Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott

Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let’s start with a positive. The audiobook narrator is excellent.

There are some other things I enjoy about this one (setting, world building, mostly decent writing), despite the pacing issues and unnecessary length, but there’s a lack of honesty in character actions and intentions that really bothers me throughout. Characters do not behave in ways that are true to themselves, and their motivations often feel lesser than their actions and words, which interferes with how much I believe their intentions.

There’s some instalove, but I confess I don’t mind instalove, since that’s quite frankly how some people operate. The problem is that it doesn’t feel like it’s how Suzume operates as a person, though I do like the guy (what little I know of him, since he has very little useful character development). There’s just something about it that rings false, and they spend too much time together having long winded conversations about each of their backstories, which I also didn’t enjoy very much. It leaves their “relationship” feeling flat, instead of 3D. So basically, I like both characters, but I’m underwhelmed by their connection which feels a bit false or forced.

One thing I like, though maybe I should not, is that this starts as a fantasy novel. Next, it becomes something of a revenge story, though the MC (Suzume) is unconvincing and never feels very emotional or vengeful to me (again her words and actions/intentions do not align). Then, around the 65-70% point, it suddenly becomes Memoirs of a Geisha, which is a book I happen to love a lot, so I totally caught... (click below to read on)

Book 183 read in 2018.

Pages: 464

 that curve ball in delight. The problem is that while some of these aspects of the story are interesting to me, it doesn’t make for the most cohesive plot or storyline. I kind of feel like I signed up for one book, and got parts of three others.

I think, at the end of the day, what I am struggling with on this one is the actions and intentions of the MC are so uninspiring. The world is beautiful and fascinating. The shadow-weaving has my attention, though they really should up things a notch, or four, on that front, as it tends to be an afterthought, when it could be big and amazing. I could probably get behind the revenge theme, if I was really convinced she meant it, but she only wants revenge in moments that are convenient to herself (such as when the plot needs to shift or twist), not all the time. I could definitely get behind the Memoirs of a Geisha trend that comes later in the game, if that choice didn’t feel more like it would punish Suzume more than the one she wants vengeance against.

I guess despite all the different guides who help her on her way, I feel like Suzume is frequently misguided, which could make for a great story, if that was an ongoing theme and continually impacted the plot in ways that upped the tension (spoiler alert: it definitely doesn’t). It’s like this is so close to being amazing but falls slightly under, which is why I’m so upset about that and continue to keep talking about it, even though most of you stopped reading 3 paragraphs ago.

If you made it this far, and weren’t deterred by my wishy washy message, then go ahead and read this book. There’s something to like here, if you can be relaxed about your expectations for a clear, fast-paced story. Just don’t expect to ever be able to identify the true theme or purpose of the story, and you’ll be okay. The gorgeous world will attempt to drag you though the rocky storytelling. This is one of those stories in which having low or no expectations going in is actually a really good thing, as there are some great ideas here that are just poorly executed.

Book 183 read in 2018.

Pages: 464