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SuperMoon
A futuristic young adult thriller about the colonization of and culture clashes between the Moon and Earth from H.A. Swain, the author of Hungry and Gifted .
Sol is the month between June and July on the thirteen-month Moon calendar. It's the only time teenagers have to themselves between rigorous scientific training and their ultimate lab assignments in their colony on the Moon. Their families emigrated from Earth to build better lives; but life on the Moon is far from perfect, as Uma learns on the eve of Sol.
Uma meets an Earthen girl who becomes a fast friend, and much more. What Uma doesn't know is that the girl is assigned to infect Uma with a plague that a rogue faction of Earthen scientists hope will wipe out Moon soldiers. Will Uma be the cause of a pandemic? Whom can she trust, and moreover, whom does she love?
Praise for SuperMoon :
"In this star-crossed romance , two teenage girls―one from Earth, one from the Moon―forge an unexpected connection, but the secrets they hold threaten to derail a happily ever after. Swain’s ( Gifted ) fast-paced novel offers an engaging story line, a strong narrative voice, and intriguing worldbuilding ." ― Publishers Weekly
Sol is the month between June and July on the thirteen-month Moon calendar. It's the only time teenagers have to themselves between rigorous scientific training and their ultimate lab assignments in their colony on the Moon. Their families emigrated from Earth to build better lives; but life on the Moon is far from perfect, as Uma learns on the eve of Sol.
Uma meets an Earthen girl who becomes a fast friend, and much more. What Uma doesn't know is that the girl is assigned to infect Uma with a plague that a rogue faction of Earthen scientists hope will wipe out Moon soldiers. Will Uma be the cause of a pandemic? Whom can she trust, and moreover, whom does she love?
Praise for SuperMoon :
"In this star-crossed romance , two teenage girls―one from Earth, one from the Moon―forge an unexpected connection, but the secrets they hold threaten to derail a happily ever after. Swain’s ( Gifted ) fast-paced novel offers an engaging story line, a strong narrative voice, and intriguing worldbuilding ." ― Publishers Weekly
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2018
10 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
H.A. Swain
6 books83 followersHeather Swain lives in a crooked house in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, two children, a barkless dog, and two rescue cats. She is the author of four novels for young adults, two kids craft books, two novels for grown ups, and numerous short stories, personal essays, and non-fiction articles.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Want to read
March 25, 2018sO like I’m only here for H.A. cause she surprised me with her book “Gifted” and I mean space and shit
Read
March 2, 2018you ever see a book and think "this looks really kind of weird" but then you look a little closer and you're like,,,,, "I'm going to read this aren't I"
July 24, 2018
Aight. This one was just kind of goofy and amateurish and blah. I honestly don't know if I can scrounge up the energy for a real review.
– There are some really good lines and descriptions
– ExploroBot subplot is actually pretty metal, holy shit
– The sheer dedication to the brainless terminology
– ... The brainless terminology
– Similar voices in all three POV characters
– Castor offers nothing as a POV character
– Annoying protagonists
– Annoying antagonists
– Info dumps galore
– Seriously, the characters literally always explaining everything
– I N S T A L O V E
– Plot relies on coincidence
– Title is a throwaway reference to a single moment with no bearing on plot
I wouldn't call SuperMoon a trainwreck: it's not offensively bad. It's more like an earnest craft project gone awry. It's almost cute, in a brainless sort of way.
Firstly, the narration issues. I know first person is easier to write in, but in the case of fantasy and sci-fi, it rarely suits the story. It's excellent for contemporary works which focus more on emotion/personal growth/romance. But in SFF there's simply too much world-building involved and the antagonistic force is often another person/entity necessary to keep tabs on in order to build suspense. Following a character in third person doesn't mean they have a character arc, but it does in first person.
SuperMoon is told in first person, alternating points of view between Uma, Talitha and Castor. But Castor does not have a character arc. He's just motivation for Talitha. His chapters only exist to cue readers into the antagonist's plans. Quite frankly, it's just a lot dumbass monologing on the villain's part.
So there's Uma, Talitha and Castor as POV characters. And they all sound the goddamn same. The voices are identical. I could almost excuse this for the twins. Except the twins are more varied in personality than Uma and Talitha are. Uma and Talitha are dangerously close to being the same goddamn person. Half the time, if they weren't specifically referencing something specific, I forgot who the hell I was reading about.
The plot relies heavily on coincidence. Uma's told her flight is cancelled, but someone conveniently forgot to cancel her spot on the shuttle down to earth, so she can still board. Uma and Talitha just happen to run into each other. Someone just conveniently arrives at the right moment. The list goes on and on and on. It's boring as hell. She also spends much too much time on unnecessary set-up details my brain kept skimming over.
The thing is, the author's writing would be rather readable -- if it wasn't full of info-dumping, unnecessary conversations and the characters explaining everything. To death. All the goddamned time.
And they're not particularly enjoyable characters to read about. They've all got a sort of got that overexcitable, generic vibe protagonist written by a well-meaning but inexperienced authors have. They're poorly defined (especially the girls, who are basically interchangeable) and in trying to make them generically likeable, they wind up annoying and without a reason to root for them. They're impossible to connect to. And it absolutely does not help that Talitha and Uma fall in Instalove. Uuuuugh. They've known each other less than five days before they're willing to sacrifice shit for each other. Most of that time isn't even the sort of high-stakes situations necessary to build the immediate sort of trust necessary for something approaching that sort of relationship (ie: think Katniss and that dude's reliance on each other in THG). They're just... hanging out.
The most annoying character was RayNay. She monologued out her plans for the characters. She did a crazy villain laugh. She's even annoying when she's not antagonizing:
Yeeeeeah.
When she's not monologuing or laughing at her own jokes or doing that she's having generic exchanges with the protagonists. She yammers about her vision, they call her crazy, rinse and repeat. Ugh.
Okay. The terminology. It kills me. The author's dedication to it kills me. SuperMoon is not clever or genre-savvy enough to pull these things off while maintaining a credible story:
(Oh, god, I almost forgot about all the door's wheeshing opening.)
Annnnd then there's Castor and Talitha's "twin language":
(Thankfully, they're not together often.)
I don't know what to say about representation. There are a few characters of colour, Uma included, but they're not connected to any culture or ethnicity. There's Uma and Talitha's relationship, but no one says gay or lesbian or queer or anything ever. The closest is when another character calls Talitha a "lesbo" in one scene. The author also seems to have some kind of weird hate-on for Millennials, the yoobies are some kind of misconceived stand-in for?:
Then there's the ExploroBot program. The ExploroBots are "repurposed" critically wounded earth soldiers. They're too wounded to live without extreme technological intervention, money most people don't have, so it's easier to sell their bodies to MUSC, where they're geared up and moon inhabitants connect to their bodies through brainchips to do work on the outside of the colony. It's actually really interesting and shows a lot of promise, but it's never really explored beyond a general "It's bad? Fix it maybe?"
At the end of the day, Supermoon just really isn't worth it. It's not offensively bad, but at no point was it enjoyable, either.
– There are some really good lines and descriptions
– ExploroBot subplot is actually pretty metal, holy shit
– The sheer dedication to the brainless terminology
– ... The brainless terminology
– Similar voices in all three POV characters
– Castor offers nothing as a POV character
– Annoying protagonists
– Annoying antagonists
– Info dumps galore
– Seriously, the characters literally always explaining everything
– I N S T A L O V E
– Plot relies on coincidence
– Title is a throwaway reference to a single moment with no bearing on plot
I wouldn't call SuperMoon a trainwreck: it's not offensively bad. It's more like an earnest craft project gone awry. It's almost cute, in a brainless sort of way.
Firstly, the narration issues. I know first person is easier to write in, but in the case of fantasy and sci-fi, it rarely suits the story. It's excellent for contemporary works which focus more on emotion/personal growth/romance. But in SFF there's simply too much world-building involved and the antagonistic force is often another person/entity necessary to keep tabs on in order to build suspense. Following a character in third person doesn't mean they have a character arc, but it does in first person.
SuperMoon is told in first person, alternating points of view between Uma, Talitha and Castor. But Castor does not have a character arc. He's just motivation for Talitha. His chapters only exist to cue readers into the antagonist's plans. Quite frankly, it's just a lot dumbass monologing on the villain's part.
So there's Uma, Talitha and Castor as POV characters. And they all sound the goddamn same. The voices are identical. I could almost excuse this for the twins. Except the twins are more varied in personality than Uma and Talitha are. Uma and Talitha are dangerously close to being the same goddamn person. Half the time, if they weren't specifically referencing something specific, I forgot who the hell I was reading about.
The plot relies heavily on coincidence. Uma's told her flight is cancelled, but someone conveniently forgot to cancel her spot on the shuttle down to earth, so she can still board. Uma and Talitha just happen to run into each other. Someone just conveniently arrives at the right moment. The list goes on and on and on. It's boring as hell. She also spends much too much time on unnecessary set-up details my brain kept skimming over.
The thing is, the author's writing would be rather readable -- if it wasn't full of info-dumping, unnecessary conversations and the characters explaining everything. To death. All the goddamned time.
And they're not particularly enjoyable characters to read about. They've all got a sort of got that overexcitable, generic vibe protagonist written by a well-meaning but inexperienced authors have. They're poorly defined (especially the girls, who are basically interchangeable) and in trying to make them generically likeable, they wind up annoying and without a reason to root for them. They're impossible to connect to. And it absolutely does not help that Talitha and Uma fall in Instalove. Uuuuugh. They've known each other less than five days before they're willing to sacrifice shit for each other. Most of that time isn't even the sort of high-stakes situations necessary to build the immediate sort of trust necessary for something approaching that sort of relationship (ie: think Katniss and that dude's reliance on each other in THG). They're just... hanging out.
The most annoying character was RayNay. She monologued out her plans for the characters. She did a crazy villain laugh. She's even annoying when she's not antagonizing:
In one easy movement, she pushes out of the pool and walks over to a single crystalline bottle of D’Cart VitaJuv Lapis Lazuli Gem Water perfectly positioned on a poolside table ... “Aaaaah! Can you taste that cool, refreshing water?” she asks her followers. “Feel the vitamins and minerals coursing through your veins, revitalizing your internal organs? Mmmmmm. Delicious, right?”
Yeeeeeah.
When she's not monologuing or laughing at her own jokes or doing that she's having generic exchanges with the protagonists. She yammers about her vision, they call her crazy, rinse and repeat. Ugh.
Okay. The terminology. It kills me. The author's dedication to it kills me. SuperMoon is not clever or genre-savvy enough to pull these things off while maintaining a credible story:
I squint past Kep’s thotz on my Lenz to study Dr. Fornax...
I raise both eyebrows at Kep. We are the future.
Gad help us all.
... for some reason—maybe the dry MUSC air—I’m prone to ear and eye infections so I can’t use an iEye or HearEar ...
“You have any food for him?” my brother asks.
I search my pockets. “Just some Mango Bango Oink Oink Jerky I found inside an old SelfServ on Santa Monica Avenue.”
He shrugs. “Nothing special. A few days of SimuSkiing on the surface, hitting TourEsa casinos with some guys, then lying around at a SimuBeach.”
I look down at my hands and wonder what they’ll be used for once I get my LWA. Cleaning space toilets? No. CleanerBots do that.
When I was little, I’d curl into her lap at night when my parents were down in the mines because they didn’t trust a NanniBot to take care of me.
... but as soon as I near the vestibule of Dr. Fornax’s workspace, a VirtuVoice connects to my Stream and says, Welcome, Uma Jemison. Dr. Fornax is expecting you. The AutoWalk diverts me, and a door wheeshes open ...
I dab the iEye contact lens into my right eye, then insert the HearEar bud into the canal of my ear. Next, I slip the TouchCuff onto my wrist.
Castor hands me one more thing. “Behold, your Personal Ecosystem Streaming Tech device!”
“I hate these PESTs.”
I follow Castor up to the edge of the bush and peek through the branches at the line of AlphaZonian CelebriStreamers snaking from their AutoPods to the Palace portico, PESTs swarming around their heads. As with all of these events, a high-intensity viewing ensemble of Wastelanders hired for the day to act like fans adds frenzy to the air. The Yoobies strut through the HIVE, waving and blowing kisses, live-streaming every minute of their lives.
I augment Squeegee Bop with rainbows farting from his butt in rhythm to the music on the Stream. In a stroke of luck, Lil Cutie Wootie calls out her massively popular catchphrase of the week, “Well, slap my ass and call me Jimmy, I’m happy as poop on a stick!”
Within seconds, the rivulet I created has caught on. An InstaMeme is born.
From the sky, glittering, glowing D’Cart product holos rain down on the crowd. Individually wrapped Strawberry ScrumCrumpets. Pappy’s Pineapple Papaya Elixir. Lightening Smile Teeth Whitening Wands. Diamond-Tipped ExfoliLasers. Torso Toner Compression T-shirts. Dragonfly Drones. Neat Meat Multi-Use Eating Tools.
(Oh, god, I almost forgot about all the door's wheeshing opening.)
Annnnd then there's Castor and Talitha's "twin language":
He whips around. “Or maybe you’re just too cautious, rywor tar.”
“Wolflo em.” He grabs my hand, and, as always, I follow him, just like he asks.
“Fine, you toidi,” I grouse.
He is the mirror image of me. “It’ll be okay. Meprosi!”
“Latihat, kewa pu,” Castor whispers in their strange twin language.
(Thankfully, they're not together often.)
I don't know what to say about representation. There are a few characters of colour, Uma included, but they're not connected to any culture or ethnicity. There's Uma and Talitha's relationship, but no one says gay or lesbian or queer or anything ever. The closest is when another character calls Talitha a "lesbo" in one scene. The author also seems to have some kind of weird hate-on for Millennials, the yoobies are some kind of misconceived stand-in for?:
... but the Yoobies barely seem to notice. As long as they continue to receive their universal basic incomes, they’ll Stream and party and create endless meaningless memes as trash piles in the streets around them.
Then there's the ExploroBot program. The ExploroBots are "repurposed" critically wounded earth soldiers. They're too wounded to live without extreme technological intervention, money most people don't have, so it's easier to sell their bodies to MUSC, where they're geared up and moon inhabitants connect to their bodies through brainchips to do work on the outside of the colony. It's actually really interesting and shows a lot of promise, but it's never really explored beyond a general "It's bad? Fix it maybe?"
At the end of the day, Supermoon just really isn't worth it. It's not offensively bad, but at no point was it enjoyable, either.
Read
June 7, 2018I rarely DNF books, but I'm quitting this one around 50%. Super slow plot, paper thin characters, chintzy worldbuilding, themes thrown in your face... None of this worked for me.
Since I didn't get the full scope of the book, I'll refrain from rating.
Since I didn't get the full scope of the book, I'll refrain from rating.
December 24, 2019
Two thoroughly enjoyable YA scifi novels in a row!!! Doing great!!!
I found SuperMoon in the LGBTQ+ Book Recs thread in the Nanowrimo forums and added it to my "to read" without hesitation. After all, gays in space are kind of my thing. On that front, there was absolutely no let down. Uma and Talitha are one of the cutest, most disgustingly in love couples I've read about. And the romantic subplot didn't detract from the story because contrary to popular belief, that is possible.
You get what you expect with this book. A slightly canned story about an Earth where want and war permeate in the midst of small collectives of hyper-consumerist strongholds, but with a very interesting subfocus on the dangers of influencer culture. Arrogant Moonlings - descended from Earthlings themselves - look upon themselves as the pinnacle of sentient life and scientific development, content to use Earthlings where they can and allow the rest to destroy themselves.
It's a very good, very well-construed story. The names are definitely very cheesy, as they're all space-related in some capacity, but it just adds to the charm of the narrative, in my eyes. I definitely feel as though all the plot-points were well-covered, making for a rather strong standalone.
(Also, taking a moment to appreciate the foils of Mundie and Kepler. Entitled jerkface with a "how dare you friendzone me" attitude and childhood friend just happy to see his bestie find someone she loves. Very well done! And Castor regarding Mundie's behavior as normal for someone with a "crush" is a really good comment on how blind men can be to the destructive entitlement in one another.)
SuperMoon is a fun science-fiction story commenting on humanity's self-destructive tendencies, consumer and influencer cultures, and the value of empathy. Characters are strong and well-written, as are the dynamics between them.
I found SuperMoon in the LGBTQ+ Book Recs thread in the Nanowrimo forums and added it to my "to read" without hesitation. After all, gays in space are kind of my thing. On that front, there was absolutely no let down. Uma and Talitha are one of the cutest, most disgustingly in love couples I've read about. And the romantic subplot didn't detract from the story because contrary to popular belief, that is possible.
You get what you expect with this book. A slightly canned story about an Earth where want and war permeate in the midst of small collectives of hyper-consumerist strongholds, but with a very interesting subfocus on the dangers of influencer culture. Arrogant Moonlings - descended from Earthlings themselves - look upon themselves as the pinnacle of sentient life and scientific development, content to use Earthlings where they can and allow the rest to destroy themselves.
It's a very good, very well-construed story. The names are definitely very cheesy, as they're all space-related in some capacity, but it just adds to the charm of the narrative, in my eyes. I definitely feel as though all the plot-points were well-covered, making for a rather strong standalone.
(Also, taking a moment to appreciate the foils of Mundie and Kepler. Entitled jerkface with a "how dare you friendzone me" attitude and childhood friend just happy to see his bestie find someone she loves. Very well done! And Castor regarding Mundie's behavior as normal for someone with a "crush" is a really good comment on how blind men can be to the destructive entitlement in one another.)
SuperMoon is a fun science-fiction story commenting on humanity's self-destructive tendencies, consumer and influencer cultures, and the value of empathy. Characters are strong and well-written, as are the dynamics between them.
June 7, 2018
This was...not good. The world building was super nonsensical, and the writing was stilted and gimmicky, trying to hard to sound like a teen voice but never coming even remotely close. I DNFed this at like 23%. This is the second book of this author's that I have hated, so I'm done.
From what I read of the book, it was diverse and was building up to a lovely f/f relationship, bu tthat wasn't enough for me to keep going. I didn't read enough to definitively say the rep was good, but I'm one starring because the writing and world building were that bad.
From what I read of the book, it was diverse and was building up to a lovely f/f relationship, bu tthat wasn't enough for me to keep going. I didn't read enough to definitively say the rep was good, but I'm one starring because the writing and world building were that bad.
May 9, 2024
1.75/5
I have not had luck lately when it comes to branching out to books I haven’t heard of. I want to give these books a chance but I can see why some of these aren’t highly rated. I felt like the characters in this book weren’t distinguishable from each other which made it had for me to follow the story. I enjoyed the concept but the execution just fell short. I think I need to read a rom com.
I have not had luck lately when it comes to branching out to books I haven’t heard of. I want to give these books a chance but I can see why some of these aren’t highly rated. I felt like the characters in this book weren’t distinguishable from each other which made it had for me to follow the story. I enjoyed the concept but the execution just fell short. I think I need to read a rom com.
July 15, 2023
Interesting, interesting... I had extremely high expectations for this book. Sci-fi, on the moon, tagged as LGBT, young adult.
I'm actually quite disappointed.
Supermoon by H.A. Swain takes place on the moon. And Earth. And Uma, a moonling, has literally just escaped the moon, is now on Earth, is wandering, and has absolutely no idea what to do and where to go.
Then she meets this "Earthling".
And boy, does the plot escalate.
(or ... not.)
If there is ONE thing I have to bring up about the characters, it is their names.
I'm gonna list a few here for you.
- Quasar
- Kepler
- Castor
- Uma
- Deimos
- Alma
- Cassiopeia
- Fornax
- Talitha
- Curie
- Gemini
"Quasar" refers to a huge object that's very remote and emits huge amounts of energy. "Kepler" is a famous astronomer who is known for his three laws (Kepler's laws). "Castor" is a star in the Gemini constellation. "UMa" is short for "Ursa Major". "Deimos" is one of the two moons of Mars. "Alma" is the non-capitalized version of "ALMA", a space telescope. "Cassiopeia" is a constellation AND a galaxy. "Fornax" is a constellation as well (and is Latin for "furnace"). Heck, "Talitha" is a star on the "Ursa Major" constellation. And "Curie"—Marie Curie, anyone? Furthermore, "Gemini", one of the twelve zodiacs and a constellation of two brothers.
I. I just can't. I can't figure out if this is something I'm going to admire or if this is something that'll contribute to the docking of a star. It's driving me crazy because every time I see it, I think about its definition and not the character it's supposed to belong to. On the other hand, I also really want to congratulate H.A. Swain for name creativity . . . or the lack of it. I'm so torn.
Moving on from names now.
I really don't know what to say about this.
I guess I can't say anything unless you read the book anyway.
"Wolflo em."
Guess what this means?
"Follow me."
It's the words, scrambled. Clearly.
Similarly:
"Toidi" -> "Idiot"
"Meprosi" -> "Promise"
"Rywor tar" -> "Worry rat"
"Latihat, kewa pu" -> "Talitha, wake up"
I can't.
Let's look at this, too:
"What in the name of Jupiter?"
"Holy Mercury!"
Please. Conjure up some better exclamations.
And then we have the description and all the other dialogue.
Three word summary of the dialogue: Mostly. Sounds. Fake.
Three word summary of the description: Unending. Info-dumps. Everywhere.
I'm sorry.
In this book, there are three POV characters: Castor, Uma, and Talitha.
In my opinion, all their perspectives sound exactly the same.
I had a hard time figuring out which perspective was which. Not because the labelling was bad, but because their voices were ALL THE SAME. This story is told in first person, present tense, which means you literally have no idea whose POV you're reading unless you go back to the chapter title or you read the other characters mentioned by their names.
So, in summation, a lot of things felt 2-D to me. They are paper-thin to me. Their relationships are equally weak.
Worldbuilding is essential to any story, but most essential in fantasy/sci-fi books. Why? Because the characters are in a fantasy world. The world is completely different. There is either little or no correlation to the world you know.
I'm very sad to say that the worldbuilding in this book was weak.
Ugh. I still can't figure out much about MUSC. Or, frankly, about AlphaZonia (is that what it's called again?), or literally anything else. I had a lot of trouble figuring out where everything was, how everything worked, etc.
ಥ_ಥ
I tried. Please forgive me. I really tried to like it. I really love sci-fi. But this one just didn't work with me.
I feel like I need to make a separate heading for this. Because boy, these villains were literally there just because they were there.
"'Aaaaah! Can you taste that cool, refreshing water? . . . Feel the vitamins and minerals coursing through your veins, revitalizing your internal organs? Mmmmmm. Delicious, right?'"
No.
These villains are ridiculous. They've got evil laughs and monologue all their plans and laugh at their own jokes. All the exchanges with the protags are stilted and those kind of "classic villain encounters". These villains will talk about their plans and scheming and the protags will go all "Oh no but you're crazy!! This is dumb! How dare you!!" and then yeah, that's really it.
This ends the villains. I can't. I really can't.
Just look at this vocabulary.
- Thotz
- Lenz
- TouchCuff
- iEye
- HearEar
- InstaMeme
- ExfoliLasers
- ScrumCrumpets
- SelfServ
- Neat Meat Multi-Use Eating Tools
- etc.
Oh, and I nearly forgot:
- Mango Bango Oink Oink Jerky
How does one stomach all this? I feel like H.A. Swain created this solely just for that one scene where it was mentioned. Does it impact the plot? No. Does it impact the book? No—except for the oddly capitalized title, "SuperMoon".
And it RHYMES. My goodness, never have I ever disliked rhymes so much. "HearEar". "iEye".
gods.
So to summarize everything so far, the characters were papery and thin, the dialogue and writing felt forced and unnecessarily infodumpy, the terminology bordered on annoying, and yeah.
BUT.
I LOVE THE IDEA. It sounds amazing and it's what drew me into the book in the first place. One of my friends recommended it to me and at first I was a bit doubtful, considering I've come to sort of trust Goodreads reviews, but after reading the blurb and a few positive reviews I was convinced this was going to be a favorite book of mine. It's a bit disappointing that it isn't, but I'm glad I read this book, anyway. It's only added to my imagination and I think it'll add to yours too. LGBT, in space, on the moon, in rockets, and space centers, and all that. It's amazing. This is also why I've kept three stars. I think the idea itself truly makes up for a LOT.
So at the end of the day, this book wasn't really my cup of tea, and that's okay. I hope you enjoy it when you read this book!
Cheers~
⇒ 2 stars
I'm actually quite disappointed.
Supermoon by H.A. Swain takes place on the moon. And Earth. And Uma, a moonling, has literally just escaped the moon, is now on Earth, is wandering, and has absolutely no idea what to do and where to go.
Then she meets this "Earthling".
And boy, does the plot escalate.
(or ... not.)
⇒ Ultimate Rundown of the Story ⇐
1) Characters
Part 1.1: Specifically, THEIR NAMES
If there is ONE thing I have to bring up about the characters, it is their names.
I'm gonna list a few here for you.
- Quasar
- Kepler
- Castor
- Uma
- Deimos
- Alma
- Cassiopeia
- Fornax
- Talitha
- Curie
- Gemini
"Quasar" refers to a huge object that's very remote and emits huge amounts of energy. "Kepler" is a famous astronomer who is known for his three laws (Kepler's laws). "Castor" is a star in the Gemini constellation. "UMa" is short for "Ursa Major". "Deimos" is one of the two moons of Mars. "Alma" is the non-capitalized version of "ALMA", a space telescope. "Cassiopeia" is a constellation AND a galaxy. "Fornax" is a constellation as well (and is Latin for "furnace"). Heck, "Talitha" is a star on the "Ursa Major" constellation. And "Curie"—Marie Curie, anyone? Furthermore, "Gemini", one of the twelve zodiacs and a constellation of two brothers.
I. I just can't. I can't figure out if this is something I'm going to admire or if this is something that'll contribute to the docking of a star. It's driving me crazy because every time I see it, I think about its definition and not the character it's supposed to belong to. On the other hand, I also really want to congratulate H.A. Swain for name creativity . . . or the lack of it. I'm so torn.
Moving on from names now.
Part 1.2: Character Relationships
I really don't know what to say about this.
I guess I can't say anything unless you read the book anyway.
Part 1.3: Language
"Wolflo em."
Guess what this means?
"Follow me."
It's the words, scrambled. Clearly.
Similarly:
"Toidi" -> "Idiot"
"Meprosi" -> "Promise"
"Rywor tar" -> "Worry rat"
"Latihat, kewa pu" -> "Talitha, wake up"
I can't.
Let's look at this, too:
"What in the name of Jupiter?"
"Holy Mercury!"
Please. Conjure up some better exclamations.
And then we have the description and all the other dialogue.
Three word summary of the dialogue: Mostly. Sounds. Fake.
Three word summary of the description: Unending. Info-dumps. Everywhere.
I'm sorry.
Part 1.4: The Characters Themselves
In this book, there are three POV characters: Castor, Uma, and Talitha.
In my opinion, all their perspectives sound exactly the same.
I had a hard time figuring out which perspective was which. Not because the labelling was bad, but because their voices were ALL THE SAME. This story is told in first person, present tense, which means you literally have no idea whose POV you're reading unless you go back to the chapter title or you read the other characters mentioned by their names.
So, in summation, a lot of things felt 2-D to me. They are paper-thin to me. Their relationships are equally weak.
2) The Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is essential to any story, but most essential in fantasy/sci-fi books. Why? Because the characters are in a fantasy world. The world is completely different. There is either little or no correlation to the world you know.
I'm very sad to say that the worldbuilding in this book was weak.
Ugh. I still can't figure out much about MUSC. Or, frankly, about AlphaZonia (is that what it's called again?), or literally anything else. I had a lot of trouble figuring out where everything was, how everything worked, etc.
ಥ_ಥ
I tried. Please forgive me. I really tried to like it. I really love sci-fi. But this one just didn't work with me.
3) The Villains
I feel like I need to make a separate heading for this. Because boy, these villains were literally there just because they were there.
Part 3.1: They Were Annoying, also the only subsection of this section, but it deserves its own section
"'Aaaaah! Can you taste that cool, refreshing water? . . . Feel the vitamins and minerals coursing through your veins, revitalizing your internal organs? Mmmmmm. Delicious, right?'"
No.
These villains are ridiculous. They've got evil laughs and monologue all their plans and laugh at their own jokes. All the exchanges with the protags are stilted and those kind of "classic villain encounters". These villains will talk about their plans and scheming and the protags will go all "Oh no but you're crazy!! This is dumb! How dare you!!" and then yeah, that's really it.
This ends the villains. I can't. I really can't.
4) The Vocab
Just look at this vocabulary.
- Thotz
- Lenz
- TouchCuff
- iEye
- HearEar
- InstaMeme
- ExfoliLasers
- ScrumCrumpets
- SelfServ
- Neat Meat Multi-Use Eating Tools
- etc.
Oh, and I nearly forgot:
- Mango Bango Oink Oink Jerky
How does one stomach all this? I feel like H.A. Swain created this solely just for that one scene where it was mentioned. Does it impact the plot? No. Does it impact the book? No—except for the oddly capitalized title, "SuperMoon".
And it RHYMES. My goodness, never have I ever disliked rhymes so much. "HearEar". "iEye".
gods.
So to summarize everything so far, the characters were papery and thin, the dialogue and writing felt forced and unnecessarily infodumpy, the terminology bordered on annoying, and yeah.
BUT.
5) The Idea
I LOVE THE IDEA. It sounds amazing and it's what drew me into the book in the first place. One of my friends recommended it to me and at first I was a bit doubtful, considering I've come to sort of trust Goodreads reviews, but after reading the blurb and a few positive reviews I was convinced this was going to be a favorite book of mine. It's a bit disappointing that it isn't, but I'm glad I read this book, anyway. It's only added to my imagination and I think it'll add to yours too. LGBT, in space, on the moon, in rockets, and space centers, and all that. It's amazing. This is also why I've kept three stars. I think the idea itself truly makes up for a LOT.
So at the end of the day, this book wasn't really my cup of tea, and that's okay. I hope you enjoy it when you read this book!
Cheers~
⇒ 2 stars
November 5, 2019
Supermoon by H.A. Swain, 390 pages, Feiwel (Macmillan), 2018 $18
Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content: PG13 (kissing); Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS -ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Uma is a teenager who lives on the moon and doesn’t quite fit in. When she gets a chance to visit earth, where she hasn’t been since she was a small child, she is thrilled. But then she is suddenly forbidden, she makes the trip anyway and is now a wanted runaway. She bumps into Talitha, a teen who has been trying to survive in the wasteland with her twin brother. Talitha is looking for a moonling, but since Uma is earthling looking, she doesn’t make the connection. They start to fall in love and eventually Talitha must decide where her loyalty lies. Even worse, the moon base is in danger and the trio are dragged into the nefarious plot.
I had a difficult time describing the plot to this book, as there is a lot of going on. The world is masterfully crafted and the characters are distinctive. It was a hard to book to put down and a very fun read. I think the cover is appealing and its great sci-fi, it will leave the reader questioning commercialism.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content: PG13 (kissing); Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS -ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Uma is a teenager who lives on the moon and doesn’t quite fit in. When she gets a chance to visit earth, where she hasn’t been since she was a small child, she is thrilled. But then she is suddenly forbidden, she makes the trip anyway and is now a wanted runaway. She bumps into Talitha, a teen who has been trying to survive in the wasteland with her twin brother. Talitha is looking for a moonling, but since Uma is earthling looking, she doesn’t make the connection. They start to fall in love and eventually Talitha must decide where her loyalty lies. Even worse, the moon base is in danger and the trio are dragged into the nefarious plot.
I had a difficult time describing the plot to this book, as there is a lot of going on. The world is masterfully crafted and the characters are distinctive. It was a hard to book to put down and a very fun read. I think the cover is appealing and its great sci-fi, it will leave the reader questioning commercialism.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...
February 11, 2018
I'm always in for sci fi with a moon colony. And this future has not only a moon colony but also some very interesting issues that have popped up on earth...thus necessitating the moon colony that Uma lives on. There's tension because Uma is an earthling on the moon, versus those who have been born there into families who have lived there longer. So...that's a bit of immigrant issues. There's also Uma coming to terms with her attraction to girls and her wish to go to earth. Of course, she has to go to earth to give us the full picture of the world. I wasn't nearly as taken with the end as with the beginning, but I will admit that it really did wrap up nicely, maybe too nicely for my taste. That said, the whole book provided a fairly deep dive into this potential future world which covered a lot of really all too possible issues.
September 30, 2018
is this book going to change anyone's life? probably not. was the writing amazing? no.
(it didn't fully pull off the silly technology names, sometimes it was hard to tell the POVs apart, there was too much infodumping, i saw some of the plot points coming, the ending was a little easy, etc)
but you know what? i had a good time.
there were some cool ideas (the different cultures and societies, the explorobots especially) and some decent -if heavy-handed- messages and social commentary.
the two girls had a cute romance and get a happy ending! (so does the dog.) there were multiple subtle digs at Tr*mp? there was even a scene that involved a dramatic haircut and cross-dressing! and, you know... I'm a simple gal and sometimes that's all i need tbh
(it didn't fully pull off the silly technology names, sometimes it was hard to tell the POVs apart, there was too much infodumping, i saw some of the plot points coming, the ending was a little easy, etc)
but you know what? i had a good time.
there were some cool ideas (the different cultures and societies, the explorobots especially) and some decent -if heavy-handed- messages and social commentary.
the two girls had a cute romance and get a happy ending! (so does the dog.) there were multiple subtle digs at Tr*mp? there was even a scene that involved a dramatic haircut and cross-dressing! and, you know... I'm a simple gal and sometimes that's all i need tbh
September 26, 2018
The book is cute, and an easy read. It also has an interesting concept. But I found myself really wanting to know more about the beginning: the earthquakes or tsunamis that are mentioned throughout the book are never given more detail. Why humans went to the moon in the first place is never really given the depth it deserves, though that alone might be its own story.
Furthermore, the primary relationship in the story is cute but doesn't feel developed. They just fall in love immediately, and though there is a fair amount of experiences they share and similarities they have together, the lack of build up between the two kind of bores me.
Furthermore, the primary relationship in the story is cute but doesn't feel developed. They just fall in love immediately, and though there is a fair amount of experiences they share and similarities they have together, the lack of build up between the two kind of bores me.
March 5, 2018
I wanted to enjoy this book, truly I did, but the story's beginning makes it sound like one of the Maximum Ride books with the Very Important Environmental Message embedded in it. I could not sympathize with the main character or become invested in her story, which is unfortunate as I think the premise is really interesting.
August 20, 2018
Everything about this book annoyed me. Set on the moon (apparently all humans live in space now), a teenage boy was dealing with all the issues a kid in high school on Earth would. Bullies, mean girls, trying to fit in, etc. That wouldn't work for me, but add on top of that all their tech ended in -z. "thotz" for "thoughts" -- some sort of telepathic tech. Things like that. DNF.
July 7, 2018
On the surface this book sounds so ideal: space exploration, science, two girls falling in love... but it really missed the mark for me. The world building felt like too much info dump and not enough at the same time. I never really felt invested in the main characters.
July 31, 2018
Out of this world!
This book was a great summer read. I really enjoyed the characters and the science behind some of the cool tech in the story!
This book was a great summer read. I really enjoyed the characters and the science behind some of the cool tech in the story!
March 22, 2020
At the beginning of this book, I was kind of overwhelmed by the number of weird names and acronyms the characters used. It seemed like the author was trying way too hard to make the setting feel like science fiction. Also, I kept missing the labels at the start of chapters that said who was narrating them, so I got very lost a few times...
However, as the book progressed, the story began to get more intriguing, and the romance was really well-done. It might be that I'm biased toward lesbian relationships, but they were just so sweet together, and it actually seemed somewhat reasonable. Plus, it didn't fall into the trap of strong-female-protagonist-held-back-by-boyfriend: in fact, neither of them held each other back!
I also loved the ambiguity of some of the characters. To quote Uma, "I can't decide which one's worse." It's nice to read something that isn't so black-and-white.
Conclusion: this wasn't the best book I've ever read (obviously), but if you're really yearning for a queer romance set on a dying Earth and a lunar colony, you'd probably like it. :)
However, as the book progressed, the story began to get more intriguing, and the romance was really well-done. It might be that I'm biased toward lesbian relationships, but they were just so sweet together, and it actually seemed somewhat reasonable. Plus, it didn't fall into the trap of strong-female-protagonist-held-back-by-boyfriend: in fact, neither of them held each other back!
I also loved the ambiguity of some of the characters. To quote Uma, "I can't decide which one's worse." It's nice to read something that isn't so black-and-white.
Conclusion: this wasn't the best book I've ever read (obviously), but if you're really yearning for a queer romance set on a dying Earth and a lunar colony, you'd probably like it. :)
March 4, 2019
Uma lives on the moon with her mom. They moved there from earth and are looked down on by the people who have lived on the moon for 1-3 generations now. Uma wants to spend her one month break between school and getting her Life Work Assignment (LWA) on earth, but she ends up having to stowaway to make it happen. While there she meets twins Talitha and Castor, falling head over heels in love with Talitha. But when Talitha finds out that Uma has lied to her, there is trouble in paradise.
Lots of action, adventure, and sci-fi - as well as romance and family dynamics. The beginning is a bit slow and the deliberate misspellings of things like "thotz" annoys me to no end. However, the action quickly picks up - I can see this working well as a movie.
Lots of action, adventure, and sci-fi - as well as romance and family dynamics. The beginning is a bit slow and the deliberate misspellings of things like "thotz" annoys me to no end. However, the action quickly picks up - I can see this working well as a movie.
January 17, 2023
3.5 / 5
This was a quick and easy read, one that was so hard to put down. There were parts of this that were a little.... Romeo & Juliet-like with obvious logic holes, but it was a very well rounded story.
Bonus points for making me think about the state of the world now, and where we might be heading... With social media and consumerism controlling our lives. I'm going to make the conscious effort to step back more from this. To connect with nature. To remember what it's like to be human.
This was a quick and easy read, one that was so hard to put down. There were parts of this that were a little.... Romeo & Juliet-like with obvious logic holes, but it was a very well rounded story.
Bonus points for making me think about the state of the world now, and where we might be heading... With social media and consumerism controlling our lives. I'm going to make the conscious effort to step back more from this. To connect with nature. To remember what it's like to be human.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2023
A very interesting sci-fi romantic adventure and the perssonal sense of knowing where a place is Where One Belongs!!
I wish there is a sequel to this novel whereby there new Earth to Moon facility prospers and to also get to know how the MUSCies have adaptated their beings and incorporated more humanity in simple daily lives.
I wish there is a sequel to this novel whereby there new Earth to Moon facility prospers and to also get to know how the MUSCies have adaptated their beings and incorporated more humanity in simple daily lives.
March 22, 2018
For SLJ
January 15, 2021
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Just lovely.
New favorite insult:
"You're the worst of humanity!"
New favorite insult:
"You're the worst of humanity!"
Read
June 18, 2023I like the whole concept where the writer plots how future would be like... It's just so realistic
May 18, 2025
Uh... this was just okay. I liked character names and the overall concept of the novel.
I'm not fond of books where the plot is driven strictly by dialog.
I'm not fond of books where the plot is driven strictly by dialog.
March 4, 2019
Tags: Interpersonal Relationships; Consumerism; Moon Colony; LBGTQ
Uma’s family immigrated to the moon colony to provide her with a better life. But fitting in has been difficult. The only thing making life tolerable has been the prospect of a month long visit to earth prior to the assigning of Life Work Assignments. When her trip request is denied, Uma stows away on an earthbound shuttle. On Earth and on the run, Uma meets Earthgirl Talitha. The pair quickly realize that in each other they have found the missing piece in their lives. But nothing is ever simple. To keep loved ones safe, they will need to trust each other and may need to sacrifice personal happiness, even if for Uma that means a return to the moon.
This intriguing title includes worldbuilding that incorporates sensory chips, hi tech implants, and focuses on one society that harvests bodies as a means to gain a workforce, while another is willfully destroying the earth through rampant consumerism. Although the ending is a bit too neat, the fast-paced, suspenseful narrative will engage readers as it touches on complicated issues in this unique tale.
Uma’s family immigrated to the moon colony to provide her with a better life. But fitting in has been difficult. The only thing making life tolerable has been the prospect of a month long visit to earth prior to the assigning of Life Work Assignments. When her trip request is denied, Uma stows away on an earthbound shuttle. On Earth and on the run, Uma meets Earthgirl Talitha. The pair quickly realize that in each other they have found the missing piece in their lives. But nothing is ever simple. To keep loved ones safe, they will need to trust each other and may need to sacrifice personal happiness, even if for Uma that means a return to the moon.
This intriguing title includes worldbuilding that incorporates sensory chips, hi tech implants, and focuses on one society that harvests bodies as a means to gain a workforce, while another is willfully destroying the earth through rampant consumerism. Although the ending is a bit too neat, the fast-paced, suspenseful narrative will engage readers as it touches on complicated issues in this unique tale.
April 9, 2024
This read like it was written in the early aughts, but it wasn’t 😒. 2024 reread
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