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popthebutterfly 's review for:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received a finished copy of the book. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Girl Who Drank The Moon
Author: Kelly Barnhill
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, fairtales, witches
Publication Date: August 9, 2016
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 13+ (Sacrificing children, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gore, Violence, Abelism, Death, Animal death, Animal violence, Animal injury)
Explanation of CWs: Slight gore and violence are in this book. The book has the narrative of sacrificing babies to a witch and they abandon the babies in the process. There is some sexism talk and some abelistic words. Kidnapping is in this book. Death is discussed in detail. There are scenes of animal injury, violence, and brutal death.
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Pages: 386
Synopsis: Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. I really liked how it read like a fairytale and the concept behind it was fascinating to me. It was hard to put down because of the amazing characters and their development with each other. I also liked the world building and how well paced the book was.
However, the book had some confusing moments. It didn't fully explain the magic system and the book's plot was a bit confusing as it had 4 different plots going at once by the end of it when it originally started as 2. The book also had some confusing resolutions to it. There are also some elements that wouldn't be suitable for younger readers in the MG genre.
Verdict: I liked it!
Book: The Girl Who Drank The Moon
Author: Kelly Barnhill
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, fairtales, witches
Publication Date: August 9, 2016
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 13+ (Sacrificing children, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gore, Violence, Abelism, Death, Animal death, Animal violence, Animal injury)
Explanation of CWs: Slight gore and violence are in this book. The book has the narrative of sacrificing babies to a witch and they abandon the babies in the process. There is some sexism talk and some abelistic words. Kidnapping is in this book. Death is discussed in detail. There are scenes of animal injury, violence, and brutal death.
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Pages: 386
Synopsis: Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. I really liked how it read like a fairytale and the concept behind it was fascinating to me. It was hard to put down because of the amazing characters and their development with each other. I also liked the world building and how well paced the book was.
However, the book had some confusing moments. It didn't fully explain the magic system and the book's plot was a bit confusing as it had 4 different plots going at once by the end of it when it originally started as 2. The book also had some confusing resolutions to it. There are also some elements that wouldn't be suitable for younger readers in the MG genre.
Verdict: I liked it!