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The Moon Tear
"She must never come to use magik, or she will destroy us all."
If Eyolin can stay hidden until her twentieth birthday, she will finally be free. A castoff from elvish high society in the tree city of Mainwood, Eyolin seeks out a meager existence as a black market herbalist’s assistant. Her family is dead or missing, her memory is fractured, and a power lurks within her that she cannot control.
But one more year—one more year and the magik burning inside her will be released back to the land. Freed of its influence, she can finally make an ordinary life for herself.
Yet, the realm of Alagana tilts toward war, and the tyrant king Magnogogue has taken a special interest in Eyolin. So have the assassins of the Twilight realm, particularly Kipp, whose connection to Eyolin may run counter to the contract he’s magikally Bound to complete.
Soon, Eyolin will have to choose her allies and assume her place in the world. Does she come to the aid of Mainwood’s downtrodden human population? Or follow in the footsteps of the Master of Magik who believes Eyolin will be at the heart of a coming calamity? In this kingdom ruled by men who all want her power for their own, only one thing is
All that Eyolin touches, she destroys.
If Eyolin can stay hidden until her twentieth birthday, she will finally be free. A castoff from elvish high society in the tree city of Mainwood, Eyolin seeks out a meager existence as a black market herbalist’s assistant. Her family is dead or missing, her memory is fractured, and a power lurks within her that she cannot control.
But one more year—one more year and the magik burning inside her will be released back to the land. Freed of its influence, she can finally make an ordinary life for herself.
Yet, the realm of Alagana tilts toward war, and the tyrant king Magnogogue has taken a special interest in Eyolin. So have the assassins of the Twilight realm, particularly Kipp, whose connection to Eyolin may run counter to the contract he’s magikally Bound to complete.
Soon, Eyolin will have to choose her allies and assume her place in the world. Does she come to the aid of Mainwood’s downtrodden human population? Or follow in the footsteps of the Master of Magik who believes Eyolin will be at the heart of a coming calamity? In this kingdom ruled by men who all want her power for their own, only one thing is
All that Eyolin touches, she destroys.
470 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2024
18 people are currently reading
1913 people want to read
About the author
M.E. Royce
2 books36 followersM.E. is an accomplished author with a passion for storytelling that has driven her creative journey from an early age. With a self-published first edition novel at the age of seventeen, she embarked on a path that would lead her to explore various forms of writing and hone her skills as an author.
Follow along by following M.E. on Instagram (@maryeroyce) and TikTok (@xmeroyce).
Follow along by following M.E. on Instagram (@maryeroyce) and TikTok (@xmeroyce).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 19, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and M.E Royce for this arc. Unfortunately I havre decided to dnf this book at 32%, I tried to get into it multiple times but found myself stopping and restarting so many times. Therefore, I have made the decision to not continue with this story. All thoughts are only on the basis of the first 32% of the novel, which equates to 111/338 pages.
First, I would like to acknowledge that the premise is intriguing and definitely caught my attention. But I was confused. I spent the vast majority of the pages I read confused with what was happening and getting a vast amount of information overload. I understand the importance of a fantasy information dump but think that this one may need some polishing. I think that this book would benefit from more editing, some more readers who can give this the feedback it needs to be more readable. I just found myself constantly unsure of what was happening and it made my reading experience undesirable, especially when compared to others. The dialogue also could use work too. I apologise for the bluntness in this review, and mean no malice in leaving this review however it did leave me with these thoughts. I try my best to give a book the best shot I can, reading here and there until I’m done, but I just couldn’t get there with this one.
First, I would like to acknowledge that the premise is intriguing and definitely caught my attention. But I was confused. I spent the vast majority of the pages I read confused with what was happening and getting a vast amount of information overload. I understand the importance of a fantasy information dump but think that this one may need some polishing. I think that this book would benefit from more editing, some more readers who can give this the feedback it needs to be more readable. I just found myself constantly unsure of what was happening and it made my reading experience undesirable, especially when compared to others. The dialogue also could use work too. I apologise for the bluntness in this review, and mean no malice in leaving this review however it did leave me with these thoughts. I try my best to give a book the best shot I can, reading here and there until I’m done, but I just couldn’t get there with this one.
June 29, 2024
The description of this book sounded so good, and the cover is so beautiful that I applied for an arc as soon as I saw it listed on NetGalley. I wasn’t really a fan of the actual book though. I spent most of my time confused while reading this. I felt like I had to go back and reread multiple times to understand where I was at in the story.
I think I’m going to give this book another shot in the future in case it’s just that I’m not in the mood for it at the moment.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think I’m going to give this book another shot in the future in case it’s just that I’m not in the mood for it at the moment.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2024
Ok…I’ve got a lot to say about this book, but let me start with an introduction.
Eyolin is an orphan, left with no family in Alagana. In this realm, certain elves are gifted with magic, and if they do not manifest it and gain their gemstone, they loose it by their twentieth birthday. Eyolin is determined to do just that, as she tries to live out the rest of her life with what small and meager memories of her family she has left, and be free. However, with only one year left, those plans are derailed when the tyrant king of a neighboring kingdom becomes…interested with what she can do. In order to protect herself and learn to defend against this king, she is forced to access and accept her powers, and is thrust into this world of politics and magic that she so wanted to stay away from.
This is very much a high fantasy book. There are inklings of romance, but I would not say that this is a romantasy in any sense of the word, at least with this first book. If the romance develops with the next two, then possibly. This was a slow read just due to the amount of world building and heavy fantasy elements within. While I loved this aspect, it just made it more of a slower read. Hoonestly, this world seems very interesting, and the political dynamics seem to play a very important role in how each of these characters proceed with their paths. I love how fate and one’s predestiny is used and abused in this book, and I hope that continues with the next ones! I do recommend this to high fantasy readers, who prefer/don’t mind there being almost no romance element in it :)
Eyolin is an orphan, left with no family in Alagana. In this realm, certain elves are gifted with magic, and if they do not manifest it and gain their gemstone, they loose it by their twentieth birthday. Eyolin is determined to do just that, as she tries to live out the rest of her life with what small and meager memories of her family she has left, and be free. However, with only one year left, those plans are derailed when the tyrant king of a neighboring kingdom becomes…interested with what she can do. In order to protect herself and learn to defend against this king, she is forced to access and accept her powers, and is thrust into this world of politics and magic that she so wanted to stay away from.
This is very much a high fantasy book. There are inklings of romance, but I would not say that this is a romantasy in any sense of the word, at least with this first book. If the romance develops with the next two, then possibly. This was a slow read just due to the amount of world building and heavy fantasy elements within. While I loved this aspect, it just made it more of a slower read. Hoonestly, this world seems very interesting, and the political dynamics seem to play a very important role in how each of these characters proceed with their paths. I love how fate and one’s predestiny is used and abused in this book, and I hope that continues with the next ones! I do recommend this to high fantasy readers, who prefer/don’t mind there being almost no romance element in it :)
February 24, 2025
**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC of The Moon Tear in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.**
4.5⭐️
For once when a book says it's lore heavy like LOTR, they mean it! I was so happy to see such a YA high fantasy- truly a breath of fresh air in the current market. I think a lot of people forget that this is what high fantasy is- it is lots of world building and lore and it can be very slow, and the focus on romance is very little. I found The Moon Tear to have excellent characters and a captivating world, and I cannot wait for the next installment in the series!
4.5⭐️
For once when a book says it's lore heavy like LOTR, they mean it! I was so happy to see such a YA high fantasy- truly a breath of fresh air in the current market. I think a lot of people forget that this is what high fantasy is- it is lots of world building and lore and it can be very slow, and the focus on romance is very little. I found The Moon Tear to have excellent characters and a captivating world, and I cannot wait for the next installment in the series!
July 1, 2024
As the author, I have stared at these words and lived with these characters for so many years through so many revisions that I was truly nervous to read The Moon Tear in print… well… this is the story I’ve always wanted to read! It embodies the world that my teenage self created in my backyard and breaths life into characters who so have long lived in my mind.
⚔️Eyolin Kyenz-ushteira is not the typical heroine in the way that readers may expect, for there are allusions to romance, but that does not drive the plot. Eyolin has agency, aspirations, and dreams that are warped at every turn, and for that she must tackle grief and pain and loss, but will come out stronger for it. She must learn to lean on others rather than barrel forward as she has always done, even when Fate demands she pay a price.
✨The magik and religion and histories of this world are complex and fantastical with new languages and creatures that grew from my imagination as I wrote.
Perhaps the story won’t be for you… but what if it is? What if it is precisely what you need to hear? Because I fell in love with Alagana and the tales that must be told. And maybe you’ll join me in the journey.
❤️ xx M.E.
⚔️Eyolin Kyenz-ushteira is not the typical heroine in the way that readers may expect, for there are allusions to romance, but that does not drive the plot. Eyolin has agency, aspirations, and dreams that are warped at every turn, and for that she must tackle grief and pain and loss, but will come out stronger for it. She must learn to lean on others rather than barrel forward as she has always done, even when Fate demands she pay a price.
✨The magik and religion and histories of this world are complex and fantastical with new languages and creatures that grew from my imagination as I wrote.
Perhaps the story won’t be for you… but what if it is? What if it is precisely what you need to hear? Because I fell in love with Alagana and the tales that must be told. And maybe you’ll join me in the journey.
❤️ xx M.E.
August 12, 2024
I had a hard time making it through this book, mostly because there is a lot of setup and world-building at the expense of the story at hand.
I didn't feel like I got to connect much with any of the characters because this book was so focused on the backstory. I did find it refreshing that the main character wasn't immediately involved in a romance and if there were any hints of one to come, it's sure to be a nice slow burn.
It seems like much of the action that occurs in this book doesn't happen until the last third or so, and feels crammed in even if it is pretty exciting once it gets going.
The society and system of magic that Royce describes is intriguing, so I may have to look into the rest of the series to see if it picks up a little more!
I didn't feel like I got to connect much with any of the characters because this book was so focused on the backstory. I did find it refreshing that the main character wasn't immediately involved in a romance and if there were any hints of one to come, it's sure to be a nice slow burn.
It seems like much of the action that occurs in this book doesn't happen until the last third or so, and feels crammed in even if it is pretty exciting once it gets going.
The society and system of magic that Royce describes is intriguing, so I may have to look into the rest of the series to see if it picks up a little more!
Read
August 28, 2025DNF at pg. 110 (23%)
Despite the intriguing premise being centered around elves and elvish culture, I'm just not latching onto anything with the story itself or its characters. The prologue grants The Moon Tear a strong start, but the first eight chapters mostly info-dump at you without drawing you into the world. The magical factions, the politics, the legends of gods, the mutual hostility between elves and humans all sound complicated, but the way I'm held at arms length from them betrays their shallowness. How the main character, Eyolin, is written might have something to do with this. She is armed with a dark and tragic backstory, which involves her running from a prophecy that states she will destroy everything if she embraces her magic. We meet her as she scrapes a meager living together after the alleged death of her entire family, so close to achieving the life she wants (?) just before it all goes up in smoke.
Unfortunately, this backstory does too much heavy lifting for her because she is without personality otherwise. Her POV tells rather than shows you this story, and it all feels somewhat passionless. I should be sympathizing with her and caring about her struggles, but instead, I'm constantly wondering about her motivations and why she moves through the world the way she does.
I spent a lot of time watching Eyolin stumble her way from one scene to the next, flung into dramatic something to dramatic something. I say something because the book never lets you or Eyolin breathe to absorb what's happening to her, and from the text itself, I can't say what really happened or why it was important enough for us both to care. You know how some books or films have cold opens that fling you immediately into the plot without context, but then you slowly figure out what's going on as events unfold? The scenes I've read so far are cold open after cold open.
There's some intriguing ideas here, like how elvish magic works and is currently fading, how there's a demonic realm trying to push to the surface. There's some not-so-intriguing ones, too, like how this one elven society is misogynistic for seemingly no reason and how Kipp has shadow daddy language attributed to him. But so far, there's no "male/female" nonsense and no mate language, so I give Royce points for that.
Right now, the author is simply telling too much about her fantasy world without giving readers a chance to feel like it's lived in, like they could step into it, too, if they wanted. If she slows down a bit and introduces concepts gradually and more organically, to say nothing of also describing characters and allowing them to stick around longer and develop more of a presence, I think the story could benefit greatly. I know this book is self-published, so it's unreasonable to expect perfection, but there's a few more housekeeping things Royce can do in the future to make the reading experience more enjoyable. For me, those things include: 1) watching the slips into present tense from past tense and 2) tightening up the copy editing and line editing so more typos are caught, correct words are used in place of not-quite-right ones, and ideas flow with more clarity.
Despite the intriguing premise being centered around elves and elvish culture, I'm just not latching onto anything with the story itself or its characters. The prologue grants The Moon Tear a strong start, but the first eight chapters mostly info-dump at you without drawing you into the world. The magical factions, the politics, the legends of gods, the mutual hostility between elves and humans all sound complicated, but the way I'm held at arms length from them betrays their shallowness. How the main character, Eyolin, is written might have something to do with this. She is armed with a dark and tragic backstory, which involves her running from a prophecy that states she will destroy everything if she embraces her magic. We meet her as she scrapes a meager living together after the alleged death of her entire family, so close to achieving the life she wants (?) just before it all goes up in smoke.
Unfortunately, this backstory does too much heavy lifting for her because she is without personality otherwise. Her POV tells rather than shows you this story, and it all feels somewhat passionless. I should be sympathizing with her and caring about her struggles, but instead, I'm constantly wondering about her motivations and why she moves through the world the way she does.
I spent a lot of time watching Eyolin stumble her way from one scene to the next, flung into dramatic something to dramatic something. I say something because the book never lets you or Eyolin breathe to absorb what's happening to her, and from the text itself, I can't say what really happened or why it was important enough for us both to care. You know how some books or films have cold opens that fling you immediately into the plot without context, but then you slowly figure out what's going on as events unfold? The scenes I've read so far are cold open after cold open.
There's some intriguing ideas here, like how elvish magic works and is currently fading, how there's a demonic realm trying to push to the surface. There's some not-so-intriguing ones, too, like how this one elven society is misogynistic for seemingly no reason and how Kipp has shadow daddy language attributed to him. But so far, there's no "male/female" nonsense and no mate language, so I give Royce points for that.
Right now, the author is simply telling too much about her fantasy world without giving readers a chance to feel like it's lived in, like they could step into it, too, if they wanted. If she slows down a bit and introduces concepts gradually and more organically, to say nothing of also describing characters and allowing them to stick around longer and develop more of a presence, I think the story could benefit greatly. I know this book is self-published, so it's unreasonable to expect perfection, but there's a few more housekeeping things Royce can do in the future to make the reading experience more enjoyable. For me, those things include: 1) watching the slips into present tense from past tense and 2) tightening up the copy editing and line editing so more typos are caught, correct words are used in place of not-quite-right ones, and ideas flow with more clarity.
August 18, 2025
After a slow start, this book slyly drew me in and finally spit me out on my arse.
The story is so richly detailed I am feeling very greedy for more.
I did find a few errors amongst the pages, but nothing of consequence.
This is the exact depth of a story I have been looking for, this is a true fantasy, no smut, no romance, just pure action, adventure, mystery and beautiful characters that come to life with each progressive arc.
Filled to the brim with magic and manipulation, I am pleased to say, I have not read anything like this for a long time. While other books cling to the merest trickle of these topics, never fully unleashing the potential. Just skimming the surface of a plotline then deviating off course. This book defied that easy path and forged an utterly enthralling adventure.
Now I wouldn't say, I don't love that barely there plot alot of books have, because I very much do. The Moon Tear, however, gave me Hobbit/Lord of the Rings vibes with the sheer intensity of the plot. I was rooting for the characters, each in their own way a mixture of all things that make me crave more.
The book while it's written in 3rd person, didn't give me the usual info dumping that tends to arise in others. Instead, the magic of the words, the highly detailed journey that all have taken. Felt guided by the hand of fate.
I honestly don't know what is to come in this beautiful story, but I actually can't wait to read more.
I have lots of questions, but I shall save them for the next works Royce brings forth, perhaps they shall be answered then. Perhaps not.
If you love heavy, war oriented, elvish stories, with demons and darkness, then I thoroughly recommend giving this book a read.
Plenty of magic, portal jumping, villains and special dragons. It's truly a breath of fresh air. For me, atleast.
There is a lot of death, and destruction in these pages, so if you're not keen on that, move on I guess.
4 shiny stars for this beaut.
I look forward to finding out what happens to our MCs. I am still miffed at the cliffhanger ending, but atleast it wasn't a pivotal moment as compared to others in the book that the author could have cut us off at.
I am thankful for that.
If it'd ended at any other moment, I'd have flung my kindle at the wall.
So bring it on Royce, I'm deep in it and I feel like I'm slipping into the cracks of Midriel while I wonder what you will bring us next. You've gained my trust so far, now drive it home.
The story is so richly detailed I am feeling very greedy for more.
I did find a few errors amongst the pages, but nothing of consequence.
This is the exact depth of a story I have been looking for, this is a true fantasy, no smut, no romance, just pure action, adventure, mystery and beautiful characters that come to life with each progressive arc.
Filled to the brim with magic and manipulation, I am pleased to say, I have not read anything like this for a long time. While other books cling to the merest trickle of these topics, never fully unleashing the potential. Just skimming the surface of a plotline then deviating off course. This book defied that easy path and forged an utterly enthralling adventure.
Now I wouldn't say, I don't love that barely there plot alot of books have, because I very much do. The Moon Tear, however, gave me Hobbit/Lord of the Rings vibes with the sheer intensity of the plot. I was rooting for the characters, each in their own way a mixture of all things that make me crave more.
The book while it's written in 3rd person, didn't give me the usual info dumping that tends to arise in others. Instead, the magic of the words, the highly detailed journey that all have taken. Felt guided by the hand of fate.
I honestly don't know what is to come in this beautiful story, but I actually can't wait to read more.
I have lots of questions, but I shall save them for the next works Royce brings forth, perhaps they shall be answered then. Perhaps not.
If you love heavy, war oriented, elvish stories, with demons and darkness, then I thoroughly recommend giving this book a read.
Plenty of magic, portal jumping, villains and special dragons. It's truly a breath of fresh air. For me, atleast.
There is a lot of death, and destruction in these pages, so if you're not keen on that, move on I guess.
4 shiny stars for this beaut.
I look forward to finding out what happens to our MCs. I am still miffed at the cliffhanger ending, but atleast it wasn't a pivotal moment as compared to others in the book that the author could have cut us off at.
I am thankful for that.
If it'd ended at any other moment, I'd have flung my kindle at the wall.
So bring it on Royce, I'm deep in it and I feel like I'm slipping into the cracks of Midriel while I wonder what you will bring us next. You've gained my trust so far, now drive it home.
July 25, 2024
I think this is the worst luck I've ever had with picking my favorite characters...
The Moon Tear is the first novel in a high fantasy trilogy with elves and magic and plenty of other fascinating creatures. I've seen other reviews claiming this book was confusing, and I was prepared to devote all of my energy to not being confused...but I was. It definitely could have benefitted from a glossary and maybe some deeper worldbuilding? I hate saying I need to be spoon-fed the lore, but I'm stupid and apparently can't retain information unless I'm beat over the head with it.
Like I said, the plot was kind of confusing. The basic gist of the story is that Eyolin is an elf with a hidden destructive power that's been prophesized about, and everyone is trying to use her or kill her. It sounds easy to understand, but I think the issue I had with comprehension was that I had no idea where the story was going next. I struggled to grasp a rhyme or reason for anything...she was training, and then she was on the run, and then she was training again, and then all of a sudden, everyone was dying? It could be an error on my part (and, honestly, it almost certainly was), but I just didn't understand entirely what was going on at any given time. That being said, I liked the ending, and it sets up for an interesting sequel.I'm just not sure if I'll read it.
Another issue I had was that I liked the side characters more than the main ones, which is never a good thing (because they all die usually). Eyolin was fine as a protagonist, but she felt a bit cliche in the "chosen one with a power she'll never understand." Kipp spent most of the book drunk...and everyone else suffered because of it. I liked Jet and wish he got more page time, and the same goes for Dale. I hated Karok at first (because his name looks like Korok ... if you know, you know), but I grew to love him. The villains were pretty decent but not incredibly memorable - although, again, that might be a "me" problem.
The Moon Tear is a high fantasy story about a girl with the potential to destroy and what it means to defy one's fate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.25/5
The Moon Tear is the first novel in a high fantasy trilogy with elves and magic and plenty of other fascinating creatures. I've seen other reviews claiming this book was confusing, and I was prepared to devote all of my energy to not being confused...but I was. It definitely could have benefitted from a glossary and maybe some deeper worldbuilding? I hate saying I need to be spoon-fed the lore, but I'm stupid and apparently can't retain information unless I'm beat over the head with it.
Like I said, the plot was kind of confusing. The basic gist of the story is that Eyolin is an elf with a hidden destructive power that's been prophesized about, and everyone is trying to use her or kill her. It sounds easy to understand, but I think the issue I had with comprehension was that I had no idea where the story was going next. I struggled to grasp a rhyme or reason for anything...she was training, and then she was on the run, and then she was training again, and then all of a sudden, everyone was dying? It could be an error on my part (and, honestly, it almost certainly was), but I just didn't understand entirely what was going on at any given time. That being said, I liked the ending, and it sets up for an interesting sequel.I'm just not sure if I'll read it.
Another issue I had was that I liked the side characters more than the main ones, which is never a good thing (because they all die usually). Eyolin was fine as a protagonist, but she felt a bit cliche in the "chosen one with a power she'll never understand." Kipp spent most of the book drunk...and everyone else suffered because of it. I liked Jet and wish he got more page time, and the same goes for Dale. I hated Karok at first (because his name looks like Korok ... if you know, you know), but I grew to love him. The villains were pretty decent but not incredibly memorable - although, again, that might be a "me" problem.
The Moon Tear is a high fantasy story about a girl with the potential to destroy and what it means to defy one's fate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.25/5
June 29, 2024
My mind is a flurry of thoughts after finishing this book, but I’ll try to organise them.
The fmc, Eyolin, starts off as a nobody, who just wants a simple life and is willing to try anything to make it happen. This just happens to take her to unimaginable heights. She is strong and smart despite everything and works hard to achieve her goals, every moment had me rooting for her!
Kipp is a mysterious character, bound to Eyolin through magik, though she doesn’t know that. He’s assumed to be dangerous, and proves it many times, just not to Eyolin, he has his own agenda.
Dale and Karok are both humans, seemingly mundane but truly incredible in their capabilities and loyalty.
Royce spun a tale of friendship for someone who never had friends, camaraderie and deception. And did it wonderfully. The world building is thorough and well executed, bringing to life an enchanting and intriguing world full of wonderful and dangerous creatures. The relationships between characters are beautiful and complex, with multiple layers and potential outcomes. Many times I found myself feeling a certain way about a character only for it to be revealed that they were the complete opposite!
This book perfectly sets up the narrative for the books to come, leaving me with so many questions, thoughts and theories! Will there be a love interest in the next book? If so, with who? Who won? Why did they end up there?
The Moon Tear is definitely full throttle fantasy, rather than a cute romantasy, with action, friendships and intrigue. The fmc is independent and headstrong, but learns to lean on the people around her, in order to become her best self, a nice reprieve from fmc’s who are strong until the man arrives to save them.
Beautifully done Royce.
Thank you for the EArc in exchange for my honest views and opinions.
The fmc, Eyolin, starts off as a nobody, who just wants a simple life and is willing to try anything to make it happen. This just happens to take her to unimaginable heights. She is strong and smart despite everything and works hard to achieve her goals, every moment had me rooting for her!
Kipp is a mysterious character, bound to Eyolin through magik, though she doesn’t know that. He’s assumed to be dangerous, and proves it many times, just not to Eyolin, he has his own agenda.
Dale and Karok are both humans, seemingly mundane but truly incredible in their capabilities and loyalty.
Royce spun a tale of friendship for someone who never had friends, camaraderie and deception. And did it wonderfully. The world building is thorough and well executed, bringing to life an enchanting and intriguing world full of wonderful and dangerous creatures. The relationships between characters are beautiful and complex, with multiple layers and potential outcomes. Many times I found myself feeling a certain way about a character only for it to be revealed that they were the complete opposite!
This book perfectly sets up the narrative for the books to come, leaving me with so many questions, thoughts and theories! Will there be a love interest in the next book? If so, with who? Who won? Why did they end up there?
The Moon Tear is definitely full throttle fantasy, rather than a cute romantasy, with action, friendships and intrigue. The fmc is independent and headstrong, but learns to lean on the people around her, in order to become her best self, a nice reprieve from fmc’s who are strong until the man arrives to save them.
Beautifully done Royce.
Thank you for the EArc in exchange for my honest views and opinions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start off by saying this: the premise of the book has potential and I believe that the author has a lot of room for growth in her writing.
That being said, when I first read the blurb of this book, I really thought that I would enjoy this. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I tried to force myself to read as much as I possibly could, but I could not get past the 30% mark and, as I was not enjoying it, I decided to DNF it.
This critique reflects only on that 30% of it, so keep that in mind as it may not apply to the rest of the book.
I found that this novel had a lot of info dumping and the writing style of the author didn't always sit right with me. I also had a few problems with the choices the author made on a line writing level (but as I've said before, I do think the author has some potential).
There was too much "telling" instead of "showing" as well, and I didn't connect with any of the characters. The FMC particularly seemed to be... bland.
But, believe it or not, I found the scenery description of the mountain in the prologue to be quite good, and I went so far as to underline it in green. And, as I said before, I do think the author has potential. I wouldn't be opposed to picking up another one of her books in the future when her writing style has matured and is more polished.
Let me start off by saying this: the premise of the book has potential and I believe that the author has a lot of room for growth in her writing.
That being said, when I first read the blurb of this book, I really thought that I would enjoy this. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I tried to force myself to read as much as I possibly could, but I could not get past the 30% mark and, as I was not enjoying it, I decided to DNF it.
This critique reflects only on that 30% of it, so keep that in mind as it may not apply to the rest of the book.
I found that this novel had a lot of info dumping and the writing style of the author didn't always sit right with me. I also had a few problems with the choices the author made on a line writing level (but as I've said before, I do think the author has some potential).
There was too much "telling" instead of "showing" as well, and I didn't connect with any of the characters. The FMC particularly seemed to be... bland.
But, believe it or not, I found the scenery description of the mountain in the prologue to be quite good, and I went so far as to underline it in green. And, as I said before, I do think the author has potential. I wouldn't be opposed to picking up another one of her books in the future when her writing style has matured and is more polished.
July 10, 2024
eARC Review
Book: The Moon Tear by M. E. Royce
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
I received this eARC from NetGalley for an honest review (but this book is published now so GO GET IT!!)
The Moon Tear is a vastly detailed and richly crafted novel. Royce builds an intricately designed world and magic system with a lovable cast of characters. She has created such a vibrant world and executed it so well, with so many layers to the plot.
Our FMC, Eyolin, was a joy to read. She is strong, capable, smart, and I adore her never-give-up attitude.
Our MMC, Kipp, had the mysterious morally grey baddie vibes down to a pat (and who doesn’t love that? 😍).
This novel was so lush in its design, details, characters, I thoroughly enjoyed my read-through. The Moon Tear has magic (magik), political intrigue, different races (& therefore racism), social classes (& therefore classism), platonic friendships (Karok, love 🥺), and what I believe is building to a slowwwwwburn romance.
If world building gets to be too much for you, you’ll want to take your time with this one as it might be confusing for some. Luckily I have a brain built for world building and I had no trouble keeping up! I’ve seen some people say the world building left them confused so just putting that out there.
Overall, this was a fantastic read and an incredible debut novel. A true work of art that deserves to be praised and highly regarded.
I highly recommend you read The Moon Tear!
Book: The Moon Tear by M. E. Royce
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
I received this eARC from NetGalley for an honest review (but this book is published now so GO GET IT!!)
The Moon Tear is a vastly detailed and richly crafted novel. Royce builds an intricately designed world and magic system with a lovable cast of characters. She has created such a vibrant world and executed it so well, with so many layers to the plot.
Our FMC, Eyolin, was a joy to read. She is strong, capable, smart, and I adore her never-give-up attitude.
Our MMC, Kipp, had the mysterious morally grey baddie vibes down to a pat (and who doesn’t love that? 😍).
This novel was so lush in its design, details, characters, I thoroughly enjoyed my read-through. The Moon Tear has magic (magik), political intrigue, different races (& therefore racism), social classes (& therefore classism), platonic friendships (Karok, love 🥺), and what I believe is building to a slowwwwwburn romance.
If world building gets to be too much for you, you’ll want to take your time with this one as it might be confusing for some. Luckily I have a brain built for world building and I had no trouble keeping up! I’ve seen some people say the world building left them confused so just putting that out there.
Overall, this was a fantastic read and an incredible debut novel. A true work of art that deserves to be praised and highly regarded.
I highly recommend you read The Moon Tear!
December 8, 2024
Firstly thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with this eARC!
I just want to start off this review by saying I really really wanted to enjoy this book. The synopsis is absolutely fantastic and ticked all the requirements that I want for a fantasy book. That being said, I found myself confused, frustrated, lost and unmotivated with reading this one.
The main character Eyolin is your standard main character in a fantasy novel. She’s cool, inspiring, powerful and likeable. But she just wasn’t enough of a positive for me to enjoy this book.
The main issue for me was the lore dump. The world and politics and magic system are awesome but there’s an abundance of info dumping during this book that leaves you confused. A lot. I found myself lost quite early on in the book and I had to reread certain bits which, even afterwards, I was still confused.
I found this really disappointing because the author has put so much time into creating this world but the way the story was written left me feeling like I was just not getting it.
I pushed through in the hope that I would understand it but I really didn’t. Which left me feeling frustrated at myself because I really wanted to get it
I may try to reread it in the future to see if it’s just my brain not getting it at the time of reading it. It’s a shame because as I said, the book overall is very much high fantasy and has everything you would want in this genre of book. It’s just the execution
I just want to start off this review by saying I really really wanted to enjoy this book. The synopsis is absolutely fantastic and ticked all the requirements that I want for a fantasy book. That being said, I found myself confused, frustrated, lost and unmotivated with reading this one.
The main character Eyolin is your standard main character in a fantasy novel. She’s cool, inspiring, powerful and likeable. But she just wasn’t enough of a positive for me to enjoy this book.
The main issue for me was the lore dump. The world and politics and magic system are awesome but there’s an abundance of info dumping during this book that leaves you confused. A lot. I found myself lost quite early on in the book and I had to reread certain bits which, even afterwards, I was still confused.
I found this really disappointing because the author has put so much time into creating this world but the way the story was written left me feeling like I was just not getting it.
I pushed through in the hope that I would understand it but I really didn’t. Which left me feeling frustrated at myself because I really wanted to get it
I may try to reread it in the future to see if it’s just my brain not getting it at the time of reading it. It’s a shame because as I said, the book overall is very much high fantasy and has everything you would want in this genre of book. It’s just the execution
June 26, 2024
i had the chance to read an advanced copy of this book through netgalley and will review honestly
this book could be something amazing, the blurb and the cover art really drew me in, but at 61% i DNF’d the book. the premise and the magic within the world that Royce has created is very unique and could make for amazing story telling but i was so confused whilst reading this book 😅
i understand the book is set in a fantasy world but i was struggling to see it in my head, the world building is very overly detailed but also lacking (if that makes any sense) there were times the author referred back to a character by their name but hadn’t previously told us that characters name and i was left feeling lost in the story, and not in the escapism way i was hoping for.
the story feels convoluted, its overly complex and if it was stripped back a bit and the characters fleshed out a little more then it could be something amazing.
i will be keeping an eye out on the author and look out for any other books they may publish as there is so much potential there, i just feel like it wasn’t executed well in this particular book.
this book could be something amazing, the blurb and the cover art really drew me in, but at 61% i DNF’d the book. the premise and the magic within the world that Royce has created is very unique and could make for amazing story telling but i was so confused whilst reading this book 😅
i understand the book is set in a fantasy world but i was struggling to see it in my head, the world building is very overly detailed but also lacking (if that makes any sense) there were times the author referred back to a character by their name but hadn’t previously told us that characters name and i was left feeling lost in the story, and not in the escapism way i was hoping for.
the story feels convoluted, its overly complex and if it was stripped back a bit and the characters fleshed out a little more then it could be something amazing.
i will be keeping an eye out on the author and look out for any other books they may publish as there is so much potential there, i just feel like it wasn’t executed well in this particular book.
June 23, 2025
As a long-time lover of young adult fantasy, The Moon Tear absolutely hit the mark for me. From the very first chapter, M.E. Royce pulls you into a beautifully woven world where danger lurks in every shadow and magic is both feared and forbidden. Eyolin, our protagonist, is the kind of character I instantly connected with—fiercely independent, wounded by loss, and brimming with untapped power.
The writing is lush and lyrical without ever slowing the pace. Royce has a talent for building an immersive world; the elvish city of Mainwood felt alive, from its towering trees to its underbelly of secrets and silent dangers. What I especially appreciated was the balance between the larger fantasy elements and Eyolin’s personal journey—her struggle with identity, memory, and magic felt intimate and real.
The plot kept me engaged, the character dynamics were layered and evolving, and there’s a quiet intensity in every scene that makes it hard to put down. The Moon Tear is one of those rare debut novels that feels fully formed and confidently written. I am already impatient for the sequel.
The writing is lush and lyrical without ever slowing the pace. Royce has a talent for building an immersive world; the elvish city of Mainwood felt alive, from its towering trees to its underbelly of secrets and silent dangers. What I especially appreciated was the balance between the larger fantasy elements and Eyolin’s personal journey—her struggle with identity, memory, and magic felt intimate and real.
The plot kept me engaged, the character dynamics were layered and evolving, and there’s a quiet intensity in every scene that makes it hard to put down. The Moon Tear is one of those rare debut novels that feels fully formed and confidently written. I am already impatient for the sequel.
June 23, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
“When a god whispers in your ear, you beg for the honor of living”.
I absolutely enjoyed this book. This is definitely more fantasy than what I am used to, but I am totally okay with that. I don’t think this book has any romance at all. M.E Royce does an excellent with the world-building and the magical system in the story. Eyolin our main FMC, who needs to figure out the direction her destiny is going to take her. However, there is a lot going on with the characters and their magical abilities in the narration you really have to pay attention. Otherwise, you will get lost in the mix of the book. Again, this book is so heavy on world-building due to the fantasy element, and I think that this story needed to devise the entire system to set up book two. There’s a bunch of action that I think is entertaining alongside the magic. This is a great book for all you fantasy lovers out there!
“When a god whispers in your ear, you beg for the honor of living”.
I absolutely enjoyed this book. This is definitely more fantasy than what I am used to, but I am totally okay with that. I don’t think this book has any romance at all. M.E Royce does an excellent with the world-building and the magical system in the story. Eyolin our main FMC, who needs to figure out the direction her destiny is going to take her. However, there is a lot going on with the characters and their magical abilities in the narration you really have to pay attention. Otherwise, you will get lost in the mix of the book. Again, this book is so heavy on world-building due to the fantasy element, and I think that this story needed to devise the entire system to set up book two. There’s a bunch of action that I think is entertaining alongside the magic. This is a great book for all you fantasy lovers out there!
August 21, 2024
2.5 / 5.0
The Moon Tear by ME Royce is about an exiled elvish debutante that is hiding so her magik (just spell it normal or give it anew word) doesn't destroy the world.
If you read the blurb on the back you'll have a better time than if you try to read the book. The writing isn't there yet. There are too many info-dumps, too much telling instead of showing, and too much reiteration of themes/scenes/plot points... the read isn't composed of all idiots, some of us can pick-up what you set down without so many words.
I read about 50% of the book and skimmed the rest. It wasn't an easy read because of the prose, and once you're caught in what the author is trying to say, you lose focus on where the story is supposed to be going.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read the eARC.
The Moon Tear by ME Royce is about an exiled elvish debutante that is hiding so her magik (just spell it normal or give it anew word) doesn't destroy the world.
If you read the blurb on the back you'll have a better time than if you try to read the book. The writing isn't there yet. There are too many info-dumps, too much telling instead of showing, and too much reiteration of themes/scenes/plot points... the read isn't composed of all idiots, some of us can pick-up what you set down without so many words.
I read about 50% of the book and skimmed the rest. It wasn't an easy read because of the prose, and once you're caught in what the author is trying to say, you lose focus on where the story is supposed to be going.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read the eARC.
January 18, 2025
The Moon Tear has interesting premise and blurb, insanely beautiful cover, and an intriguing title, but it feels like I missed an entire prequel book while reading this. Oftentimes things confused me, and I spent time guessing whether this particular word is a name, a term, or another magical race. And figuring out what is what or which is which unfortunately hinders me from understanding and enjoying the real story. I came across beautiful sentences, and I knew where the stakes go higher, so it's a bummer that I couldn't feel what the characters feel here, couldn't follow their footsteps and language.
Maybe I can enter the fantastic realm of Alagana in some other time, when I'm in the much better headspace to take all the conlang and worldbuilding in or if there's a practical guide to Alagana realm.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.
Maybe I can enter the fantastic realm of Alagana in some other time, when I'm in the much better headspace to take all the conlang and worldbuilding in or if there's a practical guide to Alagana realm.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.
June 26, 2024
I recieved an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I felt like this book had a super interesting premise, but the writing style just fell flat for me. I didn't really connect with the characters, and there were several lines throughout the book that I felt were just really strange and took me out of the immersion of reading. There's a lot of telling instead of showing in this writing style which just didn't connect with me. The build up for the next books in the series does seem promising though and I would be curious to see what happens next if the writing style was more to my liking.
I felt like this book had a super interesting premise, but the writing style just fell flat for me. I didn't really connect with the characters, and there were several lines throughout the book that I felt were just really strange and took me out of the immersion of reading. There's a lot of telling instead of showing in this writing style which just didn't connect with me. The build up for the next books in the series does seem promising though and I would be curious to see what happens next if the writing style was more to my liking.
July 1, 2024
📚 The Moon Tear
Alagana Teigoly Book 1
✍ M.E. Royce
📖 Fantasy
3.7★⚊
.
.
"𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬"...
.
Book one from Alagana trigoly..
.
I truly love the cover for this book is absolutely captivating..
The story is complex, with a good world building, and a good magic system..
However it can be slow, hard to keep up and very heavy with all the info and world building but I guess it has to be set for book 2..
.
.
All the feels:
🖤 sci/fantasy
🖤 YA
🖤 magic/elemental
🖤 action packed
.
Special thanks to M.E. Royce and Netgalley for this ARC, the opinions in here are on my own.
Alagana Teigoly Book 1
✍ M.E. Royce
📖 Fantasy
3.7★⚊
.
.
"𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬"...
.
Book one from Alagana trigoly..
.
I truly love the cover for this book is absolutely captivating..
The story is complex, with a good world building, and a good magic system..
However it can be slow, hard to keep up and very heavy with all the info and world building but I guess it has to be set for book 2..
.
.
All the feels:
🖤 sci/fantasy
🖤 YA
🖤 magic/elemental
🖤 action packed
.
Special thanks to M.E. Royce and Netgalley for this ARC, the opinions in here are on my own.
June 4, 2025
The premise of this book was really good, and the world and magic system is very complex. However, the world building felt incomplete, and I was very confused about what was going on way too often.
As described, the book is very lore heavy, like LOTR, and I don't find this type of books often enough, but the fact that it was written in such a way that it was hard to follow made me lose interest after a few pages, so I needed to take many breaks in order to finish it.
In conclusion, the idea of this book is great, but it feels unpolished
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As described, the book is very lore heavy, like LOTR, and I don't find this type of books often enough, but the fact that it was written in such a way that it was hard to follow made me lose interest after a few pages, so I needed to take many breaks in order to finish it.
In conclusion, the idea of this book is great, but it feels unpolished
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 18, 2024
The first book of high fantasy series always seems to drag for me in the beginning, this book did a little with all of the background and world building happening, but not as bad as others I have read. I felt like there are a lot of different creatures and types of “people” the keep track of with different magik abilities, but I eventually got the hang of it.
This had just a tiny amount of romance, a great fantasy read if you’re looking for something purely fantasy.
Overall a great read and I’m already looking forward to book 2!
This had just a tiny amount of romance, a great fantasy read if you’re looking for something purely fantasy.
Overall a great read and I’m already looking forward to book 2!
June 14, 2024
thank you to netgalley and m. e. royce for providing me with this arc of the moon tear!
i rather enjoyed this! i thought there'd be a lot of romance in it as there usually is in my experience in the first book of a trilogy, but the only bit of romance is very slight fake dating.
the only thing i didn't like was how jumpy it got, but i do think this is because i read too quickly to the point i skim and also i did take hours between reading sessions, so i'm going to overlook this.
i rather enjoyed this! i thought there'd be a lot of romance in it as there usually is in my experience in the first book of a trilogy, but the only bit of romance is very slight fake dating.
the only thing i didn't like was how jumpy it got, but i do think this is because i read too quickly to the point i skim and also i did take hours between reading sessions, so i'm going to overlook this.
June 28, 2024
ARC Review | I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley. I haven’t made past 45% of the book so this review is only relevant to the first half. The cover and blurb interested me in reading, and I can say that the there is a lot of world building written in this book. I do think there was a lot of information dumping, but the storyline is unique and has potential to be better. The author has room for growth in terms of her writing style. I would keep an eye out for her other books in the future in hopes that it would be refined and improved.
July 1, 2024
Disclaimer: Sent to me for free & here is my honest review!
I loved this! It was so refreshing and different from the fantasy I’ve read lately. You can clearly see the time and effort put into creating the world for the trilogy, without it feeling heavy handed. There is a little bit of everything in this, politics, magic, learning about the story through different timelines, different races and social classes, platonic friendship, slooooowburn romance!
I can’t wait for book two!
I loved this! It was so refreshing and different from the fantasy I’ve read lately. You can clearly see the time and effort put into creating the world for the trilogy, without it feeling heavy handed. There is a little bit of everything in this, politics, magic, learning about the story through different timelines, different races and social classes, platonic friendship, slooooowburn romance!
I can’t wait for book two!
September 15, 2024
The Moon Tear unfortunately fell flat for me. While the premise had potential, the execution left me wanting. The world-building felt shallow, and I struggled to connect with the characters. The dialogue was often clunky, and the plot felt predictable. There were a few interesting twists, but they weren't enough to salvage the overall experience. It's a shame, because I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn't deliver.
July 9, 2024
Gorgeous cover, beautifully designed world, great concept. Sub-par execution. Needed some serious content editing to make the story flow better. And also someone to say “a lot of these words are almost identical to Tolkien’s elvish… maybe we don’t do that.”
*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
June 18, 2024
ARC review
I was reeled in by the interesting magic system and the thrilling action scenes. While it definitely leans more towards high fantasy, M.E Royce’s world building had me really enjoying the story.
I was reeled in by the interesting magic system and the thrilling action scenes. While it definitely leans more towards high fantasy, M.E Royce’s world building had me really enjoying the story.
November 22, 2024
I tried to like this but it was honestly so convoluted and just a bit too much. The characters were different shades of meh and the constant flashbacks and references to the past got annoying quick. Honestly, I skimmed my way to the end.
June 10, 2024
Interesting elemental magic and great action scenes!
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