Reviews

The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre

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andreacpowers's review

In the first couple of chapters I noted foreshadowing, the main character was undoubtedly a MarySue, and I heard Strunk and White in my head "Omit needless words". I put it down.

Actually not a badly written book if you like historical fiction with a touch of fantasy element. I was very disappointed in that since it won the Nebula award, I was expecting it to be science fiction. WRONG. Just goes to show me that the Nebula awards really do mean Science Fiction and Fantasy writers. There was some fantasy portion that was the excuse for the whole story, the gathering of people and a subject for those people to discuss. However, the entire story could have been written without the fantasy pieces and it wouldn't really have changed much. It seems like the whole book was written to describe King Louis' court, palace, grounds and zoo. A romance springs out in an unlikely duo and the historical setting is the backdrop to this build up of romance and naivety of the woman involved.
Sure she is a strong (for her day) woman with a great personality, talent and skills that were non-conforming to the ladies of that time, but really...that was the purpose of the story. The highlights of "this is how it was for women back then" was the main story.
Fantasy -- yes (slightly)
Historical romantic fiction -- absolutely
Science Fiction -- NO

Overall my impression was this was an OK read but not something I would ever recommend to someone who like Fantasy or science fiction, but I would recommend to someone who like historical setting of a growing romance.

lucy_brb's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mikahmae's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

arojo1's review

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3.0

Wow, was this book extremely difficult to get into. It was a huge pain having a character speak and think, "Who is that again?" and have to flip back to the beginning of the book. I contemplating giving up many times. I'm glad I didn't. At about page 150-200, I knew who all the characters were and I loved the book. I think that this story would have been great during another point in history, but nevertheless it had a wonderful ending, and I'm glad I finished it.

fantasticraccoon's review

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dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

ladyphlogiston's review

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dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyed the plot and setting, though the author played fast and loose with certain historical attitudes. The theme of glory and reflection was really well done.

Content Warnings

soberdionis's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Before I started this book, I didn't even realize that I was in a reading slump. Althought the pacing is a bit uneven, the story and characters are so captivating I couldn't wait to return to the book. Marvelous!

Content Warnings