Moonset (Legacy of Moonset Series #1) Although I was genuinely excited about the premise of Moonset, the book just didn't hold up for me. I expected witches, magic, and of course the danger alluded to in the synopsis. While I was given some of these things, most of the book was really more contemporary in nature. Teenagers trying to find themselves, trying to uncover their past, and awkwardly navigating high school.
 
I wasn't a big fan of most of the characters. Justin did grow on me after a while, with his fatherly tendencies. I liked Mal okay too, but mainly because he was one of the only characters who was calm the majority of the time. We won't talk about Jenna. Honestly, I'd have turned her into a frog long ago if I was her sibling.I'm certain there will be plenty of readers who love this book but, truth be told, it just wasn't for me.
 
Too much descriptive writing, not enough forward movement or character development. Truly a pity, since I was so ecstatic to read it originally. ( )

The Moonset were a coven that tried to change witch society. Through a series co terrorist attacks they took out most of their challengers, killed any witch or coven that could stand against them. They built a cult of followers.

But they didn’t win. Slowly but surely they were pushed back until, to everyone’s surprise, they surrendered and were executed. Leaving behind their 5 children – protected by a curse that prevented them from being harmed or separated, the witch government was left with the Moonset’s children to raise

Which is where we come in, following Justin, Malcolm, Jenna, Cole and Bailey, the children of the hated Moonset, moved from place to place and held by witch guardians who can barely hide their disdain for the troublesome teens. Until the latest move to a town where it all began – a town with a warlock lurking in the shadows, demanding the Moonset children.

Are the teens there as bait? Or as collateral damage and quiet removal?


Look at that synopsis and drool, folks. A secret magical society with some excellent world building on the nature and workings of magic, hints of far more to come. A coven gone to the dark side and executed, their children bonding together both through unknown magic and desperate self-preservation in a society that is determined to hold them responsible for their parents’ crimes. Their close bonds, their anger, their trust issues and their desire for acceptance all at war, overlaid with a dark plot to try and draw them into the same dark side their parents embraced. But then, a new thread to the mystery – maybe their parents were not so simple as was previously suggested…

Seriously, how could you not write an awesome story with this as its seed? It’s a wonderfully imaginative gift, there’s so much there, there’s essences of originality, compelling hooks for a whole story and so many wonderful things to explore. How could this book not be awesome?

No, really… how could you not write an excellent book with this?

That isn’t a rhetorical question. Because I’m at a loss how such a wonderful world, setting and idea could produce this rather dull book. It’s like seeing someone take a wonderful block of gold veined marble and making door stops with it.

Primarily, this is because of the writing. It’s very overwritten, very over descriptive and metaphors and similes have been crammed in like commuters in a London Tube at rush hour. And even less smoothly than that one. If you cut out the excess verbiage this book could have been half as long and much faster moving; we don’t need everything described in such vivid and exhaustive detail – it doesn’t set the scene, it distracts from it and focuses on irrelevant minutia. Like the travelling, we’re treated to several paragraphs of Justin wondering whether they’re in New York state – yes, you are, now move on! And not only do we have a lot of “tell” rather than “show” but sometimes the tell is used to try and overwhelm the show. Like Justin muses how he’s disturbed at how many of their days end with bandages and bleach (i.e. they get hurt a lot) and we see this by… it never happening again the whole book. Or happening again before this incident either. In fact, since before this they were just moved around while Jenna got them expelled, I fail to see why it was a major factor before.

Sometimes the writing even destroys the mood – like describing a Wraith in wonderfully creepy terms and then having him have a voice that hisses like a deflating tire. Really? Because I was with your cinder crackling, bone crunching, sibilant wraith, only now he’s deflating like some kind of spooky Michelin man. Less is more sometimes. Or there’s similes that are just so over the top that the scene is ruined by my mad cackling, example:

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Is that a killer book cover or what? Once I saw it, I had to find out what was inside. Curious cats and I have a lot in common evidently (but in a good way). Moonset is Book #1 in the new Legacy of Moonset series by Scott Tracey. As his web site states, Scott Tracey is working to put the super back in supernatural. Whoot! Let’s see – we’ve got witches, fantasy, magic, coming of age, dishonored families, small town, a petty bureaucracy, dark secrets, and villains who look perfectly normal. What’s not to like? Seriously, this is going to be one fun series so be sure to check it out at http://popcornreads.com/?p=5739. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Great story mixed with some awesome magic and a little romance.

Opening Sentence: There were two hundred and forty-five students involved in the riot.

The Review:

Justin Daggett is a witch — well at least he was born a witch. He has grown up with his sister and 3 close friends. They are all children of the evil warlocks that once were part of a coven called Moonset. The people from Moonset used their magic to tap into the dark Abyss, and they did horrible things with it. Eventually, there was a war between Moonset and the rest of the magical world known as Congress. The Moonset coven eventually lost but not before much loss and destruction to the magical community. But they left behind their children who have had to always carry around the burden of being the children of the Moonset. Because of their parents transgressions Justin and his family have always been treated with much caution, and they have been taught very little magic.

Justin and his family are on their way to a new school in the town of Carrow Mills. Moving is nothing new to them they have always had a hard time staying in one place for long. This town is different from all the others. This is where Justin’s father — the infamous Sherrod Daggett grew up. This is where Moonset was started, but why would Congress move them here? Strange things have been happening around Carrow Mills and it seems that a new Warlock might be on the loose. Justin and his family seem to be the new targets, but no one is telling them what is going on. Justin has always been the leader of the group, so it is up to him to try and figure things out before it’s too late.

This book is told from Justin’s point of view. I have to admit that most books I read are told from a girl’s point of view so it was refreshing to switch it up and be inside a boy’s head. Justin is the middle child in their little group but he is still looked at as the leader. He is the one that everyone goes to when they have problems or just need to talk something through. He is slightly awkward at times, but it makes him endearing. I really liked Justin because he is a strong character that’s easy to connect with.

Now for the rest of the Moonset children. First we have Justin’s twin sister Jenna, who is the only one that is truly related to him by blood. She is one of those girls that has to always be in the spotlight, and she isn’t very nice. She defiantly has quite an attitude and most of the trouble the family gets into is because of Jenna. But she does have a vulnerable side that shows through when she is concerned about someone she cares about. I wouldn’t say that I loved her but I think she was a necessary character that added good drama.

Next we have Malcolm; he is the oldest in the group. He is a big work out fiend, and quite good looking. He has a pretty mellow personality and just goes along with everyone else. Justin has a good open relationship with Malcolm and they are always able to talk and figure things out when the family has problems. Malcolm is a pretty minor character, but he is steady and pretty likeable.

The two youngest children are Cole and Bailey. Cole is the funny one that is very chatty and happy most of the time. He gets along great with the rest of the family but he does have some weird mood swings at times. Last, we have Bailey the youngest. Bailey is the cute, emotional one. She gets attached easier than everyone else so all the moving is really hard on her. I really loved Justin’s family. They are a weird group but they really take care of each other.

So Justin hasn’t really had much experience with girls, between being a little shy and having a sister who never approves, his odds haven’t been so great. When he moves to Carrow Mills he meets the fun, mysterious Ash. She is very different from anyone he has ever met. Ash is very confident, with some weird kinks in her personality. She was one of my favorite characters in the book. There isn’t a lot of romance in this book, but what they have is cute and a great setup for the next installment.

I really enjoyed this book. Honestly, I had a really hard time putting it down. There wasn’t really anything amazing about the characters, and the plot was a little predictable, but it really was a well told story that I enjoyed immensely. The ending was great — no cliffhangers just the way I like it. This is a series and I am super excited to see what happens next in the adventure. I really enjoyed Scott Tracey’s writing style and I am eager to read more of his work. I would highly recommend this to anyone that likes witches, magic, or YA paranormal reads.

Notable Scene:

I could feel the wraith’s power ripping through me. It tore at me, at the part of me that wasn’t skin and blood and bone. Draining me. A vortex pulling away the part of me that was living, the spark that kept my heart pumping and my fear rising.

A switch flipped.

Polarity reversed. Life became death became life again.

The vortex became a geyser, and everything that was mine returned in a flash flood of light and life.

“No,” the wraith hissed. “No!”

A dark pall burst into murky light around me, like an aura made from shadowed half-truths and eclipse-light. It wasn’t magic, not exactly. Parts were, scraps that felt like something I should recognize, but they were threads in a much larger tapestry.

“Justin! Grab the chain!” Quinn gestured to my arm, and the iron that was already trying to unravel itself from my skin.

I twisted my forearm, grabbed the chain, and refused to let go. The chain shook, contorted and tried to break free, but I wouldn’t let go.

The aura grew darker, like storm clouds summoned above my head. I could feel something, an invisible pressure that settled against my skin like a shirt that was too tight.

It swept around me, a presence and a power that dwarfed anything I’d ever seen.

The wraiths’ eyes had looked like they were incapable of emotion, but there was one there now: fear. “You were to be rescued,” it hissed at me.

The aura swept forward from me, slicing through the air like a scythe, and cut the wraith down like it was the first born son, and this was a plague.

Darkness swallowed up the wraith, until there was a portal of tangible darkness where it had once stood.

FTC Advisory: Flux Publishing provided me with a copy of Moonset. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )