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The Witches of Portland #5
By Moon
In the light of the moon, secrets are revealed.
Danger stalks Selene’s friends. First, a woman collapses at the club. Then another friend dies. The tragedy stinks of poisonous magic. And now it’s getting personal.
Selene –– the best spellcaster in Arrow and Crescent coven–– just wants to hide in their studio and make art. But the danger that lurks in the shadows compels them toward the light.
And then there’s Joshua. The most handsome Goth dandy Selene has ever seen. The one they’ve been trying to avoid for…reasons. They'll need to work together to discover who's targeting their friends before more people die.
Will Selene’s magic be enough to pull them through?
Danger stalks Selene’s friends. First, a woman collapses at the club. Then another friend dies. The tragedy stinks of poisonous magic. And now it’s getting personal.
Selene –– the best spellcaster in Arrow and Crescent coven–– just wants to hide in their studio and make art. But the danger that lurks in the shadows compels them toward the light.
And then there’s Joshua. The most handsome Goth dandy Selene has ever seen. The one they’ve been trying to avoid for…reasons. They'll need to work together to discover who's targeting their friends before more people die.
Will Selene’s magic be enough to pull them through?
- GenresUrban Fantasy
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2018
26 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
T. Thorn Coyle
90 books188 followersTT. Thorn Coyle has been arrested at least four times. Buy her a cup of tea or a good whisky and she'll tell you about it.
A salty-tongued, tattooed mystic, Thorn is author of the alt-history urban fantasy series The Panther Chronicles, the novel Like Water, and two short story collections. The Witches of Portland will be out in Spring, 2018. She has also written multiple non-fiction books including Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn's work appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.
She has taught magical practice in nine countries, on four continents, and in twenty-five states. Her other occupations have been numerous, and include working four years each on the Pacific Stock Options floor (as a young Anarchist punk with a blue, flat-top Mohawk), in a woman-run peep show, and full time in the San Francisco soup kitchen she ended up volunteering at for twenty years. All of this, along with her activism, informs her fiction.
An interloper to the Pacific Northwest, Thorn joyfully stalks city streets, writes in cafes, and talks to crows, squirrels, and trees.
Thorn is active on:
Twitter @ThornCoyle
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tthorncoyle
Medium https://medium.com/@ThornCoyle
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThornCoyle
http://www.thorncoyle.com
A salty-tongued, tattooed mystic, Thorn is author of the alt-history urban fantasy series The Panther Chronicles, the novel Like Water, and two short story collections. The Witches of Portland will be out in Spring, 2018. She has also written multiple non-fiction books including Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn's work appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.
She has taught magical practice in nine countries, on four continents, and in twenty-five states. Her other occupations have been numerous, and include working four years each on the Pacific Stock Options floor (as a young Anarchist punk with a blue, flat-top Mohawk), in a woman-run peep show, and full time in the San Francisco soup kitchen she ended up volunteering at for twenty years. All of this, along with her activism, informs her fiction.
An interloper to the Pacific Northwest, Thorn joyfully stalks city streets, writes in cafes, and talks to crows, squirrels, and trees.
Thorn is active on:
Twitter @ThornCoyle
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tthorncoyle
Medium https://medium.com/@ThornCoyle
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThornCoyle
http://www.thorncoyle.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 31, 2022
I truly enjoy the books in this series. Each which has their own voice. I will admit that I initially found Selene’s pronouns uncomfortable initially. However, as the story progressed and pulled me in, I stopped noticing the difference. I typically take a few week (or more) break before moving onto the next book in the series. However, I am really looking forward to the rest of these.
April 3, 2019
A magical, sexy and empowering read
Selene, the protagonist, a non-binary goth, is an intriguing character. She connects with the moon and the darker shades of magic, and being very much in tune with the moon myself I really enjoyed reading about them.
In each book of the series appear different strands of magic, in this story, it is moon magic and Thelema; and it becomes obvious that the author knows a lot about the subject. I learn about magic reading these books and even more so, these books inspire me to be a spiritual warrior.
The storyline goes like this:
A guy who calls himself the alchemist is poisoning people with flying ointment. Selene knows this guy because he had assaulted them before. Of course, the Arrow and Crescent coven takes (magical) action to stop the perpetrator......
The tales of the Witches of Portland are full of deeper truth and at the same time a very sexy and entertaining read full of beauty action and, of course, love.
Especially in By moon, the author communicates her vision of an active, inclusive and diverse community which is magical as well as political.
Selene, the protagonist, a non-binary goth, is an intriguing character. She connects with the moon and the darker shades of magic, and being very much in tune with the moon myself I really enjoyed reading about them.
In each book of the series appear different strands of magic, in this story, it is moon magic and Thelema; and it becomes obvious that the author knows a lot about the subject. I learn about magic reading these books and even more so, these books inspire me to be a spiritual warrior.
The storyline goes like this:
A guy who calls himself the alchemist is poisoning people with flying ointment. Selene knows this guy because he had assaulted them before. Of course, the Arrow and Crescent coven takes (magical) action to stop the perpetrator......
The tales of the Witches of Portland are full of deeper truth and at the same time a very sexy and entertaining read full of beauty action and, of course, love.
Especially in By moon, the author communicates her vision of an active, inclusive and diverse community which is magical as well as political.
July 19, 2022
I am really enjoying this series and find each of the books difficult to put down. This one was very hard-hitting, lots of action and the pace of the writing made for a quick but enjoyable read. I appreciate the fact T Thorn Coyle is so diverse with their characters. In spite of the fact that I am a cis, straight woman in her 50's and many of the characters are members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, I found it easy to identify with them. It also helps me gain a greater understanding of their experiences, struggles, and successes. I have gained a lot by reading this series and look forward to continuing on.
July 28, 2022
Let’s start with the good. The author seems to have a good understanding of the occult, modern witchcraft and the New Age. There’s also a lot of focus on the LGBTQ+ themes and diversity overall. However, I found the treatment of all of these topics to be too on the nose. Also the storyline and its execution, the portrayals of the characters and the writing itself leaves a lot to be desired for. Still, what I disliked the most was the romance, depicted in the most cheesy way imaginable. This clearly wasn’t a book for me.
September 22, 2018
Loving the series
I have enjoyed this series so much. This particular book was a hard read for me. I am not really sure why. At the start the use of "they/them" when discussing one person caused a lot of confusion. Once I sorted it out I thought the read would go easier. Sadly it didn't. The other books were a quick read and so enjoyable I couldn't put the book down until it was finished. Guess I'll hit the next one and see if it's just me, lol.
I have enjoyed this series so much. This particular book was a hard read for me. I am not really sure why. At the start the use of "they/them" when discussing one person caused a lot of confusion. Once I sorted it out I thought the read would go easier. Sadly it didn't. The other books were a quick read and so enjoyable I couldn't put the book down until it was finished. Guess I'll hit the next one and see if it's just me, lol.
August 27, 2018
Very much enjoyed this one. I would love to get the opinion of some of my transgender and genderqueer friends on how well the perspective is portrayed, but I truly enjoyed reading a book written from that perspective. This one resonated deeply on a magical level for me, as I've had to do some fairly serious unbinding and protecting work for individuals.
May 19, 2019
I was really excited to finally get to Selene's book, and I was not disappointed. It was really enjoyable learning more about them. I head canon that Joshua is Pisces, probably because I related with him so much during his journey. So far this book is tied with #4 as my favorite in the series, and I just downloaded book 6. Very enjoyable series!
July 7, 2021
Very interesting first time reading this author T Thorn Coyle. The characters pulled me in. Enjoyed the story regarding the blending of the LGBTQ community and magic. The resolving of the outsider determined to use magic to steal power and life essences was well handled. Pace was excellent. Easy to recommend this book and other similar stories from the author.
July 9, 2021
Once again, the realism of this magical system floored me. This was more a "personal demons" plot than the Actual Nazis of the last one, and I liked the change of pace. Also, I'm not usually a big fan of romantic sub plots, but it wasn't too heavy handed, and helped round out the happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2018
Beautiful story in learning to trust yourself and your power.
March 31, 2019
Always good to read a well-written nonbinary MC. This whole series makes good light reading while still managing to deal with serious issues.
August 10, 2022
Admittedly, though I have read plenty of books that feature gender non-binary side characters, I had never before picked one up that had one as a protagonist. This pride month, I decided to make it a goal to explore that and dug through my kindle library to find a novel that would fit the bill. Enter By Moon by T. Thorn Coyle.
Getting the obvious out of the way, this is book five in The Witches of Portland series. However, I had no issues jumping into this story despite not reading any of its predecessors. In fact, I rather enjoyed this book. It is very heavily influenced by Wicca and various other nature leaning religions as well as some occult references, which make the magic system feel feasible even within the urban environment. However, I do think that the shining star here is the characters. They were relatively simple—meaning their motivations were fairly clear and there weren’t any shocking reveals. Yet, none felt overdone or superficial.
My one quip is that while the characters were gloriously diverse, the narrative got a little hung up on the multitude of social issues that plague such a varied group of people. The heavy intersectionality wasn’t ultimately managed well enough, and that leaked into the dialogue of the characters frequently, making it feel a little preachy at times.
My concluding thoughts are that this was a relatively good showing from an author I hadn’t ever explored before, and I’d certainly recommend this book if you’re looking for something with a more varied perspective, or if you just like urban paranormal.
Getting the obvious out of the way, this is book five in The Witches of Portland series. However, I had no issues jumping into this story despite not reading any of its predecessors. In fact, I rather enjoyed this book. It is very heavily influenced by Wicca and various other nature leaning religions as well as some occult references, which make the magic system feel feasible even within the urban environment. However, I do think that the shining star here is the characters. They were relatively simple—meaning their motivations were fairly clear and there weren’t any shocking reveals. Yet, none felt overdone or superficial.
My one quip is that while the characters were gloriously diverse, the narrative got a little hung up on the multitude of social issues that plague such a varied group of people. The heavy intersectionality wasn’t ultimately managed well enough, and that leaked into the dialogue of the characters frequently, making it feel a little preachy at times.
My concluding thoughts are that this was a relatively good showing from an author I hadn’t ever explored before, and I’d certainly recommend this book if you’re looking for something with a more varied perspective, or if you just like urban paranormal.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews