Moon Dark

by E.A. Field

A dark and thrilling re-imagining of Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera, MOON DARK is an adult romfantasy set in the manor and opera houses of late 1800s France. 


1865 Fredericksburg, England: When Ian is born his father enlists Victor, a renowned, eccentric physician friend, to perform a series of depraved surgeries to correct his son’s facial and limb deformity. But when people end up as corpses in alleys and body parts pile up in their lab, Ian becomes the victim of two men playing God.
Ian survives the forced experiments but his disfigurement and legacy from his father marks him as an unnatural demon among men. Outcasted and feared though his intelligence far outstrips his generation, Ian escapes his father and Victor when they decide he’s too dangerous to be left alive. But Ian finds himself lost in a civilization that will not accept him - until a Marquis takes an interest in him. Ian learns that love comes in all forms but that above all, power is survival. But power does not get Ian closer to existing in society or finding peace.
It’s at the Marquis’ estate that Ian meets Gisele, a seamstress employed by an opera company, who shows him what unconditional love is. She can see past his deformity to the creative, intensely lonely soul inside. When Ian learns Victor is using his father to hunt him, Gisele’s life is in danger. Victor will use Gisele as a bargaining piece and Ian is the only one who can protect her. He has lived as both man and monster and now is confronted with his prodigious creator. He will be forced to decide if he will give up his life for revenge or choose to save the woman who has given him everything.

Genres: Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 17, 2026

About the author

Emily lives in the Midwest where she struggles to escape the humid summers every year. While there are no official credentials to list for why she’s an expert on fantasy worlds, she has gotten lost in so many, she assumes that experience will speak for itself. She is the author of paranormal thriller IRL: In Real Life in which cursed zombies are hunted by an ancient archeological society and two gamers. She’s also written a short story that is a spin-off of IRL in Through the Aftermath anthology. She loves to blend genres with science fiction and fantasy being her favorites. She’s an avid cosplayer, animal rescuer, reader, and baker.

Please visit her at http://emilyafield.com

*Blue Moon is written under pen name Anne Bourne*

Reviews

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 2.75 stars ✰

“I am monstrous, and the unfortunate torture is that I do feel.”

Moon Dark is a creative attempt to merge three literary forces into one - Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Phantom of the Opera. Except for the recent release of Frankenstein fresh in my memory, I cannot say I have a mastery of each, to judge how much of this twisted dark fantasy was drawn from the original source and how much was the author's own unique spin of this tale of the dangerous pursuit of the afterlife, amidst the embers of a star-crossed romance. ⚖️

“I just wanted to remember us as... beautiful but never meant to bloom eternally.”

Dr. Victor Frankenstein's search for immortality at the expense of his friends, Edward and Maria's very existence lured me in. Without remorse, without consideration, his aim to fill the void in his heart was the driving force for his warped experimentation of even exploiting their son, Ian's tragic deformity and incongruous state for his own gain.

The start was the strongest part. ✨ Victor's thoughts, his insidious motives, the manic obsession that took root as he even ripped apart Edward's own mental conscience, simply for his skill and knowledge, was intoxicating in seeing how blinded he was by blind greed to challenge the laws of life in the wake of his grief following his wife's death. The tender almost paternal moments he shared with Ian was that faint glimmer he would maybe save Ian and himself from a worse fate that was already set in motion. 🌓

When the plot shifted to Ian, as a monster on the loose, I felt the narrative also spiral downward. Maybe I wanted more of the chase, rather than experiencing life in different shades - the good, the bad, and the new. It's a dark time, but even after darkness, light has a way to shine through. A respite from pain, from ordeal, that was offered by the Marquis of Le Reven - Armand.

“I would like to see more of the world.'
'I'd take you to see it, if you'd let me.”

His brief time with Armand was the other side of the mirror that showed Ian that not only is the world not full of monsters, but there are those who saw him as so much more. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 A meaningful friendship with one who saw the riches in his heart and eyes that those who unfairly judged him and never offered a loving gentle hand without ulterior expectations refused to acknowledge. It was the calm before the storm, and maybe in another life it would have ended differently. 🥺

It was the final act at the Opera House that lost its magic. 🥀 As a phantom of the shadows searching for love, I was not a fan of the alternative pov jumps, because to me, I did not feel that the character was deserving of it, especially with how it ended... It left me with even a more unpleasant taste in my mouth, which did not leave fully satisfied with how it concluded. 😒

I would have liked if we could have had more of Victor's pov later on; the chase he hinted of not letting go of his prized possession, his creation, did not leave a visceral impact. 😕 I liked how one's guilt and conscience did allow for a chance for redemption. I felt that small but fleeting instance to right the wrong that one had failed to do when the time was right.

“I recognized the monster inside him as the same that lived in me.”

It should have been more impactful. It would have even been an interesting twist to see if Victor's paternal fondness of Ian could have made him grow a conscience, rather than staking a claim on him as his creation. 😢 I should have felt the madness of his pursuit, or even Ian's quiet resolve at their final confrontation. It was outweighed by an outsider (yes, I'm bitter about it) that I did not feel deserved the final closing call, let alone that final comment passed, which upset me, for some unexplainable reason.

The writing is in first perspective, which did not help during the action scenes, as it lacked the emotional intensity to fully capture the impact of the moment. It also had a bit of an imbalance to it, and I don't mean also how the tone did not always align with the time. The usage for certain word choices was also perplexing. 🤨 On one hand, there's —

“Do you think a human experiment could be called one of God's creations if it was created by a man?”

Thought-provoking 👍🏻... And then there's...

“... to my horror hot liquid salt leaked from my eyes.”

I mean.... 🤦🏻‍♀️ Why not just say tears, like the tears I shed when I read that? 😭

And yes, I know ARCS do not have to be completely proofread or edited; but if it is of any help, here are a few errant typos that caught my eye.

'... was there was anything in this life but suffering?'

'... her welcome advances still tormented me. Her er I'd been weak in my desire to feel the touch of a woman, and I'd settled for her for a moment.'

I do not mean any disrespect, at all. I'm just saying that these slight errors do affect the fluidity of reading, ones that have you do a double take when you stumble mid-sentence. So, if these were missed in the first cut, I just wanted to bring a couple to attention so that before final print, it could help to do another revision to give it a finer polish. 🌕

*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Joy Metzger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was dark AF; check the trigger warnings. I wanted to like this because of the mash-up of Frankenstein with Phantom of the Opera. I liked the idea but the execution… not so much. The book is told in 4 parts. The characters in part 1 are unlikable, selfish, all around reprehensible people with the exception of Ian, the MMC we follow through the rest of the story. I quite liked the Marquis and Gisele characters and their relationships with Ian. I think this story was just too dark and the ending was sad.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me a read! When it comes to Phantom of the Opera stuff, this Leoux-y gal needs to eat.

This has to be one of the most unique and interesting Phantom infused tales I've read (and I've read a lot). With this we not only have Phantom as inspiration, but we have Jekyll & Hyde, and Frankenstein.

So this is how it all connects:

Edward [Hyde] is our Ian (Erik's) father. Victor [Frankenstein] is a friend of the father. When Ian's mother delivers the child and he is deformed and 'dies', Victor brings him back to life using the heart of another, a leg of another. Edward keeps Ian from breaking out into a family inherited version of the madness.

The reason I rated the story down is that while the story being told in first person (through various POV) is a nod to the original Frankenstein tale, I found the details and the insights on the characters lacking. I felt that I didn't get the depth and exploration outside the boundaries of that of the original characters the author was playing with.

In no way was this a horrible book, it just felt like each of the characters were on this endless, no time for rest of reflection of getting the plot moving (don't stop to sniff the flowers) type of story. And when you're working not with one but several different literary antagonists you want to get deeper with them than the basic 'stories' we know them to have.

I DID however love the unrequited M/M portion and was sad to see it not pan out as I hoped it would.

The ending was one that felt right for the character, and I applaud the author for it. Though, it did feel like the elements that led up to it were on speed-drive.

[Lainey Kreinbrink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I was chosen to be an ARC reader for this book! I'm obsessed with Phantom of the Opera, so of course I wanted to read it and I was not disappointed!

If you’re a fan of Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, then this book is for you! This dark, gothic reimagining beautifully weaves together the essence of all three classics into something fresh and hauntingly original. The atmosphere was rich and eerie, and the characters had so much depth. The author made me both love and hate them in the best possible way. I couldn’t put it down!

[Kellie Laflin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I think there are some readers, maybe those who are very plot focused or huge fans of the inspiring works, who would really enjoy this. It’s a creative premise that could scratch that fan-service itch in a unique way.

For me, though, I couldn’t get past the execution. From the start, the story moves at a rapid pace, which doesn’t leave much time for self reflection. We end up in a very “tell, not show” situation, with the character’s histories with each other, their feelings about it all, and even at times the current plot points being spelled out in a rapid staccato. It was difficult to follow at times, and the prose on the whole could benefit from some proper pacing and sophistication.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing CO for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara N Gabrys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so addicting! I could not stop reading! The way the author writes her dialogue felt so real to the time era.

I felt for Ian so much and it was heartwrenching to read his story. I had to skim through some of the dark parts because my fragile heart could not take it.

This story is complex and really dives into morally gray topics of revenge and science.

I absolutely adored how the classic tales were woven into one another to create an entirely new story!
It did indeed break my heart!
A must read!!

[Amanda H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I didn’t like dark romance, but it turns out that some dark romance actually can be for me - it can even make me cry at the end.

This haunting and dark tale is a re-imagining of Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera, which borders on horror.

This book is written in four acts. Starting in Act I with a character that I had multiple negative feelings towards. Victor, our first MMC, is single-minded, selfish, and depraved. Despite this start, the story held my interest.

Act II features Ian, our true MC. This section helped us to better understand his growth as a character. The MC shows perseverance above all else; originally, the choices in his life were not his to make, as a child, but also as a “monster”. However, in the second portion of the story, his choices become his own. We see superstition, judgment, and cruelty in the first and second halves of the story by the general public against the MC’s character.

The characters that had me deeply interested in the story, though, are Armand in Act ||| and most certainly, Giselle, our FMC, who enters in Act III and stays until the very end.

Thank you to the author for the eARC of Moon Dark by E.A. Field.

[Selene Evenstar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

To put it kindly, this book was very much not it for me...and I love gothic horror classics. The somewhat interesting premise suffers clear lack of skill and poor execution.

This is an attempt to blend the tales of the Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Frankenstein monster. The idea itself is original and compelling, and the main character is a pitiable creation that one cannot help but feel sorry for since the author decides to put him in one abusive situation after the other (often to not much point!).

The execution, however, is simply not good - this is the best example of tell and not show I have ever read. The reader is left to do absolutely nothing but watch a carousel of reels where protagonist A does this followed by that because he thought in this way, followed by protagonist B, C, etc. This is exacerbated by the first person narration that makes it feel more like we are reading the diary of a 5th grader - I woke up today, I had breakfast, I felt bad about an exam coming up so I asked mom to stay home but she looked at me sternly and told me to get it together but my best friend who I had known for most of my life helped me execute my plan.... and this goes on for 350+ pages. The multiple POVs are written in the exact same manner and were it not for the events unfolding and being narrated as per the above structure, one could never be able to guess whose inner voice was on the page - they feel and sound exactly the same.

The publisher has asked not to mention typographical errors, but it is not the typography that is the issue here - it is the lack of editing. We are hammered with the same information over and over and over again, everyone is characterized for us, explains their exact thought process for us (multiple times, lest we don't understand it the first) and the prose is just ... contemporary. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is simply not the right style for someone who clearly takes inspiration from three of the greatest works of Gothic literature. Wording like "Edward was a top surgeon", "Knee deep in shit in the jungle bur worth the trek just for the rare fruit, plants and scantily clad women", "I should never have agreed to these insane living conditions", "evidence of their violence was evident", "such a stupid little decision that changed the course of both our futures" and many many more of the sort. There are also several continuity errors to top it all off.

Character work is also poor - pretty much everyone is unlikable and completely remote due to the writing style - we see events happen to them from afar, often for shock value, yet we feel nothing. There is always a convenient character that is able to sneak up in some manner (though there are at least two of the main characters that have superhuman senses) and tell us what is happening to our main protagonists (if the author has decided not to use their POV). In this way the character is conveniently updated on the relationships forming, yet the reader feels even more remote, since we are seeing it all through a third person's eyes.

Overall, this is a poor attempt at modern gothic horror with fantasy romance inclinations. The author has big shoes to fill in the genre and unfortunately clearly bit off more than they could chew. I would count it as a missed opportunity as the premise clearly shows promise.

[Kyle A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was privileged enough to be able to follow this book through its development process and into the final form presented here, I could not be a bigger fan and advocate for it and believe it to be one of the best, if not the best, fantasy books I've read in a while. I say that even as a reader who's not normally into the more romantasy side of fantasy — and yes, there's plenty of both dark and spicy content in here to satisfy both groups. But the best and most brilliant part is seeing three great Gothic horror classics (Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, and Phantom of the Opera) melded into something entirely new and brilliant.

While there may be something to be said about the drawbacks of dividing the book into quarters with set POV characters on sole display (while still strong, I found the Armand section to be the weak link in my mind) — starting with essentially the book's antagonist getting a major POV role is a bold move on the part of the author, but necessary to understanding what happens next — I found all the characters to be arresting and fascinating to read, if not entirely sympathetic. If you're a fan of the above-mentioned works, or just a haunting and dark fantasy romance read for a cold winter night, I cannot overstate how much you need to pick up this book. It is, simply put, a triumph.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think that this book was for me. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, even our main characters, I love a dark romance. I love a dark fantasy. I love a dark fantasy romance. But I need to like at least one character or thing about the book, and aside from the idea of it, I didn’t like this book.

I pushed through because I thought maybe one of the later parts would turn things around for me, but they really didn’t.

Make sure you check content warnings for this book!

Thank you very much to Rising Action Publishing Co and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[mo • lesmotsdemo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did end up enjoying this book, even though it took me some time to get into it. The first part was my least favorite (even though I understand its importance for the plot) and I’m glad the story got better as it went on. The atmosphere was dark and grim and gloomy and I liked it a lot. Ian was probably the most interesting character to me (and the most likeable to some extent), Victor was hard to tolerate and the other characters did not particularly stand out for me. I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a dark and unique kind of read — and quite violent as well, even though it did not bother me at all.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the perfect time of year for me (early November). This book is full of dark, Gothic atmosphere and mood. It pays homage to some of the all time great classical horror hits while providing a fresh storym I am not someone who normally enjoys multiple perspectives in a book, but enjoyed viewing the motivations on the antagonist and his misguided intentions. This is a perfect fall book for anyone who enjoys horror and romance.