Published on October 25th 2016
Pages: 600
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, P.C. Cast, brings us a new epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…
Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…
Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all.
In a world once known as ours, the decimated population has split itself into homogeneous tribes with distinct traditions and magical powers and a strong hatred of one another. Then one girl is revealed to be a halfbreed…
What I liked about Moon Chosen:
The different magical abilities of the different tribes of peoples. I liked how it was based on sun magic and moon magic.
I really liked how the worldbuilding was slow and precise. Things were revealed at just the right time.
Even though there were a couple of inciting incidents, and the plot moved very slowly, the narrative was still entertaining. Although it has a slow plot, the pacing itself is not slow. You get the feeling Cast is very carefully putting all of the pieces together on a chess board to catch you with a Checkmate! off guard.
Special bonds with animals! Yes, please. I am such a sucker for those.
What I didn’t like about Moon Chosen:
Within the first few pages a deer is tortured and left alive half-flain. I get that it is to set up a character we then don’t hear from for hundreds of pages, but animal torture does not sit well with me. I’ve quit books for less.
600 pages! OK, I get it: Cast wanted to write the book she most wanted to read. And it was an entertaining read! I just wasn’t expecting 600 pages. I was also expecting YA, because it’s marketed as a YA, but in my opinion it’s definitely not YA. I would not let my hypothetical twelve year old daughter read this. She’d have nightmares. So an unexpected huge word count combined with not being YA = Nemo no likey.
The slut-shaming of the girl who is at first rivals with Mari. Because they are rivals the girl is fat and lazy and promiscuous and entitled, and of course Mari is none of those things, the pure innocent blonde virgin.
Mari and her mother being best friends. Although I think Cast pulled off the relationship beautifully, I just thought it was really sad. Maybe because I find a distintion between mothers and friends? Maybe Cast thinks she is BFF with her own daughter, I don’t know, I just think your mother being your BEST FRIEND in the entire world is very sad.
Overall
Although a couple of things caught me off guard I enjoyed this more than I thought I would and I’d be interested in reading any sequels as well.