A review by helinae
The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo
3.0
First part of a duology, The Five Daughters of the Moon sets the stage for a historical fantasy story inspired by imperial Russia.
The chapters are divided between the stories told from the five daughter's viewpoints, which takes the story forward in character sections. Sometimes I felt there was not enough difference between the five sisters (aged between 6-22), but the narrative held together and the story flowed onward. Russian mysticism with a hint of magic made this story interesting enough to follow through, although the ending left me hoping for a bit more. Maybe it would have worked better as the middle of a full novel, but without having read the second part this is difficult to judge. The setting is heteronormative, and you will not see surprises there.
The author is Finnish who has written this story in English. Being native Finnish I felt some of the phrases used may stand out to native English readers as odd or peculiar, as they have their roots in the Finnish language expression.
Nevertheless, the story was well crafted and will suck you in if you have any interest in historical fantasy with an imperial Russian setting. I'm looking forward to Likitalo's further works.
The chapters are divided between the stories told from the five daughter's viewpoints, which takes the story forward in character sections. Sometimes I felt there was not enough difference between the five sisters (aged between 6-22), but the narrative held together and the story flowed onward. Russian mysticism with a hint of magic made this story interesting enough to follow through, although the ending left me hoping for a bit more. Maybe it would have worked better as the middle of a full novel, but without having read the second part this is difficult to judge. The setting is heteronormative, and you will not see surprises there.
The author is Finnish who has written this story in English. Being native Finnish I felt some of the phrases used may stand out to native English readers as odd or peculiar, as they have their roots in the Finnish language expression.
Nevertheless, the story was well crafted and will suck you in if you have any interest in historical fantasy with an imperial Russian setting. I'm looking forward to Likitalo's further works.