A fantasy "shimmering with magic, myth, and romance,"* now available in paperback
Gwen travels to Ireland to visit her cousin Findabhair, expec... read full description
Gwen travels to Ireland to visit her cousin Findabhair, expec... read full description
reviews
Oct 06, 2007
Leanna
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Gwen and Findabhair are cousins, but most of all, they're best friends. Gwen is from Canada, but she visits Findabhair every summer in Ireland. One particular summer, Gwen comes and they plan a backpacking trip all across Ireland, hitting all the major fantastical sites along the way. They go to the Mound of Hostages (aka supposed entrance to the faerie world) at the Hill of Tara (the ancient capitol of Ireland) and that is where the adventure begins.
I read this book while on a st More...
I read this book while on a st More...
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Mar 09, 2009
Bethany
rated it: 
I usually don't read young adult books because I require a bit more depth and intricacy to my novels than most teen series can provide. I picked up this particular book because it deals with Celtic mythology, something I dearly love. I was pleasantly surprised.
The novel is paced well, with plenty of suspense and action to keep even the adult reader interested in the goings-on. The characters are well though out and three dimensional. I, for one, identified with both heroines with More...
The novel is paced well, with plenty of suspense and action to keep even the adult reader interested in the goings-on. The characters are well though out and three dimensional. I, for one, identified with both heroines with More...
Jul 29, 2011
Emily
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Apr 05, 2011
Larissa
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Throughout their separate childhoods Gwen and Findabhair have always shared a love of everything magical, whether it be wrapped up in songs, stories or on the big screen. They had always dreamed of faraway places, impossible beings and magical love. On turning sixteen these two cousins decided to travel around Ireland, one of the most magical countries there is, in search of adventure, love and magic. But what they find is not your usual faeries at the bottom of the garden.
Although the More...
Although the More...
Apr 01, 2011
The second in our Flashback Friday series is more than just a good book I remember reading when I was a teenager. It is the first real novel (besides ones written by Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine) that I can remember reading. My sister gave it to me when I lamented about how all the books I read were exactly the same.
When I opened the cover of the Hunter’s Moon by O. R. Melling for a re-read, it had a stamp on the first page that said October, 18, 1994. Which makes me think she bo More...
When I opened the cover of the Hunter’s Moon by O. R. Melling for a re-read, it had a stamp on the first page that said October, 18, 1994. Which makes me think she bo More...
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Jan 31, 2011
Day
rated it: 
In this wonderful 'coming of age' book targeted for teens, O.R. Melling introduces readers to a fantasy world rich with factual elements and descriptions of Ireland.
The characters are interesting and refreshing to say the least. Gwen, the heroine, is described as being "short and plump with a head of cropped curls"... not the typical teen heroine that frequents other popular YA books on shelves today. Gwen is relateable to many a young girl. She is a fantasy geek, who love More...
The characters are interesting and refreshing to say the least. Gwen, the heroine, is described as being "short and plump with a head of cropped curls"... not the typical teen heroine that frequents other popular YA books on shelves today. Gwen is relateable to many a young girl. She is a fantasy geek, who love More...
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Aug 17, 2010
Hope
rated it:
This books has been sitting on my shelf for few years now. Well actually when I first bought this book couple of years ago, I bought the four in one book; man the book is huge, I do not know what I was thinking when I bought it. It so heavy that you can not hold it your hands and read, but rather you have to set it down. So few months ago I decided to reorder the books, each book individually.
So when I received the copy of the book in the series I read it right away. Actually th More...
So when I received the copy of the book in the series I read it right away. Actually th More...
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Aug 06, 2010
Trish
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While reading this book I imagined that the writer knew a lot more than what she put down. I could sense a vast amount of research backing each factual sentence. The Irish are particularly good at yarning, and I felt that this mimicked their outlandish and romantic style of storytelling. I liked the adventure, the poetic descriptions, and the setting in Ireland. It was good stuff, almost 3D.
It's when her characters spoke that something didn't ring true and I was brought out of the st More...
It's when her characters spoke that something didn't ring true and I was brought out of the st More...
Jan 12, 2012
Chani
rated it: 
This is one of those books that probably is good to read when you're a young teenager. It blows your mind because it's a story about faeries and it's about a chubby girl gaining confidence etc. However, as an adult reading this, I was bored. There wasn't enough 'happening' and I say this in terms of hands on development. Yes, there was a lot of running around, but nothing REALLY happened. Two girls went traveling, one gets stolen by the faeries, wants to stay but her fat friend tries to drag her
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Aug 18, 2009
Krystle
rated it:
My thoughts and impressions of this book weren’t that great. The writing was extremely choppy, disjointed, and the pacing of the story was extremely rushed. Everything happens so bam bam bam right after each other that you just couldn’t get into the characters or get a decent grasp for the whole build-up of suspense. So in the end you have a shallow portrait of the characters and what they’re really like. Another thing that I found really strange was that Findabhair is the name of the author's d
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Dec 12, 2009
Zoe
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I absolutely loved this book! It's rare that I find a fiction book I can recommend without reservation. The first of Melling's Chronicles of Faerie, this is the the story of two cousins who set out across Ireland searching for the fantastic worlds that they've always dreamed of, but run into trouble when they actually find what they're looking for. I loved the writing, which manages to be rich and evocative while at the same time clear and unpretentious. And I really appreciated the differences
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Apr 01, 2011
Lyn M
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I was trolling the stacks at the library, looking for a book to satisfy a mythology/folklore part of a challenge when this book called my name. I love faeries, werewolves, vampires, wizards, and all things urban fantasy. In addition, I have always had a burning curiosity about all things Irish. This book seemed to be a good combination of the two.
First let me clarify. This book is YA fantasy, not urban fantasy. It is all about the world of faeries and how it interacts with the More...
First let me clarify. This book is YA fantasy, not urban fantasy. It is all about the world of faeries and how it interacts with the More...
Jun 05, 2010
Bluerose's
rated it:
Positives: This story is set in Ireland, so there’s lots of new words. There’s a dictionary in the back of the book, though, so that definitely helps. This book was written beautifully!! It had a very magical quality to it and the author is very descriptive! It was a sweet, romantic "fairy" tale.
Negatives: Although I really liked the story, it wasn’t until the last 3rd of the book that I really got into it and couldn’t wait to finish it. I like those books that I’m drawn in from More...
Negatives: Although I really liked the story, it wasn’t until the last 3rd of the book that I really got into it and couldn’t wait to finish it. I like those books that I’m drawn in from More...
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Mar 12, 2010
Kari
rated it:
This was a strange book. I liked it, but I didn't like it. It's so hard to explain. The story is fabulous, the setting is wondrous, but something was missing.
Oh! I know what is was, it was the characters!
There was close to no character development. You were just expected to understand why two cousins who live an ocean away from each other and are so different are so close. You actually just assume they are so different, you don't really know because Fin (I do that b More...
Oh! I know what is was, it was the characters!
There was close to no character development. You were just expected to understand why two cousins who live an ocean away from each other and are so different are so close. You actually just assume they are so different, you don't really know because Fin (I do that b More...
Jan 11, 2011
Ithlilian
rated it:
Hunter's Moon went by pretty fast for me, mostly because there wasn't much going on. The cousins decide to stay inside a faerie mound, one chooses to go away with the faerie and the other chases after her thinking she was kidnapped. Along the way she meets some nice helpful people that surprisingly believe in faeries (what a coincidence). Of course there is to be a sacrifice on Hunter's Moon, as anyone who is familiar with faerie lore knows, but somehow the characters are surprised by it. I'm su
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Jan 18, 2010
Kit
rated it:
O.R. Melling knows her Irish folklore and describes the weather and the country in a way that makes me feel like I'm there without making me feel like I have to plod through tons of description of landscape. (Yes, I'm thinking of The Hobbit here.) Her Chronicles of Faerie are set in the same fictional world - an Ireland where traditional faeries and mythical creatures are real, and historical figures like Saint Kevin can still be encountered in a sort of time-free space - but you don't have to r
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Jun 09, 2011
Kermit's BFF
rated it:
Have I read this book???
I can't remember and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. Saw it at the library, picked it up, and was hit with major de-ja-vu.
But maybe it was one of those books I picked up and read for a few chapters at the library and then never gave it a second thought?
Might be.
I dunno if I'll ever read it.
***********************************************************************
Now that I've read it or more appropriately, re-read....
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I can't remember and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. Saw it at the library, picked it up, and was hit with major de-ja-vu.
But maybe it was one of those books I picked up and read for a few chapters at the library and then never gave it a second thought?
Might be.
I dunno if I'll ever read it.
***********************************************************************
Now that I've read it or more appropriately, re-read....
More...
Apr 05, 2010
Nicole
rated it: 
Meh. I had high hopes for this book/series, but I don't think I'll be going further down this path (unless some teen tells me I'm missing something amazing and makes me second-guess my earlier judgment). The story held such promise - two young friends hitting the road less traveled in Ireland in search of real old world faerie magic...and even finding it. But all of the adventures, and character developments, and general atmosphere felt so incredibly forced and formulaic. There was no "life
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Jul 31, 2011
Masterlark
rated it:
This is the first book in an amazing quartet, a series right up there with Harry Potter. It's well written with a plot like a Newgrange spiral. The characters are real, and the faeries are not the wand-bearing, dust-scattering lot that most of you visualize. Instead, they're real people endowed with terrible power. These are books that make you need to read them again every few months.
The use of the Irish language throughout the series helped formulate my need to learn it. I recommend thes More...
The use of the Irish language throughout the series helped formulate my need to learn it. I recommend thes More...
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Feb 14, 2010
Alana
rated it:
American teenager Gwen hoped to spend her summer with her Irish cousin Findabhair seeking out places famous for their faerie connection. She never expected to be on a wild hunt around Ireland hoping to rescue Finn before the next Hunter's Moon from a Faerie king desperate to make her his bride. Caught between the human world and Faerie, Gwen has to use all of her wit and all of her willpower to resist the charms of Faerie - or lose her cousin forever.
I loved the depiction of faeries More...
I loved the depiction of faeries More...
Oct 30, 2010
K
rated it:
If I read a hundred pages of any book and decide to put it down, I figure I have read enough of the book to write a review. This book is pretty terrible. The premise of the book is intriguing, childhood friends trying to discover more about faerie, but the characters are so flat in personality and affect that there is nothing interesting about them. I am sure reading about grass growing is more interesting. The only mildly interesting character has disappeared but even she just seemed like a
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Jul 21, 2011
Gina
rated it:
This was the first fairy-lore-centered book that I read when I was a teen, and it has everything that the teenage me wanted in a story: mythology, action, magic, and a brave teen protagonist. In fact, I can confidently say that The Hunter's Moon, and the other books that follow it in the Chronicles of Faerie series, was one of my most favourite books at that point in my life.
And so, when I saw The Hunter's Moon recently at my local library, I picked it up, wondering if it would live More...
And so, when I saw The Hunter's Moon recently at my local library, I picked it up, wondering if it would live More...
Jun 17, 2011
Splash Of Our Worlds
rated it:
So after Wondrous Strange, i thought to give another chance to the faerie world. Once again it didn't really speak to me (i'm strongly starting to believe that i don't like fairies) but oh well...
There were two things i really liked about the book and some others that i didn't.
To start with the positive ones, the descriptions of Ireland, even though at times the details were too many, were the best world and place descriptions i've read. The author knew what she was More...
There were two things i really liked about the book and some others that i didn't.
To start with the positive ones, the descriptions of Ireland, even though at times the details were too many, were the best world and place descriptions i've read. The author knew what she was More...
Sep 11, 2011
Bill
rated it:
This book grew on me.
I didn't care for the first third. I had found The Hunter's Moon in the Young Adult section of the local library and expected young adult fantasy fiction. In the name of full disclosure, I must admit I am no longer a "young" adult, but I'm not so far removed that I've forgotten what that period of life was like. And so, when I got a lot of Teen Girl fiction in the first several chapters, I was dismayed. I wasn't really interested in body image angst and More...
I didn't care for the first third. I had found The Hunter's Moon in the Young Adult section of the local library and expected young adult fantasy fiction. In the name of full disclosure, I must admit I am no longer a "young" adult, but I'm not so far removed that I've forgotten what that period of life was like. And so, when I got a lot of Teen Girl fiction in the first several chapters, I was dismayed. I wasn't really interested in body image angst and More...
Jul 07, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
This was recommended to me by the website What Should I Read Next.
One sentence summary: When her cousin and best friend (same person) is taken away by the Faerie King, timid Gwen must trek across Ireland alone to rescue her.
I became interested in this book because it's a YA fantasy that's a little different from the rest. Once I started reading, I wasn't immediately hooked but the pace picked up as the story went on. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but I felt More...
One sentence summary: When her cousin and best friend (same person) is taken away by the Faerie King, timid Gwen must trek across Ireland alone to rescue her.
I became interested in this book because it's a YA fantasy that's a little different from the rest. Once I started reading, I wasn't immediately hooked but the pace picked up as the story went on. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but I felt More...
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Jan 10, 2010
Amelia, the pragmatic idealist
rated it:
Okay, very mixed feelings here! On one hand, I really really enjoyed the descriptive passages about Ireland and its rich history and mythology. On the other hand, I felt that the characters and the general plot were extremely underdeveloped, and in addition, just downright bizarre.
- The worst thing an author can do is neglect characterization. Her two protagonists - cousins Findabhair and Gwen - are just weird. First of all: adult supervision, anyone?!?!?! Of course not. It's never defin More...
- The worst thing an author can do is neglect characterization. Her two protagonists - cousins Findabhair and Gwen - are just weird. First of all: adult supervision, anyone?!?!?! Of course not. It's never defin More...
Jan 29, 2012
Melanie
rated it:
I had great expectations of this book. I've always loved books based on mythology that correspond to the setting. One of my favorites are the Celtic myths of Ireland. So when I picked up this book, I was delighted to sit down and allow myself to be taken on adventure around Ireland. I was greatly disappointed. The writing itself was too unrealistic. People don't act they way they do in this book whether they are in love or not. Another thing about the "romance". How can anyone fall in
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Jul 17, 2009
Victoria
rated it:
This was a pretty good book among the huge number of "faerie" books I've noticed are competing with the vampire craze.
Gwen and her cousin Findabhair both love Ireland. But they also have a special fascination with it, and they are determined to find some way to get in touch with its mythical side; the realm of Faerie. When Findabhair is captured by the faeries as a sacred victim for an ancient ritual, the more shy Gwen has to find to her courage to save her.
Th More...
Gwen and her cousin Findabhair both love Ireland. But they also have a special fascination with it, and they are determined to find some way to get in touch with its mythical side; the realm of Faerie. When Findabhair is captured by the faeries as a sacred victim for an ancient ritual, the more shy Gwen has to find to her courage to save her.
Th More...
Feb 14, 2009
Emily
rated it:
There is the legend that faeries existed for some people. There are some people wanted to meet the faeries. Gwen came to Ireland to spend her time with her cousin, Findabhair. They continue to search for faeries ever since they were young, but do they ever thought that faeries could be dangerous? Findabhair was kidnapped by the faerie king and now its up to Gwen to search for the doorway to the faery world to rescued her cousin. As she traveled deeper and deeper, she soon discovered the dark leg
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Oct 20, 2008
Julie
rated it:
I just finished this book, and was debating how to list it on Goodreads. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. It is a good story, but I wanted more character development. But If you love Ireland, or stories of the Fey, this is a great book. There are 3 books in the series, and as each has different characters, they can be read in any order. The books are very Ireland intensive. For example, two of the main characters are named Findabhair (Irish for Gwenyvere, but you probably knew that--I didn
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