Moon Spell

War of the Covens #1

by Samantha Young

From the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of On Dublin Street.

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance.

It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves?

No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her with a dangerous attraction from her decision to uncover the truth.

But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Werewolves, Romance, Magic, Shapeshifters

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2010

About the author

Samantha is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee. Samantha has written over 60 books and is published in 31 countries. She writes emotional and angsty romance, often set where she resides—in her beloved home country Scotland. Samantha splits her time between her family, writing and chasing after two very mischievous cavapoos.

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Reviews

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forth re-read: 18.08.21
I found myself thinking of this book for the past couple of days and decided why the hell not re-read it? I do understand why I loved this book when I first read it. Even as a 27 year old I still like it quite a lot. Only thing that would make me still love it would've been if it was na instead of ya because I want described sexy times. Don't look at me like that, I can't help it. Lucien is hot, Caia is growing each day that goes by and they do have some great chemistry. I just want more. Overall, this was an enjoyable re-read.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Not a bad re-read*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
This review is purely for me and does contain spoilers and lots of facts from the book to keep myself in the know at all time. It's also incredibly long and really detailed.

Third re-read: 12.05.2018
I have been going back and forth with myself about re-reading this one again. Why, you ask? Well, I remember this one as one of my favorite books, and lately I've been having such a hard time with book; I never seem to be happy with whatever I read. I've gotten so picky and I've mostly re-read books this year; though most of them I have been downgrading in stars. So it's safe to say I was really scared to re-read this one. What if I no longer love/like it?

“How disgusting,” she replied wryly.
Jaeden shrugged, her smile sheepish. “I don’t know. Don’t you think it’s a little hot?”
She guffawed. “No. We live in the twenty-first century. And we’re lykans. We don’t need any man to take care of us.”
Jaeden didn’t look convinced. “Sorry. I just think it’s kind of nice that they care enough to want to smash some human jerk’s face in when he gets a little too friendly.”
“Well it was embarrassing.”

Well, I'm having a bit of a mix feelings: a writer needs to be able to write a strong alpha male without downgrading her strong female character/making her submissive. And to write a strong female character without downgrading the male who is supposed be all alpha. Few authors managed this win: Ilona Andrews succeeded with her Kate and Curran , same with Suzanne Wright with her Trey and Taryn . Both couple is strong in its own way. Amelia Hutchins managed to do it with Ryder and Syn for the first 3 books, but then let go and made Syn all the more powerful and making Ryder look weaker. For me it's important that in the book I read, the male is a complete alpha male. Complete. And the female can't be submissive. Kate is actually the way I see a perfect female character for me. You also have Raphael and Elena by Nalini Singh. Perfect couple, along side with Raphael and Cyn by D. B. Reynolds. All these couples are perfectly balanced. For me, that is. So since I didn't remember how the main characters, Caia and Lucien were in this series, I was seriously scared and nervous to read it.

Jaeden laughed under her breath. “Caia, it's called a crush. Believe me, Ryder makes me feel the same horrible mixture of happiness and despair. Add a pinch of lykan volatility and you've got yourself the teenage hormonal party from Hades.”

So how did it go? Luckily, I was damn lucky with this. It's such a damn relief and I'm seriously happy that my taste regarding this book hasn't changed. Well, some have change, obviously, and the rate has gone down, but not by much. It's still a great story with a awesome plot and characters. Sure, things bothered me, like Caia felt sometimes too doormat, though she was more... calm and didn't say much. Luckily, she gets better over the book. Lucian is still pretty great. As a couple... well they are not there yet. So it's too soon to see if they are balance or not (I don't remember), but Lucas is Alpha enough and Caia is quite powerful... Overall, it was not a bust, a failed re-read. I still like it, though I don't love it and that's a sad thought.

She knew only that a member of the Midnight Coven had targeted her and her parents, and that the pack had been thrown into a miniature war with a man they called The Hunter.

Facts from the book:
I've put these in a spoilers tag simply because it's a long as list.
― Lunarmorte was an ancient ritual amongst their specific lykan pack, dating back to their Portuguese origins. If there was a break in the hereditary line of the pack, or a rebel rising within it, it fell to a Lunarmorte to determine the Pack Leader. It was fought during a full moon and only happened once in a blue one.
― The Midnight Coven: a community of magiks who believe above all in their own superiority. Gaia, perhaps in her infinite wisdom, had long ago blessed a number of humans by allowing them a taste of her blood, so that as the years turned a generation of magiks arose; witches and warlocks with elemental power, a race of children who would forever pray to her, and through them time would never forget her. They believed, however, that those lesser supernatural beings were abominations not fit to live side by side with humans, much less themselves. Their distaste for lykans and vampyres not only enraged those they sought to exterminate, but also their own kind: magiks who believe in the equality of the races. They call themselves the Daylight Coven. You see, to their mind, Midnights hunted not abominations, but their own people, humans transformed and blessed by the gods, creatures descended from Gaia herself. This gaping split in beliefs between the dark and light Covens is shared by the magiks’ contemporaries, the faeries of Hemera.
― Hemera through a queen? or the Goddess of Daylight and Sun, created the race of shapeshifters who held the power to take on the appearance of anything born of nature. They’re mischievous and tiring, but useful spies on either side of the war.
― Hades, God of the Underworld (and grandson to Gaia), created a race of children familiar to humans within their folklore: vampyres. His children were the souls who passed through the River Styx without toll, and whom Hades returned to earth to extort in blood, payment from those who dared to leave them to travel into the underworld without coin.
― Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt and of Beasts, created the race of the lykans: fierce, strong wolves consecrated with the power of regeneration. In the early years of their existence, the children of the gods, cousins, wandered the world of humans at peace with one another. But the ages passed, and their forms changed - lykans producing lykans by humans, diluting the werewolf blood, and eventually becoming a non-violent breed of our original selves. In other words, this rational (most of the time), articulate lykanthrope narrator before you is an evolved version of their ancestors.
― The subtle desolation of individual supernaturals: communities of vampyres, and packs of lykans; packs like theirs, who want nothing to do with the war and have lived in relative peace.
Other than the faeries who share their beliefs, only the daemons, the beasts created from Midnights own magik, are allied with the Dark Coven. The Daylight Coven, with her allies of faeries, lykans and vampyres, can only hope to act fast enough to discover the target of the next Midnight attack in order to prepare the target for war.
Some supernaturals escape disaster.
Others slip through the cracks - targeted without warning, without preparation.
That’s how the war stands.
But Lucien's pack, Pack Errante is untouched by the war, unpolluted by the world (WAS?).

“Good to know in times of war you can’t bluff for shit.”

Other characters:
I've put these in a spoilers tag simply because it's a long as list.
↦ Dimitri, an Elder. His wife, Julia. Dimitri’s eldest child, Christian, and his wife, Lucia and their three-year old daughter, Jaela
↦ Irini (27), Caia's only companion these last ten years and Lucien's sister.
↦ Magnus, Caia's uncle and an Elder. was an Elder like Dimitri. Rafael ‘Rafe’, Caia's father who used to be a Rogue Hunter and got killed by The Hunter.
↦ Ella, an Elder and Lucien and Irini's mother. Albus, their dead father and previous Alpha/Pack Leader. Ella and Magnus, who both have lost their true mate, are together.
↦ Ryder ‘Ry’ (24), Lucien’s best friend, and a Rogue Hunter. Yvana, his mother. She hates Caia because her husband, Griffin, died alongside Caia's father and she blames her.
↦ Jaeden ‘Jae’ Rodriguez (17?), Dimitri’s daughter
↦ Dana and Daniel’s twins (16?), and you’ll meet him, too.”
↦ Sebastian ‘Seb’ Trey (16?). Imogen, his mother, Isaac his dad. Sunday (5), his little sister and his other little sister, Seana. Sebastian dies at the end of the book. Kills me every time.
↦ Malek ‘Mal’, (16?), Morgan and Natalia’s oldest son, Alexa (17?) his sister , and his little brother Finlay (15). Their brother was Dermot; He died in the Lunarmorte against Lucien.
↦ Aidan, Ryder’s brother and becomes Irini mate.
↦ Lars, the Hunter's assistant?
↦ Marion, a magik who put the protection spell up around Caia when she was away. Powerful fire witch and her sister, Marita is the Head of the Daylight Coven. Saffron, Marion’s faerie. Her brother-in-law, Vanne, who is a powerful water warlock.

“And like many wars it was built upon a mindless prejudice.”

Now the truth:
I've put these in a spoilers tag simply because it's a long as list.
Devlyn was the Head of the Midnight Coven and his wife Atia has an affere with Lucien's dad's brother, Mikhail. Devlyn and Atia had two children together: Adriana and Ethan. Devlyn killed his wife and made his daughter infiltrate with the pack. She did so through Rafael, Caia's father. She got pregnant. The child was prophesied to end the war; Gaia’s tired of the war. Adriana got caught and escaped. She came back, killed Rafael, but didn't managed to get to Caia. She came back another time to kill Caia, but failed, though she killed Albus, Lucien's father. Caia was put into hiding and it took 4 years for Lucien to hunt down Adriana and kill her. Devlyn died, so Ethan is now pretending to be the Head of the Coven and a very powerful water warlock. He needs to kill Caia as she is the rightful Head of the Coven and the Coven has no clue. So he's after the ‘abomination’, Caia and the lykans. Caia is half a magik, a witch and half lykan. Marion says she's a water witch, one of the most powerful elements. Also, Jaeden has been impersonated/disguised by a faerie called Xylena from the Midnight Coven, while the real Jaeden has been kidnapped by Ethan and being tortured. This happened two weeks after Caia's return.

“Who do you think would win in a fight? Lucien,” he indicated their Pack Leader with a tild of his head, “or Lucian?” her referred to the 'lycan' leader of the film franchise.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Young Adult) Paranormal Romance.
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - No.
Favorite character? - Lucien Líder.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who Knows.
New Rating - 3.5 stars.

Second re-read: 03.11.15
I know, I just know that I'll be re-reading this yet again soon. It's bloody amazing!

Re-read: 24.03.2014
This book is still one of my favorites! I love it from the beginning to the end! It's a great book, and I recommend it to everyone!:) It's even better the second time reading it!!!

New rate (BTW): 5 Stars.

First read review:
‘Moon Spell’ By Samantha Young was great! I love the story, and I love the characters! This book gets 4.5 stars from me.

Something inside Lucien split open.
With a shock of awareness that set him back on his heels, Lucien realized that all he wanted in this life … was to melt into the darkness with her.

The Story: Caia, a werewolf who has been away for her pack for 10 years, is now coming back to her pack. The pack are secretive to her, and some act aggressive towards her, and she doesn't get why. She becomes best friends with werewolf Jaeden and Sebastian so at least she has someone that are really nice to her. Also sexy, handsome, Alpha of the pack, Lucien is taking an interest in her.

“Let’s get this straight,” he snarled. “I don’t care how angry you are with me, you are mine, Caia, and I will kill anyone who takes what’s mine.”

Caia gets huge crush on Lucien, and of course gets a huge heartache when she finds out he and the pack has been hiding the truth about her past, her parents and the danger she really is in. As Lucien gets to know Caia, he fall in love with the girl/start getting strong feelings for her, and hates himself for keeping her in the dark. But he doesn't, of course, tell Caia that he really loves her, and since he doesn't tell Caia, she believes that he was/is only using her because of her powers.

“You'll protect my Caia.”

The Characters:

Caia ‘Cy’ Ribeiro (17, becomes 18 at the end of the book), sweet and lovely. She has always been alone, and gotten used to that, so ofc re-joining the pack would turn her world up side down. For Caia, it is hard to let anyone in. Getting a crush on the Alpha, which she think is totally wrong cause she feel that the Alpha would never want a girl with lots of problems, she tries to avoid him, which will be really hard considering she lives in his house.

Suddenly Magnus looked up at him and turned the young lykan towards him. “Caia,” Magnus’ voice rumbled in the room, “I’d like to introduce you to Lucien: Pack Leader.”

Lucien Líder (24), sweet lord and jesus, Lucian. Alpha, and powerful, and of course handsome as hell, is awesome! I want him! He has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and he's still a young man. He's doing the best he can for the pack, and I just love how great he is! I love Caia and Lucien together, and really hope that they end up together! And fast, because I hate waiting xp ! (yeah.. I ship them.. hard!)
Can't wait to read the next book!

“Well, the fact that she’s chosen you as the one to be angry at should make you feel better.”
“And how’s that?”
“Well, generally to be angry at someone they have to have done something to upset or hurt you, and to be able to upset or hurt someone means you having to have meant something to them in the first place.”

[Yin Chien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt like you don't want to stop reading a certain book? Well, that happens to me when I read Lunarmorte by Sam Young. It's a story about werewolves, whose origins are said to be related to Greek gods. The characters in this book are well-described, and they really shine with their respective personalities.

I'll get on with the good parts first. Because of the werewolves' relationship to the Gods, I believe, the author inserted a few funny phrases which are, in truth, refreshing and hilarious. Notable examples are "Holy Artemis!", "What the Hades!" and "Goddess knows where". Caia's docile manner and even temper makes her a lovable character, although her emotions may vary depending on the situation and condition.

As Caia is separated from her pack at a tender age, and when she returns 10 years later, she feels out of place and don't belong. That's why the male Alpha, Lucien orders for a pack running which is sort of a symbol that she is accepted and welcomed into the pack. I think the author has written this part brilliantly, and her efforts of making the wolves' movement and temperament life-like paid off.

Caia's ability to control water also intrigues me. I wonder who she actually is, but I know the answers will be revealed, sooner or later, when someone finally decides to tell her about it. And when the truth is uncovered, I was both shocked and surprised. No, I didn't see that coming!

Apart from that, the interactions between Caia and the other lycans are well-written. The scenes are mostly enjoyable and interesting; I don't mind reading about Caia and Lucien all day long. Sebastian, who is secretly in love with Caia also earns my approval. He is kind, warm and supportive of Caia even when the others oppose her. He is willing to do anything for her, and that includes surrendering his own life, even though he knows Caia will never be able to love him like a soulmate. Read this passage:

"Cy,"he whispered and her eyes caught his again. "I love you, Cy."

"Don't," she choked on her tears. "You're going to be OK."

He smirked, "I love you anyway."

"I love you too," she whispered.

"That's good."

A deep silence settled on the truck and Caia began to shake with exhaustion and fear.

"Like a friend, Cy?" Sebastian whispered suddenly and then winced.

"What?"

"Love me like a friend. You?"

She nodded, unable to lie to him even now. But his eyes never dimmed, "That's enough for me."

I almost cried reading this part, you know. He was terribly wounded at that time, and he wanted to make sure of Caia's answer.

I loved the book from the beginning until the end, but I spotted some things that can't be left unsaid. First of all, spelling and punctuation errors. I noticed quite a lot of them throughout the whole book, and to be honest, they really got on my nerves. I can't help questioning the editor's professionalism. This stellar novel has been marred by these imperfections, and I'm unhappy about that.

At the front part of the book, I was quite confused when the author didn't explain who are the characters and kept using third-person pronouns in a certain passage. I kept wondering who 'he' is, who Lars is and what the Hades are they talking about:

“The door was thrown open, his tall, gangly assistant almost falling into the room in his hurry to get to him.

“The spell!” he heaved, as he lunged at him, out of breath.

“You’ve been running?” he asked him incredulously, following the trail of sweat that trickled down his assistant’s forehead.

He nodded, bending over, his hands braced on his knees as he tried to regain composure. “I…I…I still…haven’t haaaa…mastered the communication spell you gave me.” He gulped for air again, wheezing as he flopped down beside him.

“Well obviously you rushed with a purpose. Spit it out, Lars.”

Lars turned to him now, his eyes bright with excitement. “The protection spell is down. She’s unprotected.”

His eyes blazed with the news. “You’re certain?”

“Positive. I’ve been on Marion duty for two years. Her protection spell on the girl has been dropped.”

His smile of triumph was slow and predatory. “Do you know what this means?”

“It’s time?”

“Activate our agent.”

--- page 23, Lunarmorte by Sam Young

There is one more thing. I'm not entirely sure that this book is suitable for younger teens, because there is a mild sex scene between Caia and Lucien from page 219 - 222. I would recommend parental guidance for teens aged 17 and below.

To sum things up, Lunarmorte is an enjoyable debut which will enthrall readers with its stunning plot and unexpected twists. Highly recommend to fans of Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Pros: Intriguing premise, action-packed, romantic, excellent storyline
Cons: Spelling errors, confusing passages without an exact character

[Valeria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve never liked werewolf books, don’t know why, but I really want to find at least one book in the werewolf genre that can go on my favourites shelf, that’s why I really wanted to like Moon Spell. Unfortunately, I did not and my favourites shelf remains werewolf free.

The heroine, Caia, is one of the reasons the book sucked. She’s a straight out Mary Sue complete with all the traits that I absolutely hate seeing in my protagonists. Here’s what I’m talking about :

She is an orphan.
Has special powers.
Is an outcast.
Extremely beautiful but doesn’t know it.
Prophecy surrounding her birth.
She is the key to ending the supernatural war.
Has great high school grades.
Hot guys keep throwing themselves at her.
Is very quiet and shy.
Relies on men to solve her problems for her.

The items listed above would have been enough to make me hate her but her general behaviour is what irked me the most. She’s 17 but if the book hadn’t stated her age, I would have guessed 12. She’s extremely childish, whiny, dependent and spends too much time drowned in self pity. An example of this is when she meets one of the pack members, Yvanna. Yvanna blames Caia’s parents for the death of her husband and therefore by default, blames Caia too. In her grief, she insults Caia by calling her a “that” and giving her icy glares. Instead of understanding Yvanna’s pain and empathising on the loss of loved ones, as a 17 year old would do, Caia bursts into tears and runs to her room to cry because, as she says, she can’t stand it that someone hates her. You see, Caia expects everyone to fall to their knees in front of her. It hasn’t dawned on her immature little mind that in life you will meet people who won’t like you, who may even hate you. What Yvanna said wasn’t even that bad. She could’ve said a lot worse so I saw no reason for Caia to bawl her eyes out. I wished I could’ve jumped into the book and given Caia a well deserved slap.

Caia is extremely vain. Whenever she meets new people the first thing she assesses is their looks, and, if she meets a good looking person, pauses to compare her appearance to theirs. I cannot count the number of times Caia stresses because she is not as beautiful as the other women in the pack. It’s one of her constant worries and I feel she should grow the fuck up and understand that beauty isn’t everything.

I especially hated how women are portrayed in this book. It’s gravely inaccurate at best and seriously sexist at worst.

The females in the pack are all bitchy, vain and self centred. All the girls, apart from Jaeden, instantly hate Caia upon her arrival. The reason is given near the start of the book :
“ I’ve already made sure most of the mated females are clear that they have to welcome Caia home. It’s the young I’m worried about. They still fear what they don’t know . . . and the fact that she’s more competition for our males.”

Yes, Caia is hated because she’s, ahem, “competition “ for their males. Because, of course, women are only simple minded creatures who’s sole purpose in life is to find a husband - or “mate” as the werewolves refer to it. Therefore the girls go out of their way to be hostile to Caia and to ward her away from their men . Even Caia’s only female friend Jaeden, warns her to stay away from her crush.


No. No. Fuck no. Girls do not, should not, hate each other for such a ridiculous reason. Nor should their lives revolve around men. I hate how mating is the main conversation topic among women in this novel. Why don’t education, career, friendship or ambitions ever cross their minds ? Finding a mate and raising lots of werewolf cubs seems to be the only goal for women. It’s like Twilight only with werewolves instead of vampires. Caia is, after all, a perfect incarnation of Bella Swan.

The sexism gets even worse with Alexa. Alexa is one of the pack females who constantly tries to seduce the Alpha male, Lucien because being the Alpha male’s mate is the most powerful and coveted position among the females. This bothered me, this really bothered me. Can you tell why ? It’s because it gives the notion that the only way a woman can gain power and importance is through marriage to a powerful man. Forget hard work and determination. Marriage, it seems, is the only way to the top. No, not the top actually, because she will still always be under the control of the Alpha. So there you have it ladies : You will never be equal to men and must whore yourself for the highest status you can ever get - wife of the leader.


Speaking of the Alpha male, Lucien is one of the worst love interests I have ever read about. He’s controlling and possessive and should really be kept away from society. See for yourself :

“It doesn’t matter now. You’re my mate. End of.”

Lucien moved so fast she barely saw him until he had her caught up in his hands, his hand cupping her neck, holding her head back as if she were an offering. “Let’s get this straight,” he snarled. “I don’t care how angry you are with me, you are mine, Caia, and I will kill anyone who takes what’s mine.”

He pushed her away as if he was disgusted and stepped back from her. “You’ve had a shock, you’re not thinking clearly. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”

“I’m not falling in love with anyone. Neither are you for that matter because you are my mate. Mine. So deal with it.”

You can tell from this just what kind of love interest Lucien is. He lies to Caia on a number of occasions, withholds important information from her, threatens any male who so much as speaks to her and forbids her from going away to train her magic skills. He loses his temper easily and stomps all over the place in rage. It’s established that werewolves are quick to anger but I still feel, that’s no excuse for Luciens abusive behaviour. Because that’s what he is. Abusive. I’m sick of this kind of thing being portrayed as romantic because it’s anything but.


Right, anyway. As this is YA, a love triangle is given. Sebastian is a guy from Caia’s school. He’s kind, thoughtful and treats Caia like a person rather than a possession. But he’s not as good looking as Lucien so Caia doesn’t choose him. That’s the end of that.

For some reason Ms Young felt the uncontrollable urge to start altering the dictionary. Vampire became vampyre, lycan became lykan, magic became magik, demon became daemon etc. I don’t mind when authors change a word to give it a special touch but Samantha Young went a bit over the top and changed words that didn’t need changing. There was no significant point to the changes and they added nothing to the story. I think she did it to make the book look cool. She failed though, I rolled my eyes every time I saw another modified word.

The amount of info dumping is unbelievable and done very badly. From the very start you will be bombarded with names of various pack members and the names of their parents and the names of their sisters and the names of their brothers and the names of their cousins and the names of their grandparents and the names of their aunts and the names of their uncles and the names of their pets . . . After a few chapters I forgot everyone’s names and their connections . Not that it mattered, most of them were introduced but then never mentioned or spoken of again. I kept waiting for them to make an appearance but they didn’t so I though ‘well why bring them up in the first place ?’.

The origins and history of the lycans - sorry, lykans - and other supernaturals are given in one helluva flashback. Amazingly Caia remembers hearing one of the Elders telling her lykan history when she was just a little toddler. Even more astonishingly, she remembers it in perfect clarity even though some of the language was far too complex for a toddler to comprehend, let alone remember. The entire flashback story lasted 6 pages and was overloaded with information. It’s too unrealistic to say she could’ve recalled all that. If you’re going to info dump, Ms Young, at least make the circumstances plausible.

I had problems with what the info dump was saying too. It is said that werewolves, vampires, faeries, witches etc were all created by the Greek gods. I know some readers will like this twist but personally I feel Greek mythology and European folklore each have their own distinct charm and should not be mixed like this. It is told that each of the supernaturals were created by different gods. This is where it gets complicated. Samantha Young goes on to try and add her own personal touch to the myths and story which would have been fine but it was too confusing. Gaia allows some humans a taste of her blood which turns them into witches and warlocks. Hades created vampires out of people who arrived in the Underworld without a coin. Hemera created faeries who can change their appearance anytime. Meaning faeries are shifters. Shifters are faeries. Artemis then creates lykans because . . . she likes animals or something. As revenge for kidnapping Persephone, Demeter changes the vampires by giving them fertility and ability to walk in the sun. Erm, how that’s revenge, I don’t know. Anyway, the witches and warlocks don’t like the other supernaturals and want to kill them for some bizarre reason. The witches create daemons - still don’t know what those actually are - to attack vampires and lycans. Vampires and lycans get scared and create a Daylight Coven which I guess is kind of like a club for vampires and lycans and some faeries. The witches create the Midnight Coven. The two covens go to war and bad stuff happens.

This ^^^ can only be described as a train wreck. Half of it doesn’t make sense and the other half is just too stupid to be taken seriously. It’s not solid enough to make a story. Why did the gods create them ? Why aren’t the gods stopping their creations from killing each other ? Why don’t witches and warlocks like the other supernaturals even though they have the same divine origins ? So many unanswered questions.


Overall, you can clearly deduce that I hated this book. But that’s just me and my opinion. Try it if you want, you might love it, it might become your favourite book and you’ll go on with the series and continue to love it. But I plan on going no further.

[Penny Well Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an ok book.
A nothing original story.
A meh romance.
Overall, more of the same stuff as always.

Audiobook: The narrator is good, however, it doesn't work for this book. The main character is suppose to be a teenager and yet she sounds like and old lady.

[Camille · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found it hard to like Lucien when he was so controlling and violent. Hard to like Caia for not standing up to him enough. I really really liked the premise of the story but couldn't get over how unhealthy the romantic relationship was. The book could have had potential if the writer had hired a good editor to get rid of the ridiculous amount of grammatical errors along with the overly long and nonsensical plot. I actually found myself wondering throughout the book whether someone had even proofread the book at all, let alone edited it. Unpolished, but hey, can't complain too much about a free, self-published book

[Diana PB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Although, I read it a while ago and usually don't leave reviews, I must say I still think about this book sometimes...a clear indication of how good it was! So I figured from one book lover to another, (especially one who is easily swayed on her next book choice by great reviews from other readers on goodreads) it was my duty to leave a quick review to urge others to read it! It really was quite captivating. All of the characters and subplots were interesting, and everything just fit together so well. Truly great imagination went into writing this, with wonderful love stories intertwined to conclude a fantastic series. I read all three books in like 2 days. I highly recommend this series.., trust me once you read one you won’t be able to stop until you have read them all! Great work Samantha Young!! You definitely made a new fan! :)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her future was set into motion long before Caia Ribeiro was born. Gaia, Mother of all the gods, had grown tired of the war that her children waged upon each other. In her infinite wisdom she set forth a plan that would eventually stop the war. And unbeknownst to Caia, she was at the very heart of it.

Hidden away from her pack for ten years after her family was killed by The Hunter, an enemy of Pack Errante and member of the Midnight Coven, Caia is finally allowed to return home. But her return is not exactly a welcome event.

The pack had already lost family members protecting her. And her absence from the pack for so long meant that she was an outsider. An outsider that couldn’t necessarily be trusted and someone who didn’t necessarily trust them.

She knew that she was different from all the other lykans in the pack, she just didn’t know quite how different. She didn’t resemble them in look, nor did she have their quick tempers and easy camaraderie. But spending much of her life in near isolation away from the pack was bound to make her different.

What she didn’t understand were the dark looks she got from some of the other pack members. All she knew was that they were keeping secrets. Secrets about her family. Secrets about her past. And secrets about why she alone was the target of the Midnight Coven’s wrath.

But when those secrets come to light, will Caia be able to accept what she learns about who she is and what she has the potential to become?

***

Moon Spell is an intoxicating and utterly entertaining story that is brilliantly written. The dramatic opening paragraph will entice readers in and once the story sinks its claws in it won’t let go until the very last word in the epilogue.

The story centers around Caia, a lykan who has been living under special protection apart from her pack since her family was killed by The Hunter. She and her guardian, Irini, were allowed to return when it was deemed safe enough, after The Hunter was found and killed.

When Caia returns she is immediately drawn to the pack Alpha, Lucien, who is to be her protector. And much to the dismay of another female pack member, Lucien seems drawn to her. But Lucien and the rest of the pack are keeping things from her. And her discovery of those secrets may cause Caia to walk away from her friends, from her pack and from Lucien, not only for their betrayal but for their safety.

Author Samantha Young has done a sensational job in crafting this world of lykans, magiks and other supernaturals, and in creating a harmonious balance between light and dark, good and evil, and love and loss.

The dynamic she has created between her two main characters, Caia and Lucien, elevates this story above many of its peers. Each of them struggles with their feelings for each other, with the complicated relationship they have with one another, and with their responsibilities and what is necessary for the greater good.

Her secondary characters are not left out and play an integral role in this story that continues for two more books. Each of whom, from the plotting and manipulative Alexa to the cocky and overconfident Mal to the sweet and good-hearted Jaeden to the kind and loyal Sebastian, adds to the story’s appeal.

Moon Spell is not a book to be missed. It is perfect for readers who love all things paranormal, who want to get a feel for what it is like to run with the wolves, who love dramatic tension between the female and male leads and who don’t mind the tears that come when a beloved character is lost along the way.

On a personal note: (This is a long one, even for me.)

I loved this book. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Can I gush some more? I loved it. It was so worth putting off reading City of Fallen Angels. I almost want to read the next two books in the series before reading anything else. That’s how much I love this book.

Did I expect to love this as much as I did? No way. I expected to like it. Sure. I wouldn’t have opted to read it if I didn’t. But I didn’t expect to fall in love. And I did. And not just with the lead hottie, Lucien. I fell in love with the story, the world, everything.

When I first took a look at the description for this book I was excited about its potential. I love stories about wars between the supes and dark magic and light magic. But this first book in the series was so much better than I could have imagined. It was a brilliant surprise.

The backstory at the beginning had me worried that the entire story would continue in that vein. It was beautifully written, but would have made this a much weightier read. After just the first page or two it shifted to Caia’s story and everything just flew.

The story was elaborate but not complicated and just the perfect amount of story for the first book in a series. Yes, I want more, and since there are two other books which I immediately downloaded when I finished reading this first book, I can have more.

The characters were lovable and detestable in just the right amounts – horrifically evil and not too super sweet. Lucien of course is my favorite. I love a lead male character who is tough but with a heart, strong but not too overbearing, and arrogant but not so much so that he isn’t jealous when a little competition shows up.

And Caia although sometimes fragile, is strong, independent and knows her mind. And just wait until you learn what she can do. It’s pretty freaking cool!

This story is epic, with a little something for everyone. It’s got magik and some pretty neat abilities. It’s got lykans. It has a hint of a love triangle, but for those haters it’s not predictable. There is a bit of a mystery to uncover. It’s got drama and there may be some tears shed.

And for fans like me, yes there are references to the movie Underworld – how can you not when the lead lykan is Lucien.

I am so glad that the author reached out to me or I might never have discovered this series which I have a mad crush on.

My favorite passage is actually the first:

The war had been raging for centuries; a war that breathed beneath human reality, lost in the labyrinth of their legends and folklore. It was a silent war of soundless screaming and invisible bloodshed.

***

A note to readers: In its eBook format, the story has not been adapted for an American audience so readers should expect alternate spelling and punctuation as well as certain “Britishims.”

[Jena]

Self note
Fade to black series

[SoBeA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea, and was even entertained by moon spell,  but I can't really say I liked it....nor can i understand how on earth this got so many 4 and 5 star reviews!

the pacing felt wrong and so did some of the reactions of the  characters, main and secondary alike...the pack would find something out, and I'd think they would do one thing, but then they do something else that IMO wouldn't make sense in the situation...which managed to pull me outta the story more than once...and there are a lot of things never explained....for example, if the pack was super protective of its females, why would they send off a child, with a guardian who's little more than a girl, herself? One who chose not to educate her charge, and leave her woefully Ignorant at that?  That's just one of the many points of contention I had with the rationalizing going on in this book.

 Add to that, she's 17/18 and the heroes 9 to 10 years older....but more times then I can count he comes off as much younger...they both do....if it wasn't for the sex scene I'd guess both of them were  at the oldest, in their early teen years,  just  from  their behavior. Oh and the mating relationship is never really delved into! If I'm going by how it works in most pnr's the h and H's actions make even less sense...I would have liked for the idea to have been explained more fully, if for no other reason, then to give me a frame of reference for each characters behavior.

Oh also, he's the leader of the pack, but it never really feels like he's an alpha...sure it's mentioned a lot, but the way everyone treats him, he's like a less impressive Lucas from Nalini Singh's psy- changeling   series...(and jic, you think one is like the other, they're not, IMO, that's just the best way to describe the hero )

A lot happens, but like i said it felt like the timing of things was off....and the ending! Wth? It was cliffhanger-ish, and I guess I was supposed to want to run off and get the next book, but seeing as how I didn't really like the characters, and from the reviews I've read, I think I'm gonna pass. 

So, 3 stars, a decent way to kill some time, but not a must read.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fantastic. Like repeatedly hitting the 5 star button fantastic.

Ahh, I never thought I'd get a chance to read this book. I've always wanted to read one of Samantha Young's books, but I don't have a Kindle (I have a Nook) and I never had access to them (because I still can't find them on the Nook!), so basically I never thought it would be possible. When I heard of this reading challenge, it just so happened to coincide with my mom getting a Kindle Fire as a birthday present. Needless to say, fate was on my side and I have never been happier for it.

This has been one of the best starts to a series, I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

In the beginning, I had a little trouble juggling the different POVs, but I soon grew to love it, along with practically everything else.

I was heartstoppingly in love with Lucien and Caia from the get go, so much so that I felt the extreme feelings of anger with Lucien and Caia whenever something or someone tried to intervene, and having finished this book a mere half-hour ago, I'm still slightly angry and hopeful for what is to come for them in the next two books.

I loved the plot and the sequence of events. I had never been happier with how long the book was, because it was pure emotion from start to finish (and bonus points, in a good way!).

The epilogue about Jaeden was EXTREMELY intriguing and am excited for what is to come with her, however I can't help but feel for Caia because I LOVED the friendship between the two of them.

Ugh I honestly don't know what else to say right now, maybe I will have more later, but essentially in a nut shell, this will go down as one of my FAVORITE books, period.

5 stars.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!!!! Everything I have read by Sam blows me away and Moon Spell is no different...
I have had this series sitting in my kindle for a while and as Shelley and I were talking about our group reads...I thought, this series would be the best to start our group reads with...Of course Shelley agreed b/c it was her who really got me so hooked to Sam.

Anyway, what a fantastic story of a wolf pack. And Moon Spell is not your typical story of wolf packs either. I mean, sure, there are some underlying similarities, but they are minute compared to the twisted tale that Sam has woven for us.
We first learn so much about our paranormal creatures and how they have become who they are all thanks to the lovely greek gods of long ago...Love this interesting twist of course...And then, we are introduced to Caia. Our intriguing heroine has so many secrets surrounding her that you are all tied up in knots waiting for the bomb to fall...
And boy does it!! Enter our hero Lucien and him being all swoon worthy that you just know that he and Caia are going to be the next big thing, yet BOOM!!! (bomb going off) and ALL that crumbles...
They are mates and yet nothing works right. I am screaming at them to wake up and realize certain things...but...ARGH!!!
But, this all makes everything that happens in this story so much more explosive...Jam-packed with excitement, action, passion, deceit...What a great first book in this series...
MAJOR LOVE...Ready for book 2!!!

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start

Wow talk about getting so much in one sitting. I'm not sure how Caia handles all that's going on and with the secrets too but this girl is a real tough cookie. She returns after ten years and still feel different even among the people she believed to be her pack is tough but then more and more things happen and it's like whoa! Can you grow more shit at her! Not sure what's going to happen not but I sure am going to find out.
I really enjoyed this story. It's well written and totally kept my interest and can't wait to read the next book.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.co...

4 stars -- After a less than impressive first read by this author, I actually picked this book next because it had less "good" reviews by my friends than the other paranormal series I have by her, and I kind of wanted to get the "bad" book out of the way if that makes sense. So I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! It had some of the pitfalls of the other book I read (Smokeless Fire) -- a bit of info dumping in places, but not nearly as bad. And I found myself interested in it much more quickly.

In general I really enjoyed Caia. She had a vulnerability to her that speaks to me in characters...it's just a personal preference type of thing. I guess I like the outcasts. Occasionally she would get on my nerves with her choices, like how she dealt with Sebastian's crush for example. And she really could act her age, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just surprising sometimes b/c so often the heroines in YA books act more mature. But overall she really tugged at my heartstrings with all that she was going through.

I guess part of the reason you really noticed how young Caia was is because of how much older her romantic interest, Lucien, was....not that he always acted like it, but it was a bit of an age gap...one you wouldn't notice if they were both adults, but it added a strange feel to their romance. Now, despite that, the kisses were hot. But the progression from there was a bit of a surprise.

I don't tend to read a lot of shifter paranormal books...I'm not entirely sure why, I just don't gravitate towards them. But I appreciated the world that was created in this book, and the background of all the paranormals in this book... Sometimes it got a bit confusing b/c there was so much information, but I think it will start to become easier as the books go on.

And I really loved a lot of the secondary characters -- from fellow lycans Magnus and Ryder, to the witch Marion and the sassy faerie Saffron. They added great moment of levity and (obviously) sass, and I look forward to more glimpses of them.

So definitely looking forward to the next book in the series and finding out what's going to happen in the war and all that shiznit. A bit on the fence about the romance, but I was glad that there was at least a little bit of it in this book.

[Tee Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second Samantha Young YA read this week (the other was the Warriors of Ankh book 1), and she's impressed me yet again. I actually preferred this story, with a love story that was somewhat more front and center, some crazy-hot lykans, and lots of thrills and teen angst, it's a great start for a compelling YA series. Leading lady Caia is a strong and fierce heroine even though she's been hidden away from her for years kind out of protection. She's not who she thinks she is, and I'm really excited to see what she can do in the rest of this series!!

Caia is tossed to the wolves (pun intended) at 17 and expected to adapt, despite several in her pack knowing just how impossible that will be in the near future once her "uniqueness" starts to show. Caia was kept in the dark about so many things by those she was beginning to trust, most especially the hottie alpha Lucien who is more than meets the eye. It made for a lot of tension and suspense, which was great and had me glued to my iPad!! I was angry with Lucien for keeping things from her, and I understood her pushing everyone away when she felt like a pawn, but ugh I hated seeing these two apart because the romantic in me just wants the sparks to start flying again (because yes, they were pretty hot together)!!

There were some parts of the story that were really fact-heavy; I realize we needed to know the history of these creatures, but it got a little preachy at times. Overall though, I really enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to the next book to see where things lead for the pack!

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, despite my two star rating, I actually really enjoyed this book. I liked our heroine Caia and I also really liked Lucien. They had really good chemistry together. I didn't like that she was 17 and he was 24 though. I liked the plot, setting and werewolf mythology. I liked it enough that I'm really tempted to read the rest of the series. I actually think the book was long enough that it really could have been a stand alone novel. I'm not sure it was necessary to make it a trilogy.

So, why the low rating? My biggest complaint, and the only one really worth mentioning, is that there is a sex scene (which was mild, but descriptive). I understand why it was thrown in for the plot and in that way necessary. But it was out of the blue and wasn't expected in a YA novel. It seemed a little out of character as well (and illegal, considering their ages). Wouldn't they have wanted their first time more special, not just some random hookup? True love would wait, and it was sad that they didn't. If she insisted on putting it the book, it should have been a more "fade-to-black" kind of moment. So, without the sex scene I would have probably given this a high four star rating.

Content: Sex scene, a little violence and some swearing (including one F word).

[Heather Busby · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the goddess this is a fantastic book. Caia the heroin of the story has lived a life sheltered from her pack family because a ruthless killer is on the loose and means to kill her as well as the pack. Because she is deemed an abomination for being part lykan and magik. Her Senior year in high school Caia is brought home to her pack, where she is reintroduced into a life that seems so long ago. With many ups and downs, teenage angst, and trying to fit in with the pack Caia falls in love with Lucien. *sigh* Lucien hides secrets from Caia, for reasons to keep her and the pack safe. Which sadly brings their relationship to a stalemate, especially when he doesn't tell her that they had been mated long ago. Caia must work to manage her powers as part lykan and magik to stop the war, for she is the key.
Samantha Young is an excellent author and she never disappoints. This was my second read through this book, and I absolutely love it and am so addicted. The characters where so easy to fall in love with, and become attached to. They became my world, and like all other great series you have to keep on reading to find out the outcome of the beloved characters. Two thumbs way way up for Moon Spell.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I have to say I am pretty horrible with writing reviews. I read these well written synopsis type reviews and think , WOW!
I fall in love with characters and stories. When I finish a book and miss the characters and wish for more of their story that is when I know a book has moved me. I literally could not put my Kindle down, when I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about the book, about what was to come.

This book did all of that and more. I started it for a book reading group and knew nothing about the author or this book. Read it on a whim from the good reviews and the pure excitement from the group monitors for the book reading group. It made me happy, sad, excited and nervous. Any book that evokes emotion is worth a read.

I have read a lot of supernatural books and this one was well done, there was a twist with the main character Caia that I wasn't expecting.

take a chance, fall in love like I did
Happy reading .

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotta say I'm a bit apprehensive and bummed by the current outcome of Caia's and Lucien's relationship. I was confused on where Lucien stands in his feelings for Caia. I at first thought he was becoming strongly in-love with Caia, but now I'm confused by his actions and stuff he said. I ended up feeling just as confused and bummed like Caia. I'm also really mad that if he didn't love her like I thought, and only really cares a lot for her, then he shouldn't have slept with her. Not cool in my book. Is he really that much of a guy where he totally doesn't get that she needed to know and hear him tell her he loved her?

I'm still interested in the story, but at this point my feelings toward Lucien have cooled. I'm more in girl power mode. Do stuff for yourself, get powerful, never dependent on a guy.. Totally my motto in my life and now this book, lol.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book all the way back in January when it was free on Amazon - it got lost in all the hundreds of books on my kindle and was sat sadly, alone and forgotten about :(

It only saw the light of day again thanks to a reading challenge set by TSK TSK.

All I can say is "Thank you TSK TSK!!!" Such a fantastic book with a fast paced story and well drawn characters. I LOVED Lucien, and his interactions with Caia - in fact, I loved all the characters, both good and bad.

I really don't want to ruin the story for anyone so I'm not going to paint a graphic picture of "who-did-what-to-whom" but suffice to say I'm just about to buy the next 2 books.

Definitely a book I would recommended for both YAs and Old Bags like myself!

[Tammy Blackwell]

Interesting take on werewolves. Caia's past comes to light in a way that keeps your reading quickly through the pages, and Lucien is way hot... but not quite as attractive as Ryder to me. I love that the ending carried a taste of tragedy and left you longing for more.

[JennyWithThe📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bored out of my mind! Not much really going on other than "poor me, I like him, does he like me?" There was just no "oomph" to this! I even skipped quite a few pages in hopes to find something happening but noooo, just the same "filler" page after page...

[BookLoversLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what can I say. I loved it. Its right up there with my favorites. A must read for everyone.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This is the second time that I've tried reading this book. The first time I couldnt get into it at all. This time I ran into the same problem. I read a few chapters then I started skipping through. I will say that the last 70% of the book I got into it and finished the book out.
I'm going to try the second book and hope it's easier for me to get into. I really want to try and finish this series.

[Scarlett Elliott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I do this to myself? I don’t think I liked a single character, I was in fact overjoyed when one died. The love interest was the most misogynistic and controlling character to ever exist, a lot of his actions are such big red flags that I could t stand it. The main character at times acted like she was in fact 7 not 17. I think the most interesting part was the epilogue. I shan’t say any more as I’m afraid I’d run out of synonymous for awful.
Save yourself, don’t bother.

[Danielle (Danniegurl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't bad at all. Being an adult I've moved away from the YA genre due to the typical trope, and because the stories don't interest me as much. However I had seen this book repeatedly in my goodreads recommendations section. I kept passing it by but I kept looking at it too. Finally I added it to my TBRs and planned this month to read it and I am NOT disappointed.

Caia pronounced Kaya is a 17 year old werewolf or lykan. She has been in hiding with fellow pack member Irina or whatever. For the past 10 years. Finally able to come back home to the pack Caia has to learn to settle into pack life after being a loner most of her life. She really doesn't fit in and she begins to notice. She looks different from the average shifter and weird things keep happening when she has an emotional overload. Things she can't explain but are terrified about.

This synopsis does not do the story justice, there really isn't a bedtime story or monsters really not in the way the synopsis makes you think. Just go in blind knowing the Caia has to re-integrate into the pack and there are secrets about her past no one is being 100% honest about.

As the story progresses we see that Lucien, the Pack Leader aka Alpha, seems to be keeping his eye on Caia and at first we are unsure as to why. Is she his mate? Is it because she was used to being a loner and a loner in the pack isn't allowed or for other reasons all together? Eventually we find out but it takes quite a while to get there.

I did have some issues with this book and thus these issues make spoil the book therefore I will use spoiler tags going forward about the likes and dislikes.

There are moments in this book where Caia acts like a "normal" 17 year old person. Someone who is childish but not quite mature either. Someone who can't handle all the emotions thrown at them. And yet we are supposed to believe that she could kill a daemon by herself in her wolf form injured. Is this because of her magic, her prophecy or just her? Because later 3 of the pack had a difficult time taking about a daemon and thus one of the kids dies.

No Sebastian did not need to die. I felt like he was an important part of the story, he was Caia's BFF and thought he was in love with her. He was defying the Alpha and I was waiting for him to get a smack down. He could have been severely injured and needed to learn a lesson. I would have liked to see him around more for the next book. I felt it was really sad that he died and that now who will be Caia's friend because at the end of the book it also appears Jaeden left and that's a problem because even after what she's been through now Caia won't have her as a friend either.

Lucien was interesting to the story he is 24, the pack Alpha and eventually Caia's mate. But she doesn't exactly want to be his mate, not because she doesn't have feelings for him but because their parents betrothed them to each other. And due to a break down in communication she believes that he is missing out on his "real" mate, and that he doesn't love her. That their choices were taken away which is why she doesn't want to be his mate. But they are mates and I do like Lucien.

Overall it does have some traditional teenager stuff but it's borderline not horribly angsty I really feel like the points she was angsty were appropriate due to her circumstances. I have a feeling that her body/soul knew she was the mate to Lucien and that was why she was super upset.

Very interesting story.
Not a real love triangle. More one sided for the extra person.
No cheating.

[Dwayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf.

I am fascinated by the way this book bridges the classic and the contemporary in such a flawless way. The coming together of Greek mythology, of shapeshifters, vampires and even fairies holds this book together - with a sprinkle of romance, mystery and action, Lunarmorte is a fabulous start to a promising new trilogy!

Fresh and original, the book first introduces the reader into the background of the plot through its prologue. It's darn good introduction to the intricate plot, where interwoven with the classic Greek gods and goddesses are the supernatural creatures we love most: vampyres, lykans and fairies. I am amazed at how the author connects all these and still emerge with a clear, concise and detailed plot. I was completely captured, and that was just the prologue!

The characters, particularly Caia and Lucien, are a joy to read and watch grow together. Their attraction is evident and boy does it sizzle! There are twists in the romance which I never guessed coming, and to top it off, a third party whom I seriously adore. Great recipe for a romantic read and one which a romance lover like me cannot resist! Just a quick note though - the book gets a little descriptive at some point, so the book may not be suitable for younger teens. It is not too graphic, but it is still for much older audience. On a side note, I'm sure readers will enjoy Lucien. Brooding, mysterious and possessive, he's one hot catch. He definitely has my vote for Caia!

The pack as a whole are a colourful bunch - the characters both primary and secondary are fully developed and their personalities are well defined. Within the group, there are those whom I had grown to love and hate, annoy and pity. The connection and the bond of the pack to each other is well established and admirable - Caia's adjustment into the lykan community is shown step by step and her integration into it is well played. I loved reading about the practices and tradition of the pack - definitely thumbs up!

Mysteries abound in Lunarmorte. My theories were obviously far from the twists and ultimate truth, but it was hugely enjoyable to guess and search for clues. There is humour present, and best of all, action and tension is also prominent towards the end of the book.

Having said that, Lunarmorte is indeed a well written novel. However, there are a few inconsistencies in the flow of the writing - sometimes certain phrases and words which appear to be a misfit in the general flow of the narrative. This does not occur frequently though, so it may only be an editing overlook. Speaking of which, there seem to be a lot of that happening, because punctuations and typos are everywhere. I am one of those who are very sensitive about it so it did irritate me. This may be a reflection on the editing - so I think if this is corrected, the book would feel more polished. There is also a little drag that occurs in the middle of the book - although Lunarmorte did made up for it in the end.

Yup, you'd want to pick Lunarmorte one up and read it - I myself am already looking forward to the next book!

[Ananya Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, this book is mostly romance based, but I like where it's heading with the prophecy and the Daylight/Mighnight courts.... this is going to be an interesting ride.

[Angels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte #1)
by Samantha Young

5 stars

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance...

It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves?

No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs out of her sightline, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her, with a dangerous attraction, from her decision to uncover the truth.

But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.

YA Paranormal Romance recommended for ages 16 and up.

My Thoughts and Review

Wow ! Were to start! What a great book and it is off to being a great series. I have not read a book of late that had me so engrossed in there book that when it was time to take my bath that I didn't want to put the book down and brought my kindle with me to keep reading.Just love her style of writing and the humor that she puts into it making you chuckle.All the characters were like-able and lending there part to making this book an enjoyable story.Caia was my favorite in the story she had so much going on in her life to deal at first you thought she was going to be this meek little girl boy was I wrong she turned out to be a firecracker with lots of gumption.Caia is not only a wolf but also a witch who has many powers that she has not even discover and mastered.Because of her abilities and who she is someone wants her dead.She is learning what it is to be living with a pack she is trying to stay alive while learning of her past and of her new abilities and falling in love with the Alpha's pack leader Lucien and making friends all at the same time.I was glad to be on the ride with her.This book was quite the page turner full of life adventure,magic,secrets, shape-shifters and love and romance all the things I love that make reading a story so enjoyable for me. I have now put Samantha Young at the top of my list of my favorite authors she has found a new fan in me.Would recommended this book to all readers and is now in my keeper pile to be read again at a later date.Glad I finally tackled my to read pile lol...

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Lunarmorte is a fantastic debut book, that is rich in detail and rooted in ancient greek mythology. It was so fascinating to read, and I'm not sure which hooked me more, the history of the story or the story itself. The characters were easy to relate to and I completely fell in love with them. I loved Samantha's unique spin with her character's paranormal gifts, as she threw together a great mix with lykans, witches, faeries, and vampyres.

I absolutely loved Lunarmorte's wolves. I really enjoyed feeling apart of their world and getting to know the pack members and seeing their dynamics through seventeen year old Caia. Hidden and protected for the last ten years, Caia is just now returning to her pack. I liked how realistic her transition was, and finding out what secrets the pack has kept from her, and I felt the various emotions she went through in finding out more about her family and the history of her pack. Caia is a wonderful character and she had me laughing out a loud with her wit and sarcasm. She really grew the most, as she starts off shy and a little naive, but quickly grows into a strong, independent character as she learns more about who she is and how to use her powers. I was most fascinated with Caia's "hidden" power. I won't say what that is, to keep this review spoiler free, but Samantha Young knows how to through in some wonderful twists, making her paranormal book truly unique.

The setting is perfect and one I really enjoyed, as it's set in the middle of the woods and completely fitting for a pack of wolves. I really enjoyed the interaction with the wolves in both their human form and their wolf form. Let me just say, there is some great chemistry between Caia and her pack's leader/her guardian, Lucien. Their relationship is full of twists and turns, and one I liked watching evolve. Samantha did a nice job at sneaking in a little steamy scene into the story when I least excepted.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next for Caia, Lucien and the pack and what kind of war will be ragged in the next book in the series. With a fascinating history and mythology at it's core, wrapped up with some great chemistry, throw in some romance that will leave you wanting more, and topped off with some great action, Lunarmorte is one book I will read again and highly recommend. This is a great read for 14 years and older, and definitely has adult appeal, as the main characters are in their late teens and early twenties.
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