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By the Sickle Moon
Not yet published
Expected 2 Feb 27A debut contemporary fantasy perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Charlaine Harris, featuring werewolves, fae princes, and an ancient curse in rural America.
Alana Taskey—part elf, part werewolf, all sass—has all-time rotten luck. In her middle-of-nowhere hometown, her trailer routinely goes missing and she’s usually left holding the bag when her ill-tempered father gets into trouble.
When Alana is in a car accident that kills Mrs. O’Brien—known affectionately around town as Mamaw Faery—the fae’s eerily beautiful and undeniably magnetic grandson blames Alana. Alana then accidentally taps into ancient fae magic to swear an oath that will curse her and her family in three days’ time unless she delivers the one magical item that can fix everything she the Feather of Mother Donaghy.
As Alana and her beloved half-brother Gervis search for the Feather, they meet another handsome fae, haggle with the local sea monster (who is also the fry cook at the burger joint), and ferret out a nearby nest of arrogant vampires, all while avoiding the police and their father. As the clock ticks down, Alana will have to use her brash wits, her hillbilly ways, and just a touch of magic to save her family and find something bigger for herself.
Alana Taskey—part elf, part werewolf, all sass—has all-time rotten luck. In her middle-of-nowhere hometown, her trailer routinely goes missing and she’s usually left holding the bag when her ill-tempered father gets into trouble.
When Alana is in a car accident that kills Mrs. O’Brien—known affectionately around town as Mamaw Faery—the fae’s eerily beautiful and undeniably magnetic grandson blames Alana. Alana then accidentally taps into ancient fae magic to swear an oath that will curse her and her family in three days’ time unless she delivers the one magical item that can fix everything she the Feather of Mother Donaghy.
As Alana and her beloved half-brother Gervis search for the Feather, they meet another handsome fae, haggle with the local sea monster (who is also the fry cook at the burger joint), and ferret out a nearby nest of arrogant vampires, all while avoiding the police and their father. As the clock ticks down, Alana will have to use her brash wits, her hillbilly ways, and just a touch of magic to save her family and find something bigger for herself.
- GenresRomance
352 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 2, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 28, 2026
- ARC received from NetGalley -
It's an urban fantasy with some humor. I appreciate this doesn't fall into the current trend of smut for smut sake, or as some say "spice" in the writing. The romance portion is old school and more embedded in story than there as a selling point. For a fantasy, it's not overly descriptive either, so it may be a good introduction into soft fantasy for some.
This is the only book I've read where bird poo splattering on a windshield was something the character had to notice. Nice.
4/5 luckiest girl in the world.
It's an urban fantasy with some humor. I appreciate this doesn't fall into the current trend of smut for smut sake, or as some say "spice" in the writing. The romance portion is old school and more embedded in story than there as a selling point. For a fantasy, it's not overly descriptive either, so it may be a good introduction into soft fantasy for some.
This is the only book I've read where bird poo splattering on a windshield was something the character had to notice. Nice.
4/5 luckiest girl in the world.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 3.5
A quirky, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt blend of contemporary fantasy, Southern humor, and family drama.
Prewitt takes a familiar collection of supernatural elements (fae, werewolves, vampires, curses, and magical quests) and drops them into a rural setting that gives the story its own distinct personality.
One of my favorite things about the book was its cast of characters. Alana is brash, funny, and wonderfully imperfect, and her complicated family adds a lot of heart beneath all the supernatural chaos. There are also several supporting characters who completely steal the spotlight at times. The humor works especially well when the story leans into the eccentricity of the setting and the absurdity of having magical creatures mixed in with everyday small-town life.
The story moves at a pretty quick pace, with one strange situation leading into another, and there is rarely a shortage of something happening. I also enjoyed the underlying themes of family, poverty, generational trauma, and trying to find something better for yourself. Beneath all the fae bargains and supernatural mayhem, there is a surprisingly relatable story about people who are messy, flawed, and trying to protect the people they love.
The sheer amount of stuff packed into the story can feel overwhelming at times. There are a lot of characters, supernatural elements, side plots, and moving pieces, and occasionally it felt like the story was trying to do too much at once. Some of the characters and relationships could have benefited from more time to develop, particularly the romantic elements. I also found some of the writing and dialogue a little uneven, which occasionally pulled me out of the story.
Still, the story has a lot of personality. It's weird, funny, imaginative, and different enough from the typical paranormal fantasy to stand out. It won't be for everyone, especially if you prefer a more polished or tightly focused fantasy, but I appreciated its willingness to embrace the chaos.
Overall, By the Sickle Moon was an entertaining and imaginative debut. It’s definitely a little messy in places, but I found myself enjoying the ride more often than not. If you like contemporary fantasy with quirky characters, Southern flavor, supernatural mayhem, and a healthy dose of humor, this one is worth checking out.
A quirky, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt blend of contemporary fantasy, Southern humor, and family drama.
Prewitt takes a familiar collection of supernatural elements (fae, werewolves, vampires, curses, and magical quests) and drops them into a rural setting that gives the story its own distinct personality.
One of my favorite things about the book was its cast of characters. Alana is brash, funny, and wonderfully imperfect, and her complicated family adds a lot of heart beneath all the supernatural chaos. There are also several supporting characters who completely steal the spotlight at times. The humor works especially well when the story leans into the eccentricity of the setting and the absurdity of having magical creatures mixed in with everyday small-town life.
The story moves at a pretty quick pace, with one strange situation leading into another, and there is rarely a shortage of something happening. I also enjoyed the underlying themes of family, poverty, generational trauma, and trying to find something better for yourself. Beneath all the fae bargains and supernatural mayhem, there is a surprisingly relatable story about people who are messy, flawed, and trying to protect the people they love.
The sheer amount of stuff packed into the story can feel overwhelming at times. There are a lot of characters, supernatural elements, side plots, and moving pieces, and occasionally it felt like the story was trying to do too much at once. Some of the characters and relationships could have benefited from more time to develop, particularly the romantic elements. I also found some of the writing and dialogue a little uneven, which occasionally pulled me out of the story.
Still, the story has a lot of personality. It's weird, funny, imaginative, and different enough from the typical paranormal fantasy to stand out. It won't be for everyone, especially if you prefer a more polished or tightly focused fantasy, but I appreciated its willingness to embrace the chaos.
Overall, By the Sickle Moon was an entertaining and imaginative debut. It’s definitely a little messy in places, but I found myself enjoying the ride more often than not. If you like contemporary fantasy with quirky characters, Southern flavor, supernatural mayhem, and a healthy dose of humor, this one is worth checking out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There were a lot of things I genuinely enjoyed about this story. It was different than any story I have read, so far.
I feel this is a good, easy, and enjoyable read to get you out of a slump. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t even reading. Also, feel the story will stick with me. Especially, the fmc because she is just relatable and funny. There is some physical abuse thoughts and flash backs that could be a trigger , so check those. However, none of it is to in-depth, like most of the book. Hence , not 5 stars. It was a good book but not emotion evoking, which I think it had potential for , if there wasn’t so much packed into the book. Like I said, there is A LOT packed into this story. There are so many characters and so many different things happening that I honestly feel like this could have been two books, or even maybe , interconnecting standalones? There were parts where I found myself wishing we could slow down and spend more time with certain characters. At times, all of the moving pieces made it a little confusing for me, and that was probably the biggest thing keeping this from being a five-star read.
I also felt like the writing was a little rough in places, but not enough for me to dnf or not want to see how it ended. Speaking on the ending, you’ll leave this book feeling good about it and interested in seeing if we will get a spin off with any of the characters.
Spice level : 🫑
Troupes: fae princes, werewolves, vampires, ancient curses, magical quests, small-town chaos, a sassy FMC, complicated family dynamics
I feel this is a good, easy, and enjoyable read to get you out of a slump. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t even reading. Also, feel the story will stick with me. Especially, the fmc because she is just relatable and funny. There is some physical abuse thoughts and flash backs that could be a trigger , so check those. However, none of it is to in-depth, like most of the book. Hence , not 5 stars. It was a good book but not emotion evoking, which I think it had potential for , if there wasn’t so much packed into the book. Like I said, there is A LOT packed into this story. There are so many characters and so many different things happening that I honestly feel like this could have been two books, or even maybe , interconnecting standalones? There were parts where I found myself wishing we could slow down and spend more time with certain characters. At times, all of the moving pieces made it a little confusing for me, and that was probably the biggest thing keeping this from being a five-star read.
I also felt like the writing was a little rough in places, but not enough for me to dnf or not want to see how it ended. Speaking on the ending, you’ll leave this book feeling good about it and interested in seeing if we will get a spin off with any of the characters.
Spice level : 🫑
Troupes: fae princes, werewolves, vampires, ancient curses, magical quests, small-town chaos, a sassy FMC, complicated family dynamics
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Here comes the obligatory thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and the author for the eARC of this book.
And here comes the real review:
My god did I need a supernatural rednecks in my life. I knew I’d love it before I even started reading it. Genuinely don’t even know where to start with this one because I fear that I’ll be ranting for days on just how much I adore the absolute yeehaw of this book.
I laughed and I was BIG STRESSED and I laughed some more and then I laughed even harder but somehow at the same time I was like “oh shit”. The lore is perfection, putting werewolves and vampires and the fae in with a bonfires and moonshine and illegal nonsense. Yet somehow managing to just hit those feelies in the perfect spot? It’s like this book was made for me.
I know a lot of people write their reviews like going over plot points and such but I think everyone just needs to read this book when it comes out. I have not enjoyed a book this much in so long.
The characters were all so memorable and had more to them than just your standard yeehaw. Like right from the get go I was rooting for Alana and all the craziness going on around her, I’d probably go to war for Gervis, now I want a raccoon thanks.
I mean really I could keep going but I’ll either get too long winded or just start repeating myself because I loved this book so much.
500/5 stars.
Check your trees.
And here comes the real review:
My god did I need a supernatural rednecks in my life. I knew I’d love it before I even started reading it. Genuinely don’t even know where to start with this one because I fear that I’ll be ranting for days on just how much I adore the absolute yeehaw of this book.
I laughed and I was BIG STRESSED and I laughed some more and then I laughed even harder but somehow at the same time I was like “oh shit”. The lore is perfection, putting werewolves and vampires and the fae in with a bonfires and moonshine and illegal nonsense. Yet somehow managing to just hit those feelies in the perfect spot? It’s like this book was made for me.
I know a lot of people write their reviews like going over plot points and such but I think everyone just needs to read this book when it comes out. I have not enjoyed a book this much in so long.
The characters were all so memorable and had more to them than just your standard yeehaw. Like right from the get go I was rooting for Alana and all the craziness going on around her, I’d probably go to war for Gervis, now I want a raccoon thanks.
I mean really I could keep going but I’ll either get too long winded or just start repeating myself because I loved this book so much.
500/5 stars.
Check your trees.
August 22, 2026
By the Sickle Moon - ARC received from NetGalley
Alana lives in poverty with her family in the human realm. They all live in a trailer park near each other. She is half fae/half werewolf. She unintentionally curses the family she loves and must fight against powerful beings to reverse the curse.
It is humerous and the characters are full of life. The pacing is great and there is lots of adventure. Above all, the characters are the best part of this book. Specifically Larry, Elmo, and Mitzy. The setting was also well written and could easily be visualized.
The writing tended toward choppy and would jolt me out of the story. The dialogue also was choppy. I had a hard time getting through it. I would put it down and the only reason I would want to pick it up again was to see what Larry the Raccoon was up to. The romance has zero feeling or motivation behind it. I was not invested in the romance at all, unfortunately. No real tension between the FMC and the MMC.
I thought the end fight was good. It could have lasted a little longer. And the final scene was so confusing and vague. I’m still unsure what happened at the very end, and I read it over three times.
If you like urban fantasy with humor sprinkled in and no spice, you might enjoy this one.
Alana lives in poverty with her family in the human realm. They all live in a trailer park near each other. She is half fae/half werewolf. She unintentionally curses the family she loves and must fight against powerful beings to reverse the curse.
It is humerous and the characters are full of life. The pacing is great and there is lots of adventure. Above all, the characters are the best part of this book. Specifically Larry, Elmo, and Mitzy. The setting was also well written and could easily be visualized.
The writing tended toward choppy and would jolt me out of the story. The dialogue also was choppy. I had a hard time getting through it. I would put it down and the only reason I would want to pick it up again was to see what Larry the Raccoon was up to. The romance has zero feeling or motivation behind it. I was not invested in the romance at all, unfortunately. No real tension between the FMC and the MMC.
I thought the end fight was good. It could have lasted a little longer. And the final scene was so confusing and vague. I’m still unsure what happened at the very end, and I read it over three times.
If you like urban fantasy with humor sprinkled in and no spice, you might enjoy this one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The version I was lucky enough to read will have been slightly different from the one that comes with the beautiful cover and a copyright page, but still it was such fun. Come for the undead and mythical shenanigans but stay for the lessons in Redneck culture.
And may I be the first to say: NO TREES!
And may I be the first to say: NO TREES!
Review of advance copy received from Author
An absolute masterpiece of a book! Heather's prose is so easy to read, but not simple. The characters are brash, hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking, and always entertaining. This is absolutely one of my favorite books I've ever read.
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