In a world where magik is dying, an orphaned elvish girl named Eyolin Kyenz-ushteira is swept from the shadows of the tree-city she calls home. Burdened by the memory of her mother's murder, Eyolin takes up a life as a black market herbalist's assistant while selling secrets for coin to a dwarvish spinner in the human districts. On one of those excursions to the ground, a frae, a creature of dark magik, drags her into a tent where her quiet life is forever disrupted. A tyrant king has taken interest in the power she has suppressed for twelve years, along with Kipp Aisolon, an assassin whose grey magik is breaking. Eyolin must choose her words and allies carefully as she is whisked into the dazzling world of the scariyai who wield magikal Gifts and play at a power she was prepared to relinquish on her twentieth birthday. She is taken under the wing of the Master Scariyai of Aideil, Tequerra Arendt, who hungers for what her Gift of magik is capable of. Spied upon by a half-giant commander, Traik, who does not trust an elf with no record of a past. And befriended by Dale, a human servant who knows her secret: she is the Sarom, the fifth of its kind, with the capability to wield the energies of all magik in the five realms. That is... if she is able to access it.
Royce raises the stakes with breezy efficiency, finding fresh life in some familiar fantasy beats. Hunted by supernatural terrors, prodded by telepaths, and plagued by flashbacks, Eyolin soon finds sanctuary in Aideil, the capital of the High Elves. There she is given the moontear, a gem that holds the key to her magik, and taken under the wing of Tequerra Arendt, an ancient elf master who will train her in the art of controlling her powers. The narrative blends the personal, especially questions of identity, with sorcerous suspense, as Eyolin, targeted by a god and a king alike, must stay undercover to evade an evil necromancer, Magnogogue, and perhaps even greater threats.
Royce’s storytelling is immediately compelling, alive with rhythm, depth, and a sense of what compels lovers of the genre. That goes for her worldbuilding, too. Magik in Alagana may have a lot of rules, but at its core this story is about finding and being true to oneself. Eyolin’s budding friendship with the human servant Dale is funny and heartbreaking, while scenes of dark suspense startle as the story heads to a surprisingly gritty climax. Royce proves as well-versed in writing horror as fantasy, and an engrossing cliffhanger ensures readers are hooked for the next chapter in Eyolin’s quest.
Takeaway: High-octane fantasy adventure of an outcast elf and some darker themes.
Comparable Titles: Jillian Boehme’s The Stolen Kingdom, Stephanie Garber’s Caravel series.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
My mind is a flurry of thoughts after finishing this book, but I’ll try to organise them.
The fmc, Eyolin, starts off as a nobody, who just wants a simple life and is willing to try anything to make it happen. This just happens to take her to unimaginable heights. She is strong and smart despite everything and works hard to achieve her goals, every moment had me rooting for her!
Kipp is a mysterious character, bound to Eyolin through magik, though she doesn’t know that. He’s assumed to be dangerous, and proves it many times, just not to Eyolin, he has his own agenda.
Dale and Karok are both humans, seemingly mundane but truly incredible in their capabilities and loyalty.
Royce spun a tale of friendship for someone who never had friends, camaraderie and deception. And did it wonderfully. The world building is thorough and well executed, bringing to life an enchanting and intriguing world full of wonderful and dangerous creatures. The relationships between characters are beautiful and complex, with multiple layers and potential outcomes. Many times I found myself feeling a certain way about a character only for it to be revealed that they were the complete opposite!
This book perfectly sets up the narrative for the books to come, leaving me with so many questions, thoughts and theories! Will there be a love interest in the next book? If so, with who? Who won? Why did they end up there?
The Moon Tear is definitely full throttle fantasy, rather than a cute romantasy, with action, friendships and intrigue. The fmc is independent and headstrong, but learns to lean on the people around her, in order to become her best self, a nice reprieve from fmc’s who are strong until the man arrives to save them.
Beautifully done Royce.
Thank you for the EArc in exchange for my honest views and opinions.
I loved this! It was so refreshing and different from the fantasy I’ve read lately. You can clearly see the time and effort put into creating the world for the trilogy, without it feeling heavy handed. There is a little bit of everything in this, politics, magic, learning about the story through different timelines, different races and social classes, platonic friendship, slooooowburn romance!
I can’t wait for book two!
Ok…I’ve got a lot to say about this book, but let me start with an introduction.
Eyolin is an orphan, left with no family in Alagana. In this realm, certain elves are gifted with magic, and if they do not manifest it and gain their gemstone, they loose it by their twentieth birthday. Eyolin is determined to do just that, as she tries to live out the rest of her life with what small and meager memories of her family she has left, and be free. However, with only one year left, those plans are derailed when the tyrant king of a neighboring kingdom becomes…interested with what she can do. In order to protect herself and learn to defend against this king, she is forced to access and accept her powers, and is thrust into this world of politics and magic that she so wanted to stay away from.
This is very much a high fantasy book. There are inklings of romance, but I would not say that this is a romantasy in any sense of the word, at least with this first book. If the romance develops with the next two, then possibly. This was a slow read just due to the amount of world building and heavy fantasy elements within. While I loved this aspect, it just made it more of a slower read. Hoonestly, this world seems very interesting, and the political dynamics seem to play a very important role in how each of these characters proceed with their paths. I love how fate and one’s predestiny is used and abused in this book, and I hope that continues with the next ones! I do recommend this to high fantasy readers, who prefer/don’t mind there being almost no romance element in it :)
