Shadows on the Moon
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
A powerful tale of magic, love and revenge set in a fairy tale Japan. Suzume is a shadow weaver. Her illusions allow her to be anyone she wants - a fabulous gift for a girl desperate to escape her past. But who is she really? A heartbroken girl of noble birth? A drudge scraping by in a great house's kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? Whatever her true identity, she is determined to capture the heart of a prince - and use his power to destroy those who murdered her family. Nothing will stop her. Not even love.
So unlike everyone else, I read Barefoot on the Wind before I read this, and I know a lot of other reviewers where making comparisons between the two but for me, I was doing it the other way around! This was obviously a lot longer than BOTW, but I loved the fairy tale like quality to Marriott's storytelling, and I think I might actually like this one more than BOTW!
I love how this leans slightly towards the dark, and I loved the message of the book. Suzume is so determined in her revenge, and I loved how that was resolved and like I said..the message behind it! I felt like the book was very atmospheric and cinematic, the beginning drew me in. Sure it's based on Cinderella but it's kinda like a twisted Cinderella. Things have been changed and switched about in a really interesting way and the author has put her on unique stamp on it, so it's loosely based on Cinderella. I liked how the author dealt with self harm throughout the course of the book, I liked how complex the characters where, things weren't straight forward with the characters. There was action and romance, and overall this was such a brilliant read. It was easy to slip in to the world of the book, the same world that BOTW is set in, and it was easy to breeze through this in one sitting.
I am going to say that I was straight up suspicious of Terayama from the beginning, and I knew exactly what he was up to and what he'd done. I had his measure from the beginning! I would love to say I was surprised about Suzume's mother's behaviour, especially at the end, but sadly I saw that coming too. I really felt for Suzume throughout the course of the book, she didn't have a great time, but she kept on going. Kept fighting, sure she was driven by revenge, but I had to admire her determination. I understood her need for vengeance. I felt for her, and I loved how you saw many different sides to her throughout the course of the book.
Otieno I also really loved, he didn't give up on Suzume he was there for her and he was really sweet and adorable at times. I was rooting for him from the beginning and I shipped he and Suzume so hard! I also really liked some of the secondary characters, especially Akira, she wasn't what I was expecting and I loved her relationship with Suzume and how she helps her, and I loved the little story at the back of the book about her!
Shadows on the Moon, is a brilliant, quick and imaginative read. Marriott creates such an evocative and vivid world that you can fall in to it and lose track of everything while you're reading. The characters are memorable and complex, you can root for them, you can understand their actions even if you don't agree with them. I loved the romance, it was so cute and it hits you in the feels, and I could read so many books set in this world!
