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A Creature of Moonlight
by
A stunning debut novel about a girl who is half dragon, half human, and wholly herself.
As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a ...more
As the only heir to the throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and life with the father she has never known: a ...more
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Hardcover, 313 pages
Published
May 6th 2014
by HMH Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of A Creature of Moonlight

A Creature of Moonlight is 2% dialogue, 3% interesting stories about the woods, and 95% boredom which is just Marni talking to herself using beautiful prose and similes. Honestly, let's put aside the fact that many adults read young adult novels and stick to the fact that this book is for young people. Slim, very slim are the chances that teenagers want to read a boring story that's lyrically enchanting than anything else. Teenagers want action! Betrayal! and unfortunately sometimes, romance! We
...more

Feb 26, 2014
Dark Faerie Tales
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-by-kaitlin
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Hauntingly beautiful, raw, and powerful, this story stays with you even after you turn the last page. I can’t stress enough how gorgeous and eerie this novel is.
Opening Sentence: All summer long the villagers have been talking of the woods.
The Review:
This connected to me on an emotional level, and I don’t remember the last time I left a story with such pleasant feelings. Delirium? Twilight? Harry Potter? Wow, just wow. A Creature of Moonlight is ...more
Quick & Dirty: Hauntingly beautiful, raw, and powerful, this story stays with you even after you turn the last page. I can’t stress enough how gorgeous and eerie this novel is.
Opening Sentence: All summer long the villagers have been talking of the woods.
The Review:
This connected to me on an emotional level, and I don’t remember the last time I left a story with such pleasant feelings. Delirium? Twilight? Harry Potter? Wow, just wow. A Creature of Moonlight is ...more

A CREATURE OF MOONLIGHT is beautifully written from a wordsmithing point of view. However, I couldn't get into the story. It was the weirdest thing. I loved reading about Marni's experiences in the woods and with her grandfather. Couldn't care less about the whole go-to-the-castle thing. Loved her as a strong woman; meh about the struggles to 'find herself'.
I can totally understand the 5-Star reviews. And I would recommend this book based on the fact that Rebecca Hahn's writing is quite charming ...more
I can totally understand the 5-Star reviews. And I would recommend this book based on the fact that Rebecca Hahn's writing is quite charming ...more

If you are a fan of pulse pounding action on every page, this is probably not the book for you. But if you like strong characters, beautiful prose, and a heart-warming story, I would suggest this book for you. The language is gorgeous and poignant. Marni's voice is so well developed and so achingly beautiful that you want to continue on just to hear her words. I think we need books like this. Books that cause you to stop and enjoy a well turned phrase. Books that evoke a different time, when lif
...more

Oct 14, 2014
Sabrina
marked it as did-not-finish
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
standalone,
ive-seen-kirkus-stars
Before reading:
Comparing yourself to Seraphina, aren't you, book?
Those are quite very large breeches you're trying to fill.
DNF @ 32%.
Reading is one of those activities that I can’t get enough of (it’s right there with eating good food and—ahem—other things, you know). Despite having a family to take care of, jobs to do and well, having to live the “real” life, I’m able to read a decent amount of books in a year. I do it by reading every spare moment I can get. I read on the train, I read while w ...more
Comparing yourself to Seraphina, aren't you, book?
Those are quite very large breeches you're trying to fill.
DNF @ 32%.
Reading is one of those activities that I can’t get enough of (it’s right there with eating good food and—ahem—other things, you know). Despite having a family to take care of, jobs to do and well, having to live the “real” life, I’m able to read a decent amount of books in a year. I do it by reading every spare moment I can get. I read on the train, I read while w ...more

I received this ARC through NetGalley from the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
This novel is like a myth, mysterious and dreamy, elusive and multilayered, open to different interpretations. I don’t think simple like or dislike could cover it. Everyone will see in its pages something that belongs exclusively to them, something close to their heart.
What did I see? What is close to my heart? I saw a sixteen-year-old girl longing for freedom – the freedom to choose and the freedom to belong. B ...more
This novel is like a myth, mysterious and dreamy, elusive and multilayered, open to different interpretations. I don’t think simple like or dislike could cover it. Everyone will see in its pages something that belongs exclusively to them, something close to their heart.
What did I see? What is close to my heart? I saw a sixteen-year-old girl longing for freedom – the freedom to choose and the freedom to belong. B ...more

I finished this book last night, and this morning woke up convinced that I had another book by the author on my Kindle: I'd dreamed that I got a targeted ad asking me to buy it; and I was delighted to find out she had another book.
Of, course, she doesn't, yet. 'A Creature of Moonlight' is Hahn's debut. But that dream does show how much I liked it.
The story is pure fairy tale: a young woman, half-princess, half-fey. She is rumored to be the dragon's daughter, and her mother was slain for endanger ...more
Of, course, she doesn't, yet. 'A Creature of Moonlight' is Hahn's debut. But that dream does show how much I liked it.
The story is pure fairy tale: a young woman, half-princess, half-fey. She is rumored to be the dragon's daughter, and her mother was slain for endanger ...more

"Not just because I'm avoiding trouble. Not just because I don't want to scare him, neither, though those are both good reasons."
"So I stopped listening, and I stopped looking."
"When they've gone, though, I see my Gramps sigh. I see him look sideways at me where I'm leaning against the porch rail, as if I won't notice that way. As if I don't already know he frets more than he'd ever let on."
"Since I was small, since we lived here and made ourselves the flower people to keep from getting our hea ...more
"So I stopped listening, and I stopped looking."
"When they've gone, though, I see my Gramps sigh. I see him look sideways at me where I'm leaning against the porch rail, as if I won't notice that way. As if I don't already know he frets more than he'd ever let on."
"Since I was small, since we lived here and made ourselves the flower people to keep from getting our hea ...more

The stars you see at the top of this review are because this book started off so, so beautifully. The reason there are only two stars is because the book didn't just go south after about the first half - it dropped off the globe altogether. UGH.
Ugh. Really!
So. Three parts of a book: the writing, the characters and the plot.
The writing here is lyrical, practically poetry. It is gorgeous stuff, and beyond. This is a fairytale, and it captures the essence of what we love about fairytales brilliantl ...more
Ugh. Really!
So. Three parts of a book: the writing, the characters and the plot.
The writing here is lyrical, practically poetry. It is gorgeous stuff, and beyond. This is a fairytale, and it captures the essence of what we love about fairytales brilliantl ...more

Arc provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children Books through Netgalley

This is a review that I simultaneously want to write and one that, at the same time, fills me with a healthy dose of dread.
The reason is very clear: I loved this book to bits, and if I could, I would make sure everyone with whom I spoke would get a chance to read it.
Truth is, it's because of books like these that I will never stop reading. It pulled at my heart strings with its beautiful language, it captured me with i ...more

I loved the writing. It's very beautiful and lyrical and paints a vivid world. I particularly loved the descriptions of the various mythical creatures - beautiful, strong and dangerous. Unfortunately, the story itself is a bit meandering...(view spoiler)
...more

I wasn't really sure how to rate this book. I will agree with many others and the author is a wonderful writer. However, the story was a little weird and I felt the ending wasn't very satisfying. The book was split into 3 parts. Part I - Is Marni and her life with her Grandpa. She doesn't want to get married or anything like that. She just wants it to be the two of them forever. Part II - She meets her father who is the dragon. Apparently he can change into either a human or Dragon. Part III - S
...more

May 13, 2014
Tammie
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult,
stand-alones,
high-fantasy,
ya-fantasy,
favorite-covers,
owned-hard-cover
A Creature of Moonlight is a slow moving, beautifully written, character driven story that drew me in from the very beginning. It reminded me in some ways of Janet Lee Carey's books, namely Dragonswood and Dragon's Keep, and also Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. It was nice that it was a stand-alone too. I will be looking for more books from this author.
...more

Originally posted at http://www.shaelit.com/2014/05/review...
Chances are, if you’re anything like me, you’re interested in this story for the dragon on the cover. Dragons are awesome. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head that would beat a dragon. But dragons are also hard. There have been some awful dragon books in the past, as well as some dragon books that are so great that they make the rest of the genre pale in comparison. (I’m looking at you, Seraphina.) So maybe, despite being ...more
Chances are, if you’re anything like me, you’re interested in this story for the dragon on the cover. Dragons are awesome. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head that would beat a dragon. But dragons are also hard. There have been some awful dragon books in the past, as well as some dragon books that are so great that they make the rest of the genre pale in comparison. (I’m looking at you, Seraphina.) So maybe, despite being ...more

3.5 stars
Long ago, a princess of her realm, was lured into the shadowy woods, but unlike most of the girls who venture there, she came back, but she wasn't alone. She was pregnant and the child she carried was presumed to be the dragons daughter. Her brother the prince, could not condone her existence and killed her for her unspeakable crime, but their father, begged his son to spare the child. And so he did. Ever since the day her gramps whisked her away, Marni lives by the borders of the woods ...more
Long ago, a princess of her realm, was lured into the shadowy woods, but unlike most of the girls who venture there, she came back, but she wasn't alone. She was pregnant and the child she carried was presumed to be the dragons daughter. Her brother the prince, could not condone her existence and killed her for her unspeakable crime, but their father, begged his son to spare the child. And so he did. Ever since the day her gramps whisked her away, Marni lives by the borders of the woods ...more

A truly remarkable story containing a hauntingly surreal ‘dreamlike’ quality to it
Rebecca Hahn’s exquisitely beautiful, passionate novel is a rarity among its genre as it makes you believe in all infinite possibilities. This truly special book captures dreams and the essence of our subconscious, whether that is a memory or a path of prospect or even a poignant sound calling out to you. Capturing the coldness of winter, the wide sky and the whispering of the Trees the evocative prose interlaced ...more
Rebecca Hahn’s exquisitely beautiful, passionate novel is a rarity among its genre as it makes you believe in all infinite possibilities. This truly special book captures dreams and the essence of our subconscious, whether that is a memory or a path of prospect or even a poignant sound calling out to you. Capturing the coldness of winter, the wide sky and the whispering of the Trees the evocative prose interlaced ...more

I’m still reeling from this three part fairytale that tells of the journey a young girl must make to find not only herself, but the role she is destined to play in her magical world as she learns who she really is and what it means. A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn is magical, veiled in a feeling of leaving reality behind and entering a world filled with creatures of all sorts, evil, loving, trustworthy and filled with deceit. It is for Marni to discern her path, who to trust and who to b
...more

The writing immediately grabbed me. I loved the voice, the flow of the words (other than the use of double negatives--I understood their purpose in this story, but it still jolted me every time). The premise is something that is both old and new--the idea of someone being half-human, half-dragon--with lots of traditional fantasy elements, but all presented in a rather unique way. I really don't want to give much away about the story line, because honestly, that's quite simple and straightforward
...more

Not much of a description, I know but I LOVED this book! I had a blast reading it and fell in love with Rebecca Hahn writing. Her writing style alone was magical and mystical for this story I just loved ever word she wrote. I felt the woods around me I could hear them singing, it was THAT good. I'm telling you, the writing alone I just loved.
The tale is not one that think it is about which is great! Because when it comes to dragons we've gotten plenty of stories of people changing INTO them but ...more
The tale is not one that think it is about which is great! Because when it comes to dragons we've gotten plenty of stories of people changing INTO them but ...more

2.5 stars. I'm struggling with how to review this book. It is well-written. It has an interesting premise and a world that pulled me in enough to stay up late to finish it. However, I realized about three quarters of the way through that there was a good possibility that I was going to hate this book. It tried too hard. It felt like the author was shooting for some kind of literary prize, with the emphasis on language and on making her heroine "strong." (Note the blurb, which states "Fans of Bit
...more

This book was just NOT my thing. I had been drawn to the cover, because hello!
a. It's shiny
b. IT HAS A DRAGON SHADOW WITH A MOON THE BACKGROUND
So yeah, started out pretty excited but the book was, in my opinion, really boring. I didn't find the character interesting, especially because she was the 'suffer in silence' type. When characters are angry, I want to see some action, some revenge. I'm a sucker for scandal.
I also wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was 1st person, which was nice, but ...more
a. It's shiny
b. IT HAS A DRAGON SHADOW WITH A MOON THE BACKGROUND
So yeah, started out pretty excited but the book was, in my opinion, really boring. I didn't find the character interesting, especially because she was the 'suffer in silence' type. When characters are angry, I want to see some action, some revenge. I'm a sucker for scandal.
I also wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was 1st person, which was nice, but ...more

I feel like I read a different book than the other reviewers! I didn't think the language was beautiful. Actually, I thought this was poorly written. I thought the language was standard. In fact, I remember specifically thinking the vocabulary was a bit bland while in the middle of the book.
I also don't think the characters were deep. At all. They were extremely one-dimensional, even the main character. I didn't connect with the main character at all. Often her reactions to things surprised me b ...more
I also don't think the characters were deep. At all. They were extremely one-dimensional, even the main character. I didn't connect with the main character at all. Often her reactions to things surprised me b ...more

This book was weird. It started out really great and the concept I thought was kind of cool, but than it got weird when talking about how the main characters father is the dragon on the mount. Ok so that idea is not totally weird in itself all the way although it is still kind of weird but what really got me was it started talking about her mother and how she was a lonely princess that always wanted adventure and fled to the mountain to see the dragon and the dragon fell in love with her and whi
...more

This is so beautifully atmospheric. I'd go so far as saying I see shades of Erin Bow, with that part eerie, part sad vibe. The writing is quiet and the voice subtle, and the story is slow and meandering. It's not directionless, though, at least not until the very end, which hits a reset button. Quite frankly, the end is so pat that it's a little insulting, and it's also frustrating in terms of character growth.
But this is a wonderful, quiet book until then. My favorite part of reading it was not ...more
But this is a wonderful, quiet book until then. My favorite part of reading it was not ...more

I really wanted to like this book. The story was intriguing and I liked the premise and I thought it was beautiful. The problem was, I found no joy in it. I didn't really like or connect with the main character. I kept thinking at some point she would make changes that made her more interesting. It just never happened. I kept wanting there to be romance but what was there didn't really count as romance in my book. The best word I can use to describe this book is melancholy. Not really the feelin
...more

It looked really good from the outset with good reviews and critics remarks. But you get started and you realize that the author is definitely from Iowa because absolutely nothing happens. Proposals happen- they are rejected, the woods call- they are rejected. Just do something Marni! I am a native Iowan and books are a good way to escape the boredom of life here but definitely not this one. Argg! Disappointing. Well I did give it two stars because the one part of book I enjoyed- the part about
...more

2-1/2 stars.
Interesting concept and I did like the idea of the story, but just found this book to be really boring. Marni reminded me of a child who really wants something...until they get it and then no longer want it. I also wish there would have been more to the storyline involving Edgar. Really feel as if that was a missed opportunity that would have drawn this reader in and made me feel more invested in the story.
Although it was a beautifully written book, I wish more time had been spent o ...more
Interesting concept and I did like the idea of the story, but just found this book to be really boring. Marni reminded me of a child who really wants something...until they get it and then no longer want it. I also wish there would have been more to the storyline involving Edgar. Really feel as if that was a missed opportunity that would have drawn this reader in and made me feel more invested in the story.
Although it was a beautifully written book, I wish more time had been spent o ...more

I'm so very disappointed.
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Rebecca Hahn grew up in Iowa, attended college in Minnesota, and soon afterward moved to New York City, where she worked as an editorial assistant at a children’s book publisher and wrote her first novel, A Creature of Moonlight, on the side. Her fate has since drawn her westward, first to Minneapolis, and then to the San Francisco Bay area, where she currently resides.
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“Sometimes, when a person is about to tell you something that's going to change your life, or make you cry, or make you leap for joy - sometimes you know it before they say a word.
It's in the way they look at you and the way they open their mouth. It's in the tilt of their head, the tension in their hands, or the slump of their shoulders.
Times are, you don't need words to hear a thing.”
—
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It's in the way they look at you and the way they open their mouth. It's in the tilt of their head, the tension in their hands, or the slump of their shoulders.
Times are, you don't need words to hear a thing.”
“We've no need to worry about forever. Just today, and tomorrow, and the next.”
—
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