BUT WAIT-" I just didn't trust anything by the end, which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you like.
I think it was overall a pretty cool book. Loved the romance and tension and the resolution was satisfying for me. The characters had faults which I enjoyed. The plot was tense and horrific at times, but the book had enough lighthearted dialogue and romance to balance it out.
Mixed feelings throughout the book, but I decided to round up to 4 bc I truly did enjoy it!
I think the thing that threw me off was the amount of plot twists in the book. Like kept me on the edge of my seat for sure, but by the end, I was just expecting another "BUT WAIT-" I just didn't trust anything by the end, which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you like.
I think it was overall a pretty cool book. Loved the romance and tension and the resolution was satisfying for me. The characters had faults which I enjoyed. The plot was tense and horrific at times, but the book had enough lighthearted dialogue and romance to balance it out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicide, Homophobia, Confinement, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Classism, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
coll24e's review
This book left me wanting. The major plot points, the big bad, relationships (platonic & romantic) all felt surface level. Yes to the poly rep, love to see it! Yes to the discussions of power dynamics specifically with love interests of varied social/financial status in a historical setting. All the gothic themes are there, mostly in the last third of the story, racing to the end. That said, the depictions of gore/horror and general creepiness were well done. - Readers with arachnophobia may want to skip this book.
If the audiobook is an accessible option I highly recommend. The timber, range and style of the narrator paired well with gothic storytelling.
If the audiobook is an accessible option I highly recommend. The timber, range and style of the narrator paired well with gothic storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Confinement, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
Detailed descriptions of spiders and the fears around them.leedolee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A fast-paced read that kept you on your toes and didn't keep you waiting too long for the story to progress. Definitely a lot more intense when it came to the violence and gore elements so that's my only warning to future readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Murder, Torture, Violence, Grief, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
20sidedbi's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found the main character fairly unbelievable... A book nerd who couldn't figure out he was living with werewolves ? And I'm not sure I totally followed a love interest's redemption arc .
The last couple chapters of this book bumped it up from a 2 to a 3⭐ for me. It's really cool to see an ending withpolyamory as the solution to a love triangle ! And the narrative really picked up in the last part of the book. Honestly, if the MC were better developed and the one love interest not so villainous at the beginning, it would have been really good.
The last couple chapters of this book bumped it up from a 2 to a 3⭐ for me. It's really cool to see an ending with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Horrorbookishpriest's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro is a great homage to the gothic horror genre that includes some m/m romance in a love triangle and a genuinely creepy atmosphere.
Emile is a young man about to come of age and receive his substantial inheritance when his aunt discovers that he is gay. She threatens to institutionalize him if he does not marry a woman and produce an heir, something Emile cannot reconcile himself or the potential bride to.
Emile flees his home and seeks to remain hidden from society until he comes of age and can claim his inheritance on his own terms. He is quickly embroiled in a love triangle with two older, dashing men. As he tries to sort out his heart, Emile stumbles across hints of some truly creepy goings-on around his new home. The plot gets thicker and thicker as he investigates.
The Alchemy of Moonlight creates a great atmosphere with plenty of creepy moments. There is a genuine feeling of dread and, though many of the tropes are familiar and predictable, they are enjoyable just the same. The writing and pacing are good and I found myself looking forward to coming back for the next instalment. I was also impressed with how Ferraro manages to convey the depth of tension and feeling in the love triangle in ways that keep the book firmly in YA-acceptable territory.
The audiobook narration is well done and makes for a pleasant listen.
The book isn't perfect, however. The characters felt a bit flat. Emile exercised very little agency until the last pages of the book, disappointing for a main character with a good setup. There were a few plot points that felt too convenient and the ending of the book was more seamless than I thought realistic, given everything else going on.
Overall, this was a good read and a nice nod to the gothic horror genre.
Emile is a young man about to come of age and receive his substantial inheritance when his aunt discovers that he is gay. She threatens to institutionalize him if he does not marry a woman and produce an heir, something Emile cannot reconcile himself or the potential bride to.
Emile flees his home and seeks to remain hidden from society until he comes of age and can claim his inheritance on his own terms. He is quickly embroiled in a love triangle with two older, dashing men. As he tries to sort out his heart, Emile stumbles across hints of some truly creepy goings-on around his new home. The plot gets thicker and thicker as he investigates.
The Alchemy of Moonlight creates a great atmosphere with plenty of creepy moments. There is a genuine feeling of dread and, though many of the tropes are familiar and predictable, they are enjoyable just the same. The writing and pacing are good and I found myself looking forward to coming back for the next instalment. I was also impressed with how Ferraro manages to convey the depth of tension and feeling in the love triangle in ways that keep the book firmly in YA-acceptable territory.
The audiobook narration is well done and makes for a pleasant listen.
The book isn't perfect, however. The characters felt a bit flat. Emile exercised very little agency until the last pages of the book, disappointing for a main character with a good setup. There were a few plot points that felt too convenient and the ending of the book was more seamless than I thought realistic, given everything else going on.
Overall, this was a good read and a nice nod to the gothic horror genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Body horror
Moderate: Violence and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit
rampant_reading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While reading my physical copy, I also listened to the audiobook version of The Alchemy of Moonlight, which I strongly recommend if you’re an audiobook person! The story is made even spookier by this format! The suspense was heightened for me, and I really couldn’t stop listening!
The story itself was a very unique blend of queer historical fiction and horror, which was unlike anything I’ve read in a long time! The gothic castle setting and the “monster terrorizing the woods” elements were both fantastic, and convinced me that I need to read more books with gothic settings!
My Recommendation:
If you love a good spooky novel, and are pining away for Halloween even in June, you should grab a copy of The Alchemy of Moonlight!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Homophobia and Body horror
redlikeroses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 Stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book!
When this book was pitched as a gay gothic mystery, I was so hooked. The cover was eye-catching, the audiobook voiced wonderfully and the descriptions in this book are breathtaking. I think this book pulled off the horror amazingly, it had me so tense and on edge. It was creepy as hell too! The descriptions were amazing, it made everything feel alive and immersed me in the setting. The supporting cast shined more than the main characters and I was so invested in them. I think the romance was actually the weakest part of the book which was disappointing since I gobble up gay romance and that's why it's at 4.5. Overall this is a great book that will keep you entertained and tense so give it a try! Now I'll go into spoiler territory with more details.
SPOILERS AHEAD
---------------
Let me address my biggest fault with the book- the romance with Henri. Henri is a toxic entitled brat that gets better in the very last section of the book. He's introduced as a predatory noble, using his power to isolate Emile. I really could never recover from the fact he SOLD EMILE OUT. How was I supposed to get over that? Also most of Emile's thoughts were about he was hot which was a little shallow. I do appreciate that Emile acknowledged that he was toxic and that was part of his troubles.
Another thing was Emile wanting to marry for love? He's only attracted to men and Henri is right, he will never be able to marry for love. I found it annoying that he was so caught up on that when the other option was an ASYLUM.
Alright Bram was literally a S tier perfect man. Obvious choice from the beginning, he's supportive even when being rejected for his enemy. Anette owned my heart and soul and if she had died I would have rioted. I also wonder if Camilla was a reference to the vampire in Le Fanu's book with her ice cold skin and attraction towards women?
The werewolf lore was awesome, I love the greek mythology twist! It really set an eerie unearthly tone to the book. I would have liked more explanation for that because if the goddesses are real and the witches by extension, does that mean that vampires or other creatures exist in this world? Maybe something to explore in another book because I could see a sequel happening.
Man, the horror was freaky as hell. The leeches, THE SPIDERS. The author knows how to make my skin crawl. Speaking of skin crawling, the monk and Count Montani were creepy and extremely intimidating. I was actually scared of the count and I actually yelled out loud when the head on spike scene happened. The mysteries were also interesting if not a little predictable, but I prefer coherent reveals to twists that make no sense.
Finally, the closure of the book with Henri, Bram and Emile in a poly relationship I saw coming and I was ok with it. Like I said before, the romance was the least interesting thing about the book and Henri doesn't become bearable till the last portion of the book. I would have liked to see more interactions between Henri and Bram because they resolved their hatred for each other pretty fast.
Overall this was a really good book and it helped me relax during a stressful week. I'd say give it a try!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book!
When this book was pitched as a gay gothic mystery, I was so hooked. The cover was eye-catching, the audiobook voiced wonderfully and the descriptions in this book are breathtaking. I think this book pulled off the horror amazingly, it had me so tense and on edge. It was creepy as hell too! The descriptions were amazing, it made everything feel alive and immersed me in the setting. The supporting cast shined more than the main characters and I was so invested in them. I think the romance was actually the weakest part of the book which was disappointing since I gobble up gay romance and that's why it's at 4.5. Overall this is a great book that will keep you entertained and tense so give it a try! Now I'll go into spoiler territory with more details.
SPOILERS AHEAD
---------------
Another thing was Emile wanting to marry for love? He's only attracted to men and Henri is right, he will never be able to marry for love. I found it annoying that he was so caught up on that when the other option was an ASYLUM.
Alright Bram was literally a S tier perfect man. Obvious choice from the beginning, he's supportive even when being rejected for his enemy. Anette owned my heart and soul and if she had died I would have rioted. I also wonder if Camilla was a reference to the vampire in Le Fanu's book with her ice cold skin and attraction towards women?
The werewolf lore was awesome, I love the greek mythology twist! It really set an eerie unearthly tone to the book. I would have liked more explanation for that because if the goddesses are real and the witches by extension, does that mean that vampires or other creatures exist in this world? Maybe something to explore in another book because I could see a sequel happening.
Man, the horror was freaky as hell. The leeches, THE SPIDERS. The author knows how to make my skin crawl. Speaking of skin crawling, the monk and Count Montani were creepy and extremely intimidating. I was actually scared of the count and I actually yelled out loud when the head on spike scene happened. The mysteries were also interesting if not a little predictable, but I prefer coherent reveals to twists that make no sense.
Finally, the closure of the book with Henri, Bram and Emile in a poly relationship I saw coming and I was ok with it. Like I said before, the romance was the least interesting thing about the book and Henri doesn't become bearable till the last portion of the book. I would have liked to see more interactions between Henri and Bram because they resolved their hatred for each other pretty fast.
Overall this was a really good book and it helped me relax during a stressful week. I'd say give it a try!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Forced institutionalization
Graphic Horror describing spiders and leeches
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