Black Moon by Jessica McQuay

By: Anonymous on Sunday, December 23, 2012

Title:  Black Moon

Author:  Jessica McQuay

Series:  Paige Tailor #1

Published:  October 2012 by Cambridge Press
Page Count:  240 pages

Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy
Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Am I losing my mind?"

Paige couldn't help but question her sanity. What other explanation could there be for her hearing a conversation held barely above a whisper in the back of a classroom full of students? What about coming home to find one of those very classmates lying in wait in the darkness of her home, ready to attack her?

Confused, frustrated and feeling every ounce of her social ostracism, Paige confides in the one person she's always been able to count on: her mom. But when her mom reveals a deeply rooted, unbelievable family secret, Paige discovers her world is filled with more than she ever imagined possible. A world where fairytales live alongside nightmares and secrets are the glue that binds them together. Suddenly no one is who they seem and Paige is faced with more questions than answers. Can she survive in a world filled with creatures scarier than anything she could imagine and where deceit runs as thick as blood? Or will the truth send her over the edge?


My Review:

This paranormal YA book is unlike most other books of its genre. Within the Faery realm of Varulean the author tackles many difficult subjects. On the surface, it is a story about a young lady about to graduate high school who discovers that her mother has been hiding the fact that she is actually a supernatural being. This puts a strain on a very close mother-daughter relationship. Underneath the surface, however, it is about so much more. It is about the many different trials and tribulations that accompany the life of a high school student.

I loved the main character. She is not part of the popular crowd and has very few friends. She is not very confident in herself and depends on her mother as her closest friend and ally. She can be whiny and unsure of herself at times and sarcastic and gung-ho at others. She also follows through on the difficult things that she feels she must do and learns very quickly that she must stand on her own two feet, and can depend on the few people that she trusts. She manages to come to terms with the parts of her life that her mother has kept hidden. In fact, she forgives (almost) all of those who have wronged her in some way. She also discovers that revenge is not something that will help her recover. She battles against her own desire to exact revenge against those who have wronged her while also recalling her closest friend from the brink of loosing herself to revenge. All the while this main character is learning what it means to be not one, but two different types of supernatural. She is real, not just your typical supernatural hero.

There were definitely a few moments where I found myself thinking “I didn’t see that coming,” which was a welcome change from many authors. The story line is by no means predictable. You can rarely guess what is going to happen next. That type of writing comes right through to the final chapter of the novel where you see a budding relationship begin to take root. This is your typical girl falls for her savior relationship, but yet it is not. This is simply because it is a same sex relationship that is so rarely found within YA literature. I loved this twist, especially since it is something dealt with on a daily basis by many living regular human lives trying to escape into the supernatural via literature.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel.

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