It’s been a long time since I read a book that was so good that I felt compelled to skip ahead and read the ending, but that is exactly what happened with Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beatty!
The book is about Catrin, an orphan who was basically adopted by her town’s architect. One night, as she is inspecting the scaffolding of the Sanctum, she witnesses a murder. She is too late to help the victim, but is set on helping with the investigation, which may be more trouble than it’s worth. Add to the mix the mysterious young man appointed to lead the investigation, Simon, who is dark and complicated. On top of all that, Cat’s association with the investigation brings her closer to the magical and shunned Selenae, who worship the moon instead of the Sun.
This was the first book in a long time where I was urgently turning the pages, trying to read as fast as I could because the story was so interesting that I needed to know what happens immediately! The plot was certainly robust, as Catrin goes on adventures to catch a serial killer. Although I don’t read a lot of mysteries, this was the best one I’ve read in years, and it’s convinced me that all mysteries should incorporate elements of fantasy!
As I said, the mystery was fantastic, and would have kept me guessing until the end if I had not purposefully spoiled the ending for myself, but the elements of fantasy really made this book shine! The Selenae are essentially very mysterious, nocturnal people who secretly have magick. Most of society isn’t aware of the Selenae’s powers, but Catrin’s involvement in the murder investigations immerse her within their world, which added a lot of excitement to the story.
Finally, I thought the little bit of romance in the novel was cute, and didn’t take over the plot. I appreciated the fact that Catrin had ambitions outside of her feelings that develop for Simon, such as her dedication to her job, her friendships with Marga and Remi, and her determination to learn about her past. These aspects on top of the romance added a lot of depth to the story, and I feel as though the book would have felt incomplete if it had been missing even one of them.
As a whole, Blood and Moonlight was a wonderful book! I would recommend it to both fantasy and mystery readers, especially if you also enjoy YA.
The book is about Catrin, an orphan who was basically adopted by her town’s architect. One night, as she is inspecting the scaffolding of the Sanctum, she witnesses a murder. She is too late to help the victim, but is set on helping with the investigation, which may be more trouble than it’s worth. Add to the mix the mysterious young man appointed to lead the investigation, Simon, who is dark and complicated. On top of all that, Cat’s association with the investigation brings her closer to the magical and shunned Selenae, who worship the moon instead of the Sun.
This was the first book in a long time where I was urgently turning the pages, trying to read as fast as I could because the story was so interesting that I needed to know what happens immediately! The plot was certainly robust, as Catrin goes on adventures to catch a serial killer. Although I don’t read a lot of mysteries, this was the best one I’ve read in years, and it’s convinced me that all mysteries should incorporate elements of fantasy!
As I said, the mystery was fantastic, and would have kept me guessing until the end if I had not purposefully spoiled the ending for myself, but the elements of fantasy really made this book shine! The Selenae are essentially very mysterious, nocturnal people who secretly have magick. Most of society isn’t aware of the Selenae’s powers, but Catrin’s involvement in the murder investigations immerse her within their world, which added a lot of excitement to the story.
Finally, I thought the little bit of romance in the novel was cute, and didn’t take over the plot. I appreciated the fact that Catrin had ambitions outside of her feelings that develop for Simon, such as her dedication to her job, her friendships with Marga and Remi, and her determination to learn about her past. These aspects on top of the romance added a lot of depth to the story, and I feel as though the book would have felt incomplete if it had been missing even one of them.
As a whole, Blood and Moonlight was a wonderful book! I would recommend it to both fantasy and mystery readers, especially if you also enjoy YA.