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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
The Moon Tear
by M.E. Royce
I think this is the worst luck I've ever had with picking my favorite characters...
The Moon Tear is the first novel in a high fantasy trilogy with elves and magic and plenty of other fascinating creatures. I've seen other reviews claiming this book was confusing, and I was prepared to devote all of my energy to not being confused...but I was. It definitely could have benefitted from a glossary and maybe some deeper worldbuilding? I hate saying I need to be spoon-fed the lore, but I'm stupid and apparently can't retain information unless I'm beat over the head with it.
Like I said, the plot was kind of confusing. The basic gist of the story is that Eyolin is an elf with a hidden destructive power that's been prophesized about, and everyone is trying to use her or kill her. It sounds easy to understand, but I think the issue I had with comprehension was that I had no idea where the story was going next. I struggled to grasp a rhyme or reason for anything...she was training, and then she was on the run, and then she was training again, and then all of a sudden, everyone was dying? It could be an error on my part (and, honestly, it almost certainly was), but I just didn't understand entirely what was going on at any given time. That being said, I liked the ending, and it sets up for an interesting sequel.I'm just not sure if I'll read it.
Another issue I had was that I liked the side characters more than the main ones, which is never a good thing (because they all die usually). Eyolin was fine as a protagonist, but she felt a bit cliche in the "chosen one with a power she'll never understand." Kipp spent most of the book drunk...and everyone else suffered because of it. I liked Jet and wish he got more page time, and the same goes for Dale. I hated Karok at first (because his name looks like Korok ... if you know, you know), but I grew to love him. The villains were pretty decent but not incredibly memorable - although, again, that might be a "me" problem.
The Moon Tear is a high fantasy story about a girl with the potential to destroy and what it means to defy one's fate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.25/5
The Moon Tear is the first novel in a high fantasy trilogy with elves and magic and plenty of other fascinating creatures. I've seen other reviews claiming this book was confusing, and I was prepared to devote all of my energy to not being confused...but I was. It definitely could have benefitted from a glossary and maybe some deeper worldbuilding? I hate saying I need to be spoon-fed the lore, but I'm stupid and apparently can't retain information unless I'm beat over the head with it.
Like I said, the plot was kind of confusing. The basic gist of the story is that Eyolin is an elf with a hidden destructive power that's been prophesized about, and everyone is trying to use her or kill her. It sounds easy to understand, but I think the issue I had with comprehension was that I had no idea where the story was going next. I struggled to grasp a rhyme or reason for anything...she was training, and then she was on the run, and then she was training again, and then all of a sudden, everyone was dying? It could be an error on my part (and, honestly, it almost certainly was), but I just didn't understand entirely what was going on at any given time. That being said, I liked the ending, and it sets up for an interesting sequel.I'm just not sure if I'll read it.
Another issue I had was that I liked the side characters more than the main ones, which is never a good thing (because they all die usually). Eyolin was fine as a protagonist, but she felt a bit cliche in the "chosen one with a power she'll never understand." Kipp spent most of the book drunk...and everyone else suffered because of it. I liked Jet and wish he got more page time, and the same goes for Dale. I hated Karok at first (because his name looks like Korok ... if you know, you know), but I grew to love him. The villains were pretty decent but not incredibly memorable - although, again, that might be a "me" problem.
The Moon Tear is a high fantasy story about a girl with the potential to destroy and what it means to defy one's fate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.25/5