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bookstarbri 's review for:
The Alchemy of Moonlight
by David Ferraro
dark
funny
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:
No
I'll admit: I was nervous. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I wanted this book to meet my high expectations! It had the cover, it had the premise, it had everything I wanted. And it for sure lived up to what I wanted!! (and more?) This story centers on Emile St. Aubert, a marquis who is hiding his identity and status to get away from his aunt while he waits for his inheritance. To hide his identity and high status, he becomes a Second Man for a family. Of course, nothing is ever simple and my poor, dumb Emile accidentally ends up working for a family of werewolves.
Emile is such a funny character to be with for this story. He's so painfully oblivious to so much around him, never quite putting the pieces of something together in time. I loved him for it though and I loved that he wasn't your typical main character. He got really scared, he ran away, he gave up sometimes. But he still felt very much like a true main character and fought to save his friends (turned family) until the end. I loved the side characters so much. Bram is AMAZING. I loved him and everything he brought to this story. Henri took some time for me to love, but when he finally convinced me, I couldn't look back and ended up loving him too. The more secondary side characters (Blanche, Annette, and Ludovico) were also really great additions to this story as well, all helping out in some way and bringing their own pieces of joy to this story.
The story/plot itself: It is very much a gothic story. Like most gothic stories, it ihas a slow burn. The romance itself isn't very slow, but the plot is very much slowly brimming with tension until the ladder half of the story. Some reviews say the pacing feels slow at points and fast at others, I'd agree with this, but that didn't really bother me? It kinda made reading this interesting to me bc I ended up never really knowing how something would play out, if that makes sense? So I didn't mind it, but I can definitely see some people not liking it! A couple small things that are keeping me from giving it a full 5 is: 1) I wanted more Bram! He's a stellar character and a great love interest and I know *why* we got less of him at one point, but I still missed him and would've enjoyed more of him before that happened or some other way to incorporate him more hahaha; 2) I would've liked more easing into Henri's feelings for Emile. That happened a bit quickly for my liking? But these are small issues and didn't really hinder my enjoyment for the book that much!
I also want to praise that this was a lot more of a horror than I expected! The horror doesn't really start horroring in full form until the last part, but the early glimpses of it and the last part more than made up for it! There is one scene in particular that is so grotesque and perfect, I had to reread it twice because I was so enthralled in what was happening. This book is so atmospheric and the gothic aesthetic and setting really pulled me in right away.
Overall, this was a really amazing YA gothic horror. The mystery is felt throughout and I loved the slow burn of it all. The tension was brimming as we got closer to the climax and it was all so well done. I was hoping to love this book, but I'm surprised by how much I loved it! Thanks so much to Page Street for offering me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Emile is such a funny character to be with for this story. He's so painfully oblivious to so much around him, never quite putting the pieces of something together in time. I loved him for it though and I loved that he wasn't your typical main character. He got really scared, he ran away, he gave up sometimes. But he still felt very much like a true main character and fought to save his friends (turned family) until the end. I loved the side characters so much. Bram is AMAZING. I loved him and everything he brought to this story. Henri took some time for me to love, but when he finally convinced me, I couldn't look back and ended up loving him too. The more secondary side characters (Blanche, Annette, and Ludovico) were also really great additions to this story as well, all helping out in some way and bringing their own pieces of joy to this story.
The story/plot itself: It is very much a gothic story. Like most gothic stories, it ihas a slow burn. The romance itself isn't very slow, but the plot is very much slowly brimming with tension until the ladder half of the story. Some reviews say the pacing feels slow at points and fast at others, I'd agree with this, but that didn't really bother me? It kinda made reading this interesting to me bc I ended up never really knowing how something would play out, if that makes sense? So I didn't mind it, but I can definitely see some people not liking it! A couple small things that are keeping me from giving it a full 5 is: 1) I wanted more Bram! He's a stellar character and a great love interest and I know *why* we got less of him at one point, but I still missed him and would've enjoyed more of him before that happened or some other way to incorporate him more hahaha; 2) I would've liked more easing into Henri's feelings for Emile. That happened a bit quickly for my liking? But these are small issues and didn't really hinder my enjoyment for the book that much!
I also want to praise that this was a lot more of a horror than I expected! The horror doesn't really start horroring in full form until the last part, but the early glimpses of it and the last part more than made up for it! There is one scene in particular that is so grotesque and perfect, I had to reread it twice because I was so enthralled in what was happening. This book is so atmospheric and the gothic aesthetic and setting really pulled me in right away.
Overall, this was a really amazing YA gothic horror. The mystery is felt throughout and I loved the slow burn of it all. The tension was brimming as we got closer to the climax and it was all so well done. I was hoping to love this book, but I'm surprised by how much I loved it! Thanks so much to Page Street for offering me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, Murder