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Sãoni Cycle #1
Two Dark Moons
Sohmeng Par is sick of being treated like a child. Ever since a tragic accident brought her mountain community’s coming-of-age ritual to a halt, she’s caused nothing but trouble in her impatience to become an adult. But when she finally has the chance to prove herself, she’s thrown from her life in the mountains and into the terror of the jungle below.
Cornered by a colony of reptilian predators known as the sãoni, Sohmeng is rescued by Hei, an eccentric exile with no shortage of secrets. As likely to bite Sohmeng as they are to cook her breakfast, this stranger and their family of lizards are like nothing she’s ever seen before. If she wants to survive, she must find a way to adapt to the vibrant, deadly world of the rainforest and the creatures that inhabit it—including Hei themself. But Sohmeng has secrets of her own, and sharing them could mean losing everything a second time.
Cornered by a colony of reptilian predators known as the sãoni, Sohmeng is rescued by Hei, an eccentric exile with no shortage of secrets. As likely to bite Sohmeng as they are to cook her breakfast, this stranger and their family of lizards are like nothing she’s ever seen before. If she wants to survive, she must find a way to adapt to the vibrant, deadly world of the rainforest and the creatures that inhabit it—including Hei themself. But Sohmeng has secrets of her own, and sharing them could mean losing everything a second time.
250 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2019
12 people are currently reading
1519 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 25, 2019
I generally read everything. And that means I sometimes read genres that are out of my comfort zone. What's uncomfortable, tho? Fantasy YA romance-ish stuff. :) I don't mind gender fluidity, and for some readers, this is a very big bonus.
So good news! If you like mysterious cataclysms, a return to a pre-technological cave-dwelling existence, and you want sleestacks... oh, wait, these aren't sleestacks, but they are definitely an interesting reptilian race, then you'll find a lot of interesting things going on here. :)
Sohmeng, living high in the mountain, develops as a character and goes through an adulthood rite, but an accident sends her tumbling down to Earth where she must learn to survive against her own inclinations, prejudices, and even find an unlikely love in what ought to be the wrong place... but isn't.
I particularly like the worldbuilding. The moon phases and their meanings hint at much more to come, but I'm very fond of the primitive setup and the subtle extra meaning to the height. :)
Quite an easy and charming read. Definitely primed for the YA audiences who need that ease into appropriate identification while dealing with the judgment.
So good news! If you like mysterious cataclysms, a return to a pre-technological cave-dwelling existence, and you want sleestacks... oh, wait, these aren't sleestacks, but they are definitely an interesting reptilian race, then you'll find a lot of interesting things going on here. :)
Sohmeng, living high in the mountain, develops as a character and goes through an adulthood rite, but an accident sends her tumbling down to Earth where she must learn to survive against her own inclinations, prejudices, and even find an unlikely love in what ought to be the wrong place... but isn't.
I particularly like the worldbuilding. The moon phases and their meanings hint at much more to come, but I'm very fond of the primitive setup and the subtle extra meaning to the height. :)
Quite an easy and charming read. Definitely primed for the YA audiences who need that ease into appropriate identification while dealing with the judgment.
August 9, 2019
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Then I did the thing where I don't write the review immediately, and forgot a lot of what I wanted to say. Let's roll with what I remember.
1) This book was AWESOME. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and it left me very pleased with every minute spent with it.
2) TWO DARK MOONS was an incredibly immersive experience. The worldbuilding is deep and unique and sweeping, it impacts on the entire story, and it expands as the story goes in a way that never felt overwhelming. I love this world, and I love how it simultaneously had enough familiar elements that I could follow along, and completely new things that I was thrilled to discover and explore. LOVED. IT.
3) TWO DARK MOONS is unapologeticly itself. It don't know how to explain this one, but some books feel like the author gave it everything they loved and crammed in the tropes and stories of their hearts without shame? This is what this one is like, and it makes for a fantastic read.
4) Aromantic and nonbinary rep are woven through the world and characters seamlessly. TWO DARK MOONS has a f/enby queerplatonic-maybe romantic pairing at its heart, and their relationship evolves naturally, and they take the time to discuss those feelings, and it's just very well written. I love books where these identities feel thoroughly integrated into the characters, with a nuance and detailed portrayal, and this is definitely one of them.
1) This book was AWESOME. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and it left me very pleased with every minute spent with it.
2) TWO DARK MOONS was an incredibly immersive experience. The worldbuilding is deep and unique and sweeping, it impacts on the entire story, and it expands as the story goes in a way that never felt overwhelming. I love this world, and I love how it simultaneously had enough familiar elements that I could follow along, and completely new things that I was thrilled to discover and explore. LOVED. IT.
3) TWO DARK MOONS is unapologeticly itself. It don't know how to explain this one, but some books feel like the author gave it everything they loved and crammed in the tropes and stories of their hearts without shame? This is what this one is like, and it makes for a fantastic read.
4) Aromantic and nonbinary rep are woven through the world and characters seamlessly. TWO DARK MOONS has a f/enby queerplatonic-maybe romantic pairing at its heart, and their relationship evolves naturally, and they take the time to discuss those feelings, and it's just very well written. I love books where these identities feel thoroughly integrated into the characters, with a nuance and detailed portrayal, and this is definitely one of them.
June 20, 2019
Please note: I have received a free advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like a science teacher who is about to draw something on the board. I feel the need to preface this with "I am not an artist!".
I am not a writer, the goal of my review is just to be as honest as possible.
I loved this book so much, and I wish I had owned this book earlier in my life.\
Silver set out to write a book about all of the things they adore (queerness, self-love and giant lizards) and managed to squeeze it all seamlessly into one cohesive, interesting story. This book casually touches on so many themes and elements that would have made my life make a lot more sense if I had read it as a YA reader (my peak reading time).
I loved giggling at the antics of the characters and felt strangely protective of them as I was reading. Sohmeng can be annoying at times, but it still manages to come off as endearing. Part of my attachment to Sohmeng might have something to do with our shared method of coping: Humour. On the other hand, Hei appeals to the animalistic impulses in me: protecc, snacc, and fight bacc. These two main protagonists are basically just thrown together under strenuous circumstances. The fact that the two characters get along at all is nothing short of remarkable, but Silver does an excellent job of slowly building their dynamic and making sure their relationship to one another doesn’t feel forced.
On top of having captivating characters that keep me invested in the book, the overarching story itself was one that touched on some good themes such as the balance of nature as well as learning to accept yourself in a culture and a world that rejects you. A lot of what makes this story so compelling is the integration of the world building and these themes while still maintaining a storyline you never feel you stray from. Avi Silver does a great job of making sure the culture of the world feels cohesive and yet is never explicitly stated. A good example of this is the fact that Sohmeng's favourite phrase “Godless night” is seen as a bad thing or a swear, indicating that the worst thing you can be in this culture is without gods or without moons.
I would strongly recommend this for YA readers (particularly queer or otherwise marginalized readers) as this book tackles themes I wish I could have confronted at a younger age.
I'm excited for the rest of the Sãoni Cycle and see where this adorable oddball family goes next.
I feel like a science teacher who is about to draw something on the board. I feel the need to preface this with "I am not an artist!".
I am not a writer, the goal of my review is just to be as honest as possible.
I loved this book so much, and I wish I had owned this book earlier in my life.\
Silver set out to write a book about all of the things they adore (queerness, self-love and giant lizards) and managed to squeeze it all seamlessly into one cohesive, interesting story. This book casually touches on so many themes and elements that would have made my life make a lot more sense if I had read it as a YA reader (my peak reading time).
I loved giggling at the antics of the characters and felt strangely protective of them as I was reading. Sohmeng can be annoying at times, but it still manages to come off as endearing. Part of my attachment to Sohmeng might have something to do with our shared method of coping: Humour. On the other hand, Hei appeals to the animalistic impulses in me: protecc, snacc, and fight bacc. These two main protagonists are basically just thrown together under strenuous circumstances. The fact that the two characters get along at all is nothing short of remarkable, but Silver does an excellent job of slowly building their dynamic and making sure their relationship to one another doesn’t feel forced.
On top of having captivating characters that keep me invested in the book, the overarching story itself was one that touched on some good themes such as the balance of nature as well as learning to accept yourself in a culture and a world that rejects you. A lot of what makes this story so compelling is the integration of the world building and these themes while still maintaining a storyline you never feel you stray from. Avi Silver does a great job of making sure the culture of the world feels cohesive and yet is never explicitly stated. A good example of this is the fact that Sohmeng's favourite phrase “Godless night” is seen as a bad thing or a swear, indicating that the worst thing you can be in this culture is without gods or without moons.
I would strongly recommend this for YA readers (particularly queer or otherwise marginalized readers) as this book tackles themes I wish I could have confronted at a younger age.
I'm excited for the rest of the Sãoni Cycle and see where this adorable oddball family goes next.
June 13, 2022
Really enjoyed this. The worldbuilding is extremely creative, with communities living on pillars, gender based on the phase of the moons someone was born in, and giant sentient lizards, among other things. The story is fairly standard YA coming of age, outcast finds themself kinda deal, and it’s well done, well paced, and fun to read. Oh, it’s also extremely queer.
Looking forward to reading the sequel!
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Looking forward to reading the sequel!
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
August 29, 2019
I liked the bit with the lizards. Chomp chomp.
July 25, 2020
Usually I feel a bit awkward about coming-of-age adventures. I gobbled them up when I was a kid, sure, back when thirteen, sixteen, and eighteen were faraway years and apparently a reasonable time to consider oneself an adult. Now that I’m twenty-five years old, when I look back at the stories of teen heroes claiming themselves as adults, it just doesn’t feel right to me anymore. As much as I love The Little Mermaid, when Ariel says, “I’m sixteen years old; I’m not a child anymore!” I have to wince.
But Sohmeng’s coming-of-age problem in Two Dark Moons is not a matter of being young and wanting to be treated like an adult anyway. She is old enough to be considered an adult. But the coming-of-age ritual required by her society has been denied to her, through circumstances out of anyone’s control. She is outright banned from taking on meaningful jobs in her community or exploring adult physical relationships. She is viewed as immature – and in some ways she is, but not all ways, and she has been deprived of the chance to prove herself.
Sohmeng’s story is a young Millennial/old Generation Z story. We grew up having certain things held up to us as markers of adulthood – a college degree, a well-paying job, a house, a monogamous heterosexual marriage. And now a lot of us are looking around and realizing that while we are more than old enough to be “adults,” we never got the chance to have some or all of those things, and we might not even want them at all.
Sohmeng’s hmun, her community, is rigidly structured. The phase of the two moons you were born under dictates your surname, your gender (including nonbinary genders!), and your personality. (It’s a complex astrological system, never completely explained in the text but clearly well thought out. At no point do I feel like I need to take notes, but there is just enough detail shared for it to feel real and for me to clearly see how much of an impact it has on Sohmeng’s worldview.)
Sohmeng is trapped – until one day she literally falls out of one world and into another. Suddenly she is in a world of giant lizards, her only human guide an exile named Hei, and for the first time in her life, Sohmeng has the chance to exist outside of her society’s rules and figure out which rules, if any, she wants for herself.
I could go on about the deep thoughts that Two Dark Moons provoked in me, but this review is going to be long enough without it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sohmeng’s attitude entertains me, and her frustration with her society’s structure serves as an excellent way for the reader to learn the rules without it feeling like a lecture. When she meets Hei, who has a completely different way of life, the two provide exposition for each other, and the reader ends up with a complete picture of the world of Two Dark Moons, mountain above and jungle below. The sãoni, the giant lizards I mentioned before, are really fricking cool, and through them the book takes its first steps towards an environmentalist message which I can only assume will be further developed in the rest of the series.
The way that Sohmeng and Hei talk about their relationship is a breath of fresh air. As Hei puts it, “It only needs to mean what we want it to mean.” Sohmeng and Hei communicate clearly with each other and express a comforting level of mutual care and respect. Sohmeng’s aromanticism is subtle but present throughout the novel, and I hope it will lead to more in-depth conversations in subsequent books.
I’m glad that this book is the first in a series, because I want to spend more time in this world and with Sohmeng’s thoughts. At the same time, Two Dark Moons feels like a complete experience all on its own, which is something I look for in series but often do not find. This is a satisfying story about finding a balance between societal pressures and individual self-discovery, about figuring out how much of what you are is what you want to be versus what you have been told you should be. Sohmeng and Hei are both finding and defining their own place in the world, a place where they each get to be all of who they are.
But Sohmeng’s coming-of-age problem in Two Dark Moons is not a matter of being young and wanting to be treated like an adult anyway. She is old enough to be considered an adult. But the coming-of-age ritual required by her society has been denied to her, through circumstances out of anyone’s control. She is outright banned from taking on meaningful jobs in her community or exploring adult physical relationships. She is viewed as immature – and in some ways she is, but not all ways, and she has been deprived of the chance to prove herself.
Sohmeng’s story is a young Millennial/old Generation Z story. We grew up having certain things held up to us as markers of adulthood – a college degree, a well-paying job, a house, a monogamous heterosexual marriage. And now a lot of us are looking around and realizing that while we are more than old enough to be “adults,” we never got the chance to have some or all of those things, and we might not even want them at all.
Sohmeng’s hmun, her community, is rigidly structured. The phase of the two moons you were born under dictates your surname, your gender (including nonbinary genders!), and your personality. (It’s a complex astrological system, never completely explained in the text but clearly well thought out. At no point do I feel like I need to take notes, but there is just enough detail shared for it to feel real and for me to clearly see how much of an impact it has on Sohmeng’s worldview.)
Sohmeng is trapped – until one day she literally falls out of one world and into another. Suddenly she is in a world of giant lizards, her only human guide an exile named Hei, and for the first time in her life, Sohmeng has the chance to exist outside of her society’s rules and figure out which rules, if any, she wants for herself.
I could go on about the deep thoughts that Two Dark Moons provoked in me, but this review is going to be long enough without it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sohmeng’s attitude entertains me, and her frustration with her society’s structure serves as an excellent way for the reader to learn the rules without it feeling like a lecture. When she meets Hei, who has a completely different way of life, the two provide exposition for each other, and the reader ends up with a complete picture of the world of Two Dark Moons, mountain above and jungle below. The sãoni, the giant lizards I mentioned before, are really fricking cool, and through them the book takes its first steps towards an environmentalist message which I can only assume will be further developed in the rest of the series.
The way that Sohmeng and Hei talk about their relationship is a breath of fresh air. As Hei puts it, “It only needs to mean what we want it to mean.” Sohmeng and Hei communicate clearly with each other and express a comforting level of mutual care and respect. Sohmeng’s aromanticism is subtle but present throughout the novel, and I hope it will lead to more in-depth conversations in subsequent books.
I’m glad that this book is the first in a series, because I want to spend more time in this world and with Sohmeng’s thoughts. At the same time, Two Dark Moons feels like a complete experience all on its own, which is something I look for in series but often do not find. This is a satisfying story about finding a balance between societal pressures and individual self-discovery, about figuring out how much of what you are is what you want to be versus what you have been told you should be. Sohmeng and Hei are both finding and defining their own place in the world, a place where they each get to be all of who they are.
June 13, 2019
I was lucky enough to win an advance copy of this book in a contest at a local convention. If I was going to explain this book, I’d say that Act 1 is The Millennial Experience filtered through the lens of a group of cave-dwellers living on a mountain in a forest, while Act 2 and onward has serious Princess Mononoke vibes, only the Princess is genderfluid and it’s about reptiles instead of wolves. It’s technically a fantasy book, but the setting is unusual for the genre, a sort of spin on ancient tribal life full of rituals, astrology and traditions, instead of the typical fantasy stuff. The whole thing has strong Ghibli vibes, while managing to engage in interesting commentary about the gender binary, LGBTQ themes and modern life in general, without being blunt or obvious about both. Plus, our two leading characters are very fleshed out, and are full of the kind of odd quirks and personality traits that make them feel like real people.
I tore through this super-fast, because it was a page turner with prose that’s really light and breezy. This is great, because the story and world is full of a lot of worldbuilding and jargon and complex ideas, but these don’t slow the story down, and the whole narrative actually manages to flow really well, which is rare in any kind of fantasy work. It’s even rarer for a fantasy story to make an unusual setting and unusual characters feel so relatable.
So, yes. It’s a light read, full of genuinely different ideas, great characters, and compelling story. Absolutely worth a read.
I tore through this super-fast, because it was a page turner with prose that’s really light and breezy. This is great, because the story and world is full of a lot of worldbuilding and jargon and complex ideas, but these don’t slow the story down, and the whole narrative actually manages to flow really well, which is rare in any kind of fantasy work. It’s even rarer for a fantasy story to make an unusual setting and unusual characters feel so relatable.
So, yes. It’s a light read, full of genuinely different ideas, great characters, and compelling story. Absolutely worth a read.
September 14, 2019
this was really great, although it did confirm that SF/F is not my comfort genre. i had some trouble with the new language in the book, and i was almost always confused at least a lil 😂 but i loved the characters and relationships a lot and i really appreciated the themes! i am v excited for the sequel, as the stakes feel super high, and i want to learn more about the world. my only gripe w this book is that i felt it needed more transitions between scenes and/or locations. besides being confused about the overall fantastical world, i was often taken aback and confused by the characters ending up someplace i didn’t think they were or it being a totally different time of the day than i thought it was. but otherwise, this book was great, and it was an awesome introduction to indie authors!! (ps avi silver is absolute sweetheart, so even if you’re not totally sold on the concept of this book, i would give it a chance just to support an awesome queer person!!)
February 16, 2023
4.5
This means a lot to me now that i have read it. I could easily see this becoming a absolute fave in the future if i was to reread it. The Sãoni was the best thing to me!!! I love them with my whole heart. What can i say i have a thing for lizards
This means a lot to me now that i have read it. I could easily see this becoming a absolute fave in the future if i was to reread it. The Sãoni was the best thing to me!!! I love them with my whole heart. What can i say i have a thing for lizards
February 2, 2020
Reviewed by Amy (age 15) for Reader Views Kids (1/2020)
“Two Dark Moons” is an exciting fantasy for the teen and YA crowd by Avi Silver. I was happy to learn it’s the first in a series because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
Imagine being stuck in a world rigid in rituals – a place where being different means you’re an outcast and individuality is discouraged. That’s what life is like for Sohmeng Par. A trouble-maker since birth, Sohmeng Par is outspoken and wild. She’s also trapped in childhood because some stupid coming-of-age ritual is destroyed as the result of a tragedy in her community. When she is finally given a chance by the elders to prove she is worthy of entering into adulthood, Sohmeng Par has an accident that plunges her into the depths of a jungle well below her safe-if-not-ho-hum world. Full of strange creatures, an even stranger human, and a deadly but beautiful rainforest called Eiji, Sohmeng Par has a new chance to be all she knows she can be. But Sohmeng Par also has a secret. Will she embrace change or rely on her old ways? Will her secret destroy her new chance to succeed?
I love this story. It’s all about growing up, becoming your own person, finding your identity, respecting the environment, questioning the status quo and pushing beyond the boundaries of things that don’t serve you – all weaved into an animated, mysterious, magical fantasy world.
Sohmeng Par is a likeable, relatable character with her teenage ways of rebelling and pushing back combined with a touch of insecurity as she explores all that comes with growing up. She’s strong-willed and hard-headed and you just want to like her because she’s dealt with some over-the-top challenges. Hei is the gender-neutral human Sohmeng Par first encounters. It is Hei who saves Sohmeng Par by claiming her as their mate when she first lands in Eiji. It was fun to watch Sohmeng Par and Hei become closer to each other and even though they butt heads a lot, they truly come to mean the world to each other. As they discover, they have a lot more in common than they think.
I think my favorite part is when Sohmeng Par questions who she truly is. From page 149, “Having spoken it aloud, she felt suddenly torn from a part of her identity, without any way of understanding what truths of her remained.” Hei directly yet gently encourages her to consider ideas beyond the scope of the acceptable norms.
“Two Dark Moons” is a YA fantasy I can highly recommend to teens and young adults, but the audience is not limited to those groups. It’s a well-written story with a hefty, engaging plot, current issues and relevant characters that will arouse your curiosity and pull you into their worlds. All I can say is enjoy the journey. I can’t wait to read more about Sohmeng and Hei’s adventures!
“Two Dark Moons” is an exciting fantasy for the teen and YA crowd by Avi Silver. I was happy to learn it’s the first in a series because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
Imagine being stuck in a world rigid in rituals – a place where being different means you’re an outcast and individuality is discouraged. That’s what life is like for Sohmeng Par. A trouble-maker since birth, Sohmeng Par is outspoken and wild. She’s also trapped in childhood because some stupid coming-of-age ritual is destroyed as the result of a tragedy in her community. When she is finally given a chance by the elders to prove she is worthy of entering into adulthood, Sohmeng Par has an accident that plunges her into the depths of a jungle well below her safe-if-not-ho-hum world. Full of strange creatures, an even stranger human, and a deadly but beautiful rainforest called Eiji, Sohmeng Par has a new chance to be all she knows she can be. But Sohmeng Par also has a secret. Will she embrace change or rely on her old ways? Will her secret destroy her new chance to succeed?
I love this story. It’s all about growing up, becoming your own person, finding your identity, respecting the environment, questioning the status quo and pushing beyond the boundaries of things that don’t serve you – all weaved into an animated, mysterious, magical fantasy world.
Sohmeng Par is a likeable, relatable character with her teenage ways of rebelling and pushing back combined with a touch of insecurity as she explores all that comes with growing up. She’s strong-willed and hard-headed and you just want to like her because she’s dealt with some over-the-top challenges. Hei is the gender-neutral human Sohmeng Par first encounters. It is Hei who saves Sohmeng Par by claiming her as their mate when she first lands in Eiji. It was fun to watch Sohmeng Par and Hei become closer to each other and even though they butt heads a lot, they truly come to mean the world to each other. As they discover, they have a lot more in common than they think.
I think my favorite part is when Sohmeng Par questions who she truly is. From page 149, “Having spoken it aloud, she felt suddenly torn from a part of her identity, without any way of understanding what truths of her remained.” Hei directly yet gently encourages her to consider ideas beyond the scope of the acceptable norms.
“Two Dark Moons” is a YA fantasy I can highly recommend to teens and young adults, but the audience is not limited to those groups. It’s a well-written story with a hefty, engaging plot, current issues and relevant characters that will arouse your curiosity and pull you into their worlds. All I can say is enjoy the journey. I can’t wait to read more about Sohmeng and Hei’s adventures!
March 15, 2021
In the community Sohmeng Par lives in, nestled high in the mountains, the young come of age by crossing the sky bridge and performing a ritual. But when the bridge collapses, the youth are trapped on the other side, and future coming of age ceremonies are postponed. Sohmeng Par finds herself in a situation where despite continuing to age, she's not allowed to become an adult and be fully accepted into the community. She rages against this decision until she's finally given a job to forage for food on the side of the mountain... and immediately slips and falls into the jungle below...
You could call this a classing coming of age story, but I don't think I've ever read a book anything like this before. The set-up is standard, a young woman too impatient to wait and earn responsibility bites off more than she can chew and gets herself into a life-threatening situation, where she must grow and learn in order to survive and return home. But the presentation is imaginative, beautiful, and told through a POV I've never seen in fantasy before.
One of the defining characteristics of Sohmeng's people is how gender is decided by the phases of the moon. Because of this complex system, Sohmeng makes no assumptions about another human's gender. It's really interesting to have a person not treat gender as some priority in getting to know a person. Also, it made the whole book very LGBT friendly.
That being said, the moon phases and the zodiac of Sohmeng's tribe are very confusing to me. The biggest fault I found with the book is that it threw a lot at me with little to no explanation. The first 50 pages were really dense, with a lot of terms I kept having to look up at the glossary at the back. I was glad there was a glossary, but also noted that a lot of these terms never came up again. And there is no chart or appendix for the moon phases, so I was constantly in the dark about that. It just took me out of the story and I didn't really get into the book until Sohmeng got to Eiji.
Overall yes I completely recommend this book. Other than my little nit-picks, I thought it was a very fun and interesting book. It's also the kind of novel you can pick up and read in an afternoon.
You could call this a classing coming of age story, but I don't think I've ever read a book anything like this before. The set-up is standard, a young woman too impatient to wait and earn responsibility bites off more than she can chew and gets herself into a life-threatening situation, where she must grow and learn in order to survive and return home. But the presentation is imaginative, beautiful, and told through a POV I've never seen in fantasy before.
One of the defining characteristics of Sohmeng's people is how gender is decided by the phases of the moon. Because of this complex system, Sohmeng makes no assumptions about another human's gender. It's really interesting to have a person not treat gender as some priority in getting to know a person. Also, it made the whole book very LGBT friendly.
That being said, the moon phases and the zodiac of Sohmeng's tribe are very confusing to me. The biggest fault I found with the book is that it threw a lot at me with little to no explanation. The first 50 pages were really dense, with a lot of terms I kept having to look up at the glossary at the back. I was glad there was a glossary, but also noted that a lot of these terms never came up again. And there is no chart or appendix for the moon phases, so I was constantly in the dark about that. It just took me out of the story and I didn't really get into the book until Sohmeng got to Eiji.
Overall yes I completely recommend this book. Other than my little nit-picks, I thought it was a very fun and interesting book. It's also the kind of novel you can pick up and read in an afternoon.
June 18, 2019
First off, I should say that I received an ARC in return for an honest review of this book.
My favourite thing about this book was probably the world-building; I thought that the way the main character's society is structured around the moons was really interesting, and I would honestly love to learn a lot more about that. I found myself wishing that the glossary at the back of the book had a breakdown of what each surname/moon phase meant (though I realize this would be unnecessary, I just love trivia and also astrology).
I also really appreciated the diversity of gender and sexuality; it's always really nice to read books where queerness and non-binary genders are totally normalized, especially when they're Own Voices. I was also a really big fan of the lizards! More lizard people in books.
(Slight spoilers) My one complaint was I felt like some of the plot elements could have been better set up earlier in the book. Towards the end, there are some reveals that are quite hard-hitting, emotionally, but I felt like they could have been even more so, and been even more shocking, had there been a little bit more planting and lead-up.
All in all, though, a nice introduction to the world, and I'm interested to see where the series goes next!
My favourite thing about this book was probably the world-building; I thought that the way the main character's society is structured around the moons was really interesting, and I would honestly love to learn a lot more about that. I found myself wishing that the glossary at the back of the book had a breakdown of what each surname/moon phase meant (though I realize this would be unnecessary, I just love trivia and also astrology).
I also really appreciated the diversity of gender and sexuality; it's always really nice to read books where queerness and non-binary genders are totally normalized, especially when they're Own Voices. I was also a really big fan of the lizards! More lizard people in books.
(Slight spoilers) My one complaint was I felt like some of the plot elements could have been better set up earlier in the book. Towards the end, there are some reveals that are quite hard-hitting, emotionally, but I felt like they could have been even more so, and been even more shocking, had there been a little bit more planting and lead-up.
All in all, though, a nice introduction to the world, and I'm interested to see where the series goes next!
September 1, 2019
Avi Silver's Two Dark Moons was a riveting read. I devoured it in just two sittings; the world they have created is so interesting and absorbing that you can't easily put the book down.
All of the characters are so complex and even when there's conflict, it's easy to see where everyone is coming from. The world is fascinating and I can't wait to read more of it! I would, and will, recommend this to any of my friends who haven't read it yet.
All of the characters are so complex and even when there's conflict, it's easy to see where everyone is coming from. The world is fascinating and I can't wait to read more of it! I would, and will, recommend this to any of my friends who haven't read it yet.
October 5, 2019
Low fantasy coming of age story with great gender representation and ecological/environmental aspects. Kind of reminded me of the original Tarzan adventure books in places (but without the racist/sexist garbage they have). Very well written, interesting ideas, very strong first book in a series, and I'll definitely pick up the second one.
June 18, 2021
3 ⭐, Good.
A slower paced story with an interesting gender system and world building, and a cute ace? relationship.
A slower paced story with an interesting gender system and world building, and a cute ace? relationship.
August 4, 2020
One of the most original works of speculative fiction I've had a chance to read up to date and one of my top books for the year.
October 9, 2025
Really clever, interesting worldbuilding, and a protagonist-and-love-interest I absolutely ADORED (cheek-rubs ftw!) Deep and sweet and thrilling by turns. Beautiful descriptions. And an ending that has me RABID to pounce on the sequel!
Full review:
Gender weirdness wrapped up in a giant-lizard adventure! This is another quick read, but otherwise couldn’t be more different from Origins of Desire. It’s outright fantasy, for one thing, in a secondary-world setting with multiple moons, set in a culture where your gender (and thus role in the community) is determined by your birth month. I LOVE unusual gender systems, and this one delighted me in many ways (not least because ‘feminine’ in this culture means something like aggressive, dominant, problem-solver – so even without the moon phases/birth months, gender here looks very different from the Global North take in our world!)
Sohmeng is an IMMENSELY sympathetic character, a teenager who wants to be allowed to be a teenager instead of being kept to the role of a child – and who is being kept in that role for utterly ridiculous reasons. (Sorry, but it’s true. When cultural traditions stop being helpful and just cause harm, as this one is doing, you’re supposed to get rid of them! Not cling to them even more tightly!) Of course, the moment she convinces her community to give her an inch, she…falls off the mountain they live in.
It’s very difficult not to read this as divine punishment. Probably it was just bad luck! But. Eep.
At the mountain’s base, the jungle that makes up most of the region is full of dangerous beasties, not least the sãoni, six-legged giant lizards fully capable of eating humans. But instead of being eaten, Sohmeng gets adopted. Cue my original review of this book: Sometimes a family is you, the kid that screech-danced and bit you, and a pack of (not!-)murderous lizards. And that’s okay.
It is, in fact, more than okay: it’s almost idyllic. The relationship that develops between Sohmeng and Hei – the first human to be adopted by this sãoni pack – is really sweet, and a refreshing change from your typical romance because Sohmeng is aromantic (but not asexual). And that is completely fine. It doesn’t bother Hei in the slightest, and, just – it brought tears to my eyes, okay, how much of a non-issue it was! It made me SO HAPPY!
Sohmeng and Hei together start to unravel the mysteries behind the changes in the region – changes that led to the loss of Sohmeng’s parents and Sohmeng being unable to undergo her adulthood rites. There are some tough-to-swallow reveals, but the story ends – a little abruptly, it must be said – before anything can really be done. Though the ending does hint strongly at what direction Sohmeng and Hei will be going in next – if, that is, Sohmeng can convince the prickly Hei that her idea is a good one.
On to book two!
Full review:
Gender weirdness wrapped up in a giant-lizard adventure! This is another quick read, but otherwise couldn’t be more different from Origins of Desire. It’s outright fantasy, for one thing, in a secondary-world setting with multiple moons, set in a culture where your gender (and thus role in the community) is determined by your birth month. I LOVE unusual gender systems, and this one delighted me in many ways (not least because ‘feminine’ in this culture means something like aggressive, dominant, problem-solver – so even without the moon phases/birth months, gender here looks very different from the Global North take in our world!)
Sohmeng is an IMMENSELY sympathetic character, a teenager who wants to be allowed to be a teenager instead of being kept to the role of a child – and who is being kept in that role for utterly ridiculous reasons. (Sorry, but it’s true. When cultural traditions stop being helpful and just cause harm, as this one is doing, you’re supposed to get rid of them! Not cling to them even more tightly!) Of course, the moment she convinces her community to give her an inch, she…falls off the mountain they live in.
It’s very difficult not to read this as divine punishment. Probably it was just bad luck! But. Eep.
At the mountain’s base, the jungle that makes up most of the region is full of dangerous beasties, not least the sãoni, six-legged giant lizards fully capable of eating humans. But instead of being eaten, Sohmeng gets adopted. Cue my original review of this book: Sometimes a family is you, the kid that screech-danced and bit you, and a pack of (not!-)murderous lizards. And that’s okay.
It is, in fact, more than okay: it’s almost idyllic. The relationship that develops between Sohmeng and Hei – the first human to be adopted by this sãoni pack – is really sweet, and a refreshing change from your typical romance because Sohmeng is aromantic (but not asexual). And that is completely fine. It doesn’t bother Hei in the slightest, and, just – it brought tears to my eyes, okay, how much of a non-issue it was! It made me SO HAPPY!
Sohmeng and Hei together start to unravel the mysteries behind the changes in the region – changes that led to the loss of Sohmeng’s parents and Sohmeng being unable to undergo her adulthood rites. There are some tough-to-swallow reveals, but the story ends – a little abruptly, it must be said – before anything can really be done. Though the ending does hint strongly at what direction Sohmeng and Hei will be going in next – if, that is, Sohmeng can convince the prickly Hei that her idea is a good one.
On to book two!
September 24, 2020
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Two Dark Moons (Sãoni Cycle Book 1)
Author: Avi Silver
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 16 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Cool plot and an excellent message for teenagers. I liked this book a lot.’ Boy, aged 15
‘Sohmeng is such a complicated and interesting character. I think this fantasy novel was so clever. I liked the lizards a lot and I liked that it was a coming-of-age story.’ Girl, aged 15
‘This is an exciting adventure but it’s also sort of thought-provoking. It’s all about growing up and how difficult it can be. I think a lot of YA readers will relate to how Sohmeng is feeling. I thought that this was a thrilling fantasy read with lots of twists.’ Girl, aged 16
‘Excellent story will an interesting look at gender identity.’ Female teacher, aged 29
‘Good story. I liked the humor in it the best. There were lots of very funny bits.’ Boy, aged 14
To Sum It Up:
‘A gripping fantasy adventure perfect for teenagers. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Two Dark Moons (Sãoni Cycle Book 1)
Author: Avi Silver
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 16 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Cool plot and an excellent message for teenagers. I liked this book a lot.’ Boy, aged 15
‘Sohmeng is such a complicated and interesting character. I think this fantasy novel was so clever. I liked the lizards a lot and I liked that it was a coming-of-age story.’ Girl, aged 15
‘This is an exciting adventure but it’s also sort of thought-provoking. It’s all about growing up and how difficult it can be. I think a lot of YA readers will relate to how Sohmeng is feeling. I thought that this was a thrilling fantasy read with lots of twists.’ Girl, aged 16
‘Excellent story will an interesting look at gender identity.’ Female teacher, aged 29
‘Good story. I liked the humor in it the best. There were lots of very funny bits.’ Boy, aged 14
To Sum It Up:
‘A gripping fantasy adventure perfect for teenagers. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
May 18, 2021
This is certainly the most unique fantasy book I've read in a long time. A race of nomadic lizard creatures? Societal roles and gender based on what phase of the moon you're born under? Cave-dwelling people? Yes please. The anthropology nerd in me is screaming.
And kudos to Avi Silver for writing a believable teenager (to me anyway). Dare I say Silver did too good of a job at first because Sohmeng really irritated me in the beginning, though it's probably because it reminded me of how petulant and annoying I was at that age, lol. I definitely grew to like her though.
In terms of glossary, kindle readers who have trouble remembering vocabulary like I do may have a tough time. I was surprised when I finished that the glossary was actually very short? I felt like there were a lot more new words that would have been nice to have back there.
In the end, I appreciate this book for its unique world more than anything else. I wish I ended up feeling more connected to the characters or more emotionally invested in the plot - for the most part I felt the same the entire way through, which is why I rated this 4 stars and not 5. That all being said, the book ended in a satisfying place and I'm extremely curious to see what direction its sequel will take.
And kudos to Avi Silver for writing a believable teenager (to me anyway). Dare I say Silver did too good of a job at first because Sohmeng really irritated me in the beginning, though it's probably because it reminded me of how petulant and annoying I was at that age, lol. I definitely grew to like her though.
In terms of glossary, kindle readers who have trouble remembering vocabulary like I do may have a tough time. I was surprised when I finished that the glossary was actually very short? I felt like there were a lot more new words that would have been nice to have back there.
In the end, I appreciate this book for its unique world more than anything else. I wish I ended up feeling more connected to the characters or more emotionally invested in the plot - for the most part I felt the same the entire way through, which is why I rated this 4 stars and not 5. That all being said, the book ended in a satisfying place and I'm extremely curious to see what direction its sequel will take.
June 30, 2019
First of all, I should point out that I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
That said:
My first impression of this book was definitely the worldbuilding. Right from the start, it throws a whole new world at you, and it doesn't use a lot of the cultural touchstones of stock fantasy. We don't have castles and farmers, we have semi-nomadic cave dwellers-- but not "caveman" cave dwellers, but ones with what I would vaguely equate to a medieval-ish technology level. Gender and social roles aren't based so much on one's body as on one's horoscope, with all of the complications that implies. There are a lot of concepts that aren't cleanly analogous to ideas that I'm used to, and so they come with their own words, each with their own contexts.
If this all sounds confusing, it kind of is-- not in a bad way, but this is definitely not the kind of book I would recommend to someone unless they're ready to fully engage with a book.
There are some questions that aren't answered right away, and some that won't be answered until later in the series, and some, I suspect, won't be answered at all.
Altogether, the book requires a little bit of effort and patience before you can get into stride, but by the time you've found your footing, it's an absolute delight.
Honestly, I can't think of a better microcosm (macrocosm? metacosm?) of this book.
Our protagonist, Sohmeng Par, is also a person who takes a little bit of patience and effort to really get to know. She's brash and loud and trapped on the cusp between adolescence and adulthood, and it's making her (and consequently, a lot of the people around her) miserable. But she's also brave and clever and kind, with a flexible resilience that's really cool to see. We've barely got a handle on what life is like in her village when she's ripped away from it and finds herself in a jungle surrounded by giant man-eating lizards. And also Hei.
I need to take a moment here to give a very mild spoiler:
And we get that same pattern going on with Hei, the sãoni, and the jungle itself: it takes time and patience and effort to figure them out and really get to understand them, but once you do they become endearing and wonderful, and you find yourself getting seriously stressed every time one of them is put into harm's way.
I'm always excited to find a new series I can really get into, especially one that steps away from the Tolkien/Arthurian settings and roles. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Avi Silver and the next book in their series.
That said:
My first impression of this book was definitely the worldbuilding. Right from the start, it throws a whole new world at you, and it doesn't use a lot of the cultural touchstones of stock fantasy. We don't have castles and farmers, we have semi-nomadic cave dwellers-- but not "caveman" cave dwellers, but ones with what I would vaguely equate to a medieval-ish technology level. Gender and social roles aren't based so much on one's body as on one's horoscope, with all of the complications that implies. There are a lot of concepts that aren't cleanly analogous to ideas that I'm used to, and so they come with their own words, each with their own contexts.
If this all sounds confusing, it kind of is-- not in a bad way, but this is definitely not the kind of book I would recommend to someone unless they're ready to fully engage with a book.
There are some questions that aren't answered right away, and some that won't be answered until later in the series, and some, I suspect, won't be answered at all.
Altogether, the book requires a little bit of effort and patience before you can get into stride, but by the time you've found your footing, it's an absolute delight.
Honestly, I can't think of a better microcosm (macrocosm? metacosm?) of this book.
Our protagonist, Sohmeng Par, is also a person who takes a little bit of patience and effort to really get to know. She's brash and loud and trapped on the cusp between adolescence and adulthood, and it's making her (and consequently, a lot of the people around her) miserable. But she's also brave and clever and kind, with a flexible resilience that's really cool to see. We've barely got a handle on what life is like in her village when she's ripped away from it and finds herself in a jungle surrounded by giant man-eating lizards. And also Hei.
I need to take a moment here to give a very mild spoiler:
And we get that same pattern going on with Hei, the sãoni, and the jungle itself: it takes time and patience and effort to figure them out and really get to understand them, but once you do they become endearing and wonderful, and you find yourself getting seriously stressed every time one of them is put into harm's way.
I'm always excited to find a new series I can really get into, especially one that steps away from the Tolkien/Arthurian settings and roles. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Avi Silver and the next book in their series.
July 11, 2019
I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy of Two Dark Moons in exchange for a review of my honest opinion. I am certainly no critic or anything of the sort, (in fact, I’m only teenager myself,) but I can say with certainty that this book is definitely one the best I’ve read in a while.
From the beginning, the plot pulls in the reader and makes them want to follow Sohmeng on her journey in Ateng and Eiji. However, the most impressive part of the novel in my opinion is the world building. Clearly immense amounts of time and effort were put into developing such a detailed world. Occasionally, I did find myself wondering how certain words were pronounced or what they meant, but for the most part I was able to figure it out and it was still easy to follow.
Apart from the world building, the overarching message, as my 8th grade English teacher would call it, was inspiring and, in my opinion, something that YA fiction desperately needs. As Sohmeng goes on her journey, she starts realizing that her societal roles are unimportant and that it doesn’t matter what others might think of her identity. Two Dark Moons is a coming of age story about growing up and into yourself and discovering the world as it really is instead of just what you’ve always been told. It’s about discovering your beliefs and being who you are, not what others want you to be.
For me this “message” was really cool to read about and I know that other teenagers or really anyone who feels like they don’t fit in or have to hide who they are will appreciate Somengh’s story.
Two Dark Moons is absolutely one of my favorite reads, it’s captivating in the I-can’t-take-my-eyes-off-the-page-because-I-need-to-know-what-happens-next kind of way, and I would highly recommend it to others.
From the beginning, the plot pulls in the reader and makes them want to follow Sohmeng on her journey in Ateng and Eiji. However, the most impressive part of the novel in my opinion is the world building. Clearly immense amounts of time and effort were put into developing such a detailed world. Occasionally, I did find myself wondering how certain words were pronounced or what they meant, but for the most part I was able to figure it out and it was still easy to follow.
Apart from the world building, the overarching message, as my 8th grade English teacher would call it, was inspiring and, in my opinion, something that YA fiction desperately needs. As Sohmeng goes on her journey, she starts realizing that her societal roles are unimportant and that it doesn’t matter what others might think of her identity. Two Dark Moons is a coming of age story about growing up and into yourself and discovering the world as it really is instead of just what you’ve always been told. It’s about discovering your beliefs and being who you are, not what others want you to be.
For me this “message” was really cool to read about and I know that other teenagers or really anyone who feels like they don’t fit in or have to hide who they are will appreciate Somengh’s story.
Two Dark Moons is absolutely one of my favorite reads, it’s captivating in the I-can’t-take-my-eyes-off-the-page-because-I-need-to-know-what-happens-next kind of way, and I would highly recommend it to others.
July 6, 2019
Smash together How To Train Your Dragon with fantastical societal astrologies and sprinkle in a headstrong, fat, femme protagonist, an equally headstrong goofball protagonist, and strong LGBTQ and found family themes, and you have a recipe for Two Dark Moons, a book that I (understandably) I finished in one day.
I’ll preface this by saying I have met the author and received an advanced readers copy of the book. Though they are a lovely human being, this is a review of their book alone.
The last Shale book, Heretics Guide to Homecoming, has a wonderfully rich sense of place and culture, and shapes its complex characters through this mould. Two Dark Moons continues this firm grasp of setting, adding speculative biology to its pages as well (a particular favourite of mine).
This book also allows its protagonists be abrasive and make meaningful mistakes, a trait not often given to LGBTQ or femme leads, and serves as a refreshing and comforting change of pace. Along the same lines, Two Dark Moons does not merely dwell on the tragedies of LGBTQ life as much of mainstream media seems to do; it revels in the sheer joy of discovering and living for yourself, a love letter to the whole community, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling the whole way through.
If you’re looking for interesting and fun characters, fascinating societal systems, cozy LGTBQ themes, and many, many dinosaurs, take a big bite of this book!
I’ll preface this by saying I have met the author and received an advanced readers copy of the book. Though they are a lovely human being, this is a review of their book alone.
The last Shale book, Heretics Guide to Homecoming, has a wonderfully rich sense of place and culture, and shapes its complex characters through this mould. Two Dark Moons continues this firm grasp of setting, adding speculative biology to its pages as well (a particular favourite of mine).
This book also allows its protagonists be abrasive and make meaningful mistakes, a trait not often given to LGBTQ or femme leads, and serves as a refreshing and comforting change of pace. Along the same lines, Two Dark Moons does not merely dwell on the tragedies of LGBTQ life as much of mainstream media seems to do; it revels in the sheer joy of discovering and living for yourself, a love letter to the whole community, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling the whole way through.
If you’re looking for interesting and fun characters, fascinating societal systems, cozy LGTBQ themes, and many, many dinosaurs, take a big bite of this book!
December 27, 2019
WOW!! This must be one of the best books (if not THE best book) I read this year. I usually don’t write long reviews but this warrants one.
Two Dark Moons is gripping from the very first page. The premise is intriguing, and the world building is fantastic. I loved how the lunar cycles were incorporated into names and identities, and how it was later challenged. I think the characters were multi-dimensional, real, raw, strong and vulnerable all at once. I don’t even have a favourite, because I love them all. There are many parts of this novel I identified with, and some that were so poignant that I think they will stay with me for some time. I got chills, goosebumps, and overcome by feelings throughout. I don’t think that this book was in any way predictable, which made it really exciting to read. It felt like pulling back a curtain to a window of another world that we just get to explore through these characters. I felt like I was reading with the same passion the author must have put into it, because it was such an intricate mix of completely random things that somehow worked perfectly together. By the last page I was crying my eyes out, had gone through half a box of tissues, and felt like I just wanted to scream into the void. This book is amazing and I NEED to read the sequel ASAP.
Avi, if you’re reading this. I am a huge fan. You are incredible. Please don’t ever stop writing. The world needs you. ❤️
Two Dark Moons is gripping from the very first page. The premise is intriguing, and the world building is fantastic. I loved how the lunar cycles were incorporated into names and identities, and how it was later challenged. I think the characters were multi-dimensional, real, raw, strong and vulnerable all at once. I don’t even have a favourite, because I love them all. There are many parts of this novel I identified with, and some that were so poignant that I think they will stay with me for some time. I got chills, goosebumps, and overcome by feelings throughout. I don’t think that this book was in any way predictable, which made it really exciting to read. It felt like pulling back a curtain to a window of another world that we just get to explore through these characters. I felt like I was reading with the same passion the author must have put into it, because it was such an intricate mix of completely random things that somehow worked perfectly together. By the last page I was crying my eyes out, had gone through half a box of tissues, and felt like I just wanted to scream into the void. This book is amazing and I NEED to read the sequel ASAP.
Avi, if you’re reading this. I am a huge fan. You are incredible. Please don’t ever stop writing. The world needs you. ❤️
September 3, 2022
While this novel ended at a good point in the overall narrative, I'm desperate for more. Fresh, inventive, enthralling. I haven't torn through a book this quickly in ages.
What if not just your personality traits, but also your gender, were determined by your zodiac sign? Silver creates a world where one's place in society is locked in place upon birth. I found the system and the background lore explained sufficiently, and appreciated the inclusion of nonbinary people as standard procedure. Surnames are dictated by the month (lunar phase) people are born in, and therefore someone introducing themselves with their full name gives insight into proper pronouns/gender, key personality traits, and in the case of the Minhals, exile status.
The story itself is as lush as the rainforest it's set in. I loved the characterization of humans and lizard people alike. Everything is so believable, even for a fantasy novel set in such an extremely different world than anything we know. Silver's characters are so sympathetic and human, even when they're on the scaly side. Watching Sohmeng wrestle with her journey through adolescence and the jungle is revelatory. Hei is such a well-designed foil, a strange creature who saves Sohmeng's life within the first 5 minutes of meeting, and goes on to both teach and learn life skills from Sohmeng. The plot twist and revelation of Hei's backstory only makes their push-pull bond stronger, and I'm excited to see this continue in Book 2.
What if not just your personality traits, but also your gender, were determined by your zodiac sign? Silver creates a world where one's place in society is locked in place upon birth. I found the system and the background lore explained sufficiently, and appreciated the inclusion of nonbinary people as standard procedure. Surnames are dictated by the month (lunar phase) people are born in, and therefore someone introducing themselves with their full name gives insight into proper pronouns/gender, key personality traits, and in the case of the Minhals, exile status.
The story itself is as lush as the rainforest it's set in. I loved the characterization of humans and lizard people alike. Everything is so believable, even for a fantasy novel set in such an extremely different world than anything we know. Silver's characters are so sympathetic and human, even when they're on the scaly side. Watching Sohmeng wrestle with her journey through adolescence and the jungle is revelatory. Hei is such a well-designed foil, a strange creature who saves Sohmeng's life within the first 5 minutes of meeting, and goes on to both teach and learn life skills from Sohmeng. The plot twist and revelation of Hei's backstory only makes their push-pull bond stronger, and I'm excited to see this continue in Book 2.
December 28, 2022
I'll start this by saying that I'm not typically a fan of fantasy fiction. So, maybe that's why I didn't enjoy this book much.
I found Sohmeng frustrating and annoying and then she blamed it all on her name/time of birth. She'a a Par so she is rude and direct and stubborn! She is confronted about it, but she is also the narrator of the book, so we are in her head the entire time, which is a long time when it's a character you aren't liking.
There is a lot of praise for the world-building, but I found some of it difficult to imagine. I know the Saoni were reptilian but I still can't quite picture their size or shape. Are they lizard like? Frog? I don't know. Just they have scales and claws and big mouths. I also can't really picture Sohmeng in my mind.
Then there is the discussion on how gender is handled and I found it pretty clunky. Some things aren't explained well and when using 'they/them' pronouns for a character the writing sometimes made it confusing who/what was being discussed.
It ends incredibly abruptly as well, and even though the ending implies I'll find out more in book two, I'm not really willing to give any more of my time to this world.
I found Sohmeng frustrating and annoying and then she blamed it all on her name/time of birth. She'a a Par so she is rude and direct and stubborn! She is confronted about it, but she is also the narrator of the book, so we are in her head the entire time, which is a long time when it's a character you aren't liking.
There is a lot of praise for the world-building, but I found some of it difficult to imagine. I know the Saoni were reptilian but I still can't quite picture their size or shape. Are they lizard like? Frog? I don't know. Just they have scales and claws and big mouths. I also can't really picture Sohmeng in my mind.
Then there is the discussion on how gender is handled and I found it pretty clunky. Some things aren't explained well and when using 'they/them' pronouns for a character the writing sometimes made it confusing who/what was being discussed.
It ends incredibly abruptly as well, and even though the ending implies I'll find out more in book two, I'm not really willing to give any more of my time to this world.
February 12, 2023
This book is wild y'all.
It has extremely creative worldbuilding and was unlike anything I have ever read. Not only does it deviate from traditional fantasy with its jungle setting, cave-dwelling humans, and lizard colonies, but it is also just so intrinsically queer in a refreshing way. Pronouns and personality in the book are tied to when people are born in an extreme version of astrology, and then accordingly relationships depend more upon personalities than gender. Further, the MC Sohmeng is aromantic in a subtle but unmistakable way and then develops an adorable relationship with the non-binary outcast Hei that was super enjoyable to watch develop.
The only thing I struggled with at times was the vocabulary (although I did realize part way through there was a helpful glossary at the back) and aspects of the extensive worldbuilding that had to be kept track of. That also may be just my lack of experience reading a lot of high fantasy though.
Ultimately, this book was a unique and enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing ow the rest of the story unfolds in the sequel.
It has extremely creative worldbuilding and was unlike anything I have ever read. Not only does it deviate from traditional fantasy with its jungle setting, cave-dwelling humans, and lizard colonies, but it is also just so intrinsically queer in a refreshing way. Pronouns and personality in the book are tied to when people are born in an extreme version of astrology, and then accordingly relationships depend more upon personalities than gender. Further, the MC Sohmeng is aromantic in a subtle but unmistakable way and then develops an adorable relationship with the non-binary outcast Hei that was super enjoyable to watch develop.
The only thing I struggled with at times was the vocabulary (although I did realize part way through there was a helpful glossary at the back) and aspects of the extensive worldbuilding that had to be kept track of. That also may be just my lack of experience reading a lot of high fantasy though.
Ultimately, this book was a unique and enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing ow the rest of the story unfolds in the sequel.
January 13, 2022
I love, love, love the worldbuilding in this book. Not only is it unapologetically queer and engaging, but it also unfolds in a way that interrogates real-world societal assumptions.
I appreciated the queerplatonic vibes that this book gave off as well--the dynamic that developed between the main characters was so, so fun.
Can't wait to read the sequel to this book!
I appreciated the queerplatonic vibes that this book gave off as well--the dynamic that developed between the main characters was so, so fun.
Can't wait to read the sequel to this book!
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April 25, 2022This is a FASCINATING world. In the first chapter, I thought the presentation of the relationship between Sohmeng and her brother, Viunwei, was absolutely amazing.
But, I had two real issues with the book:
1) I really struggled to get a handle on the timeline in this story -- how old characters were, when major events happened in their lives, how much time passed -- and, I found that really pulled me out of the action. Things only really started to line up for me around the 75% mark and that's too long to be comfortable being mildly confused.
2) I didn't really like Sohmeng. She turned out to be 2-5 years younger than I thought at the start of the story and her characterization became correspondingly brash, teenaged and chatterboxy... I rarely like characters like that, so it made the story less fun for me to read (Clearly this is a me problem, your mileage may vary).
I was intrigued by the exciting events at the end of the book (pretty cliffy ending) and the expansion of the world that implies for the next installment, but right now I don't feel that motivated to read it...
But, I had two real issues with the book:
1) I really struggled to get a handle on the timeline in this story -- how old characters were, when major events happened in their lives, how much time passed -- and, I found that really pulled me out of the action. Things only really started to line up for me around the 75% mark and that's too long to be comfortable being mildly confused.
2) I didn't really like Sohmeng. She turned out to be 2-5 years younger than I thought at the start of the story and her characterization became correspondingly brash, teenaged and chatterboxy... I rarely like characters like that, so it made the story less fun for me to read (Clearly this is a me problem, your mileage may vary).
I was intrigued by the exciting events at the end of the book (pretty cliffy ending) and the expansion of the world that implies for the next installment, but right now I don't feel that motivated to read it...
March 21, 2024
This is a very interesting fantasy story set in a world where a person's gender, their last name, their social role and their future relationships are all determined based on the part of the moon cycle they are born under. Children born under the dark moon are normally banished from the community, but Sohmeng born only shortly before the moon phases changed was hidden by her parents and only introduced under a more favorable moon.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story, it is lush and interesting and I could envision the scenary particularly well, which made the book really intruiging. The characters and especially the sentient lizard race were also fascinating and interesting and I am excited to learn more about them in the sequel.
All in all this is a wonderful queer and magical coming-of-age story with some cool action scenes and exploration of nature vs nurture when it comes to identity formation, but mainly a lot of heart and insights into community, the good, the bad and the ugly. I enjoyed it a lot.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story, it is lush and interesting and I could envision the scenary particularly well, which made the book really intruiging. The characters and especially the sentient lizard race were also fascinating and interesting and I am excited to learn more about them in the sequel.
All in all this is a wonderful queer and magical coming-of-age story with some cool action scenes and exploration of nature vs nurture when it comes to identity formation, but mainly a lot of heart and insights into community, the good, the bad and the ugly. I enjoyed it a lot.
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