Luna's Heart

A Nymph's Heart #1

by Christine Woo

I bet you’ve probably heard about a nymph…or not. Maybe you heard about them in a class back in like fourth grade. Maybe it was in one of those movies that you watch with a box of popcorn. Well their versions are definitely wrong. Movies are a pretty bad source of information when it comes to creatures like us. Nymph’s are really beings created with the Earth itself. We are the keepers of earth. After we become of age we reach our maximum power. For ages, Nymph’s have shaped the world that it is today. Well, this isn’t the other nymph’s story, it’s mine. Luna’s life has been burned to ashes, literally. All of her family except for her brother has died in a horrible fire caused by the narcs, a race of paranormal hunters. For centuries they have killed beings like her, but that was twelve years ago. Now Luna is sixteen and living a normal human life with her older brother, Jay. Of course she can never be really human for she is a half nymph, but she tries. That peaceful life that they’ve created is shattered when Jay goes on a business trip. Luna faces a new dangerous power, love. She meets Kaden. A narc that is handsome and caring. Together they face an enemy who steals Luna’s necklace that keeps her humanity in check, without it she can go insane. Kaden and Luna try to sort out their teenage hormonal selves and the paranormal ones as well. When Sam, their enemy, cuts the necklace he shreds Luna’s sanity. It turns her into something that she feared about for years. Can she still love? Can Kaden save her?

Genres: Young Adult, Werewolves, Vampires, Paranormal

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2013

About the author

Hi! My name is Christine Woo and I am a author who loves—not likes to—but loves to read!! It's what got me into writing in the first place! :) I finally published my first book and am dancing my butt off over it! And when i'm not buried in my books or writing in my room...I am being a normal teenage girl with a loving family. So yeah, check out my book Luna's Heart! :)


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_w_aut...

Reviews

[Candi Sary]

This was a nice first effort by the young Christine Woo. I applaud her for completing a novel at such a young age. She has a vivid imagination and she does a great job creating an interesting fictional world. With a few more years of learning and experience, I'm certain she will grow into a fine writer.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A book about a nymph? Ok sure, I’ve read plenty of books about fairies, vampires, and werewolves, but never a nymph. The idea of getting to read a story from the perspective of a lesser discussed magical creature sounded like a good idea. I have to give the author props for publishing at such a young age, however, she asked me for an honest opinion…

The author’s age shows in her writing, mostly in her sentence structure which can be extremely distracting at times. When you continually start a sentence with the same word like I or He, it get very boring very quickly. This was much more noticeable at the beginning of the book. I’m not sure if it was less of a problem later on, or if I just stopped noticing it. There were also a number of grammatical and sentence structure errors which I am currently compiling to send to the author.

The characters themselves lack depth. This isn’t always a horrible thing, I’ve been known to like books with some characters that qualify as ‘less than deep’, but the characters themselves seem so unsure of what they should be doing. One minute Luna hates the guy, the next she is pretty much on top of him. Obviously it’s a fictional story and things move faster than they would in real life, but it seemed too sudden, even for the fictional world. It’s also very difficult to tell how much time has passed. It seems that it’s only been about 3-4 weeks in the story, but Luna describes things as if it has been at least a year. This could be taken to be the melodrama of a teenager, but it feels more like the author was just unsure of the timeline while she was writing, and didn’t have time to fix things that alluded to a once more drawn out story.

When it comes to Tyler, his place in the story seemed almost pointless. I feel he could have never been introduced, and the story would still be the same. That’s not a good sign for a character in my opinion. I don’t think he really changed Luna at all, and while he was brought up a couple times later on (I don’t want to spoil the details for anyone) it felt forced.

I would really recommend the author take some creative writing classes, either at a community college or elsewhere. It will be a good way for her to correct some poor writing habits, and to add some new skills to her literary repertoire. She obviously has a passion for writing, and the best way to grow that is to get as much experience doing it as possible. It was really hard for me to write what I did In this review because I really did want to like this book, however, I feel it needs more flushing out. Please don’t give up on your dream because of some less than stellar reviews. The best authors have all been rejected numerous times before actually being published. Do what you can to improve, and just keep writing and trying.

[Lorrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I'd like to congratulate Christine Woo for publishing a book at age 17! That's absolutely amazing, and something that I could've never done at that age (or even at my current age for that matter).
Luna's Heart is unique. I don't think I've read a book about a nymph before. It really needs to be edited though. All the spelling and grammar issues really made it difficult to focus on the story. The bare bones of the story were there, but I think it could be fleshed out a little better as well.
 

[Rin McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by the author for a honest review:
Oh my god, this book was really good. It started off with the typical boy meets girl, girl falls head over heals in love. But they both have a secret. The pace of the book was fast. I read the entire book in 4 hours. Although I read fast, it's still a great fast paced read. It's a coming of age story, with a Romeo and Juliet twist. It's also a paranormal romance. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait until the rest of the series comes out. I will read this entire series. Kudos to the author, she's really good.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Woo is a brand new author and Luna's Heart is her debut novel. Luna's Heart will transport you into a world of enchantment with mystical and mythical creatures and how they are among us and they live their lives and fall in love. Chris Woo shows great potential as an author, I look forward to seeing her succeed!

[Carrie (Book Fairy) Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Lines “Tonight he wasn’t only my brother, he is also my hero.”

“I love you too and no one is going to change that. Luna, I promise you that I will always find you and I will always love you”

“What happens, when you hurt the one that you love with your entire being, to save them”

“No more pain. No more sadness or love. Just eternal peace.”

What an emotional ride this book lead me on!
Luna is a nymph who's parents were killed by Narc's. They are supernatural killers.
One day while Luna is at school the cutest guy walks in. She's head over heels for him. Then she finds out a horrible truth. He's a NARC!!!!

Kaden can't believe he's fallen for a nymph but he has and he loves her!
These 2 are so adorable! They face everything together and let me tell you they have SO much to face.
The author did a great job of making you feel the love, sorrow, anger, and happiness.
I'm excited to see what comes next!!!

I was given this book by author in exchange for an honest review

FOUR TRUE LOVE FAIRIES

[Maryblack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Luna's heart has a really great plot and it's characters are oustanding and smart. Luna fights for survival and we all admire her for that. I am sure that she and Kaden will be able to have a life full of romance and love that will be beyond the evil of this world.

Even though it is a great story that needs a lot of fantasy to create, it has severe grammar issues. I am not going to be a grammar nazi but I think that ,at least, the structure needed more attention. All over the book I have this feeling of repetition and unfinished action it is like you start a fire and then decide to end it, it's ha no suspense.

I have to say though that this is completely expectable due to it's young writer. Who has a great imagination. The book is unusual in the good way and with a little more attention it could be more popular among the paranormal readers or anyone who seeks a good romance

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Ms. Woo in exchange for an honest review. She has an amazing imagination. The story flows well, despite multiple errors in grammar and usage. When this young lady finds herself a good editor she will really take off. Her characters are well thought out and you don't have to backtrack through the book to figure out what is going on. She sticks to her plot well. Ms. Woo is able to bring you the teenage perspective on life and romance because she is a teenager herself. The story brings you into a world of mystical creatures that have had to find their way in the human world. You find your heart breaking and your hopes soaring right along with the characters. I will be very excited to read her next book to see how she has developed in her writing.

[Johnzel Babijes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
First of all, my bookshelf is pretty much about werewolfs, fairies, vampires, trolls, warlocks etc. But no nymphs. I have heard of a nymph before, but never actually know what they do and this book is really fresh for me. Moving on, Luna's Heart is an interesting read for me which is so fun and very light. The characters are easy to love and the plot is just an interesting ride. There are some cliche's but overall its very good and some parts need to be improve. Such a fantastic debut novel for Christine Woo. Definitely recommending this to everyone.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the core (or heart if you want to get punny! *rimshot*) of Luna’s Heart. Great characters, an imaginative mythology and “world” set the stage for a forbidden love storyline that makes up Christine Woo’s first book. The plot goes off on some unnecessary and confusing tangents, but they don’t last very long fortunately as we get to get right back into the thick of things.

I understand book two is in the works at this time and believe it will be even better than the first!

[Christine Woo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has given me so many memories! Writing Luna's Heart was challenging at times and trust me there were challenges! Of course, I absolutely fell in love withh my chracters! Each of them (even Sam and Zane) stole a piece of my heart. And I can honestly say that no matter what happens in the future, Luna's Heart is my baby and will always follow me anywhere I go!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Luna's Heart. I've read other stories with nymphs in them, but never as the main character so that was interesting! I thought the story was quite unique. There were times when the story did get a little too complicated and somewhat difficult to keep up with, but nothing too major. Overall I thought this was a great story especially with such a young author!

[Rebecca Lane · Rating 2 out of 5]

**I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Lovers of Paranormal**

I wanted to love this book, the blurb intrigued me, however I simply could not! There were so many issues that I found it difficult to finish.

Luna is only four when her parents are killed, and her home set on fire by Narcs. Narcs are evil supernatural hunters who seek out paranormal creatures and kill them, so that they can sell their magical properties. Luna had lived her short life in the family tree house but was forced to flee following the brutal murder of her family. With only her human brother, Jay, Luna, the half earth nymph, flees to Santa Barbara and sets up her life. The story focuses on twelve years after the brutal attack, by which point Luna is sixteen, enrolled in high school and has the biggest crush on the 'hottest' guy in her class. But, all is not as it seems with the smouldering Kaden.

Unfortunately the author's inexperience did show. The whole novel needs an edit, as there are numerous spelling mistakes and even grammatical errors. The simple sentence structure made the novel feel bullet pointed and disjointed. The characters lacked any depth which made it hard to engage with them. Whilst I appreciate that the novel is based on a teen and also written by a teen, some of the language was simply too juvenile for me to appreciate. For example, 'banter moment' in reference to Kaden and Luna having a tense first discussion, simply didn't summarise the experience for me.

The story itself was very good and intriguing, particularly the relationship between Kaden and Luna, which is heart-warming. I think with time the author could hone her skills as a novelist, the creativity is certainly there.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say I finished this book confused is a huge understatement I kind of feel like I have absolutely no idea what I have just read. Not to say I hated it I just am very confused / annoyed with it, but my annoyance did start early; I mean come on, she just met this Karen guy and straight away they are in love WHAT?!! Needless to say I am not a hopeless romantic who believes in that love at first sight debacle.

The main character is Luna, she is a nymph of some sort whos parents were killed by a norm; we pick up with Luna’s story as she is going to school, she meets the new boy in the school and almost instantly they fall in love. Then somebody steals Luna’s necklace that controls her power and she feels as if she could be a danger to Kaden so breaks up with him. The next thing I know is she is the mate of a werewolf; in short I found Luna’s character very difficult to keep track of. I found Luna to be a very indecisive person and difficult to understand.

The secondary characters include but are not limited to Kaden and Ally; Kaden is the first love interest in this book who Luna does eventually go back to; I dislike this character due to the fact that one minute he was in love and the next kissing some random. Ally is the only character I like in this book, she is a realistic best friend character who is straight talking and not afraid to be brutally honest.

The pacing in this book is good however a confusing storyline makes it difficult to follow exactly what is happening with the characters.

The confusing storyline paired with characters that I didn’t like meant that I found this book extremely difficult to read.

Sorry 2 stars, really not my cup of tea

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, props to Christine Woo for writing a book. I only know Christine through interactions on Goodreads, but she has a passion for reading and writing that is awesome to see. I read a lot, but I've never written a book and admire anyone who takes on the challenge. It takes a lot of heart, especially considering how you put your soul out there to face criticism and rejection.

Luna's Heart is a fantasy story about a nymph - that's awesome. I can't think of any other fantasy books I've read that have been about nymphs. So, points already for being unique.

While the story had lots of creative ideas, the plot was very jumbled. There were too many different threads pulled in and it got confusing. It definitely helped the story moved quickly, but it was hard to keep track of what was happening and why. I would've loved to see the romance take a little longer to blossom.

The other issue was the grammar. A lot of the tenses were mixed up that made it hard to focus.

What I see, is an author with a lot of potential. I think as she refines her writing, we will see a lot of great things come from her in the future. I will definitely read more of her work.

[Vi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author for an honest review. First of all I would rate it more like a 3.5. In the beginning of the book the writing was a little distracting. There was a few grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. As the book continues it wasn't to bad. Another thing I didn't like was I felt I a way the book was a bit disconnected. Tyler who in the very beginning mentioned as one of the main characters good friends appears towards the end of the chapter but only briefly. He is never mentioned broth and I find that kind of annoying. Also with her twin sisters they were never mentioned until they showed up. I felt like there could have been mentioned even just a bit. But she just focus on the list of her parents not her other family members potential.

I like the plot and it's different from other paranormal stories I have read. I love the growth of the characters and how Luna is face with many challenges but wants to be a teenager. I think the storyline is there and interested to see this is a series an what the next book will contain.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more like a Romeo and Juliet type of story. Luna's a nymph who fell in love with Kaden, who's family are Narcs, and they are the hunters that killed Luna's parents and other paranormal creatures.

Their story was actually sweet and that instant kind of love. At the same time, I find it funny and corny but still sweet.

Now, although I liked Luna's Heart it needed more polish. Although I got an edited copy there were still some grammar errors that needed some fixing. As much as I like the characters, they sadly felt lacking in personality. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and that the writing would have a better improvement.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)

[Leylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's targeted audience is definitely early teens. I feel like this book has a lot of potential. However, a lot of the plot points were rushed through that needed to be explored further or elaborated. Like when characters popped in and suddenly there was a story line but it gets cut off before you knew what happened. I also understand that there is a love story between Kaden and Luna but it seems superficial at times, mostly in her references of how hot he is versus actual attraction and love for him.
Like I stated earlier, the book has potential but it needs to slow down the pace.

[Prismseven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this story in exchange for a honest review. This was a nice easy to read young adult story revolving around a teenage nymph. The story has the classic teenage drama within. The author is young and it shows throughout the story. Strong potential to see great writing in the future. Looking forward to book two in the series and hopefully there will be less typos. Great start for a budding young author.