#BookReview: Moon Dark Smile (Night Shine #2) by @tessagratton

Synopsis: The fate of an Empire lies with a headstrong Heir and a restless demon in this lush YA fantasy for fans of Laini Taylor and Girl, Serpent, Thorn.

Ever since she was a girl, Raliel Dark-Smile’s best friend has been the great demon that lives in the palace. As the daughter of the Emperor, Raliel appears cold and distant to those around her, but what no one understands is that she and the great demon, Moon, have a close and unbreakable bond and are together at all times. Moon is bound to the Emperor and his two consorts, Raliel’s parents, and when Raliel comes of age, she will be bound to Moon as well, constrained to live in the Palace for the rest of her days.

Raliel is desperate to see the Empire Between Five Mountains, and she feels a deep kinship with Moon, who longs to break free of its bonds. When the time finally arrives for Raliel’s coming of age journey, she discovers a dangerous way to take Moon with her, even as she hides this truth from her travel companion, the beautiful, demon-kissed bodyguard Osian Redpop. But Osian is hiding secrets of his own, and when a plot surfaces that threatens the Empire, Raliel will have to decide who she can trust and what she’ll sacrifice for the power to protect all that she loves.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: This was an interesting follow up to book one Night Shine.  I think that those who really enjoyed book one will fall for this one hard.  I really enjoyed the continuing story of these people.  The story was strange and that just played into my love of the overall plot.  I can not wait to see what else this author has in store for this world and its characters. 

Review

"This intricate, enigmatic novel is fascinating in its strangeness, at turns dreamlike and visceral, with elegantly ornate world building." -- Booklist

"Sensual and strange." -- Kirkus

About the Author

Tessa Gratton is genderfluid and hangry. She is the author of The Queens of Innis Lear and Lady Hotspur, as well as several YA series and short stories which have been translated into twenty-two languages. Her most recent YA novels are Strange Grace, Night Shine, and Moon Dark Smile. Though she has traveled all over the world, she currently lives alongside the Kansas prairie with her wife. Visit her at TessaGratton.com.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-In this lush, gender-affirming fantasy adventure, the heir to an empire escapes the constraints of palace life in order to liberate herself-and the demon who possesses her. The novel is gripping, though its complexity requires a slow start. Following up on Gratton's Night Shine, this novel has entwined plots that find as their impetus the complex matters of consent and inheritance. Raliel and her demon struggle between their inherited duty toward each other and a chosen bond. Meanwhile, Osian, Raliel's charming bodyguard, secretly must decide whether to continue a blood feud that will endanger his princess. More happily, the novel considers the positive legacy of Raliel's father, an emperor whose open embrace of his gender fluidity inspires Osian to love himself. All these multilayered themes are balanced by plenty of action-after Raliel slips away from her carefully planned Heir's Journey, she flirts with demons and warriors, battles rogue sorcerers, and magically transcends life and death. Drawing on East Asian culture and geography, the book offers tangible details, from aristocratic cosmetic rituals and the taste of candied flower petals to the iridescence of water dragons. The writing is rich and lyrical, and strong enough to survive the occasional discordant "wow" or "weird." The novel will be easier to access for those who have already read Night Shine, but it provides plenty of treasures for first-time readers of Gratton. VERDICT A complex, thoughtful, sexy adventure that is highly recommended for fans of Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, and Rainbow Rowell's "Carry On" series.-Katherine Magyarodyα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.  --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Review, Young Adult