Hello, friends! Before we get started with today’s book review, I need to apologize to my friend Dianna. I’m sorry it took me so long to read Moonshadow’s Guardian.
I’ve had it in my kindle for a while now, and knew I was going to get to it eventually, but when my friend Eliza said she was starting it, I knew I needed to get to it right away. I even talked to Eliza about doing a buddy read/review, as well as a book chat on the podcast. I’m so glad she agreed, so when you’re done with this review, head over to Eliza’s Website to read her opinion.
I also have to say, Moonshadow’s Guardian doesn’t really fit in the “horror fantasy” genre. I would classify it as dark fantasy. Horror, to me, has more scares and more issues of death and dismemberment than Moonshadow’s Guardian.
I’ll get more into the genre I think this book fits into down below, but for now I’ll simply say that I loved the book, can’t wait to read the next, and I hope you enjoy my review of Moonshadow’s Guardian by Dianna Gunn!
Oh, and before I forget to tell you… Moonshadow’s Guardian inspired a candle! You can grab your own in the shop, for yourself or for a friend. I will eventually have a gift set as well, so you’ll be able to buy the book, the candle, and a scented bookmark for that special bookworm in your life.
Now, back to the review!
This post may contain affiliate links. Your purchase provides The Picky Bookworm with a small commission, and I’m so grateful for the support!
Synopsis
Riana has spent over 2000 years as a victim of torture at the hands of Loki, the Norse god of mischief. As a demon, she has been able to withstand more than the usual, but even she has her limits. When she’s given the news that the king of Moonshadow has summoned her as their guardian, she jumps at the chance to get out of her own personal hell.
When she finds out that Moonshadow may have more enemies than who they think, she takes it upon herself to find out the truth. Even at the cost of her own freedom.
Excerpt
“How do you like my dungeon, Naomi?” A faint smile played across his lips.
I tensed. Why in all of the five realms had he used that name?
“My name is Riana now.” My mouth was dry as parchment, and my voice sounded hoarse even to me. Weeks had passed since I last spoke out loud, but I was damn well going to give Loki a piece of my mind. “You chose it for me, remember?” To mark me as a demon.
He shrugged. “Yes, Riana, of course. And you didn’t answer my question – how do you like the dungeon? It’s new.”
I glared at him, wishing more than anything that looks could kill. Or that I had any power at all to kill a god.
“Did you come here to poke fun at me or are you finally going to tell me why I’m here?”
“Well, first you’re going to eat.” He waved a hand, and a giant leg of mutton appeared in the air between us.
I grabbed the mutton and ripped off the biggest bite I could. It was still warm and seasoned with many of the mortal realm’s best spices. My stomach rumbled happily as I wolfed the meat down.
Loki chuckled and gestured at my stomach. “Once the beast is satisfied, you will participate in a Raising.”
I swallowed hard and lowered the leg of mutton. “A Raising?”
“To become a Guardian-class demon.”
I took a step back. This was too good to be true. I failed my last summoner’s request, refusing to participate in the mortal war. The penalty should have been death, or at least a century of imprisonment in the demon realm. Not being sent right back to the mortal world.
“Who will I be guarding?” I asked. Guardians were usually bound to a noble family, for so long as that family survived. “And what’s the catch?”
“King Jacob Vonstone VIII asked for you specifically,” he said.
My heart leapt into my throat, torn between joy and fear. The Vonstones ruled Moonshadow, the only place I had ever felt truly welcomed. I loved it, and I longed to return, but there were so many memories, some of them –
Stop, Riana. Don’t put yourself through that again.
“The King has – rather selfishly – bound you to himself,” Loki said, speaking even more casually than before. As if he was telling me what he ate for breakfast. “But if you save Moonshadow, from the current threat, I’m prepared to offer you freedom.”
I stared at him. This conversation kept getting stranger. Loki was never this generous to anyone. Certainly not to someone who broke as many rules as I had.
“What’s the catch?” I repeated.
He broke out into that terrible grin again. “If you don’t succeed, you go straight back to the inner family. Now, let’s go. You’ll have to eat on the way.”
That still didn’t sound right. It was too simple for Loki. He had to be hiding something. Maybe he had chosen this job as punishment because he believed I would fail. Yes, that sounded like Loki. Humiliation was his favourite form of torture.
“What am I saving Moonshadow from?” I didn’t bother trying to keep the wariness out of my voice.
“You know the rules. The summoner will explain the details of your job upon your arrival.”
True, but those were the inner family’s laws. Loki hated the inner family. “When did you start following rules?”
“When it suited me.” He started walking back up the corridor, leaving the cell open.
I liked that answer even less than the last one. “What if I refuse?”
But he was already halfway down the hallway, and I wouldn’t have refused anyway. How could I turn down a chance to spend more centuries in the mortal realm? Maybe even an eternity, if he was being honest about freedom. It was the only thing I really wanted, the one faint hope I nurtured through all of these years. The idea that kept me alive.
I was stuck doing what Loki wanted, again.
My Thoughts
I absolutely adored Moonshadow’s Guardian! Dianna is a friend of mine, and we’ve known each other for at least a couple years, so I was aware of her writing style and personality. I did struggle with making the decision to read the book, because she classifies it as horror fantasy. While I can see where she comes from in this classification, I don’t necessarily agree with the “horror” aspect. I didn’t find the story particularly scary, so for me, it fits more in the dark fantasy genre.
Writing Style
Dianna has a unique writing style that I really enjoyed. It was descriptive, without being too flowery. I struggle with books that need to describe a flower down to the color of its stamen, so when I find a fantasy book that appeals to that, I rarely struggle to devour the book. Moonshadow’s Guardian was like that for me. I think I read it in about 3 days.
Pacing
So many books I read go through ebbs and flows of pace. I run into this all the time: The book will either start out slow and pick up about halfway through, which is fine, or will start out at a good pace and suddenly pick up exponentially about 75% through, almost like the author realized they were reaching their word limit and needed to tie up loose ends immediately. I’ve read a couple books like this in the past years and they always frustrate me.
Characters
Riana is amazing. I love her spirit and her heart. She hasn’t let the fact that she’s a demon stop her from trying to do good in the world. She has a conscience and she has guilt from her past. She also has a fighting spirit that won’t let her lay down and accept injustice. She fights for what she believes in, even when that fight could end in her destruction.
My other favorite character is Andre. He’s the vampire brother to the king, and while I won’t give away much on how he became a vampire, he has that same fighting spirit that Riana has. They get along well, and he tempers her in a way that few people can. Riana does the same for Andre. They get to go on various adventures together, and I love reading through their dynamic and their stories.
Other POV?
I would love to read Moonshadow’s Guardian from Andre’s point of view. Or even Jacob VIII. Some of the story is told from one other point of view, so I didn’t really miss out on that, but I didn’t get much of what Andre was thinking, and I didn’t get much of what Jacob’s motivations were, other than through Riana’s filter. I would have enjoyed either one of those. Maybe a companion, Dianna?
About The Author
Dianna Gunn is an author and SEO expert. She also runs the Weeknight Writers Group, a “social enterprise dedicated to creating accessible educational and community supports for writers, including the #WeeknightWriters Twitter chat on Thursdays at 7PM EST.”
Dianna I met a couple years ago, and we’ve become good friends. She’s been a guest on The Picky Bookworm podcast a couple different times, and also worked with me on creating a candle inspired by Moonshadow’s Guardian. Together, we inspire authors to support each other through the Author Secret Santa, a yearly event where authors sign up to receive a “secret santa” who will buy and hopefully review their book. She loves supporting her fellow authors as much as I do, which is only one of the reasons we’re good friends. The multiple others have to do with the fact that she’s simply an amazing person with a fun personality.
Recommendation
Hmmm… how vehement to get on how much I recommend Moonshadow’s Guardian? I always struggle with this part. I think I’ll go for REALLY vehement.
Let your fingers do the running, but hurry over to Amazon to purchase Moonshadow’s Guardian IMMEDIATELY. If you enjoy dark fantasy with a few horror aspects, you’ll adore this duology. Book two will be out soon, so you’ll want to be caught up on the story before then!
Color me intrigued…. take me to Amazon!
Conclusion
If you haven’t read Moonshadow’s Guardian yet, you really need to. Soon. If you enjoy the fantasy genre, you need this book in your library.
Now that you’ve read (and hopefully enjoyed) my review of Moonshadow’s Guardian, head over to Eliza Stopps’ website to read her review! She had a different opinon on the book than I did, so getting our two different viewpoints will be interesting!
Comment below if you’ve read Moonshadow’s Guardian, or if you think you’re going to! You can also sign up in the sidebar to get an email every time I publish a new post or have news to share. I’m working on some amazing stuff coming in the next few months, so you don’t want to miss out.
Until Next Time, Friends!
Such an interesting read! I used to read a lot of fantasy as a teenager but this is one of the first that I’ve picked up in a number of years. I’m glad we had a chance to do this buddy read! <3
I’m so happy we did, too! Getting the chance to lift up an indie author, and read a fun book at the same time? Yes, please! I’m excited about recording the companion podcast episode, too!