The Killing Moon

Rating: 3.5 Stars

A refreshing fantasy book with good characters and fantastic world building.

I think the highlight of this book is without a doubt this complex magic system and extensive setting. It’s creative and detailed which makes it an attractive read for someone like myself who has seen too many cliché magical books in my time. It is one thing to set up a setting in an imaginary land with a king, an adversary, and a religion, but it’s whole other to create a multitier society with different, competing cultures that are both new and unique. There is tons of history that is just begging to be discovered and tastefully hinted at within the book. The level of detail is both admirable and incredible and makes for a great reading experience.

Not only is this background in-depth, but it’s also nothing I’ve ever seen before. I don’t think I’ve ever seen magic and dreams portrayed just this way. Like the author herself, I think I too was getting a bit tired of western magical systems. You know what I’m talking about; kingdoms, wizards, dragons, ivory towers, valiant knights, and maidens. This by comparison was a breath of fresh air.

The characters themselves were also pretty well-developed. Specifically, I liked Ehiru and Nijiri. I found their relationship to be quite intriguing and both had very interesting character psyches. I liked the devout religiousness Ehiru struggled with internally and Nijiri with his subtle complex was very interesting.

I think the book was written well and I like this author. I am aware that there are more in the series, Dreamblood, but I’m not sure if I'll go back and read the rest of it. Generally I don't like leaving series unfinished but, as of now, I don’t think I can make any promises.

Now the book wasn’t particularly humorous- which isn’t a necessity or anything. It just felt a bit like another fantasy book. And while the elaborate, wonderfully fresh setting and well-written prose makes it quite different from its neighbors in the science fiction genre, it still felt a bit like another fantasy book. For whatever reason, the book didn’t give me that twinkle in my eye.

I suppose I can bit picky; I have a very specific genre of books that I love. While I say I like fantasy, that statement might be a bit misleading. I have a particular favorite for urban magic, satirical humor, and overall cleverness. I abhor subpar writing and unlike my fellow reviewers, I do not have a soft spot for sagas. I don’t usually like journey type of books, so I am not overly fond of Tolkien. While many of the books I like fall under the science fiction category, spaceships are only slightly more tolerable than poorly constructed magical systems. However, if I were to be frankly honest, I just love a good story. The Book Thief or The Kite Runner may be works of fiction with no magic but I find them true works of art. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is also another precious gem which happens to be nonfiction.

Overall, apologies for the ramble and in conclusion, it’s a good fantasy book that if you like reading, I’d suggest you give it a whack. It’s good.