Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Night and Its Moon

There were definitely elements of the book I liked. Amaris and Nox in the orphanage had a lovely bond. Given how slowly the plot moved we probably could have spent even more time with them there. The relationship between Odrin and Amaris would have been nice to see more of as well.

As much as I tend to be pulled to strong FMCs and was here for the bisexual representation, I have to say I was actually more interested in character development among the

dark fae and the reevers

.

I found myself skimming a lot. I was of course uncomfortable with the various forms of child abuse that took place at the top of the book, and I think it would have been interesting to get into more of the healing that the characters went through. It seemed almost like it was just a thing that happened, and many of the tension points felt a bit more adolescent.

I was also uncomfortable with some of the dynamics between Nox as a racialized character vs Amaris as the whitest of white characters.

Not only did Nox sacrifice herself for Amaris’s safety, but Nox was also consistently pining for Amaris and on a mission to get back to her whereas Amaris had no such yen to serve Nox. While I understand that Amaris would know less of Nox’s fate than vice versa, the power imbalance is still palpable. The dynamic is further underscored by Nox’s story serving under the darkness of Millicent’s operation in a profession that is often demonized while Amaris serves a cause that is positioned as more noble.

All to say I think there were some good ingredients and I did appreciate some of the lore, even if there are critiques around its familiarly. As I’m writing my first book right now I have utmost appreciation for anyone who writes and especially self publishes. I also know how invaluable editing feedback will be because I know I can’t see outside my own focal points. I am curious about where the story goes so may read on, but I have some other reads that I’m a bit more eager to get into right now.

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sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

3.75

I did not have super high hopes for this book, but it really surprised me. While I can admit that the writing was not the most polished (there were some typos and the same dramatic phrasing reused multiple times throughout the book), the story was compelling and I enjoyed the read.

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jescie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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jenteague's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

I especially loved the imagery throughout this story. I hope the sequels provide more background of the world this story takes place in, but all in all I was hooked the whole time!

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aubreycc123's review against another edition

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DNF @ 50%

I really wanted to like this but it’s such a chore. The feminist themes(and honestly the book in general) are always tell don’t show and you can really tell it’s written by a cis woman. The themes fall flat when you actually pick at them and with Nox in particular they often mirror racist tropes about black women.

The lowlights for me were:
- calling periods the “curse of womanhood”
- “hard thick rod of serotonin” is one of the worst things I’ve had the displeasure of reading.
- saying the women working in the brothel were empowered when they were literally sold into sex slavery, this view was not challenged in what I read
- the graphic depiction of a black girl getting whipped for really just no reason at all
- Giving the lesbian character who was sold to a brothel a sex scene with a man that by all accounts is smut and seen as something enjoyable for her. I know this is marketed as a bi fantasy but Nox is literally described as having no taste for men so wtaf was that.

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thebluebird3752's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? No

2.75

It was fine, I enjoyed the writing style. There were some aspects I did not enjoy, and several that were outright problematic. it also felt like there was a lot of nothing happening in some chunks. I wouldn't read it again, but I didn't hate reading it.

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bookswithjay's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

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charlottx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

For the most part I enjoyed this book. Some parts were drawn out a little in my opinion while other vital elements were very hasty/rushed. I wish there had been more overall structure and cohesion. However, all in all I liked the story and I have already bought the next book! Here’s to hoping I enjoy the next one even more :)

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