Had to put down for a bit. I've tried to read it multiple times and I couldn't get into the writing. Maybe I will try again someday. Gave 3 stars because this might be a good read for someone else.

{3.5 stars}

"I am Gold, the marauder with a taste for the theatrical, and the talent to pull it off."

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The Moon Eater is a dark crime thriller with supernatural elements, it drops you right into an epic battle between two supernatural serial killers. Gold is a half werewolf with a penchant for sugary baked goods, classical music and of course gruesome murder. While The Moon Eater is a minotaur who is already on the police radar after a series of grisly victims arise.

Part American Psycho, with a plotline to rival Dexter vs Trinity killer with John Wick level action, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat. It does take a while to get the right pieces to build the world and understand the evil but if you stick with it, everything does get fleshed out well. I'm not sure we needed the detective, Curtis's POV even though he is a foil, he himself was a bit bland in the face of the other characters. Also, it is a series so while the "case" itself wraps up it is called Gold book one so there is an open ended ending for Gold himself. Would be interested to see what other confrontations this character has.

Apologies to the author, this one sat in my Netgalley queue for way too long. I am grateful for gifted access. All opinions above are my own.

Hmmmm. I’m not so sure about this novel. Unlike other reviewers, I do like Gold’s character. There’s something a little Dexter / Joe Goldberg about him. I enjoy the narrative point of view of a murdering sociopath; what can I say?!

The other characters, however, leave me cold. I really don’t care about Curtis or his quest. Or Gold’s brother, Nick. I feel that Kuru is clichéd (the creepy medical examiner) and has been done before. In fact, the only other character I want more of, dies in the opening of the book.

I understand that establishing a new world order (magic, creatures, demons, blood and rules) requires taking the reader on a journey of understanding. But Gold’s breaking of the fourth wall, to constantly explain the what and why, is clunky and patronising.

I like the premise. I will probably read the next instalment to find out what happens next. But I’ll do so hoping that I.M. Bones develops their craft along the way.

Wow, what a well-written book! Overall, I don't feel that the level of gratuitous violence is something I can recommend without reservation to my younger readers. However, for my more mature and discerning students, I think the alternating perspectives and the nuanced character development couple with an intriguing plot to provide a riveting read! I loved the shifting point of view, which "Bones" handled deftly and adeptly. I wholeheartedly admire the way Gold's character is steadily built as a protagonist we don't want to root for on a moral basis but still can't help ourselves! Definitely looking forward to seeing more from Gold and company! Keep up the brilliant work!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd. for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I knew when/if this series will continue, because I’m left with so many questions, and a feeling of having read something super bloated, but ultimately hollow. What I’m trying to say is this book is the literary equivalent of a balloon— a blood red one with an angry face drawn on it.

There was an issue with the pacing in this particular book. The story progression was often stop-and-go, with heavy-handed info dumping all the way through. The author tried to cram as much characterization, world-building, and background in as they could, with every page detailing more and more information about magic, creatures, and occult terminology. I felt like I was back in school and having to learn so damn much. All the overabundant supernatural/fantasy elements we’re bombarded with were dizzying and hard to keep track of.

Silas/Gold is an interesting character. I like the asexual (I think?), amoral, psychotic half-werewolf/assassin/baker, but I wish there had been more development between him and Curtis. More specifically— and the author was really pushing it here— the queer-baiting!! It was so PROFOUNDLY INFURIATING!!! I mean, seriously, what gives? I’m not at all happy with that whole sick run around. It wasn’t even just the baiting of Silas and Curtis, but also of Carolyn and Juliette. JUST GIVE US SOMETHING, DAMMIT! And then everything else in the story... It’s really just a bunch of exposition the whole way through. There was very little substance, to the point where it all felt like it was just setting up for the sequel (which is “TBC”, but no word on anything as of yet). In other words, I think this entire novel was pretty pointless. The main characters I was getting into, but the side characters could’ve been utilized more (and it would’ve made a big difference), but with the exceptions of Nick (and to a point, Carolyn) they’re all one-dimensional.

Also, there were, I noticed, quite a few grammatical errors— like the kind you’d find in a poorly edited fan fiction. It’s hard to miss with how wordy and dense some of the chapters were. So, yeah... not much happens. I know this is only the first in a planned series, but I was hoping for more than what was given.

A spirited debut featuring a seemingly innocent baker of delicious cupcakes and a bloodthirsty psychotic monster driven by demons! Add to this, a police procedural setting, a tragic sibling taking on an investigation close to home and some brutal fight scenes between super-powered monsters.

I. M. Bones first is saturated in bloody encounters and written from the perspective of both the hunter and the hunted..although perhaps those descriptions are interchangeable.

The world building exposition is a little clunky, with the story interrupted while the reader is lectured on how the magic works and which family is in a position of power and who has a grudge against whom and so on.

It will be interesting to see how I. M. Bones writing style develops.

Many thanks to NetGalley for making a review copy of this book available!

A solid start to a promising series that embraces the supernatural side of gritty crime drama. A fast-paced game of cat and mouse ensues between a werewolf hybrid serial killer and the rookie detective determined to bring his sister's killer to justice. Gold makes for a compelling protagonist in that he is as cunning as he is depraved - a sadistic cold, blooded killer that is hard to root for. The magic system involves blood magic and rune working interwoven into the plot in a way that is unique and interesting. Fans of crime drama and advocates of the anti-hero will be enthralled.

Personally, there were some elements to the story that did not work for me. First of all, the main character Gold is extremely unlikable - perhaps it's my lack of experience in the crime drama genre, but having a blood-thirsty, sadistic serial killer devoid of all morals as the dominant point of view was less than palatable. Gold addresses the reader by breaking the fourth wall, laying out the magic system and history of the world like a teacher would for a class - I found this a jarring distraction that would have been better demonstrated through action rather than spoon-fed to me. If there were more action scenes showcasing the magic system rather than lecturing about it, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

3.75 stars
This was a pretty cool ya crime drama/murder mystery. The characters were different and interesting, though Curtis was a bit of a bore. I really enjoyed Gold, though. The family drama on both sides was an interesting dynamic. We had Curtis, a cop investigating the murder of his cop sister. And then we have Gold, the half wolf, and his weird family stuff.
There were some parts of this book that dragged on unnecessarily and that threw me off, but all in all, this was a really fun book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book is perfect for those who love diabolical, sarcastic villains and crime drama.

Curtis has a mission to find the infamous serial killer, Gold, who has been terrorizing London. Gold is a demon/creature with magical occult powers who by day is known as Silas, a normal 18 year old who runs his own very successful bakery. What no one knows is that Silas/Gold prefers blood to other food and has missions of his own. The book follows both as they try find (and kill/bring to justice) each other.

What did I like? As I mentioned before, it has a diabolical, sarcastic villain who honestly made me laugh. It also has a fair bit of mystery as to back stories of both characters. The end leaves me guessing as to what’s coming up in a sequel and who else could be involved with the occult world. Great for adult fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.

What did I dislike? As much as I enjoyed Gold/Silas’ character, the evil villain monologues got a bit long winded and to be perfectly honest, I skimmed most of it towards the end. I didn’t feel like it added much to the story and it mostly felt like he was explaining more of the occult world- something I feel should’ve been done earlier in the story instead of being continued throughout the book. If it wasn’t explaining the occult world, it was his thoughts on the events in the story. During Gold/Silas’ chapters he barely talks to anyone else. So it’s just his thoughts and explanations. Slightly boring.

Second thing I didn’t really like was that all of the characters felt underdeveloped. The main two characters, but especially the minor characters. It’s a bit to be expected of minors, but main characters?

All in all, great book that I would recommend and read the sequel to. 3.5 stars.

So. It's not a bad book. The writing is competent, characterization solid. Despite this, I just couldn't get into the story. I've tried three times and decided to DNF it at 48%.

I give this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Well, where to start? I don’t normally read crime novels but the supernatural element of this book drew me in and I’m glad i gave it a chance! The novels centres around two characters. Silas/Gold, the werewolf assassin with a lot of bloodlust and Curtis, a young(ish) detective who is trying to solve his sister’s murder.

I really liked Gold most of the time. I found his character interesting and I hope that later novels explore how he became the way he is and whether there is a chance he might revert back to who he once was. I am a little worried about potential romance in the future, depending on how it’s handled, but I won’t let it influence this review.

It took me a while to warm up to Curtis and I’m still not sure where I stand with him. He can be a little bit of a bore and honestly, I could do without all this ‘fire’ talk. It got a little repetitive.

Overall, however, I found the book suspenseful, even if the switching POV would take away that suspense when it got to the next character looking over the actions of the previous. I want to see what happens next and find answers.

As a side note, Kuru really reminded me of L from Death Note and, intentional or not, it made me really like his character despite the small supporting role he currently plays.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get into this story. I struggled to like any of the characters. I felt it was really well written , but I couldn’t relate.

A great horror, thriller, supernatural YA read, full of great characters, I loved the brothers so much and they kept me going when the story lagged a bit. An entertaining read. Needs a little work and could be even better.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Moon Eater was difficult to rate for me. There were times when reading this book was fun and there were times when the story dragged and didn't feel engaging.
I wanted to really like this book, it seemed like something that I would enjoy, but sadly I could not really connect with it.
Still thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this story.

I am having trouble with this review, I didn’t dislike or like this book, I could have quite happily put it down and not pick it back up.
I kept going, it was an ok read

Great supernatural thriller that will have you hooked on the first chapter. Love that the brothers are so different.