The Falling of the Moon

Moonfall Mayhem #1

by A.E. Decker

If Ascot wants a Happy Ending, she'll have to write it herself.

In the gloomy mountains of Shadowvale, Ascot Abberdorf is expected to marry a lugubrious Count and settle down to a quiet life terrorizing the villagers. Instead, armed with a book of fairy tales, her faithful bat-winged cat, and whatever silverware she can pinch, Ascot heads east, to the mysterious Daylands, where her book promises she can find True Love and Happily Ever After, if she only follows her heart.

Determined to win the hand of Prince Parvanel, Ascot storms the Kingdom of Albright. With the book's guidance, she's confident she'll overcome any obstacles the imperious Queen Bettina Anna throws in her way, be they witches, evil stepmothers, or Big Bad Wolves.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't cover reluctant princes, wolves who read Dostoyesvsky instead of blowing down houses, or a guild of Godmothers whose motivations may not be as pure as three drops of blood on a sweep of snow. Most annoying of all is the captain of the guard who swears he'll see the moon fall before she weds Prince Parvanel.

There are stories . . . and then there are stories, and if this parade of shifty shenanigans continues, Ascot might have to rewrite her own tale lest she end most Unhappily Ever After!

Genres: Fantasy

325 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

A. E. Decker was born in Pennsylvania, but has lived in California, Virginia, and New Jersey before returning to her native state. She holds degrees in English and Colonial American history, and has worked as a tai chi instructor, framer, doll-maker, and ESL tutor.

In addition to the Moonfall Mayhem series published by World Weaver Press, her stories have appeared in Fireside Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Phobos Magazine, the Sockdolager, and several of the Bethlehem Writers Groups' homegrown anthologies. She prefers to thrust her tongue deeply into her cheek before she writes, resulting in stories that are witty, lighthearted, and filled with off-beat characters and quirky situations.

Here there be dragons. But they're more likely to eat chocolate and quote Monty Python than devour you.

Reviews

[Kat Mandu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Mandu says...

Fans of the quirky, come hither, because Ascot’s story is just for you.

Half-vampire Ascot Abberforth is determined to find her Happy Ending. Armed with kindness, a group of strange but loyal friends, and a book she feels will lead her to become the prince’s future queen, she leaves her dark homeland and enters Albright to win Parvanel’s heart.

Instead she finds a competition of wannabe princesses who will do anything to make sure she doesn’t win, a queen with bad history of happy endings, silly and dangerous tasks she must overcome, and an enigmatic Captain of the Guard who challenges her every step of the way.

Filled with twists, turns, and great characters who charge the plot forward, Ascot manages to write her own happy ending – while remaining true to herself.

I particularly love competition among potential royals. Anyone who knows me knows I love princesses who are at each other’s throat. This story, just in the chapters surrounding the first dinner banquet, describes what lengths girls will go to for the prince’s heart. It was awesome. I also love the continual reference to fairy tales – big bad wolves, evil step-mothers, animals who will obey their master’s every order, and enchanted apples.

The creatures were a nice touch too. Although Ascot was half-vampire, she doesn’t feel the need to suck blood. She does have an allergy to garlic though. I loved that the shifter’s form was a sabretooth (a character whose name won’t be mentioned for spoilers). Dmitri and Moony also made quite a team and great allies to Ascot. Even Rags-N-Bones’s army of rodents were helpful at the best moments, often reminding me of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

I was really looking forward to reading this – it arrived perfectly to fit my mood and my current request wish list. High fantasy is a favorite genre of mine and this quirky and cute story was just what I was looking for. It reminded me of the video game Fable at times, with a bit of Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman style) mixed in. A great read for anyone looking for something cheerful to read. Five shiny stars.

[Cindy Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires, fairy tale balls, ghosts....every time I thought I had a handle on the world that Decker created, she took another twist. With Ascot as an unlikely heroine, the reader goes on a journey that uproots all convention. This story-line sort of reminds you of one fairy tale, this one another; then you realize there are layers upon layers of commentary and thwarting of fairy tales we think we know. Since it's the first book in the Moonfall Mayhem series, sometimes knowledge is given for the long haul, and I'm glad I have an advance copy of the second book. (Since the second book in the series is not from Ascot, but from her companion Rags and Bones' perspective, I have great hope that we will also see Decker's world from the other characters' points of view, or hear more of their origins.)

Because there are so many genres and tales woven into one, at times I felt the transition a bit jarring. Through it all, Decker's lively and focused characters were able to take me through the plot twists just fine, and only got a little confused once we started to unravel motivations in the wine cellar.

When reading YA, I always stop to consider if my pre-teen or teenage self would have learned from this book and enjoyed it. I definitely wish I'd known Ascot earlier. She could have helped relieve some questions about fairy tale endings. At the time, I only had Sondheim's "Into the Woods" musical to counter societal pressure and expectations. Having Ascot in my life would have absolutely pushed me towards figuring out my own happy ending instead of thinking I had to have a fairy tale one. She'd be a great addition to any teenager or pre-teen's collection.

[Christopher D. Ochs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters are quirky, original and likable, (think Charles Addams invades Mystery Date) but a lot of the time the reasons why they do what they do is ... whatever. It was obvious when they didn't like something, but when they liked something I wasn't convinced or wondered why they did what they did. I especially was confused how a smart girl didn't fully understand (or care) how much she was being manipulated, after she was told she was being manipulated.

[Angela Defeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The falling of the Moon is a fairy tale unlike any fairy tale I have read or heard before! There are lots of twists & turns that draw you in and have you rooting for Ascot.The female lead is strong and determined with loyal friends who support her in every trial she faces.

The Falling Moon is not the normal style of fantasy book I read BUT this book caught my interest from the start and it kept my interest to the very end. The author kept me wanting to read the next chapter to see what happens next.

The Falling of the Moon does not contain the gore, sex & profanity that most books seem to contain today even in the young adult genre. I would highly recommend The Falling of the Moon.I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

I won a copy of The Falling of the Moon on Goodreads & am posting this honest review in exchange for the book.I would recommend this book to young adults & adults.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I purchased this book the seller, who just so happened to be one of the owners of the small press that had published it, told me it the main character in the story reminded her of Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family. She said the story was "as if Wednesay Addams had decided to go chasing fairytales". This is an apt description. The Falling of the Moon is all about Ascot, who hails from the land of Shadowvale, and has decided to seek her Happily Ever After in the Daylands.

Ascot is joined in her adventures by her bat-winged cat, Moony. Along the way they adopt a homeless man obsessed with avocados and a talking wolf. Her soft heart makes room for many others while she is faced with challenges meant to single out the future Queen of Albright, a village near the border of Shadowvale.

I don't want to give anything away, so I will leave off there. Suffice it to say, I will be looking for the next adventure Ascot and her ragtag band of misfits is involved in.

[Susan Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and zoomed through it; I just couldn't put it down! It's not quite like anything I've ever read before. The closest would be the movie SHREK, but even that comparison doesn't do it justice. I'd say it's like Shrek meets The Wizard of Oz if Dorothy were Wednesday Addams and Toto a talking cat with bat wings. Fun and funny with many laugh-out-loud moments. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

[Romancing the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Robin
Book provided by the author

What would you do to find you HEA? A.E. Decker gave me a delightful adventure into a new world alongside Ascot who just happened to be in search of her HEA. This is a story that is perfectly written for anyone who loves fairy tales and happy ever after’s. But as Ms. Decker shows us as perfect as we want that fairy tale to be or that happy ever after sometimes that just isn’t realistic and Ascot soon learns this.

Ascot and her bat winged cat Moony go in search of Prince Charming. But in a world filled with princesses Ascot soon learns that there is a competition among the princesses to win the prince over. Along the way Ascot adopts Rags n Bones a homeless man, who will do anything for an avocado, and a talking wolf. She also carries a book of fairy tales to use as her guide book. As she travels in this magical place and collects her off beat friends I found that this was actually very believable and realistic. Ascot in her own quirky way was not only charming and fun loving but strong and determined. As she looks to her fairy tale book to guide her on her adventures she soon learned that things don’t always end up as you want them to. They didn’t work the way that the book wanted them to either.

I loved the offbeat quirkiness of Ascot and her friends. They were actually realistic. The story itself was easy to read and moved along at a nice pace. I found this to be a very entertaining story full of plenty of twists to keep me involved.

I can’t wait for to read the next story.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book, along with the two sequels, from Netgalley for purposes of review.

A fun story which both celebrates and undermines the fairy-tale genre, with a half-human, half-do-not-say-vampire-we-don't-use-the-V-word going out from Shadowvale, where her people live, into the wider world to live her own life. Equipped with a book of fairy tales, she finds that real life is a bit more complicated-and, indeed, the plot has an impressive number of twists. In all three books, I found myself unable to imagine how everything in the plot could possibly be tied up, almost up to the point when it was.

Ascot, the main character, possesses intelligence, determination, a good heart, and some unlikely but appealing allies, and manages to use them to the best advantage. Both she and the book combine brains and heart.

I was very happy to have the second book on hand so that I could carry on reading.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book! Inspired by fairy tales and happily ever afters, it has everything from garment mending rodents, to balls and tasks to price your worth to win over the prince. It's a twist though. Bringing a new experience to the fairy tale genre.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairy tales and fantasy.

[Karen Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps you turning pages and guessing what will happen next. The characters are addictive, and the plot twists plus imaginative settings make this a book to get lost it. I'm looking forward to the author's next books.

[Ellwyn Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fairy tale with characters that are sure to delight!

[iamnotabookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this should have been appropriately titled The Misadventures of Ascot Abberdorf.

I got an eARC from A. E. Decker of The Meddlers of Moonshine, which is book two. I told myself I need to read book one first. Here it goes.

This is a fairy tale adventure or misadventure like no other. This is like a combination of all fairy tale stories you can think of and put it into one story where the center of everything is a vampire who only eats rats. Ascot is willing to go to whatever lengths to be able to find his prince charming and get his happy ever after. It's amazing that she survived all the challenges she has to go through just to be with her supposed-to-be one true love. Oh, the crazy things we do for love. But for Ascot, it was everything to her. It was all or nothing. Go big or go home. While in search of her one true love, Ascot helps a lot of interesting and quirky characters along the way. The fairy tale book is like her bible and she was able to meet the prince because she wanted it so much. She would literally go to the ends of the earth if need be. I also commend her for being smart enough to realize that she could never live her life according to a book and she set out to travel and discover more adventures.

I appreciate that the author made this as real as it could get like in real life. That though this story is based on fairy tales, the main character is given a life of its own. Ascot is allowed to realize that if she wanted to have a great life, she can't live the same way as the characters she knew from the book. She has to have her own story. Not an imitation of some princess in a book. I really dig that part. This aspect of the story makes it wonderful because it is being honest. I reveled in the tasks that Ascot has to accomplish. And that she succeeded because of her strength of character and not with the help of magical fairies. With this, I see Ascot as any other normal girl, which makes her even more adorable and believable.

I give The Falling of the Moon four moons. I can't wait to read the next book - The Meddlers of Moonshine. I wanted Ascot to become my best friend. I think there will never be a dull moment with her because she can always come up with any thing. Her misadventures are just outrageous. I think this should have been appropriately titled The Misadventures of Ascot Abberdorf. And by gah, they are hilariously entertaining and incredible. I wouldn't mind going with her on all of them. I know she has my back. I believe A. E. Decker will soon to be part of my favorite authors list.

This is Ascot's mantra. I love her but I am not sure if I want to follow this one.

The worse you have it in the beginning, the happier you'll be in the end.

Full review on http://iamnotabookworm.blogspot.com/2...

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, witty, whimsical, and brilliantly written, this series should appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, and Piers Anthony's Xanth.

[Lissa Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her brother demands that she marry an umbrella-loving weirdo, Ascot Abberdorf leaves her family castle. With nothing but her winged cat, a little of the family silver, and a book of fairy tales, she sets out on a quest to find her own happily ever after. According to the book, this means marrying her true love, who of course must be a prince, so Ascot applies at the nearest castle and gets to work.

Along the way, Ascot collects an assortment of loyal friends reminiscent of Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz including a literature-loving wolf and the kindly Rags-n-Bones, who will do anything for an avocado. The Falling of the Moon is quirky and funny, but also an absorbing read. Fairy tale fans will love the way A.E. Decker plays with fairy tale elements as Ascot tries to obtain her happy ever after with a prince who is perhaps a bit too fond of frogs. Delightfully fun, The Falling of the Moon is a welcome addition to a fairy tale lover's library.

[Judith Mehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ascot, a delightful and surprising adventurer seeking her own true love travels with an entourage of preposterously bizarre misfits to the Kingdom of Albright. In the end she finds something else entirely, something of much more value, but oh, along the way we have such fun. A. E. Decker builds words into super-colossal mountains of entertainment, where the chapter titles alone are worth the price of the book. (Of course, you must read the chapter to catch the jest) Her stupendous ability to entwine wit and wonder with creativity of word and story leads us through cadaverous foes and shifting creatures through a fairy tale on steroids.
I’m definitely an adult but this YA fantasy suits all ages with clean writing and ageless humor.

[Girl Plus Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling of the Moon is a fantasy fairytale like nothing I have read before. Mystery and secrets take you to a fantastic mystical world sure to have a book two. It is pirates of the Caribbean meets Cinderella. Looking forward to Ascot’s next adventure. Strong and determined with her loyal friends she will certainly make the Moonfall Mayhem a great series of books. I am ecstatic that this is just the start to what will be a truly great trilogy. http://girlplusbook.com/ya/scififant/...

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Falling of the Moon was recommended to me by a friend and since I had taken a reading challenge that included reading a young adult novel I thought I would give it a try. It was a delight. Ascots starts out on a journey to find her true love and along a very harrowing and humorous way, aided by a troupe of unique accomplices, she finds her true self. The book has a lot of fairy tale elements that have fun twists, but mostly, and what I find most appealing, are the great characters that I rooted for from beginning to end.

[Anita Rios-Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like fairy tales that wrap around each other you will like this book? This book follows young Ascot after the death of her father. She is an unlikely heroine, but you will love her. The cast of characters include vampires, ghosts, and an aunt with a big dress.
I don't want to give away too much of the book. Usually I read memoirs, or crime novels. I wanted to read something different so I was able to snag this up as an eARC on Library Thing. I am glad I tried and now on to book 2.

[Bentgaidin · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the recommendation of my friend, I read 'Falling of the Moon'. Lots of fun; I'd highly recommend it for fairy-tale fans. It reminds me a lot of T. Kingfisher's stories, actually; the heroine isn't quite as rock-solid sensible, but she's got a kind heart, and the story itself is very aware of how the world works around the glittery charm of the fairy-tale.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ascot Abberdorf is a great heroine, and this is a fantastic fairytale full of engaging characters. I'm glad there are more books coming in this series because I can't wait to see where Ascot ends up next!

[Sarena Ulibarri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.E. Decker is the kind of writer who is incredibly skilled at backing her characters into seemingly impossible situations, then getting them out through creative and unexpected means. THE FALLING OF THE MOON is a delightful twist on familiar fairy tale tropes.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing! I had so much fun reading it and finding the reference to fairy tales that we've all grown up with. If you like fairytales, if you like fantasy, if you like your world turned a little inside out then you will thoroughly enjoy this tale.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It reads like a fairy tale with fun twists.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a wonderful story i would give more stars if i could