Title: Shadows on the Moon
Author: Zoe Marriott
Release Date: July 2011
Published By: Walker Books
Pages: 464
Goodreads Rating: 4.07 stars
Review: Suzume officially died the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason and slaughtered her family. Only with her shadow-weaving skills was she able to escape, changing her face and her identity to save her own life. Everyone knows that she - known as Yue - is destined to capture the heart of the Prince, but only she knows that she'll use the power to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her - not even love.
SHADOWS ON THE MOON is a unique book, not just for its intriguing concept but the way the tone was crafted. This read like part feudal era historical fiction and part fairy tale, and since I love both types of novels, I really enjoyed this kind of combination. The shadow weaving element added a great touch of fantasy and gave the book a sort of "magical realism" feel, which went along nicely with the themes.
I have to admit, I was surprised by the depth of this book. Most fairy-tale-type books tend to gloss over character development and the like and instead focus on short, quick, and interesting plots. However, Suzume had a very complex personality, and I appreciated how thoroughly her inner character conflicts were explored. Her life was difficult and she suffered from a lot of guilt and other complicated emotions, and the author developed these skillfully.
Of course, it wasn't just the characters that were surprisingly well-written in this book. The plot itself was suspenseful and very difficult to stop reading. I actually had trouble putting this novel - or rather, my Kindle - down while I was reading this, which doesn't happen too often for me, so it's a measure of how gripping the story line is.
All in all, SHADOWS ON THE MOON is a wonderful fairy tale retelling set in an imaginary but distinctly Asian feudal-era world. From the well-explored characters to the un-put-down-able plot, this novel will not disappoint any readers. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairy-tale-esque books or just wants to read something different.
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4 comments:
I am very interested to read this-I love fairy tales and stories that incorporate Asian settings so I think this will really appeal to me.
Ooo, this sounds great! It's been on our TBR list ever since we saw it featured on the Diversity in YA site, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. Your review just bumped it up a few notches on our list!
I loved this book so much. I've read so many fairy tale retellings, and none have had so much depth as this one. Wonderful review!
Debz @ Debz Bookshelf
I love the concept for this and am really glad to hear you enjoyed it. I really want to read it.
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