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A review by kyperactive
Shadowed Moonlight by K.C. Harper
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and K.C. Harper for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars, rounded down, because it doesn't match the quality of other books I've rated 4 stars.
The year is 2004 and urban fantasy is in its heyday. Many books are published lording a badass female main character with spunk, magic, and some kind of attitude problem. These books slap, because at this stage in the publishing game, very few of these books exist, and it's refreshing to read about a powerful woman, rather than a demure one. Buffy-esque and trope-filled, they quickly become the perfect serials, most boasting at least a five book roster before fading into obscurity when the dystopian leads take over at the turn of a new decade.
I mention this, because Shadowed Moonlight is reminiscent of this bygone era. When reading this book, I felt as if I held a novel I'd pulled out of a time capsule that I'd buried in my backyard as a tweenager. I felt transported back into a time when Charmed dominated the ratings, and everyone owned a copy of [b: Dead Until Dark|301082|Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)|Charlaine Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1468560853l/301082._SY75_.jpg|479517] by Charlaine Harris. For better or for worse, this book will take you back to this era. I truly have no other way to describe it.
Unfortunately, this also means that Shadowed Moonlight was published more than a decade too late. I truly believe this would have been a hit with readers back in the day, but now? Now, because the marketplace is oversaturated with options, it is with great regret that I share the belief that this book is simply not exciting enough for readers like me. There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, it's a solid book with a solid plot. It's just that it is only a solid book with a solid plot. There is nothing new here.
That being said, K.C. Harper is incredibly gifted at writing smut — and coming from someone like me, who is usually repulsed by unrealistic comparisons or absurdly short refractory periods, that's saying something. Honestly, she could make $$$ if she ventured into the erotica market, be it with a pen name or her own.
Overall, I enjoyed Shadowed Moonlight, but it didn't wow me like its competitors. And it's such a tough world out there right now, so I have so much respect to authors who are consistently writing solid books with solid plots. I hope she continues to publish more content, as I suspect, much like the esteemed Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse novels, K. C. Harper's work will only continue to improve as her narratives are developed over time.
3.5 stars, rounded down, because it doesn't match the quality of other books I've rated 4 stars.
The year is 2004 and urban fantasy is in its heyday. Many books are published lording a badass female main character with spunk, magic, and some kind of attitude problem. These books slap, because at this stage in the publishing game, very few of these books exist, and it's refreshing to read about a powerful woman, rather than a demure one. Buffy-esque and trope-filled, they quickly become the perfect serials, most boasting at least a five book roster before fading into obscurity when the dystopian leads take over at the turn of a new decade.
I mention this, because Shadowed Moonlight is reminiscent of this bygone era. When reading this book, I felt as if I held a novel I'd pulled out of a time capsule that I'd buried in my backyard as a tweenager. I felt transported back into a time when Charmed dominated the ratings, and everyone owned a copy of [b: Dead Until Dark|301082|Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)|Charlaine Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1468560853l/301082._SY75_.jpg|479517] by Charlaine Harris. For better or for worse, this book will take you back to this era. I truly have no other way to describe it.
Unfortunately, this also means that Shadowed Moonlight was published more than a decade too late. I truly believe this would have been a hit with readers back in the day, but now? Now, because the marketplace is oversaturated with options, it is with great regret that I share the belief that this book is simply not exciting enough for readers like me. There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, it's a solid book with a solid plot. It's just that it is only a solid book with a solid plot. There is nothing new here.
That being said, K.C. Harper is incredibly gifted at writing smut — and coming from someone like me, who is usually repulsed by unrealistic comparisons or absurdly short refractory periods, that's saying something. Honestly, she could make $$$ if she ventured into the erotica market, be it with a pen name or her own.
Overall, I enjoyed Shadowed Moonlight, but it didn't wow me like its competitors. And it's such a tough world out there right now, so I have so much respect to authors who are consistently writing solid books with solid plots. I hope she continues to publish more content, as I suspect, much like the esteemed Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse novels, K. C. Harper's work will only continue to improve as her narratives are developed over time.