What do you think?
Rate this book
Red Moonglow on Snow
"I am the daughter of Elaar, born in a world very far removed from this one. My long ago love brought me here, to Home, and dropped me at the feet of Soldiers, knowing that they'd kill me for being my mother's daughter. It was punishment for letting Others steal ours."
[You can't say that,] the demon scowls.
Disoriented and alone, Lira's dream of returning to her exiled mother's and murdered father's place of birth has turned into a nightmare. Today is her missing daughter's second birthday, and now all hope of finding her is gone. Her daughter's father brought her here, to Home, and He intentionally set her on the wrong side of the country. As punishment, as retaliation, as a second abandonment.
This region of grass and hills still screams from the gender-driven civil war that ravaged it two generations ago, and Lira barely opens her eyes before becoming as hunted as her mother once was. Taken hostage by a unicorn and close to death, she narrowly escapes to The Trees, the place her parents had lived, and fought, and loved in.
Only there's no such place as safe. She's haunted by her past as she explores her mother's, and no matter which way she goes, she's fully aware that she's wandering a hallway of trees that can only lead her right back to Him.
[You can't say that,] the demon scowls.
Disoriented and alone, Lira's dream of returning to her exiled mother's and murdered father's place of birth has turned into a nightmare. Today is her missing daughter's second birthday, and now all hope of finding her is gone. Her daughter's father brought her here, to Home, and He intentionally set her on the wrong side of the country. As punishment, as retaliation, as a second abandonment.
This region of grass and hills still screams from the gender-driven civil war that ravaged it two generations ago, and Lira barely opens her eyes before becoming as hunted as her mother once was. Taken hostage by a unicorn and close to death, she narrowly escapes to The Trees, the place her parents had lived, and fought, and loved in.
Only there's no such place as safe. She's haunted by her past as she explores her mother's, and no matter which way she goes, she's fully aware that she's wandering a hallway of trees that can only lead her right back to Him.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 27, 2020
Red Moonglow on Snow is going to be difficult book for me to review because I thought the writing was exquisite but the story wasn't for me.
The basic plot of the story is that Lira is somehow transported to another world or dimension (I wasn't really sure which) that she thinks of as 'Home'. Her Mother was born there and, after being discarded by her own Mother, was brought up by dragons. It has been Lira's greatest wish to go there, however when she finally gets there she is attacked by 'soldiers' and poisoned by one of the 'bound' (a woman who have never been with a man but has instead bonded with a unicorn).
Lira is desperately unhappy. She's unwell because of the poison, and miserable because her one and only love affair ended in disaster and her baby has been kidnapped. In time though, she is befriended by a unicorn and a dragon, both of whom consider themselves to be her rightful guardian, despite her being a bit of a 'glum chum'.
The depth of anguish in this book was what I struggled with. It was beautifully written - in fact I feel like I want to hug L.Nahay because I can only imagine what she's been through to write so poetically about such heartache - but overwhelming to read. For me anyway because for a book to get 5 stars from me it almost always has to have an element of humour in it.
Furthermore, I also struggled with the terminology in Red Moonglow on Snow. Very little is named, the foreign world is 'Home', her beloved is 'Him' etc etc.
I'm glad I persevered though - although it did take me a long time to read (2 months!) - because one of the things I did enjoy was the banter between the unicorn and the dragon, who don't like each other at all and are continually sniping at each other.
Overall I'm giving Red Moonglow on Snow 3 stars because, while it wasn't for me, I could imagine it being dubbed a classic by future generations, such is the quality of the writing. If you are more of a serious soul than I am, and you like supernatural, I'd suggest you give this a go. If it does become a classic, you'll want to be able to say you read it when it was first released.
The basic plot of the story is that Lira is somehow transported to another world or dimension (I wasn't really sure which) that she thinks of as 'Home'. Her Mother was born there and, after being discarded by her own Mother, was brought up by dragons. It has been Lira's greatest wish to go there, however when she finally gets there she is attacked by 'soldiers' and poisoned by one of the 'bound' (a woman who have never been with a man but has instead bonded with a unicorn).
Lira is desperately unhappy. She's unwell because of the poison, and miserable because her one and only love affair ended in disaster and her baby has been kidnapped. In time though, she is befriended by a unicorn and a dragon, both of whom consider themselves to be her rightful guardian, despite her being a bit of a 'glum chum'.
The depth of anguish in this book was what I struggled with. It was beautifully written - in fact I feel like I want to hug L.Nahay because I can only imagine what she's been through to write so poetically about such heartache - but overwhelming to read. For me anyway because for a book to get 5 stars from me it almost always has to have an element of humour in it.
Furthermore, I also struggled with the terminology in Red Moonglow on Snow. Very little is named, the foreign world is 'Home', her beloved is 'Him' etc etc.
I'm glad I persevered though - although it did take me a long time to read (2 months!) - because one of the things I did enjoy was the banter between the unicorn and the dragon, who don't like each other at all and are continually sniping at each other.
Overall I'm giving Red Moonglow on Snow 3 stars because, while it wasn't for me, I could imagine it being dubbed a classic by future generations, such is the quality of the writing. If you are more of a serious soul than I am, and you like supernatural, I'd suggest you give this a go. If it does become a classic, you'll want to be able to say you read it when it was first released.
November 2, 2025
We meet Lira as she is violently dropped into another world from the one on Earth. Her daughter had been taken from her and now she finds herself in a world she has only heard about from her mother's stories. Nightmare is a unicorn that finds her and becomes her impromptu guardian.
What I liked:
It was a unique take on unicorns and dragons. The worldbuilding is light, but complete enough to get a sense of what the world is like. She also flashes back to Chicago. I used to live in the Chicago Metro, so the description of Lake Michigan in winter brought back specific imagery for me. The internal dialogue with Lira was relateable. She's been through hell and how she comes to terms with her new life is interesting and relevant. Her transformation as a character is slow, but worth the time.
What I didn't like:
The beginning is slow with lots of disjointed imagery that I thought could be condensed a bit. It is worth reading because it does set the tone for what is to come. I'm glad I stuck with it.
Overall it is a solid debut fantasy novel and well worth the time. I'm definitely adding the sequel to my list.
What I liked:
It was a unique take on unicorns and dragons. The worldbuilding is light, but complete enough to get a sense of what the world is like. She also flashes back to Chicago. I used to live in the Chicago Metro, so the description of Lake Michigan in winter brought back specific imagery for me. The internal dialogue with Lira was relateable. She's been through hell and how she comes to terms with her new life is interesting and relevant. Her transformation as a character is slow, but worth the time.
What I didn't like:
The beginning is slow with lots of disjointed imagery that I thought could be condensed a bit. It is worth reading because it does set the tone for what is to come. I'm glad I stuck with it.
Overall it is a solid debut fantasy novel and well worth the time. I'm definitely adding the sequel to my list.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews