YA Book Review: A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn

A Creature of Moonlight
Author: Rebecca Hahn
Publication: HMH Books for Young Readers (May 6, 2014)

Description: As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile—but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a wild dragon who is sending his magical woods to capture her.

Fans of Bitterblue and Seraphina will be captured by a Creature of Moonlight, with its richly layered storytelling and the powerful choices its strong heroine must make.

My Thoughts: A CREATURE OF MOONLIGHT was an exquisite fantasy filled with beautiful language and heart-wrenching choices. It is a story in three parts.

In the first part, Marni lives with her Gramps in an isolated area growing flowers. As the story unfolds we learn that Marni is the niece of the king and that her Gramps gave up his throne to take care of her. Her mother had run into the woods and come back a year later with a baby. Marni is a dragon's child. The dragon is sending his woods to try to bring her back home. The woods near her home is filled with all sorts of magical creatures. Now that Marni is growing older, she is beginning to attract the attention of the peasant boys from the nearby village and the lords from the King's castle too.

In the second part after her Gramps's death, Marni is taken to the castle where she has to deal with an uncle who hates her and courtiers who all want something from her. She has formed an alliance with the Lord of Ontrei who keeps asking her to marry him. This isn't what Marni wants though. She is just trying to find her footing in this strange environment. But when the trees keep moving closer and closer to the castle, her uncle decides that he needs to kill Marni as he killed her mother.

In the third part, Marni escapes into the woods and meets the dragon who is her father. She also finds out what happens to all the young girls who run into the woods and are never seen again. But there is something in Marni that won't let her embrace the fate of those young girls. Her future lies in the world outside the woods.

This story was so lyrically written that I was swept into the story and read it in just one day. There was so much lovely language to savor. I really liked Marni despite her bitterness and her desire for vengeance. I ached for the very hard choices she had to make.

Fans of fantasy won't want to miss this amazing story by a debut author.

Favorite Quote:

The Lord of Ontrei takes a deep breath, and the dread comes back a thousandfold, and I know before he says it, the worst words in the world: "He's dead."

"No." We talked of this only last night, of time running out, of not escaping from forever. Just one night ago. It can't have happened already. The world can't—mustn't work that way. We ought to have today, still, and tomorrow, and the next. Today, tomorrow, and the next day—and then the day after that.

I got this ARC through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.