I want to start off by thanking NetGalley for allowing me to read the Moon Witch ARC. Grace is obviously a really talented individual, especially with her beautiful cover art. It’s unique, elegant, and it’s what originally caught my eye when looking for books to read.

To start, I want to mention that although this is being marketed as an adult fantasy, it mostly reads as YA fantasy. The tone of the dialogue comes across as a collection of teen interactions. Grace consistently uses phrases such as “…erm…” “…um…” “…er…” etc to give the impression that Eva (FMC) is shy, reluctant, and hesitant. I found this to be extremely repetitive and made the dialogue choppy. It’s hard to immerse myself in a romance or in a plot if the main character is being written in an immature manner.

With that being said, the romance was underdeveloped. Whether it was because of the one dimensional characters or the style of the dialogue, I was completely disinterested in Cassius and Eva’s feelings towards one another.

I, however, think that Grace does a great job at describing the manor, I felt that she allowed me to imagine that I was right there with Eva, walking the halls with my camera.

I think that this story has a long way to go before publishing. It’s not for me, but who’s to say other people wont enjoy it? If you like YA gothic fantasy with a character thrown from her modern day vacation into a magical world, give this book a try.

I was given the ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all thank u net galley for sending me this arc!!

As someone who has never watched Alice in wonderland I was super excited to read this one since it said that it was inspired by it.
I loved how the story started right away and we didn’t need to read too much until the main plot started. The world building was super easy to understand and it was easy to follow the story.
But throughout the story it felt like the story didn’t really pick up. I felt like the dialogue between the characters felt really flat and I couldn’t find any chemistry. The dialogue also felt really jumpy and I think writing certain scenes out would make it easier to read.
However the visuals were written in such a beautiful way and it was nice to visualise them in my head.
I do want to watch Alice in wonderland after this book because it has sparked my interest

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A 4 star rating from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling and relatable, likable characters. Loved every single second reading it.

2.5/5 I am so sorry, but I did not love this.

Like I'm sure many others were, I was attracted to this book because of the cover. It is just so pretty. But the book within it was quite disappointing.

If I did not look it up, I would have assumed this was written by a teenager. It really reads like a younger teen wrote it. I am so sorry if that sounds harsh, but the writing felt so young and amateurish and I'm pretty sure this is considered an adult fantasy novel, so it should not sound like that. At all. It read like very young YA. The sentences were trying to hard but also had a choppy nature, explaining things in a way that did not need to be done.

The lore was also confusing.

I think people that are moving from YA to adult should be the main target audience for this book, I think they would enjoy it most. But it wasn't more me. And I really wish it was, the description sounded so fun and whimsical. The characters were flat and it just disappointed me overall. I do think that certain character POVs were written better, even writing style-wise, so there's that!

This just wasn't for me, I've gotten too picky over my years of fantasy reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thanks to the author that provided this ARC on netgalley. In return I will give this book an honest review.

Impressions:
Love the cover of the book. It is stunning! The description for the book on netgalley also drew me to start this book. I expected romantic tension, mystery, a magic system and lots of events in this book. As the genre of the book falls under New Adult, I also expected more mature themes or moral dillemma's than in a Young Adult book.


Writing and pacing:
I enjoyed the beginning and 50% until 75% of the book. The introduction was good, Eva the FMC was introduced and why they went to the mansion. The writing felt very simple and more YA than New Adult.
I didn't understand how exactly they ended up into the portal. Eva's dress got stuck, but it wasn't clear to me if she fell into a hole or something like that. Then after she met Cassius the writing and events stayed the same. Cassius' remarks felt blend and I was not charmed by him as Eva was. To be honest I became pretty bored reading this part. In the beginning I felt more of a connection between Eva and Orion than her with Cassius. Then around 50% a twist came and the story finally picked its pace up and I got a little bit more invested again. I found the ending very predictable. Part of the reason was because the last chapter already tells you what will happen. I think this takes away from the fun in trying to figure out what will happen as a reader.

Story:
The premise of the story sounded promising. I felt like the parts that make a fantasy book or romantasy book interesting is the world-building, intricate magic systems and the lore. I felt these things were too rushed or only lightly touched upon. I know this will be a trilogy, but the first book has to draw the reader in and I don't feel like that was accomplished. Eva got a small history lesson on the Houses, but not on how the magic worked. Are people born with it? Does everyone have magic immediately or does it develop until later? Can you choose your powers or is it something you either possess or not? And why were there witch hunters? The witch hunter thing seemed pretty out of nowhere at the end of the book. I wanted to know why do they think witches are bad?
And was the witchhunt during the middle ages in the normal realm or a different timeline? Why does the complete Manor exist in two realms if the portal can only be opened in a specific part of the manor?

The relationship with Cassius felt flat and boring. The dialogue and events that Eva experienced with him were repetitive. And I was supposed as reader to feel the fluffy feelings in the beginning, but I simply did not and I got the ick from him immediately. I did feel those feelings with Orion from the start, so that mission was succesful. But I also wanted to know why did Orion specifically approach Eva? I hoped that would be revealed in the book, especially when we read from his POV, but it never came.

I think the reveal of Eva would have been more spectacular if we were introduced to the concept and the lore of the moon witch in the beginning. Her importance and the hope of the people that she would return. That would have made the reveal much more epic. Because now it felt really random with no prior context or feeling of her importance. Yes, Rayvenne tells why the moon witch is important, but I did not get to develop that connection in the story.

Also Eva is very insecure and seems to have no real sense of self. For a 20 year old I expect at least some kind of developping confidence without constantly relying on external validation. That is another reason that I would call this more a YA than a New Adult genre.

When Primstone wants to go against Eva to win Cassius over and then Eva also making mean comments towards Primstine feels just cheap. No real other reason for their rivalry other than a man. It gives 'pick me' vibes and felt misogynistic.


Trigger warning:
I would really appreciate it if the author could provide a trigger warning something along the lines of drugging, sexual assault or mentally abusive. I also think it would add to Eva's braveness for her to explicitely mention that what she had with Cassius was not love. Even if it felt like it in the beginning. The events that happend at the end of their relationship can be quite triggerin
g for someone who has left an abusive relationship. And if they want to avoid or try to read books again with these events it would be helpful for them to see.


Overall conclusion: 2 stars
There were too many plotholes and I expected something else ranging from more intricate writing and more events or action. If you enjoy YA and a not too heavy subject book, you would enjoy picking this book up.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The book starts off with our main character, Eva, unwillingly hiking through the woods with her best friend, Alice, in the north of France. When they reach an abandoned house, both are pulled through to another world. From page one, Eva does nothing but complain about whichever situation she finds herself in, and it feels like she does nothing until about halfway through the book. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I couldn't get past the way she allows herself to be manipulated by the people around her, including by Alice. While I am glad that she is finally able to escape from the manipulative household she landed in when she first arrived, it feels like she took too long to become active in shaping her own story. The premise of the book is fascinating, but I just didn't enjoy it very much. I give this a 3/5 stars.

When I first saw the gorgeous cover and description, I knew I was going to love this book, and I absolutely did!!
The story, characters and worldbuilding were amazing! I loved the sort of gothicy Alice in Wonderland vibe that ran throughout the story. I adored Eva and Alice’s friendship especially towards the end! In general it all it felt so magical, and I truly disappeared into their wonderful world!

There were other characters I either adored or couldn’t stand, but I don’t want to spoil too much. You’ll just have to discover them for yourself!! 🙊🙊

I’m really looking forward to reading the second book! Honestly next year can’t come soon enough!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC! 🫶🏻

Fall into a fairytale with Moon Witch. This book follows two friends who fall into another world of magic and house hierarchy. The bulk of the story follows just one girl, Eva through her journey of experiencing another world and deciding what to do about it. As you read, you might find yourself asking, what would I do if I fell into a fairytale? And, would I want to stay?

What I liked: This was a fun adventure into an interesting world filled with beautiful gowns and a french manor type setting. The premise is entertaining and makes you think about what you would do in the main character's shoes. Isn't the cover gorgeous?

Things to Know: The book is categorized as new adult. It does seem to fit that in the spice and romantic interest of the book. However, the main character acts more like a teenager to me who doesn't seem to think things through as I hope an adult would.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Spice: 3/5 short open door scene
Content warning: short part featuring a lack of consent

I received this book as an ARC on NetGalley and am glad I got to dive into this world.

Moon Witch pulled me in with its stunning cover art and a description that promised a whimsy fairytale with a twist.

Eva and her friend Alice slip into another world. It seems like a beautiful fantasy, but looks can be deceiving! It was fun to follow the MC’s on their adventure OUT of their personal wonderland.

I did not personally enjoy this book, but I can see the appeal for someone to love it. I still encourage anyone that is captivated by the description to give this book a try!

I will start with what I did enjoy. I really loved Orion’s character. He really saved the story for me. I loved the chapters in his POV and felt the writing style in his chapters were more captivating. He has depth that other characters lacked for me. I would even read book two to learn more about Orion… also I love a help me bathe trope. Gets me every time! I also loved Devin!

The overall premise of the book is interesting and I would like to see where it went in the following books.

Now onto some things that I believe made me not enjoy the book as much. I think the main characters needed more development. I couldn’t connect to Eva. She felt very one dimensional. Her relationships weren’t believable to me. I never truly saw the desire she said she felt for Cassius- and that could’ve been intentional (without giving spoilers!). But, I also didn’t feel that strong connection between her and Alice. I think I was more worried about Alice than Eva was during this book 😅.

In my opinion, the dialogue in the book wasn’t pushing the plot forward. There were many points where back and forth dialogue just felt like filler and it felt awkward. Especially with Eva and Alice- which goes back to developing the relationship between those characters.

I’m also left wondering if there will be more with the camera. We hear how important the camera is, so I thought I’d see a pivotal moment involving it. Maybe in book 2!

Even though this book wasn’t for me, thank you NetGalley and Grace Zhu for this ARC. I see that Grace Zhu does incredible artwork for book covers and I can’t wait to watch her grow as an author.

This was beautiful! Thank you so much for the arch! Was right up my alley! The story was beautifully written, haunting and compelling! I think any fantasy and dark romance girls would absolutely lap this up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Moon Witch felt like slipping into a velvet-covered storybook — full of soft shadows, glowing moons, and a little magic tucked between the lines 🌙. Grace Zhu paints Serapolis in such lovely, moody colors that it almost becomes the star of the show. I adored the way the world felt lived-in, as though you could wander its winding streets and find something new each turn ✨.

The pacing moves at its own quiet rhythm, which gave me plenty of time to linger in each scene and really picture it. I especially enjoyed how the city itself almost felt alive — like a character with moods and mysteries of its own 🌿. It was easy to imagine curling up by the window with a blanket and letting this world just… drift over me.

Cassius plays a big role in the story, and while he didn’t completely steal my heart (I tend to fall for the more outgoing types 💌), I can see how his mysterious, reserved nature would be swoon-worthy for many readers. He adds a quiet pull to the narrative, like a tide you don’t realize is moving until you’ve been carried away.

The whole book has this slow-blooming, candlelit charm that’s perfect for cozy reading nights. If you enjoy atmospheric fantasy with a hint of romance and a city that feels like its own character, Moon Witch will make for a lovely, lingering escape.