Detail oriented readers will almost immediately guess the culprit in Blood and Moonlight.
Detail oriented readers will almost immediately guess the culprit in Blood and Moonlight leaving the next 400 + pages feeling lengthy and meandering.
Lets start with the positive! The characters we are introduced to in Blood and Moonlight are really delightful. I found them to be fully fleshed out and nuanced. Catrin, our MC, is level headed and likable and I enjoyed seeing the journey of her moral compass being put to the test. The world, a mix of magic and industry, is intriguing too. Identifying the killer early did create on page tension that otherwise wouldn't be felt. This is one of those books that I found myself literally yelling at. If I could figure out who the baddie is why can't the talented detective!? I suppose that last bit could fall under the negative section but if anything it does show I was engaged with the story!
Now on to the negative bits.There are many moving parts in Blood and Moonlight and personally I think the story is worse for it. Just as I found myself getting engaged in the central mystery the story shifts gears, diving deeper into the magic system and lore of the world. This divide and conquer approach to the two plot lines made the story lack cohesion and the attempt to intermingle the two, while working technically, felt clunky and heavy handed. With the killer being identifiable early, every red herring felt somewhat cringe-worthy and obvious.
Sadly I dont think there's enough mystery or fantasy here to make Blood and Moonlight a hit for either audience. That being said, the character development and unique world building was solid enough that I will take not of the authors future projects.
Lets start with the positive! The characters we are introduced to in Blood and Moonlight are really delightful. I found them to be fully fleshed out and nuanced. Catrin, our MC, is level headed and likable and I enjoyed seeing the journey of her moral compass being put to the test. The world, a mix of magic and industry, is intriguing too. Identifying the killer early did create on page tension that otherwise wouldn't be felt. This is one of those books that I found myself literally yelling at. If I could figure out who the baddie is why can't the talented detective!? I suppose that last bit could fall under the negative section but if anything it does show I was engaged with the story!
Now on to the negative bits.There are many moving parts in Blood and Moonlight and personally I think the story is worse for it. Just as I found myself getting engaged in the central mystery the story shifts gears, diving deeper into the magic system and lore of the world. This divide and conquer approach to the two plot lines made the story lack cohesion and the attempt to intermingle the two, while working technically, felt clunky and heavy handed. With the killer being identifiable early, every red herring felt somewhat cringe-worthy and obvious.
Sadly I dont think there's enough mystery or fantasy here to make Blood and Moonlight a hit for either audience. That being said, the character development and unique world building was solid enough that I will take not of the authors future projects.