Moonshine

Jun 11, 2010 fleurs d'artifice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poc-author, spec

Basically this is the paranormal romance catering completely to my id. 1920s Jazz!Vampires! Zephyr being the awesome bleeding heart liberal ex-demon hunter that she is! Female-to-female interactions that completely pass the bedchel test and are ALL AWESOME. Daddy issues from multiple characters! Hot but morally ambiguous male lead! AND BEST OF ALL, a ‘open world fantasy’ that does NOT try to use Supernatural Creatures as a replacement metaphor to explore racism without any POC in the cast! (You...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-decent-shelf-of-meh

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

In 1920s New York, vampires and other such Others are minorities with few to no rights and Zephyr Hollis is the singing vampire suffragette, famous for how much she gives and her never-ending crusade for Other rights. She teaches classes for Others and immigrants so they can learn how to function in American society and it's normal for her to give all the money she has and have trouble paying her rent. Then along comes Amir, who offers her money to help h...more Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

In 1920s New York, vampires and other such Others are minorities with few to no rights and Zephyr Hollis is the singing vampire suffragette, famous for how much she gives and her never-ending crusade for Other rights. She teaches classes for Others and immigrants so they can learn how to function in American society and it's normal for her to give all the money she has and have trouble paying her rent. Then along comes Amir, who offers her money to help him find Rinaldo, a vampire mobster. In her quest to find Rinaldo and do a few other things, like find the parents of a young, recently turned vampire boy, Zephyr runs into more than a few problems and gets a visit from her past.

I haven't read any books set in the 1920s before, so I don't exactly know whether the minute details of the setting are true or not, but they ring true to me. It feels like Johnson did her research on life back then and applied everything she learned to this novel. Despite how much fantasy is in this novel with all the vampires running around, this New York seems like the kind of New York that would have existed if vampires were real. It's just the right blend of reality and fantasy, something only a few authors can do. Johnson appears to be one of them.

Zephyr as a character has a good background and she is the only character I have ever seen that pulled off the "too giving" flaw without making it seem like a non-flaw. If you give your money away so much to the point that you nearly get kicked out of your apartment multiple times, that's a flaw. Her pre-New York background and her current actions as an Other activist provide a fun contrast and really shows how people can change in a few years. The supporting characters were fun and the plot moved along smoothly, tying itself up well in the end. If there was any sort of mystery, it is solved during the final confrontation. With an ending such as the one in Moonshine, the novel could be left as a stand-alone or be given a sequel. I haven't found any evidence of a future sequel yet, so I'm not sure there will be one. And...

And...

-sigh- I'm sorry, but I have nothing to say. I lacked any emotional involvement in this novel, so I'm just pulling stuff and trying to put my thoughts in order about them. I didn't care who lived or died, who turned Judah, what was wrong with Amir, where Faust was coming from--absolutely nothing caught my interest. I had a full PDF of this book before I started doing book reviews and got bored halfway through it, then closed the document and decided to get a print copy one day. Back then, I never thought on what was going on in the book and I didn't this time around either. It was neither bad nor good and in certain cases, this is worse than being bad. At least you care enough about a bad book to dislike it.

I wish I could give it a better rating than this. I really do. Sadly, a rule is a rule and if a book cannot earn my emotional investment, then it automatically gets this rating. Unless it's a special case, I make no exceptions. For anyone that's looking for a good book about the 20s and doesn't mind the large helping of fantasy mixed in, I recommend Moonshine. Maybe you'll get invested in it the way I couldn't. (less)

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Oct 12, 2010 Callista rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Callista by: Jamina Fritts

Shelves: historical-fantasy, vampires-after-all

Loaned to me by a friend as a bonus (in addition to the book I'd asked for). Now vampire books are following me home!
Overall, I enjoyed this book. While the plot is a little bit wobbly in a few places, the story kept me interested. The end is obviously a set-up for a sequel, and I would pick up the next book when it gets published.
The story stands out among the recent flood of stories featuring vampires because of some unique qualities. The author does a much better job making a case for vampir...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Rachel Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical

An urban fantasy/paranormal romance set during Prohibition in an America in which supernatural beings called “Others” exist and are known to the public, but lack civil rights. Thankfully, they are not just stand-ins for real-life oppressed groups, as those groups also exist (and are oppressed) in the world of the novel.

New York City teacher and full-time activist Zephyr Hollis, who becomes widely known during the book as “the singing vampire suffragette,” is the daughter of a demon-hunter, but u...more An urban fantasy/paranormal romance set during Prohibition in an America in which supernatural beings called “Others” exist and are known to the public, but lack civil rights. Thankfully, they are not just stand-ins for real-life oppressed groups, as those groups also exist (and are oppressed) in the world of the novel.

New York City teacher and full-time activist Zephyr Hollis, who becomes widely known during the book as “the singing vampire suffragette,” is the daughter of a demon-hunter, but unlike her bigoted father, she has never met a social justice cause she doesn’t like. Zephyr is a little over the top – she gives her rent money to the poor, she belongs to thirty-one separate political organizations, and at one point she forgets to eat because she was too busy feeding the hungry – but she’s definitely a unique heroine, and the sometimes absurd lengths to which she takes her convictions make her plausibly obsessive rather than obnoxiously self-righteous.

The book is fast-paced and fun. Within the first few chapters, Zephyr rescues a boy in the process of turning into a vampire, gives her rent money to a student with a hard-luck story, teaches a class to immigrants and Others, is hired by the handsome and mysterious djinn Amir to investigate a local crime lord, crushes on Amir, and attends a rally. I enjoyed the convincing grass-roots politics and the amusing takes on the various supernatural beings, from the disgusting way that vampires die to how Amir, the romantic lead, has ears that sometimes billow smoke and eyeballs that sometimes burst into flames. I repeat: the romantic lead has flaming eyeballs!

Amir, despite a rather more interesting dark side than is common in the genre, is not the alpha asshole who so often appears in romances, and Zephyr, while naïve in some ways, is completely capable of rescuing herself. Amir and Zephyr’s relationship, however, didn’t quite work for me – she was attracted to him so quickly that the relationship didn’t seem based on anything other than that she’s the heroine and he’s the romantic lead, especially since she had such strong feelings for him long before we’d seen enough of them interacting to justify them. I would have liked it better if the romance had developed more slowly, as they were both fun characters individually and had genuine conflicts based on opposing worldviews, which is always interesting in a romance.

I would be curious to hear from someone who actually knows something about the period how accurate the historic details are – the language and attitudes about sex often seemed anachronistically modern to me, but I might be projecting my own preconceptions on the time.

Overall, I enjoyed this. (My favorite bit, for those who have already read it, was the egg whites.) If you like paranormal romance but are tired of heroines who do nothing but have sex and the asshole men who dominate them, this is definitely the book for you.(less)

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Jul 16, 2011 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Have you ever picked up a book with a lackluster cover, read it, and thought to yourself, “Why isn’t this book a bestseller?” There are hundreds of books (perhaps more) that go unrecognized every year. These books are almost impossible to find at your local bookseller, there is little to no details about them, and they remain in obscurity. While bestsellers take up shelf space, crowd display windows, and leave avid readers thinking, “Why is this book even popular? It’s trite, poorly written, and...more Have you ever picked up a book with a lackluster cover, read it, and thought to yourself, “Why isn’t this book a bestseller?” There are hundreds of books (perhaps more) that go unrecognized every year. These books are almost impossible to find at your local bookseller, there is little to no details about them, and they remain in obscurity. While bestsellers take up shelf space, crowd display windows, and leave avid readers thinking, “Why is this book even popular? It’s trite, poorly written, and overrated?”

These are the thoughts that went through this reader’s mind after reading Alaya Johnson’s “Moonshine” for the first time. Though “Moonshine” is not categorized as a Young Adult novel, Ms. Johnson is primarily a writer for Young Adults. Her most notable work is featured in the comical “Zombie vs. Unicorns” anthology.

Yes, “Moonshine” features vampires. However, this is not a typical vampire novel by any measure. Set in the 1920’s, “Moonshine” features a young “do-gooder” named Zephyr Hollis. Zephyr is a “vampire suffragette” who is willing to assist anything and anyone in need, especially if they happen to be an “other”; who are often discriminated against for not being human. It is because of her benevolence that she often finds herself with no money to her name, and taking odd jobs to pay her rent.

Taking advantage of Zephyr's predicament, Amir, her student and potential love interest, makes her a tempting offer: find Rinaldo, a vampire mob boss with New York City in his pocket.

Zephyr, to put it simply, is an amazing character. She is resourceful, intelligent, and philanthropic without emitting any signs of pretentiousness. Constant action blends well with bits of romance, and plot twists will leave readers guessing as to what will happen next. The plot is solid, all of the loose ends tie up as neatly as possible. Moreover, Johnson’s writing style is superb, and writes with well-researched detail. She has interwoven a comedy with elements of sadness. All while showing the reader the effects of prejudice, and what it can do to a society without the message being overbearing. Although “Moonshine” does not end in a cliffhanger, the plot leaves the possibility of a sequel, which readers will be begging for.

"Moonshine" epitomizes the underrated novel, and it is a shame that it did not become a bestseller. Humorous, maddening, and heart wrenching, “Moonshine” is a must read for adults and young adults alike.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Mobsters and Moonshine - Atlantic City Young Adult Fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-f...
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Aug 14, 2010 Mardel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main character of Moonshine is Zephyr Hollis, described as "an overzealous, underfed social activist" . She really was, almost to the point of irritation. The only thing that saved her from being a total goody two shoes was her rather instant attraction to Amir (dark-skinned Arabic-looking hot djinn - literally hot - hot to the touch, burning hot...Careful Zephyr!), and the rather intense sense of bloodlust that would come upon her when she had to fight for her life....but she was ashamed of...more The main character of Moonshine is Zephyr Hollis, described as "an overzealous, underfed social activist" . She really was, almost to the point of irritation. The only thing that saved her from being a total goody two shoes was her rather instant attraction to Amir (dark-skinned Arabic-looking hot djinn - literally hot - hot to the touch, burning hot...Careful Zephyr!), and the rather intense sense of bloodlust that would come upon her when she had to fight for her life....but she was ashamed of the way she felt then...a bit, not too much. :) (Don't fight it Zephyr - just be yourself and let your freak-flag fly!)

Turns out our little miss goody two shoes used to hunt - that's right, HUNT vampires and others with her father and crew back in good old.....Montana. (how did you end up in New York, Zephyr?). She 's not happy about her past and apparently is trying to atone by teaching night school to the oppressed "Others" (because they ARE oppressed, treated as second-class citizens with NO rights), and sticking up for them when she can, giving them literally the last dime in her pockets...(better than me - I'll give a few bucks away even if I only have $10 or $5, but never my last buck).

Anyway, Zephyr becomes embroiled with a found vampire boy (turned and abandoned), trying to locate a mob boss for pay, teaching a very dangerous young vampire street tough how to read and write, a new dangerous vampire drink, and finds herself in danger and having to fight off vampires and revenant cats.

I started out the book very interested, then found my self feeling a bit ho-hum about it (here I have to admit, I had just started it when Magic Bleeds came out, and there are few books that would have made me happy to read them after THAT!) and then finally seemed to be back into the story. By the end of the book I cared about what was happening to Zephyr, to the vampire boy, to Amir (the towering inferno genie), even to the street tough gangster vampire Nicholas.

One of the interesting and yet frustrating thing for me was the time setting. It's set during the Prohibition, which I really don't know much about. I'm not usually interested in that time period. Moonshine had it all though, the mobsters with the vampire twist, the illegal speakeasies along with the vampire equivalent, and all the accompanying problems. Poverty, bigotry, excess by the rich (nothing's changed there!) and I enjoyed the way Ms Johnson handled the "Others" addition to this. The Vampire mob King had his own territory, with rival vampire gangs. There was a separate Night Mayor that was corrupt. There's a lot happening in this novel and Ms Johnson really thought out the extended world that would have Vampires and Djinns, and Shapeshifters in it. Interesting and well done.

Moonshine is a good book, with an interesting take on vampires, djinns, shapeshifters and the prohibition. There is a good plot, and the dialogue was good, no lameness at all. There was some interesting instances of bigotry - even from Zephyr, while she was raging against the bigotry that humans had against skin color and other species, she herself exhibited her own brand of bigotry towards the priviledged upper class (which I think I am also guilty of - sorry rich over-priviledged-know-nothing-about-living-in-the-REAL-world-people....oops, have some work to do there. ahem... )(less)

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Jul 27, 2010 M.K. Hobson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Moonshine" tells the story of Zephyr Hollis, an underpaid and overworked social worker in Lower East Side New York in the Roaring ’20s. A “vampire suffragette,” she is outspoken in her defense of the rights of downtrodden “Others”—supernatural beings including vampires, golems, faeries, skinwalkers, etc. Along the way she has to deal with her Demon Hunter heritage, a burgeoning singing career, a slightly flaky roommate, and her attraction to a mysterious gentleman who is very literally “hot.”

Th...more

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Jul 12, 2010 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Moonshine was an uneven experience for me. I loved, loved, the prohibition-era feeling of it (the heroine rides around on a bicycle in the snow and is called the "vampire suffgatte").

I loved the non-European character of Amir, as well as the emphasis on immigrants rights/vampire rights of all those new vampires living in tenements.

Quite an interesting twist on the whole vampire culture.

Zephyr is an ex-Defender (killer of vampires and Others (there seems to be fairies and djinni too) who has ref...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is set in the 20s. Not exactly the roaring 20s we usually are privileged to have in our movies, but more like the social problems of the 20s we rarely see. This book, of course, goes further and has another group of people who suffer the injustices of prejudice. "The Others" are any groups of people who aren't human.

Zephyr is a "do-gooder" with a heart of gold. She doesn't blindly try to help anyone in need (but she does what she can for those who ask) and sees the hypocrisy of some of...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Ari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ari by: Notorious Spinks

First of all, this cover is awesome. The blood red lipstick and two neck bites contrasted with the pale skin give the book a very dark and appealing cover. That's what really drew me in at first. To top it all off, the book is set during the Prohibition Era. Zephyr is going to speakeasies, listening to jazz, promoting the equal rights of immigrants and taking up a host of other issues that needed to be addressed during this time. The setting of the 1920s is meticulously researched and it never s...more First of all, this cover is awesome. The blood red lipstick and two neck bites contrasted with the pale skin give the book a very dark and appealing cover. That's what really drew me in at first. To top it all off, the book is set during the Prohibition Era. Zephyr is going to speakeasies, listening to jazz, promoting the equal rights of immigrants and taking up a host of other issues that needed to be addressed during this time. The setting of the 1920s is meticulously researched and it never seems to be inauthentic or completely improbable. It's only natural that vampires do exist and live in New York City's Lower East Side, they are not supposed to feed off humans, instead they go to blood banks. Naturally there are some renegade vampires and the gangs all consist of vampires. I was sucked in (heehee pun not intended) immediately by Zephyr's narrative. The book does start off rather slow and there's a lot of details, but Zephyr is marvelous, so it doesn't matter. She is so passionate and yet not naive. She knows that she can't save everyone, but she does want to help everyone she can while still having a little fun. I love Zephyr. She is so independent, outspoken and occasionally impractical, whcih makes for the most winning combination. She is not perfect, she has her own biases that she needs to get over and she has some family issues (she's from Montana and comes from a family of famous demon hunters. She refuses to demon hunt anymore).

Amir is another fascinating character. He shows very little emotion and refuses to tell Zephyr why he wants to see Rinaldo taken down. Learning more about him and his world is one of the highlights of this novel. Although Zephyr and Amir are the main characters, the supporting characters are just as interesting. They aren't simply flat people in the background, they have their own dramas unfolding. I was a bit bothered by how the action was interrupted. A dramatic scene would start to unfold and then the scene would change and we would learn about it from Zephyr. I would have rather been shown the scene than told about it. Other than that, this entire novel is a WIN. I love Zephyr, the setting of 1920s NYC, the presence of social activism, cool yet scary paranormal creatures, twisted and clever mysteries and Amir. Oh Amir. *happy sigh* I need to get my hands on the next book in this series (surely it will be a series, there are so many loose ends and good stories waiting to be told!)(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 April rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, classism, corruption, history, love, new-york-city, popular-fiction, strong-female-lead, urban, woc

I have really mixed thoughts on this book. I checked Moonshine out from the library after skimming an NPR article on the author, Alaya Dawn Johnson. A woman of color writing fantasy novels--yes!! This is only the second vampire book I've read in my life; it's not my kind of stuff...but I thought, well, the premise sounds all right. Moonshine takes place in New York during the Prohibition era and focuses on a seemingly strong female lead who is a knife-wielding social activist. Sounds promising,...more I have really mixed thoughts on this book. I checked Moonshine out from the library after skimming an NPR article on the author, Alaya Dawn Johnson. A woman of color writing fantasy novels--yes!! This is only the second vampire book I've read in my life; it's not my kind of stuff...but I thought, well, the premise sounds all right. Moonshine takes place in New York during the Prohibition era and focuses on a seemingly strong female lead who is a knife-wielding social activist. Sounds promising, right?

And yet, I found myself reacting to Moonshine very similarly to the way I reacted to The Hunger Games. The book itself is decent; it's not horrible. Alaya Dawn Johnson has a great command of language and manages to weave a pretty complex and sound mystery, given it's young adult fiction.

However, I occasionally had to laugh out loud and say out loud, "This is terrible!" Much like Suzanne Collins, Ms. Johnson had to incorporate trashy elements into her novel in order to pander to a wider demographic. Unfortunately, this means that she included gag-worthy tropes such as the "I'm in love with a bad boy, but is he actually good? Also, I can fix him! But he's so brooding and mysterious! What a tortured soul." Like, I'm so tired of this good girl/bad boy crap. Why can't the guy just be good in the first place? Why must it be a woman's burden to "change" their love interest into a decent person? I mean, there's something intrinsically problematic about telling women that they should expect to date "fixer-uppers." Ugh.

This novel had an interesting take on what it means to be "other." It didn't touch race to the extent that I wish it would have liked. The way the author explores "otherness" is through the perspective of the (white) vampires, which while imaginative, is much less immediate to the reality of our society today.

This book is not lifechanging but it's also not totally trashy? It mostly left me confused because I couldn't tell if the author wanted it to be good or to be trashy? Like I said, mixed.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Merrian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another C+ read

There is a lot of originality and great world building in an AU 1920s New York where vampires are part of the immigrant population in the same way the Irish and Eastern Europeans were at this time. The heroine is the daughter of Vampire and Demon Hunters but is living the life of a social activist jazz singer committed to the welfare of the poor, women's rights, etc. often at the expense of her own - she is clearly making up for something but also feels a bit Dudley-do-right . All...more

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May 30, 2013 Ms. Library rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not normally one for vampire stories. I find them either 1) too docile 2) too needlessly violent. I normally don't like reading about vampires who just want looooovvvee, or about vampires tearing people apart.
So, I was a little surprised about how much I liked this. I had picked this up because I really enjoyed the Summer Prince by the same author, and I decided to explore some of her other work.
This takes place in the 1920s, with vampires as mob bosses and "others" (djinnis and other supe...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-read, historical-fiction, read-2010, scifi-fantasy, paranormal, vampires

I received this book via Goodreads First-Reads and I am very happy I did. I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a tad bit slow, but around the middle of the story it really started to pick up. I found myself continually trying to guess who Rinaldo was; trying to decide if he was someone we had already met or if it would be someone totally new (don't worry I am not telling who he is). Actually, Alaya Johnson was able to keep me wondering about a few bits of the story...more

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Jan 17, 2013 WickedVerbatim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history, vampire-fiction

Very well written vampire fiction. The cheesy cover does not do this book justice. (A writer of this talent deserves a quality book cover. The publisher should refer to any Cherie Priest cover or Elizabeth Bear's books published through Subterranean Press.)

We are in 1920's post-war New York with Zephyr Hollis. It is part of daily life to share the sidewalk with vampires, faeries, genies, etc.

Zephyr is a social worker who teaches night school to immigrant "Others", volunteers at the blood bank, a...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Minli rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative, historical

(3.5)

There were some things about Moonshine that stuck out to me, but overall I report an enjoyable read. Johnson incorporated vampires into 1920s New York in a creative and imaginative way--as a subset of Others, a group that is discriminated against like members of certain races. The backdrop of social issues, like prohibition and immigration, make the novel more than a typical urban fantasy vampire novel. The details like cloche hats, jazz, speakeasies, and ideas about "modern women" were ni...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In Alaya Johnson's imagined Prohibition-era New York, vampires and all manner of other Others walk the streets alongside humans. Zephyr Hollis is all to familiar with their kind and feels that they deserve just as many rights as humans. When she discovers a young boy recently turned by a pack of vamps who call themselves The Turn Boys, she know she can't take the kid to the police. The law states that turned children must be staked. In steps Amir, a mysterious non-human and a student in one of Z...more

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May 25, 2010 Parajunkee.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sucked in from the onset, I fell instantly in awe of the singing vampire suffragette, Zephyr Hollis and her world of out of the coffin, vamps that have inalienable rights just like any other person. I find my fascination didn't end with the character of Ms. Hollis though, it also extended to her dashing counterpart Amir and her charming friends, Lily, Iris and Aileen. Johnson definitely has a knack for character creation. Paired with the strong 3 dimensional characters was also a very staccato a...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Warnie B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, fantasy, historical-fiction, vampires

You know, I had this sitting around for quite awhile before I made myself pick it up and read it. It sounded sort of interesting, but the 1920s aren't really a time period I've ever been drawn to, and I'm a little bored with vampires, and so many of the urban fantasies I've picked up over the years have been...not awesome. But once I finally gave Moonshine a chance, I was hooked. I really enjoyed the writing--I feel like in urban fantasies especially I tend to either get caught up in the plot an...more

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May 22, 2013 Cameron rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really fell into the world of this book, which is Prohibition-era New York City, lower east side. The author paints such a beautiful picture of New York at that time that I felt completely transported. It's a world I'd love to visit again (hoping she writes many sequels!).

The story is about a young woman nicknamed "The Vampire Suffragette". She works part-time for the local blood bank, delivering blood to poor and needy vampires. She teaches night classes in things like civil law, etiquette an...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a delightful surprise! This book is like the bastard love child of The Southern Vampire Mysteries (back when they were good) and Caleb Carr's The Alienist. It's also yet another example of an atrocious cover on a dynamite book. The story is set in an alternate 1920s New York City (picture Gangs of New York, but with vampire mob bosses and soup kitchens that hand out bags of O neg). Our protagonist is demon hunter-turned-social activist Zephyr Hollis, nicknamed the "vampire suffragette," who...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Nafiza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, urban-fantasy

Moonshine is quite different from the usual urban fantasy sprinkling the shelves. First of all, Zephyr does not put on leather pants to go hunting (though her name would suit her wicked well in one, eh?), she barely has clothes (clean ones at least) to put on for normal stuff. Actually, Zephyr is not a hunter. Not a willing one anyway. She’s what they call a “vampire suffragette.” And she’s a do-gooder. Like, the kind of do-gooder that’s involved in a gajillion societies and goes to pickets ever...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow! This is a totally unique take on vampires. This book is a combination of Anita Blake Vampire Hunter and the Gangs of New York, or perhaps a female Harry Dresden. Set in Prohibition New York, Zephyr Hollis is a social activist who wants to fight for the rights of humans and Others. A mysterious djinn named Amir hires her to locate the local vampire mob boss to prevent the sale of a new blood-based street drug that will destroy the local vampire community. But does Amir have an ulterior motiv...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, sffantasy

Eeeeee. I almost didn't read this, because my library classified it as horror and I am not big on vampires at the best of times, but it turns out when the vamps are in the 1920s, being oppressed (as well as dangerous, though that's mostly the powerful vamps who have the social capital to avoid the effects of oppression) and striking for fair labour laws? I am all over it. Zephyr is a fabulous heroine, with individual flaws, lots of female friends and acquaintances and a snappy, assured first-per...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Trisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another book in the realm of vampire fiction. This one follows the comings and goings of vampire suffragist. You read right,suffragist. Set in the time of Prohibition and vampires seeking equal rights, you have to be in a mood to sift through all of the elements being thrown at you and to look at the whole vampire myths in a new way. This has the making of a series but like many books in a series, the first is often the weakest. This book does have the potential of becoming something quite inter...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Cid Tyer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-books

Moonshine

I'm not sure if this is a stand alone book or not. If anyone knows I would love to be let in on this secret. As a stand alone book I am deeply frustrated with Moonshine. However, if it's the first book in a series or merely has a sequel I'm all for upping my rating. Moonshine does not set out to be a romance book, it is not shelved in the romance section, but there is a romance arc involved and my whole issue with my distaste is how this arc is tied up - or merely left hanging.

The Setti...more Moonshine

I'm not sure if this is a stand alone book or not. If anyone knows I would love to be let in on this secret. As a stand alone book I am deeply frustrated with Moonshine. However, if it's the first book in a series or merely has a sequel I'm all for upping my rating. Moonshine does not set out to be a romance book, it is not shelved in the romance section, but there is a romance arc involved and my whole issue with my distaste is how this arc is tied up - or merely left hanging.

The Setting -- of Moonshine is a wonderfully creative, complex den of societies upon societies in early 1920's America, specifically New York. This is a world where vampires could be your co-worker, a djin your next door neighbor - or any number of other things for that matter. There is a world order, a pecking order if you will, and it all falls very nearly in line with history as you or I know it.

The Characters -- were very fun. Zephyr is the vampire sufferegette, daughter if the infamous vampire slayer and demon hunter. She works for charities, pro rights organizations and even teaches a night school for immigrants, most of whom are of a paranormal bent. Her mysterious Amir is a wonderful can of worms that I both loved and hated and strangely found myself sympathetic of. There is a whole cast of wonderfully crafted characters! What I like is the very believable motivations. I can understand why Nicholas would make his deal with Zephyr. I can understand ___ who does everything for the sake of his wife. In life there is very rarely a clear-cut "bad guy" and that's the case with Moonshine. The complex characters weave their stories in and around one another so that you're never really sure who is and is not the real menace.

The Plot -- is, in simplest forms, a take-the-bad-guy-down story. However, layered over this are people fixing their wrongs, corrupt politicians, and struggling single parents. I was cheering on several different people, who were sometimes at odds with one another, because I felt sympathy for their situation. I could get what their problems were. The ending was bittersweet, and I liked that - but like I said before, I did not care for the way the romance arc ended. Sometimes, yes, you are writing one type of story, but have elements of another within. Moonshine did one well, and another one poorly - for my tastes. (less)

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Jan 08, 2011 Angela R. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A delightfully original vampire novel set in the 1920's. Definately not your typical sappy teenage vampire romance novel. The heroine was a bit too much of a doo-gooder for my tastes, but by the end she redeemed herself with daddy issues, conflicted emotions, and not letting the romance in the novel take over the story. Will appeal to vampire novel lovers and non-lovers alike, as it is more about social issues and equal rights than about vampirism itself. I read the entire thing in 24 hours, sta...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Ruby Scarlett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meet Zephyr, the vampire suffragette (she's not a vampire, though, quite the opposite). This book hooked me and wouldn't let go. First of all, the setting: New York City, 1920s. Female heroine very involved in social justice who's also a teacher. Does it get any better than that, I wonder?
The plot reminded me of The Godfather, in a good way - different factions of a city fighting for power and blood, with a lot more social commentary than Mario Puzo's novel as well as a dollop of supernatural e...more Meet Zephyr, the vampire suffragette (she's not a vampire, though, quite the opposite). This book hooked me and wouldn't let go. First of all, the setting: New York City, 1920s. Female heroine very involved in social justice who's also a teacher. Does it get any better than that, I wonder?
The plot reminded me of The Godfather, in a good way - different factions of a city fighting for power and blood, with a lot more social commentary than Mario Puzo's novel as well as a dollop of supernatural elements. It touches on many things - society's systematic oppression of immigrants and anyone who isn't white and human (I thought the parallel between supernatural creatures' status and that of a whole bunch of minorities was very well brought up), feminism, religion and class. Zephyr is an unforgettable heroine - finally a character I can fully root for! Doesn't happen very often but she's passionate, driven, idealistic and down-to-earth and just plain charming. I loved her and it was a joy following her in New York.
While I found the romance at first a little tedious (but then again, I'm not the best audience for romance, which I always find boring to read), I'll have to admit even I was interested by the end. It's got some interesting twists and turns and while I'm not completely sold on Amir, he was a funny character.

This book passes the Bechdel test easily - Zephyr has interactions with Lily and Aileen that are about more than men. Lily is a journalist that I really really enjoyed reading about, she's sharp and smart and I thought her teaming up with Zephyr provided us with some of the best scenes of the book.

Moonshine is a rare gem in that it illuminates a side of the 20s that seems to have failed making it into the history books. That all the luxury of the Roaring Twenties had a price, and for every cocktail paid for, people died of poverty, lacking basic care. That essentially, the Roaring Twenties were Roaring for the benefit of an elite. Zephyr's job (she teaches a range of subjects at her local night school) makes the link between her flapper dresses and immigrants' need to understand the law that works against them.

The reason I'm giving this book four stars is because I wish Alaya Johnson had written more of this world and developed her themes in more pages. Her ideas are wonderful and I think the book would have been even better had she detailed the universe of Moonshine more than she does here. It's fortunate that a sequel is in the works - I'll definitely be amongst the first to purchase it, I can't wait to follow Zephyr again!(less)

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May 21, 2012 Kara-karina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5/5
This was such a delightful mess of a book with everything through in for a good measure - gangsters, vampires, social activists, demon hunters, jazz and The Prohibition, of course. Can't have roaring 20s without it!

Oh, I forgot djinn! The mysterious stranger with a dark sex appeal, the client whose dragging Zephyr in his messy dealings with gangsters started all her troubles. Yep, meet Amir.

Zephyr is a no-nonsense skinny activist, a do-gooder who fights for social equality between humans an...more 4.5/5
This was such a delightful mess of a book with everything through in for a good measure - gangsters, vampires, social activists, demon hunters, jazz and The Prohibition, of course. Can't have roaring 20s without it!

Oh, I forgot djinn! The mysterious stranger with a dark sex appeal, the client whose dragging Zephyr in his messy dealings with gangsters started all her troubles. Yep, meet Amir.

Zephyr is a no-nonsense skinny activist, a do-gooder who fights for social equality between humans and paranormals and teaches latter in the night school. She is also an ex-demon hunter who saw that her family business was indiscriminately killing all paranormals no matter if they were criminals or not and stepped away from it. She is also a vegetarian just for the hell of it. Because you know, the rest is not enough.

So, Amir hires her to find this gangster who he suspects is a vampire. To do so, Zephyr needs to infiltrate a gang of teenage vamps who terrorise the whole neighbourhood by their unhinged cruel ways. She offers to teach their leader to read.

At the same time there is another mystery waiting to be solved - Zephyr found a brutally turned into a vampire little boy on one of the streets, and she needs to find his mother in between her detective work, protests and her newfound singing career...

The situation gets worse when her dad and a bunch of demon hunters arrive into town and his and his daughter's mark coincide...

Not only this book is full of fun, plenty of action and great characters, the atmosphere is fantastic! New York and its dirty dangerous streets, its horrible conditions for immigrant workers, and poverty are beautifully described, and I loved it!

This mix of urban fantasy and historical fiction has a great kick to it, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to find a kick ass character in a historical setting.

Wicked City, the next book in series is only available as hardback in UK at the moment. I can't afford it, but as soon as it's printed as paperback I'll buy it!(less)

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Apr 25, 2012 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, urban-fantasy

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/04/...

How did I possibly miss Moonshine! Zephyr Hollis, former vamp hunter and current crusader for social causes, teaches night classes to immigrants and the underprivileged, but by day, takes part in all manner of protests and marches. The only problem is, these endeavors are not going to make her rich, and when she’s approached by one of her students to find and help take down a vicious vampire mob boss, she takes the job. Li...more

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Moonshine (Zephyr Hollis #1)

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