When a blurb claims a book is for fans of Holly Black and Laini Taylor, I'm instantly hooked. As a huge fan of both, I immediately imagine colourful, magical worlds brimming with fae creatures and fantastic powers. Much to my joy, all of this is present in Moth Dark. But there's so much more to this story than that, explored in new and unique ways that had me gripped from the very first handful of chapters.

Full disclosure: I'm a massive kaiju girly. I adore monster movies; Godzilla is my spirit animal! So, imagine my absolute pleasure when I picked up a novel that not only scratched that itch but also indulged my love for faeries and magic!

Our lead, Sascia, has a passion for the Dark, something the majority of humans in this real-world setting are, quite rightly, terrified of. After all, giant, building-crushing monsters do tend to emerge from the rips in time and space it makes! But Sascia longs to explore the Dark. And oh, there is so much longing in this book for that.

And on that subject of longing; the slow burn of the romance is absolutely stunning. I'd personally describe Moth Dark as a fantasy-sci-fi crossover with a beautifully explored romantic subplot, rather than a straightforward romantasy. The exploration of this romance is particularly captivating. Without giving too many spoilers (it's on the book cover) Sascia's counterpart in this story is fae, where gender is fluid, and the author explores this wider theme incredibly well.

Unique, beautiful, powerful; Moth Dark was a difficult one to put down and return to real life. It had me longing to delve back into the Dark.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely loved this! Moth Dark was such a unique, atmospheric read — dark, magical, and totally immersive. The writing is stunning and moody in the best way, and I was completely drawn into the world from the very first page. The main character really stuck with me, and I loved how layered and mysterious everything felt without being confusing. It’s one of those books that makes you want to reread just to soak in all the details again. If you're into lush writing, shadows and secrets, and a story that pulls you under, this is for you. I’m still thinking about it!

The writing is so lush and moody,The romance? Yes, please. Nugau is such a fascinating figure: mysterious, dangerous, genderfluid elf royalty with timelines as twisted as our heroine’s. Reading their instant connection, meeting across time, I felt every heartbeat, every stolen glance, every shadowy secret. It’s the kind of book where your heart races, then aches, then soars.Sascia is such a compelling lead—curious, brave, and utterly human—even when the timelines are all tangled.

Definitely recommend this one!

This was a purely cover request - look how beautiful it is!
I wasn't expecting an urban setting. But I loved how the worlds being the dark and the real worlds were brought together in this book.
Intrigued me right from the start, and I loved every minute of it!

Moth Dark has me obsessed!
I devoured this like Mooch attacking a bag of chips.

If you’re into dark academia, time travel, and a dash of glorious fantasy, then I have your next read right here. Moth Dark is so unique and beautifully woven together, you'll be obsessed in no time.

I loved the intricate world building—the ambiance is darkly whimsical, pulling you into a setting that feels both magical and slightly eerie. I can not stress enough on how well Kika creates such immersive, atmospheric worlds filled with strange and beautiful nuances. I ate it up!

The clever and wonderfully messy main character had me rooting for them from the start, especially as they navigated their journey, from school and familia guilt to dangerous trials and swoony romance. All with their cute little moth companion by their side throughout. Let's here it for Mooch!

Okay we all love a bit of enemies-to-lovers, but sprinkle it with a bit of star-crossed romance and boom you've got a delightful tension that adds to the narrative. It is perfection. And I can not miss the absolute *chefs kiss* that is the gender fluid representation, how this was handled was beautiful, refreshing and genuine.

What really grabbed me were the shifting timelines and how they intertwined with the cosmic aspects of the story. It was like a beautiful tapestry of tangled love entwined with fate and friendship. The found family element is heartwarming, balancing out the darker moments perfectly.

If you enjoy immersive storytelling that leaves you thinking long after you’ve turned the last page, I'd highly recommend diving into this enchanting tale!
Go on, join me in my obsession, join me in The Dark, We have moth companions and munchies!

I loved this book so much. Kika is such a genius, I loved the dark, all the creatures. How cute was mooch!!

The time travel was beyond anything I could make up. War and yearning and ugh I loved all of it.

At the moment this is my top read for 2025.

Thank you Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

After a rift to another world is opened in Shanghai, and subsequent rifts start appearing all over the world, Darkcreatures start appearing from them, including Darkdragons and Darkgriffins. Humans start looking for ways to fight these creatures, as the Dark continues growing. Humans are curious, but afraid.

Sascia is not afraid of the Dark. She has been drawn to it ever since she was a little girl and she had her first encounter with it. She is fascinated by the Dark and along with her cousin Danny and a few others, she studies it and the moths that come from the Dark.

Everything changes when she pulls Nugau, a genderfluid Princet, from the Dark. And then she meets Nugau again. And again.

I don't want to give too much away, because I want others to read this book and fall in love the way I did. It's beautifully written, and I adored the characters so much. There's a lot of relationship dynamics, familial dynamics, and there's also amazing friendships. There's the main romance and the side romances, which were very well written.

I really liked this book, and I enjoyed the twists and turns, the echoing message about science and war, and who benefits from it. Highly recommend picking this one up.

One of the easiest 5 stars I've given, and one of the top books I've real this year (and I have read quite a few!). This book gripped me from Chapter 1 and I finished it within 24 hours. I honestly don't pick up alot of YA (I like abit of spice in my romantasy) but the blurb really intrigued me and I'm glad I gave this a chance.

The storyline and world building was so unique. There were alot of naming of things and time jumps but the author wrote this brilliantly so there was never any confusion. I found the storyline wasn't fully predictable and there were surprises, twists and turns.

I enjoyed this so much, I've just purchased another book by the author. Thank yoi so much for the ARC.