Shattered Moonlight

by K.L. Bone

Every night, the wolf wailed his sorrow to the lonely moon.Every sunrise, her heart echoed his mournful call.**Celine treads a worn path through the cursed wood to pray beneath the Hawthorn tree for her sister’s safe return. The trail is dangerous—her nightly pilgrimage is stalked by monsters who dwell in the murky shadows.One moonlit evening, the beasts come for her, yet instead of meeting death, Celine is saved by a fearsome wolf. As Celine and her wolf develop an unlikely companionship, she begins to suspect the complex creature is more than he appears, and perhaps his fate is inexplicably tied to the kingdom’s curse.When a handsome huntsman arrives intent on slaying her protector, Celine must face her fears to save her big bad wolf.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

238 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2021

About the author

K.L. Bone is a USA Today bestselling author of dark fantasy and paranormal romance. Her works include the bestselling Black Rose Guard dark fantasy series. The bestselling Flames of Kalleen paranormal romance series. The Rise of the Temple Gods fantasy series. And a stand-alone science fiction novel, The Indoctrination and numerous novellas.

Bone has a master’s degree in modern literary cultures and is working toward her PhD in creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland.

She wrote her first short story at the age of fifteen and grew up with an equally great love of both classical literature and speculative fiction. Bone has spent the last few years as a bit of a world traveler, living in California, London, and most recently, Belfast. When not immersed in words, of her own creation or studies, you’ll find her traveling to mythical sites that have inspired storytellers for generations.

Reviews

[N.G. Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This remind me of old fairytales, such as Little red riding hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
The authors did a great job in crafting it, the fairytale vibe is enchanting and you crave for more.
The prose in brilliant, a very clear plot, the Main character is likeable, but has it's flaws. I liked it has a concise ending.

An excellent read!

[Jessica Piro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I immensely enjoyed this twisted fairytale! This Red Riding Hood-vibe fairytale has everything I look forward to in a story: likable/realistic characters, romance, humor, danger, action, suspense, and intrigue to keep me reading.
Now I'm waiting on the sequel!

[E.P. Stavs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique take on the Red Riding Hood tale, with a dash of faerie magic, a cursed prince, and a huntsman named Arwin who steals the show (right after Fenrir, that is). Great read!

[Helen Garraway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shattered Moonlight is a fairytale retelling of Red Riding hood, and although all the typical milestones of the story are hit there is enough originality to make this story an engaging and an enjoyable read.

Celine is a feisty heroine, the cursed prince an afflicted hero who follows the expected trope but makes you love him all the same.

Well written and engaging, this is a quite a fast read at 159 pages, easily read in one sitting. The story of Celine, her faerie lord and the white wolf are blended beautifully. The end is wrapped up rather quickly, all in a nice bundle, but satisfying all the same. You don't really want the story to end.

A lovely story, well written. You won't regret reading it.

[rogue_reads_romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shattered Moonlight is book one of the Fairy Tales by Moonlight series. This book is so unique. Many reviews identify it as a “Red Riding Hood retelling” and that just isn’t the case. The only comparisons to RRH are a red cape and a grandmother. There is a wolf. . . but he isn’t the big bad. This is a wonderful fairy tale fantasy. It was a quick read for me because I couldn’t put it down!

So, before I jump in to why I couldn’t put this book down, there are a few things you should know: As a reader there are a few big things I care about when I read a book: The point of view (POV). Who is telling the story? The plot. Is it predictable? Has it been done before? Additionally, when I read a romance, I also want to know how spicy the spice is. If you’re interested in reading more about why I’ve given it FIVE STARS, please read on.

Shattered Moonlight is told from third person POV. While I’m typically a fan of multiple POV, this story is well-written and I had no difficulty following the character or world building. As far as characters are concerned, we’ve got a few important ones: Celine (main female character) is full of life and determined to not lose hope under the dire circumstances the story presents. Arawn (mail male character) is a huntsman (I won’t say what he hunts) who has been surviving by killing until his honor is put to the test. We also have Celine’s grandmother, a white wolf, a fae prince, an evil queen, and an ancient tree.

The plot was fast-paced and I didn’t find it to be predictable. Since the story is clearly labeled a fairy tale, I was expecting a happy ending, but the journey there was unique. I don’t normally do plot summaries and typically suggest you read the blurb/synopsis, but I just don’t think there is one that does the story justice so I’m making an exception. I’ll do so minimally, without offering spoilers. Here goes:

The story is primarily set in the Grove of Danu and Adaire Village. Each chapter is clearly labeled by location. Celine lives near the village and offers homage to an ancient tree, praying for her loved ones and for the restoration of the land. Desolation was brought upon the people by an evil queen who usurped the throne and imprisoned the prince. The story doesn’t lack magic and that includes the beasts that Celine encounters. Again, I can’t say too much without giving away the story. She does eventually cross paths with the other characters I noted. The end 😉

I’m really looking forward to reading book two: Fractured Moonlight. I hope you give this series a shot! You won’t regret it.

[Joyffree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sort of a mix of fairytales - A bit of Red blended with a little dash of Beauty sprinkled with some evil sorceress vibes
No matter which tale it flavored from it was a solid read
Great cast of characters - Wonderful world-building - A believable and engaging story that kept me captive from beginning to end

Celine was such a well-crafted female lead. She had a touch of innocence blended with a whole lot of bravery. Her reactions were believable. She didn't hide her feelings.

I saw part of the ending coming but the author still had a surprise or two up their sleeves.
Highly recommend

[Dorothy Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shattered moonlight.
By K.L. Bone and Erin McFadden

I adore fairy tales. Something about the unfortunate people and the paths they choose keeps me cheering for them or yelling at them.
Both authors are amazing story tellers. This tale has it all. From the unfortunate girl to the diabolical witch and imprisoned prince. Monsters lurk in the Forrest and an unlikely hero joins the quest.
Fast paced story that I found impossible to put down.
Have snacks ready and tissues near by and join the magical journe

[Hikami D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐵𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠' 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛.

𝓵𝔂𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮

Shattered moonlight is a red riding hood retelling with mild spice, incorporating the classic fairy tale's milestones while following its own original path.

The prose is brilliant and reminds of classic fairy tales. The story is concise and fast paced. The characters are also fleshed out despite the story's brevity. Overall, a great read but due to the lengthy, complicated sentences it wasn't my cup of tea (no native speaker here).

[Elisha Bugg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this tale by K.L Bone.
I quickly fell in love with the characters and wanted to keep reading to see what happened next. The world building was fantastic with lots of depth and well thought out. The monsters dark and frightening as intended. The characters colourful and meaningful. Almost every character you longed for them to survive, sitting on the edge of your seat when a new fight broke out.
I very much enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to pick up more from the author.
Looking forward to the next book in this series!

[Valerie Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was magnificent! I knew it would be good with these two authors writing the story, but this was beyond my expectations. I craved to see what was next. Whimsical as a fairytale and enchanting as a romance, Little Red Riding Hood came to mind with this storyline. I was totally captured in the story. Different emotions playing throughout. Holding my breath, on the edge of my seat at times and a happy ending made this an amazing book.

[KatLikesReadingBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately interested in reading this book. I will say it had mixes of all different fantasy books I read but its story was very different from ones I’ve read before. This book had me turning page after page wanting to know what had occur. I thought I knew what was going to happen then completely blown away. If you love fantasy, romance, and paranormal stories, this is a MUST READ for you.

[Amanda M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like reading fairytales with a twist. They give a different take on the story and this retelling didn't disappoint. Magical creatures, myths, a huntsman, suspense, adventure, and action are a few things I enjoyed about this book. I also loved the details in this, so descriptive. I also liked the storyline. It had my interest from the first page. Beautiful cover as well.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collaboration by K.L. Bone and Erin McFadden was downright brilliant! I loved their twist on the fairytale. The setting, the characters and all the words. The book hooked my attention and didn't let me go until the end. I absolutely loved it.

[Sandra Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fae Fun!

If you're looking for some fairy tale romance with a bit of action, this book is for you. It delivers magical beasts, a dashing huntsman, a pure-hearted protagonist and an evil queen along with romance in the fairy tale fashion as good as the phrase "As you wish".

[Yashira Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the twist and turns of the book, wpuld have love for celine to have a little bit more spirit n trust in herself,hopefully her character development keeps flourishing overall i love it as fast pace read n will definitely recommend!
Love me some fae fantasy read

[D.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Enjoyed this read. Wasn’t left with a cliffhanger but I think there’s room for a second book following a different character in need of a HEA. Looking forward to more.

[Brigid Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Delightful fantasy vibes, immersive world building.

This is a low steam read.

[Jennifer Billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love twisted fairy tales. This one was fabulous and even more when I thought I knew who people would end up with. That was not quite right either, and I love being surprised.

[Jeanna Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot..loved the characters

[Alexis Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red riding hood beauty and the beast retelling gives slight frozen vibes

[Anisa Macias · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like an epic story about a cursed kingdom this is the book for you with a FMC that has a quest to follow to save a prince from a sorcerer who put a curse on his kingdom

[Renata’s World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice fairytale retelling with loveable characters.

[Korinna Romere · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Shattered Moonlight is a slightly darker retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, that also gives off some very strong Snow White vibes. It is so beautifully descriptive, that I had no issue throughout the entire book really being able to visualize exactly what the authors had in mind. The fight scenes are written extremely well, in a way that's easy to follow and, again, I can picture it in my head exactly how the authors pictured it in their heads.
The entire story was interesting enough that I never thought about not finishing it. It's really a very exceptionally well-written book. Something about it just didn't blow me away. It felt extremely predictable to me. While I know that it's a retelling of a childhood fairytale, there were no plot twists or anything that happened that came wildly out of left field, no surprises. It all just felt a bit obvious to me.
There's one spicy scene, and it seemed to come absolutely out of nowhere. So, Celine has these dreams where she can talk to the Hawthorne tree, it glows silver, and we find out later that she's communicating with Danu, the goddess. She begins seeing a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in those dreams, and they hardly have any conversation other than him telling her, "Hey, you're gonna go on a quest, and it's going to be really hard, but you can do it. You're the one who has to do it." There's nothing romantic or flirty about any of their conversations. And then suddenly, she has another dream, sees this man, who is so obviously her wolf Fenrir in human form, and he's calling her love and flirting and he kisses her, and then he takes her over to a tree, and they get together. Don't get me wrong, the actual scene itself is *chef's kiss*. But it came out of nowhere. There was no build-up. There was nothing to even remotely hint at them having any sort of romantic connection. It almost felt like they realized there were no spicy scenes in the book, wrote one, and plopped it in wherever they flipped the page.
Once that scene happens, it becomes clear that the person is actually the Prince she's going on this big quest to save, especially when he won't even tell her his full name. If she knew she was rescuing this man she supposedly is in love with and wants to spend the rest of her life with, I'm sure he felt she would get too emotional and wouldn't be able to properly achieve the ultimate goal and defeat Vanessa, the powerful sorceress.
There's nothing wrong with this book at all. It's got stunning descriptions of the world, it's got such exquisitely written fight scenes and other scenes alike. The dialogue all feels quite real and unforced. It's just quite predictable. I'm sincerely hoping that the second book in this series will be a bit less so. If you're looking for a book that will distract you and you can just mindlessly read, or you're looking for a sort of fluffer book or pallet cleanser book between some much darker and more intense novels, this is absolutely the book for you. It's really a very quaint, whimsical little world they've created here.