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77th out of 613 books
—
1,322 voters
The Hunter's Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie #1)
by
O.R. Melling
A fantasy "shimmering with magic, myth, and romance,"* now available in paperback
Gwen travels to Ireland to visit her cousin Findabhair, expecting a summer of backpacking, late nights, and the usual road trip adventures. But when Findabhair is kidnapped by the King of Faerie, Gwen must race to save her cousin before the rise of the Hunter's Moon, when the fairies need a h...more
Gwen travels to Ireland to visit her cousin Findabhair, expecting a summer of backpacking, late nights, and the usual road trip adventures. But when Findabhair is kidnapped by the King of Faerie, Gwen must race to save her cousin before the rise of the Hunter's Moon, when the fairies need a h...more
Paperback, 305 pages
Published
May 1st 2006
by Amulet Books
(first published June 28th 2000)
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Oct 06, 2007
Leanna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in Celtic mythology
Shelves:
ya-lit
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 study abroad prog...more
I read this book while on a study abroad prog...more
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 within the first twe...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 within the first twe...more
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WARNING: Very strong opinions and a little bit of ranting.
I finished it as fast as I could because, honestly, it was kind of terrible. There were no transitions between plot points, no explanations behind any of the events that occurred, and it was just really choppy.
Also, the characters fell in love with each other or became loyal, lifelong friends after knowing each other for two pages, maybe. And those pages have big type and large margins. In addition, it was very cheesy and not at all real...more
I finished it as fast as I could because, honestly, it was kind of terrible. There were no transitions between plot points, no explanations behind any of the events that occurred, and it was just really choppy.
Also, the characters fell in love with each other or became loyal, lifelong friends after knowing each other for two pages, maybe. And those pages have big type and large margins. In addition, it was very cheesy and not at all real...more
Ok. First, I'm an adult, second, I love fantasy and Fairies. I've read my share of books. Now, O.R. Melling has done something unique. She has litterly taken my mind to Ireland! I could see, hear, smell and touch the country. Her descriptions were elegantly woven into the story (Cozy, like a warm blanket on a cold night). Also, there was an American character, who, was lost in Ireland (Like I would be). So I learned as the character leaned. This is a wonderful book, that grows in power as one re...more
While some people might enjoy being swept away to Ireland by O.R. Melling's detailed descriptions, I found that they dragged on a bit excessively at times. Set in Ireland, Gwen and Findabhair are cousins set to backpack through Ireland in search of evidence of another world. Although adolescents, both still dream of escaping the mundane world and visiting the faerie world. Unfortunately, this was not a well thought out desire. When Findabhair enters faerie, leaving her cousin Gwen behind, Gwen i...more
Originally posted here.
We know how much I dislike insta-love between beautiful people one of whom is magically powered in some way the other the only mortal girl who can make him abandon his bad boy supernatural ways to worship forever at her feet. Vampire. Werewolf. Faerie. Don't care. I was really nervous at first this was going to be one of those stories. But it wasn't. YAY! Except really it was, but the reader is far removed from those shenanigans as the story actually follows said mortal gi...more
We know how much I dislike insta-love between beautiful people one of whom is magically powered in some way the other the only mortal girl who can make him abandon his bad boy supernatural ways to worship forever at her feet. Vampire. Werewolf. Faerie. Don't care. I was really nervous at first this was going to be one of those stories. But it wasn't. YAY! Except really it was, but the reader is far removed from those shenanigans as the story actually follows said mortal gi...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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 their journey...more
Although their journey...more
Apr 01, 2011
Whatchyareading
added it
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 bought it at o...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 bought it at o...more
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 loves movies, books, music...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 loves movies, books, music...more
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 this is a reread f...more
So when I received the copy of the book in the series I read it right away. Actually this is a reread f...more
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 story, looking...more
It's when her characters spoke that something didn't ring true and I was brought out of the story, looking...more
Jan 12, 2012
Chani
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
10 - 14 year olds
Recommended to Chani by:
Lauren Losiniecki
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...more
This is one of my favorite books of all time and deserves a full 5 stars. Don't let the other reviewers tell you otherwise. This book opened my eyes to the wonders of the world beyond the North American shores. It brought my interest back to novels (for a period of time I went on a manga tangent) and encouraged my interest in mythology.
This book ties in the mythology of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the Irish fey), the geography of Ireland, and a riveting story of two girls on an adventure. While the st...more
This book ties in the mythology of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the Irish fey), the geography of Ireland, and a riveting story of two girls on an adventure. While the st...more
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...more
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...more
Apr 01, 2011
Lyn M (readinghearts)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Kate, Jen, Lynne
Recommended to Lyn M (readinghearts) by:
found at the library
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 mortal world. 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 mortal world. The...more
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 the beginning.
P...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 the beginning.
P...more
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 because her name was too long a...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 because her name was too long a...more
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...more
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...more
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....
Well...that was weird. Very weird indeed. Imaginative, creative,...more
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....
Well...that was weird. Very weird indeed. Imaginative, creative,...more
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" to...more
I found the writing style of this book to be, for a lack of better word, juvenile. It wasn't very descriptive at all and did nothing to draw me into the story. It didn't help that the focus was constantly shifting between the two girls and never stayed on one long enough for me to really learn much about them. They were both very shallow in terms of character development. (Then again, I only read 50 pages before I had to stop...)
The plot itself...well, I just couldn't bring myself to care about...more
The plot itself...well, I just couldn't bring myself to care about...more
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 these to...more
The use of the Irish language throughout the series helped formulate my need to learn it. I recommend these to...more
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 in Melling's...more
I loved the depiction of faeries in Melling's...more
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 whi...more
See my review at Great Imaginations!
I love old-school faeries. The ones that treasure murder and riddles with the same level of adoration and intrigue. Ireland is famous for beer, beautiful landscapes, wonderful folk music, and “I kill you!” fae folk. I didn't foresee any issues loving this book.
So what exactly went wrong? O.R. Melling certainly did her Irish homework. The story was a wonder mishmash of current and ancient Irish lore. Melling used ancient lore to tie in current events, and showc...more
I love old-school faeries. The ones that treasure murder and riddles with the same level of adoration and intrigue. Ireland is famous for beer, beautiful landscapes, wonderful folk music, and “I kill you!” fae folk. I didn't foresee any issues loving this book.
So what exactly went wrong? O.R. Melling certainly did her Irish homework. The story was a wonder mishmash of current and ancient Irish lore. Melling used ancient lore to tie in current events, and showc...more
You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog Hope, Faith & Books
This book was definitely not what I expected. I was expecting different faerie courts and whatnot. I did however enjoy the book. I found it very enjoyable. Ok, so quick outline of it. Gwen goes to visit her cousin Findabhair in Ireland. They set out for a summer of backpacking through Ireland when during the night in Tara the King of Faerie kidnaps Findabhair leaving Gwen to chase the fairy court throughout Ireland...more
This book was definitely not what I expected. I was expecting different faerie courts and whatnot. I did however enjoy the book. I found it very enjoyable. Ok, so quick outline of it. Gwen goes to visit her cousin Findabhair in Ireland. They set out for a summer of backpacking through Ireland when during the night in Tara the King of Faerie kidnaps Findabhair leaving Gwen to chase the fairy court throughout Ireland...more
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 up to my cu...more
And so, when I saw The Hunter's Moon recently at my local library, I picked it up, wondering if it would live up to my cu...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: Book about a Fairy King kidnapping a girl [s] | 4 | 152 | Aug 07, 2012 12:54pm | |
| What do you think about hunters moon? | 1 | 15 | Nov 24, 2008 10:10am |
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“If you're betwixt and between, trust the one with red hair.”
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