Moonstone

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

What a wonderfully entertaining take on a particular type of monster novel. An isolated gothic setting, a scandal, a family with secrets and a growing terror. All ingredients to make an excellent book!

Our main character is sent to live with her godmother in Yorkshire after a scandal. She is told her cousin is very ill and she must follow very restrictive rules so as not to make it worse. She can’t understand how the rules are linked to an illness. The more she learns and the more secretive her aunt is, the more suspicious she becomes and starts to expect something nefarious is happening.

The setting was perfect, the rural and isolated hunting lodge made for a believable location for the strange occurrences that take place. Our main character is not only isolated geographically but also socially while she waits for the scandal to abate.

Our main character is by no means perfect, her suspiciousness and self interest means she causes suffering for those around her. However her godmother’s refusal to explain what is happening only exacerbates the situation. We have two characters with who both believe what they’re are doing is right, but conflict in that belief which slowly compounds the danger they are all in.

An excellent take on this kind of horror trope, very enjoyable to read.

Thank you NetGalley and harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free for an honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this book! Regency era with alchemy and werewolves. What else can Laura Purcell do!

I would especially like to mention the fact that the symbolism of the women always being punished for being alone with a man and the curse of being hidden in fear of one’s own identity because of men’s rule.

Although I wanted to scream at Camille I did see myself asking the same questions but with less trust and naivety.

I am obsessed with Laura's work, and was very intrigued (and a bit worried) to see how her first foray into the world of Young Adult fiction would compare to her adult gothic thrillers that I love so much. But I needn't have worried. She's a master storyteller, no matter the genre or form.

Initially I felt there was something about it similar to T.J Klune's Wolfsong, which is weird as, as much as I adore Klune's work, I didn't get on with that particular novel. But I suppose the themes are vaguely similar...I don't know, I just had this feeling and I'm sure if you've read both novels, you'll get what I'm talking about.

This may be her first foray into the YA world, which means it's very different to what I've read before of hers, but she has still managed to work in what I love most about her gothic abilities. The setting, the buildings, the smells and sounds and thick forests, mysterious individuals, frightening rumours - they all blend together to make for an intriguing, dark, and uncomfortable story.

There's not too many characters in it, so I will mention the main players. I felt Camile was a little naïve at first. She'd been brought up in a world of luxury and suddenly she has to fend for herself, almost. I liked her and I felt she was treated incredibly harshly for what she did, but I suppose we wouldn't have had a story if not. She's used to the finer things in life and she's had that world turned upside down for one mistake. Her Godmother Rowena is mysterious and poses lots of questions: is she rich and hiding it? Why does she live like she does? What is she hiding? What is she running from? What secrets does she hold? And then you have her daughter Lucy who is unwell, a bit off, clearly suffering from something not necessarily of this world. I thought she was a bit rude to begin with, btu I actually felt sorry for her. She's clearly ill and overwhelmed and doesn't know how to cope with it around new people, and she is just trying to keep everyone safe. And then we have Bridget, a sort of maid or helper in the house. She seems kind and wants to help everyone out, but there was a darkness to her just under the surface. And then we have Colin, the man who put Camille into this mess to begin with. He's a bit slimy, a bit too charming for my liking, what is it he really wants?

I know Rowena and Bridget are hiding something to protect Lucy, that much is obvious. And so it means they can be quite rude, abrupt, and sneaky. This means at times, I didn't like them. They're not badly written at all, no no, what I mean is, they've been written this way and it really irked me at times. They're full of depth though with so many layers. I think the four women work well off each other really well: Rowena and Bridget, Rowena and Lucy, Rowena and Camille, Lucy and Camille, Lucy and Bridget, Camille and Bridget. It's the perfect quartet that offers a lot of conflict.

I mean, this shouldn't come as a surprise considering the title of the book, the synopsis, and the cover of the book but if you really don't want to know what kind of creature features in this book, then look away now!!

This obviously features werewolves. There are many books on werewolves and you think they would become a bit too samey. But this has everything we know and love about werewolf stories and except from them, but with an added Purcell-ness about it. I hope she continues down this path alongside her gothic writings.

I had just finished reading an absolutely fantastic book that I couldn't stop thinking about, and so I was worried I wouldn't have room in my brain when I started this, but it was fine. I absolutely zoomed through it, it was so addictive.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an e-ARC for Moonstone!

Moonstone is a haunting gothic romance filled with suspicion, twists and monsters. I was pleasantly surprised with this considering it is Laura Purcell's YA debut novel - I am a big fan of her writing in general and was curious how (if at all) her style would adapt for the YA demographic. Moonstone holds up well in comparison her other books: it is beautiful paced, the characters feel real and witty, and it is incredibly haunting. The isolated location as well as the character conflicts do a very good job at reflecting the gothic literature and horror tones throughout the book. And while I did pick up on a lot of the mystery clues through the book and could guess at where the plot was heading, the character conflicts and miscommunications allowed the narrative to spiral and escalate beyond what I could expect.

The horror aspect of Moonstone I especially enjoyed. I wasn't sure if it would be toned down at all considering this is a YA book, but it was still filled with body horror and gore that was very effective.

For anyone who is a big fan of the classic monster genre, like myself, I would highly recommend checking out Moonstone when it comes out (23rd May). The descriptions and mechanics of how the monsters work are perfectly disturbing, and truly allow for that horror aspect and sense of dread I've come to expect with Laura Purcell's writing.