This was the first Struan Murray book that I’ve read and it was absolutely fantastic! Such a magical read! The plot was brilliant and the characters were written so well. I adored them all. At the heart was the feisty Domino who was a great character. She was strong, determined and courageous and showed such bravery throughout the story. Her sidekick, Calvin was such a fantastic friend to her. Having not started on the best terms they ended up being the best of friends and it was wonderful to see their friendship blossom along the way. They had to navigate some difficult problems along the way too! The plot was fast paced and full of twists and turns - I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend this one if you love your fantasy middle grade novels. And even if it’s not your go-to genre, like me, I still would recommend it! It was so well written!

It’s felt like a VERY long wait for new Children’s middle grade fiction to appear from Struan Murray, author of the Branford Boase Award winning ‘Orphans of the Tide’ trilogy (which was a 6-figure £ signing by Puffin by the way…. Wowzers… cha-ching!!). The Scottish author (with a PhD in genetics and currently a lecturer in biochemistry at the University of Oxford), has hook, line and sunk me into his otherworldly philosophy wielding Ecsher-esq literary genius for a number of years now. Personally, I need writing like Murray’s for our young people. He balances out the giggly stories, the World War II ball-your-eyes-out stories, the murder mysteries, the historical re-enactments, and the contemporary school life dramas. They are medicine for my intellectual brain… So it is with relief and zero resistance that ‘The Secret of the Moonshard’ made it to the top of my TBR (To Be Read) pile and I zipped eagerly through this serious wedge of a middle grade. Was it everything I hoped for? Let’s see.

While there are many comparisons to draw upon in this new story with the previous trilogy - it is by no means connected by character nor plot. Orphans, an evil despotic regime, immense ultimate being-like magical powers, a world where the reader can imagine themselves within the story yet it is unlike one in waking reality… these are the similarities. However familiar, these elements are nothing to be scoffed at - these are what I love about Murray’s writing! The narrative is enveloped in an alternate humanoid world that could potentially exist, because as children we are more likely to believe, believe that magic is real, that super-human beings exist, that places on Earth or in space are yet to be discovered with people like us who might be just like the people in these wonderful stories (think ‘Tyger’ by SF Said, think ‘The Book of Stolen Dreams’ series by David Farr, think ‘Impossible Creatures’ by Katherine Rundell). The moon really could turn red and start to fall from the sky, causing panic and chaos. Our land also continues to recover after a world war that should have ended all wars, yet still there are those in power today who believer they can secure a safer sense of their position by threatening or waging war once more. And so the wheel of the ‘might is right’ great philosophical debate continues to question the morality of power.

Here’s a random question… What’s your favourite tabletop game to play with family, friends, at school? Are you a fan of a blocking game or a scoring game? What about dominoes, considered a blocking game? I LOVE dominoes, and actually combining my love of music and dominoes have a brand new set - given to me by me for Christmas (discovered in the Canterbury Cathedral gift shop), that I haven’t even opened yet because it’s just too special! Dominoes is a great strategy game to play with children, a fun way to learn numbers and matching too. I digress… what’s the point of all this you ask?! OK - actually it’s 100% really relevant - the protagonist of this story is a young orphaned girl actually called Domino. Her rather unusual name is an absolutely brilliant moniker for a character who becomes the cause and effect of karmic retribution for the ultimate rebalance of power. Ta-daaaa.

The reader’s introduction to Domino is witnessing the first of a chain of events aboard her airborne floating home, the Scientarium Celestis, run by the Science Barons and rulers of Abzalaymon, that triggers the crumbling of the delusions of power as it currently stands. 200 years ago a wizard, the Dark Lord Surphantile, was destroyed, ending the Age of Wizards - magic and the glory of ultimate power and control had led to a cruel war. Magic is no longer trusted. Only logic, science and industry without the aid of any incantation or spiritual intervention is permitted. The wizarding world’s magical and reverent Moonshard monument still exists, but it is located now in Moontown, a no-go area, dangerous and outlawed. The supreme leader of Abzalaymon is Chief-Logistor “a man who probably eats kittens for breakfast” Terronimus, and one of his right hand men is Baron Garballous, the closest Domino has to a parent in the whole wide world, and he’s as slippery as a mechanical genetically modified eel. All her life Domino has been told she’s abandoned by her parents, allergic to magic, poor, sick, troublesome - the other 299 orphans torment her and they’re in the midst of their own tit for tat war within this ‘rigid boarding school’ type environment.

Domino is quirky, scruffy, black/white in her thinking, pretty witty and a perfect nightmare tweenager heroine. What has life ever given her apart from more and more obstacles to overcome, or pranks to outwit, lessons to get out of? She owes life nothing, and she has no sense of responsibility to anyone or anything whatsoever. She’s lives as though she’s as free as a bird within her own cage. She has an answer for everything and has her own sense of logic personal to her own survival instincts. Her Achilles heel? Wanting to be somewhere she truly belongs - where she is not a target for torture or ridicule - a place where there are others like her. It’s not until a revenge mission goes wrong one day (poor, cuddly Mr Honeywinkle), and a piece of the Moon lands on the Scientarium roof, glowing red, and Domino then touches said mystical object that her life is never the same again.

Whilst hiding in a cupboard, overhearing a government meeting of the Science Barons, Domino and servant, Calvin, are thrown together in a quest to stop the inevitability of another catastrophic war. Maniacal tyrant, Terronimus, is about to dig into his latest ridiculous meal, of a slowly spit-roasted alive Thunder Lizard (think Stegosaurus), when the children break it out of there and escape together with a Wizard (who was in disguise as a Science Baron) down to the city below - Abzalaymon, a place Domino has always wanted to be… “A war - sounds exciting. What about pizza?” - Domino, excited about living in the real world for the first time - gotta love her.

Unlikely friendships can become the most treasured. Domino has never had a friend before. Calvin doesn’t see why he should help Domino, she’s always been such a brat and a nuisance to him, has no idea of the real world, the poverty his family lives in in the city, how his mother slaves away in the factories night and day, the restrictions on society, the fear people feel about magic and Wizards that has been fed to them from propaganda over the past 100 years or so. Yet, it is Calvin’s love of detective work and Domino’s yearning to discover her true origin that leads them to appreciate each other’s qualities, forming an unbreakable bond. A number of Wizards are mysteriously disappearing, kidnapped, nowhere to be found. The Wizard who helped Domino and Calvin escape the Scientarium is now taking Domino under his wing, showing her his world, training her, taking her and Calvin to the magical traveling home of Wizards and Spirits where the children learn all about the truth, history retold from the side of the oppressed. Domino and Calvin learn of the role they must play in restoring the balance of power, and realise that it is upon their shoulders to both protect and galvanise the people and creatures from both sides into action. First though, they need to find out why Terronimus wants another war, what is he really up to?! Why is Domino so important to the Science Barons?!

There are some incredible fantasy characters in this story - larger than life Spirits who can be in animal or human form representing food, music, forgotten things, even hygiene (meet Betray the penguin spirit). You’ll not want to put down this saga, this battle of maintaining the balance between good and evil, science and magic, logic and spirit. The dinosaur-like genetically cloned ‘Lizard’ creatures are a fun ‘Jurassic Park’ addition to the story, and I adore Oshi - the now loyal and lovable lizard, once almost scoffed upon the evil leader’s banquet table - there are some brilliant battle scenes illustrated by Vivienne To!! Once Domino realises (AND I PROMISE YOU IT IS A MEGA PLOT TWIST/REVEAL MOMENT) who she really is, how will Domino come to terms with her destiny? Her only guide is a God-like all seeing living Abzalaymon, all knowing creature who appears to her as part organic, part mechanical tiger (after transfiguring from a clutter of feral cats). She must outwit everyone, she must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Heavy (in a good way), complex at times (plot layers keep you on your toes), yet surprisingly witty (LOVE) and with impressive artwork (including a map). This is certainly one for the more advanced middle grade reader who needs a more challenging and lengthier book, but isn’t yet old enough to read the more maturer content teenage/YA books, even though they might be technically able.

Just for a second to bring it all back full circle, ‘The Secret of the Moonshard’ is exactly representative of the cause and effect of ‘domino theory’. Replacing the symbolism, myths and delusions with a humanising symbol proves that the ‘domino effect’ the Science Barons believed in was a total disaster. Luckily of the beings of Abzalaymon, Domino sees the flaws in, and thus outsmarts ‘domino theory’ - now that’s karma! If you want to learn more about it, and the very recent real life example of how very wrong it can go - search up the carnage caused by the America-Vietnam war as a result of the U.S. government adopting ‘domino theory’ to battle communism last century!

I leave you with one of the greatest quotes of all time:
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

A fantastic tale of finding yourself with plenty of twists and turns along the way. We follow Domino as she discovers there is a lot more to her than she thinks and tries to figure out just who can she trust.
Readers will fall in love with Oshi the thunder lizard and find it hard to put this book down once you’ve been drawn into the story.
Spectacular world building and a great range of characters, I really hope there is a sequel.

Science and wizards are at secret loggerheads. Science doesn’t understand Magic and the wizards conform to keeping their magic secret as long as the Science Barons don’t interfere too much with their life.
In Abzalaymon the inhabitants are slaves to the factories, exploited to the point of slave like conditions whilst the Steel Barons make themselves richer and more powerful. Meanwhile in the Scientarium in the sky where rich kds are set to study, the Science Barons invent and a poor sickly child who is forever picked on by all the other children survives using her wits as she plays endless pranks on her tormentors. Domino is ill, she is allergic to magic and must be kept away from it and from the town below at all costs. The Baron Magnus arrives and opens her eyes to something suspicious that’s going on, why do the Barons really want her blood and is there something more sinister among their inventions. With the reluctant help of Calvin, a servant who is also a rampant thief, Domino manages to escape down to Abzalaymon with a thunder lizard and wizard in tow and there starts an adventure of magic vs science, pursuit by the Science Barons and Wizards, facing the legacy of the dark lord Sephantile and finding out who your friends and enemies really are.

The story weaves in a lot of elements around who Domino really is and her values, as well as finding some ‘family’ and knowing who your true friends are and what people will do to not only survive but keep themselves selfishly cocooned, ignoring the suffering around them. Some twists and direction were easy enough to predict, others kept you guessing and still others were a surprise.
Good for upper primary ages: 9-12 years.

Wildly imaginative, fantastic world building and Domino is a force of nature.
Science and magic do a dangerous dance within this world. Both want power for themselves and aren’t afraid to put lives in danger for their own reasons.
Domino, is an unliked character within the Scientarium, where she grew up. She knows nothing of her parents, only the science baron Garbullus, who raised her. She was treated poorly and suffered through regular blood tests. They believed her to be allergic to magic and so when she discovers this is not the case, her world shifts and her anger surfaces.
This incredible story will follow Domino as she tries to learn more about who she is, why science and magic hate each other and how she can save the world by stopping the moon from falling from the sky.
Struan Murray has a true talent for world building and for creating wild characters!

Struan Murray won the Bath Children's Novel Award with Orphans of the Tide in 2017 and it went on to become one of the best upper middle-grade trilogies I've ever read - dark, twisty and atmospheric - which then won the Branford Boase Award. Now, his new fantasy is about to hit the shelves and I couldn't resist a sneak peek, courtesy of Netgalley. The length of this novel does mean that it's not for the faint-hearted but if you're after an epic adventure filled with magic, mystery and incredible characters, then it's absolutely worth a read:

Domino has been held in a floating laboratory by scheming Science Barons ever since she was born, believing that a single drop of magic could kill her. But then she discovers everything she's been told is a lie and escapes to a wondrous city filled with magic, thunder lizards and scientific marvels.

But a war is brewing between science and magic and the Barons are after Domino, possibly because she might be the key to saving everyone . . .

This feels very different in tone to the Orphans of the Tide trilogy but the world-building is equally imaginative. Floating laboratories, moving hotels and imaginative creatures - I loved Oshi - are just some of the things you can expect in this meticulously plotted tale. Again, this sits at the upper end of MG and is perfect for more confident readers. There's a large cast of characters and the storytelling is ambitious.

Domino is a character I immediately found myself rooting for and, for me, there were some gentle echoes of Oliver, although I can't quite put my finger on why. There's high stakes and ruthless baddies but the story overall has a more playful feel than Orphans. Some of the magic is really fun but I'm not going to give away any more spoilers - this is one readers need to explore for themselves.

A decent read, although I preferred “orphans of the tide”. I liked some of the characters, but the plot didn’t always grip me. Nevertheless, I think if you have enjoyed any of the author’s previous books, I would recommend this one too. He is good at unexpected twists and world-building.

The Secret of the Moonshard introduces us to Domino who lives in a carefully crafted world that pits science and magic against one another. Realising that her entire history has been a lie and that she has endured a life of misery and bullying as a result of that lie, she escapes the Scientarium, a university-like institution that floats in the sky above the city of Absalaymon.

As Domino learns more about herself and the reason for her miserable upbringing, she discovers a terrible secret about herself and also that she is the only one who can save her city and the world from the moon which appears to be falling towards the city..

Struan Murray has created a fascinating fantasy world where Scientists and industry have too much power and the commoners are merely cogs in their wealth producing machine. Science has been used to keep the masses quiet while they do what they like, unchecked. Scentists have also gained the ability to bring back extinct species which are now used as a form of slave labour. The Scientists main aim however, is to bring an end to magic, once and for all, sealing their own grasp on power and wealth.

As she learns more about the world outside the Scientarium, Domino realises it is full or wonderful people and creatures and she finds the friendship she has always longed for. She has some important decisions to make along the way, and eventually must make a huge choice that could affect the future of the world and all who live there.

I really enjoyed the detailed fantasy world and the entertaining characters that Struan Murray created. He has woven the story together craftily in order to bring together many threads in a meaningful and satisfying conclusion. Throughout the story, there are many clues as to the way things might go and definitely would benefit from a second reading to see how Murray has laid the trail of breadcrumbs. A thoroughly recommended read for confident readers 9 and upwards.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As usual I was drawn to the cover. A girl with wild dark hair and a patched but dirty dress, bright eyes and a devil may care grin on her face with a swirl of magic at her fingertips, a boy and a dinosaur...

And then the line " A Little Magic never hurt anyone "
I had to know the story . I needed to know who this girl was and how she was connected to the boy and the rather impressive dinosaur.

That is how I found myself in Abzalaymon at the scientarium. And when I bumped into Domino she had just finished blowing up a teddy bear that belonged to her school bully.
Oh and the shard of the moon had crashed into the roof and very nearly killed Domino.

This story is amazingly well written . It's a tale filled with magic, wizards and even spirits! At its heart is the story of a young girl trying to find out who she is and how she fits as well as finding out how to make friends and most importantly finding out who is a real friend.

I loved this story from start to finish. It's pure magic.

We have, as a family, read all of Struan Murray's published books. We have enjoyed all of them but this book was something really special. A one of those books that get me into trouble as I keep the children up late because we can't stop reading.. just another page...and another....

Gosh, this is an absolute journey. Wonderfully magic with an incredible main character. I fell for Domino in the first 2 chapters and she continued to make me lover her. Calvin, Oshi and Raphael are also wonderful additions. The magic in this world and the peril are LUSH. There’s a TERRIFYING bunch of bad guys… there’s even illustration near the end that made me wince in terror!

There's a LOT of world-building in this book. A LOT. Maybe too much? It did get in the way of the story sometimes. But it allowed for cute characters eg a 'dinosaur' (called 'thunder lizard'). The start is very engaging but it tailed off a little for me midway onwards.

What a fantastic book! I was completely hooked from the start.
The whole book reads like a wonderful mix of Miyazaki movies, without feeling like it's ripping off any ideas. (I'm talking a bit of spirited away, princess mononoke and some castle in the sky) as a huge Miyazaki fan, this made the whole thing so much more intense feeling because I was picturing everything in that art style.
The story itself is brilliant and utterly compelling. There's a host of fantastic characters from humans to wizards to spirits to the best thunder lizard to ever live, Oshi.
I don't think there was a dull moment. My only problem was that I couldn't read fast enough because I was desperate to know what happened next!

I'm so pleased I saved this book to devour during half term!
What a fantastic read. I loved the characters of Domino and Calvin but Oshi the thunder lizard was my absolute favourite. The world of Abzalaymon is richly described with some gorgeous black and white illustrations included at key points in the story. I love the idea of a moving diner which is filled with living spirits and Kollob the spirit of hospitality just made me chuckle with the way he managed every situation now matter how big or small.
I can't wait to share this with our UKS2 children.

Honestly, for the first half of the book, i don’t really like Domino! And i don’t really care about other character also. The one i like the most is The Diner. Kinda remind me of Howl’s Moving Castle. Always moving around and full of magics!! But the twist.. i didn’t see it coming and it’s quite surprising. After, i felt bad for Domino. But after all, it’s an enjoyable read

When Domino sees a piece of the moon fall from the sky, she experiences emotions she’s never known before. It was like “it contained a part of her somehow, like a shifting collection of her own dreams.” This connection is something she can’t ignore.

Domino is an orphan living in a Scientarium shut away from the rest of society. She struggles to be accepted by anyone at all. With no friends. no money and a mysterious alllergy to magic, there’s little happiness to be found. Instead, Domino looks for ways to harass the other children and fill the void she feels inside.

When there’s an opportunity to become an assistant to one of the science barons, Domino discovers a whole new life outside the Scientarium where magic and science are at war. Has Domino’s entire life been a lie? Who is she really? What is this power she possesses?

Struan Murray is master of fantasy world building. With complex social structures, ingenious characters and a feisty heroine who stands up to most threatening of creatures, this is a story you won’t want to put down.

So many good things! Flying fortresses and dinosaurs and disasters, a hilarious heroine and a brilliant twist, all leading up to a compassionate finale.

If, like me, whenever you read a Middle Grade book you ask yourself, 'Is this a serious contender for Harry Potter's crown?' then the answer is yes. It's like HP combined with the darkly comic edginess of the Magisterium series. Domino, the heroine, is angry and self-absorbed, and this makes her growth feel nuanced and real: you root for her because of her flaws, not despite them.

I was almost reluctant to read this book, thinking I'd be comparing it to Orphans of the Tide at every step. I was wrong and I should have known better; Struan Murray continues to demonstrate why he is a master of world building with this new book. We are immediately immersed in Domino's universe; an underdog in a world where magic is real and under threat from Science, Domino faces the kind of problems many children face (bullying, loneliness) and quite a few that they don't (spoilers!)

So many great characters, a tightly woven plot and Murray's trademark twists and turns make for a fantastic book that I will be buying for the library and pushing into the hands of every passing year 7.

Struan Murray has done it again. A superbly crafted story in a fantastically created world. The Scientarium floats above the city, tormenting Domino, who dreams of visiting it one day, who has known nothing else but the bullying / prankster revenge and testing cycles her life consists of, thanks to the Science Barons who raise her there “to protect her from magic”. Does she really need protecting?

Once again, following the highly original and exciting Orphans of the Tide trilogy, the author has delivered with a variety of well defined characters, twists and turns, magic and mayhem, chases that have you on the edge your seat and even some dinosaurs.

Creating characters with depth and believability is a special skill and Murray has this down to a fine art. The ones that I’m particularly drawn to are those who bring indecision to my mind…which side will these characters fall on when push comes to shove? Abzalaymon, the spirit, is a deliciously contrasting character, which puts you, as the reader, on edge. Will they help Domino, Calvin and Raphael…or eat them?

A book map is always a bonus.

Thanks to NetGalley and Puffin for the eARC in exchange for this review. The book will be published on March 7th 2024

It really doesn’t seem possible that a little under four years ago, Struan Murray’s debut title Orphans of the Tide hit the shelves. An astonishing read that went on to win the Branford Boase Award, its fantastical storyline and sublime characterisation and world building, which were repeated in the two further titles that completed the trilogy, firmly cemented the author’s reputation as an incredible writer of middle grade fiction.

When I discovered last year that there was to be a new, standalone title from him, I immediately added it to my must-read list and when it appeared on Net Galley shortly before Christmas, I requested it straight away, bumping it straight to the top of my reading pile when the New Year brought my much longed-for approval. A completely different story, it again has that amazing rich description that brings its characters and their world vividly to life and – as you would expect if you have read his other work – is packed with breathtaking twists and turns as the narrative plays out.

Floating high above the city of Abzalaymon, the roof of the enormous marble building of the Scientarium is the scene of just the latest unpleasantness between two of its inhabitants – Domino and Claudette – whose deep loathing of one another is hugely entertaining to the other children watching on. Dragged inside to face the music by Science Baron Garballous, orphan Domino is once again reminded of her place within the Scientarium and just how grateful she should be that they have taken her in not just to provide her with a home but to keep her safe.

Reminding her that she can never leave until a cure is discovered for her allergy to the city’s magic, Garballous tells Domino that she is to start work as assistant to a Science Baron who is returning from years spent abroad conducting research – a position she has earned in part by being so unpopular that she will have no friends with whom to share any news or gossip. Warning her that she is to be on her best behaviour, Garballous lets her go to attend her lessons – something that she finds horribly dull. When her teacher leaves the room for a moment to deal with something, the other children set on her and only stop their attack on her when a stranger enters the room: the newly returned Science Baron.

Before long, the new arrival creates mayhem within the Scientarium and seizing her chance to at last visit Abzalaymon, Domino flees from its stuffy laboratories and classrooms and heads to the surface below, with the Science Barons in hot pursuit. Suddenly finding herself in a city full of magic and wizards, Domino must question everything she has been taught to believe in her quest to find the truth about magic and herself. As she encounters automobiles, thunder lizards and spirits for the first time in her short life, it is clear that the Science Barons are up to something – something that involves her and something that she will need to put a stop to, to save not just herself but everything around her. Can Domino find out the secret of the mysterious Moonshard in time to prevent catastrophe and defeat her enemies before they catch up with her?

To say that Domino is a flawed character is a huge understatement. Lying comes as naturally to her as breathing and she has no hesitation in putting the most enormous effort into her elaborate schemes to seek revenge against nemesis Claudette at the start of the book. It is, however, impossible not to like her – she is quick-witted, brave and, as she gradually lets down her defences to allow in those with whom she slowly makes friends, fiercely loyal and I adored her for it.

Both the Scientarium and Abzalaymon are immaculately described, with every word that the author chooses to use done so to perfection. As we are drawn into Domino’s world, we experience it alongside her, with each discovery that she made causing my heart to race as I read on and involving me so deeply that even when I was not reading the book, it occupied an enormous number of my thoughts as I yearned to pick it back up to watch the plot unfold. With plenty of equally well-drawn secondary characters, all of whom have vital parts to play in the narrative, this is surely going to be on many readers’ best of 2024 lists, as it will be on mine.

A wonderful title for confident readers in Year 5 upwards, this will also make a brilliant read aloud, if used in class, and features some gorgeous illustrations by Vivienne To – an artist new to me, whose work I shall be keeping an eye out for in future. I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough to those who enjoy science fiction, fantasy and stunning adventures.

As always, my enormous thanks go to Puffin books and to Net Galley for my advance, virtual read. The Secret of the Moonshard publishes 7th March and is most definitely a title to preorder.