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Fae and the Moon
Filled with fearsome monsters, fascinating lore, and vibrant illustrations, Fae and the Moon is a much-needed adventure story about overcoming despair through the powers of love and hope.
"The book's lessons about believing in oneself and the importance of family are clear, important, and meaningful. . . . An entertaining fantasy story about personal empowerment and family love." -- Foreword Reviews
Fae, in mourning for her missing mother, sits night after night below the Moon that her mother so loved. Then one night she discovers she can pluck the Moon out of the star-filled sky! Back safe in her house, she holds it close, feeling comfort at last. But Fae loses the Moon, and finds that taking it has awakened ancient monsters--rats, dragons, and more, who hunt it for themselves. Will Fae be able to reclaim the Moon, find her own inner strength, and save the world from eternal darkness?
"The book's lessons about believing in oneself and the importance of family are clear, important, and meaningful. . . . An entertaining fantasy story about personal empowerment and family love." -- Foreword Reviews
Fae, in mourning for her missing mother, sits night after night below the Moon that her mother so loved. Then one night she discovers she can pluck the Moon out of the star-filled sky! Back safe in her house, she holds it close, feeling comfort at last. But Fae loses the Moon, and finds that taking it has awakened ancient monsters--rats, dragons, and more, who hunt it for themselves. Will Fae be able to reclaim the Moon, find her own inner strength, and save the world from eternal darkness?
144 pages, Paperback
Published February 21, 2023
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124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 25, 2023
3 for the art, 2 for the story
March 26, 2024
Cute and wicked story.
July 6, 2023
Artemis Crescent's graphic novel review of something she should have loved - that features practically everything she loves. But unfortunately, ultimately doesn't. Because bad writing - messy, poorly planned, problematic writing on a massive, moon-sized scale - shouldn't be brushed aside in favour of aesthetics and good ideas. For execution is everything.
My feelings on 'Fae and the Moon' are similar to other graphic novels I've read recently that seemed up my alley, such as 'Cheshire Crossing' and 'Garlic and the Vampire', but had left me disappointed in the end. Mainly due to the aforementioned messiness, confusion, and lacklustre execution (though 'Garlic and the Vampire' is admittedly objectively far superior to the rest, I still expected more out of it).
My 'Fae and the Moon' review won't be the first of its kind I write today. Next one is coming up.
Here is a list of things wrong with 'Fae and the Moon':
• The setting is very limited - to Fae's house, and underneath her house, basically. We only see two panels featuring other people, who are Fae's neighbours, who she never interacts with, and we never see them again.
• There is really no point to Fae's mother's scrapbook and handmade book of potions and spells, other than setting up a blue flower as being a plot point for later on.
• Speaking of Fae's mother, who is she exactly? What is she? Is she a goddess? A witch? Is she immortal? In this world, she actually created the moon, presumably to keep any "dark creatures", who had existed since the beginning of time, at bay. It's not clear how long ago the creation of the moon happened. Was this from even before Fae was born? I have no freaking clue.
• Who are the mice, Frik and Frak, in relation to Fae's mother? In the end she acts like she knows them, and implied she'd sent them to look after Fae while she was gone. Huh?! And did Fae name them? They're nontalking animals, so she must have. But if not, then... what?!
• Why did Frik and Frak steal random stuff from Fae's house and keep them underground? This isn't brought up again.
• How come some animals can talk, while others, like the mice, can't?
• Speaking of, there is no real point to the talking Rat King and his rat horde, either. They could have been cut out of the comic and no difference would have been made. They could have been replaced by any other antagonist role, and no difference would have been made. Their "vermin in hiding taking back and taking over the surface world" plot goes absolutely nowhere. They're expendable, and once the Rat King, who wants the moon's power for himself, is suddenly, swiftly killed off by the dragon (oh, I'll get to him), the rats bugger off, never to be seen or mentioned again. Since they're presented as being an ostracised, marginalised minority race, not wanting to be shamed, killed and forced into hiding anymore, this is more than iffy.
• How did the Rat King know that it was Fae who took the moon from the sky? Never explained!
• The dragon, who we first see destroying Fae's house in trying to find the moon (which Fae had taken down in the hopes that it might bring her missing mother back to her) and Fae's mother (I think?). He is portrayed majorly as a violent brute - remember, he kills the Rat King, squishes him, but the comic doesn't remember, after the fact. Suddenly, at the end, when he is beaten down and dying, he becomes sympathetic - information is dropped on the reader about how Fae's mother had looked after him when he was a hatchling, when "others only wanted to destroy me" (huh? What? Who? Where? Why?!). She apparently just left him as soon as he could look after himself. She didn't bother to see him again afterwards. Sounds like she straight up abandoned him, but the dragon still sees her as his mother. Some mother. This supposedly took place before Fae was born. The dragon loves the mother and wants to protect her - then why did he not try to find her even before the moon went missing?! - and by extension he now wants to protect Fae. Citation needed. He destroyed part of her house with her inside it in his introduction! Even if he didn't know who she was at that point, it's still sloppy writing. Plus, he later says he was trying to stop the monster who was responsible for Fae's mother's disappearance. *Deep breath*, why did he not say so before!? To the scared little girl who looks like her mother in her house!? It could have saved a whole bunch of misunderstandings, such as Fae thinking that it was the dragon who was responsible for her mother's disappearance, because of an extremely vague dream she had (seriously, don't ask, it never makes any sense). He only cared about the moon in his first appearance. His motivation changes more than the moon phases. The dragon, whose name is Kulkan, in the climactic battle, refers to Fae as his "little sister"... and Fae immediately starts referring to him as her brother, despite them barely knowing each other and meeting only under violent, life-and-death circumstances. Also out of nowhere, Kulkan officially becomes part of the family, and Fae's mother's other child... who she'd abandoned for years. What BS.
• How did Kulkan find Fae's mother's house so quickly, years after she left him, if she was moving around constantly whilst in hiding?
• And what was that line from Kulkan calling himself "selfish once", like the Rat King... right as he kills the rodent? It doesn't come up again. Does it link to his past about others trying to kill him as a baby? Allow me to repeat the mantra of this graphic novel: What? Why? Who? When? Where? How? Huh?!
• Fae didn't 100% believe in her mother's stories about the moon and blue flowers and whatnot - they were more like fairy tales to her than anything. She didn't believe that dragons existed until one destroys part of her house. But talking rabbits, talking rats, smart mice, not to mention her being able to take the moon itself right out of the sky using ladders and it then somehow being small enough for her to hide in her cloak, her house, and in the chest in her room, all of this is normal to her. Not worth even commenting on.
• Now onto the talking rabbit himself, Percival. Initially he is set up to be Fae's friend, mentor, and guardian in place of her missing mother. He is like the cute animal mascot common in all magical girl-like media. But then - twist - just over halfway through the comic, he is revealed to be the true villain of the story the whole time. It's a decent and clever twist, though sadly I knew it was coming because someone on Goodreads carelessly revealed it in the first paragraph of their non-spoiler review. Regardless, it doesn't stop the What? Why? Who? When? Where? How? Huh?! mantra of everything. Why is Percival, or whoever he is and whatever he is called, so evil? Why does he want to take over the world? It can't just be because he is a creature of darkness, repelled by the moon. That's racist, isn't it? Why did it take so long for this shapeshifting monster of pure evil, who has existed since time began (however long ago that was in the context of this vague fantasy world and its poor worldbuilding), to find Fae's mother and attempt to deceive her into pulling the moon from the sky? Space is warped and time is bendable in this world and story. Why did he want to find the moon at all once it was gone from the sky, thanks to his tricking Fae into retrieving it herself and hiding it (he didn't count on her doing that specifically, but plot contrivance is plot contrivance)? The moon's gone, he's free in his power at night, and he can rule over everything. He doesn't really need the moon's power. But then he is immune to the moon's power in the sky? Or is less affected than other dark creatures, due to his shapeshifting? Why would the moon being different colours affect its power? In what ways? This point about the colours of the moon also ends up meaning nothing in the grand scheme of things. HOW WAS THIS COMIC PUBLISHED?! Why would Percival bother with the deception of both Fae and her mother at all? He's powerful (not to mention immortal) enough without them and their (witch? goddess?) powers. Whether or not the moon exists is in fact inconsequential to him. IT MAKES NO SENSE!
• It is made clearer at the end that apparently Percival had "killed" Fae's mother by completely absorbing her into him, and it wasn't enough power, so he then came after Fae for her power. Er, why was absorbing the mother, physically and in essence, not enough for him to take the moon? Why does he want the moon again, especially when he has its creator's power inside of him? How did he absorb her anyway? Again, why bother deceiving either of them when he could just absorb them and their power from the get-go?! Percival, in his true monster form, is defeated - killed, I think, though it's not made clear - far too easily by Fae beating him about with the moon he should be immune to. And his flowing blood, together with Fae's tears, make more blue flowers bloom, and free her mother. Thus they are reunited. It really would have been better for the storyline about grief if the mother never came back, if Fae had learned to move on, and grow from there. It feels like a copout.
• Just before Fae beats monster Percival over the head with the moon, she pulls up a weed from the ground (a blue flower stem? I have no frikin' and frakin' clue) and squeezes it, causing her hand to bleed (from its thorns? Its stinging nettles? Once again, I don't know). Why does she do this? It ends up doing absolutely nothing. It affects absolutely nothing. It doesn't even turn the moon in her hands red, indicating a difference in power, like how blue flowers combined with Fae's and her mother's magic can turn it blue. In fact, the weed and the blood disappear from Fae's hand when she first hits Percival with the moon. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?! HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED?
• At the very end, when Fae's mother comes back, Fae mentions that her mother dropped her key in her Moon garden the night she disappeared, and that is why Fae had it around her neck throughout the story. This is literally the first mention of the "found Mother's key in Moon garden" plot point. Fae just has it, and the reader has no idea how she got it up until that moment. The mother is seen wearing it in a couple of panels in flashbacks, but otherwise there is no indication that she ever wore it, as "special" and "important" as it is. This seems like both a writer and an artist problem and miscommunication. I say once more, HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED?
• The mother (okay, her name is I'Lette, but I can't be arsed to constantly type that) also drops the bomb at the end: "The power does not run through the veins of every generation, but it seems to be within you [Fae]", and she has family outside of her little house of choice, to hide away from the dark creatures and to protect Fae. Um, WHAT? I thought she was immortal. What generations? What family? I thought she and Fae were the only ones in the world with moon powers, hence why Percival targeted them. How old is she? HOW LONG AGO DID SHE CREATE THE BLOODY MOON?! And why did she feel it necessary to go into hiding from creatures of darkness when she is powerful enough on her own, AND with her moon?
Phew! There are other blatant flaws, but I'm too tired out to write more. It's all so baffling and confusing.
But despite everything above, I don't hate 'Fae and the Moon'. It does contain good points. It is very cute, cartoony and sweet, with great artwork, and I can easily see it being pitched as a pilot on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or the Disney Channel. It has decent action scenes. I adore the colours, and the elements and motifs of the moon, magic, animals, gardens, cute tea sets, and mother and daughter bonds.
I only wish the story made sense.
Stay tuned for another review of a middling, messy, baffling fantasy girl power graphic novel I seriously wanted to love.
[EDIT: The review is now up! You can read it here.]
Final Score: 2.5/5
My feelings on 'Fae and the Moon' are similar to other graphic novels I've read recently that seemed up my alley, such as 'Cheshire Crossing' and 'Garlic and the Vampire', but had left me disappointed in the end. Mainly due to the aforementioned messiness, confusion, and lacklustre execution (though 'Garlic and the Vampire' is admittedly objectively far superior to the rest, I still expected more out of it).
My 'Fae and the Moon' review won't be the first of its kind I write today. Next one is coming up.
Here is a list of things wrong with 'Fae and the Moon':
• The setting is very limited - to Fae's house, and underneath her house, basically. We only see two panels featuring other people, who are Fae's neighbours, who she never interacts with, and we never see them again.
• There is really no point to Fae's mother's scrapbook and handmade book of potions and spells, other than setting up a blue flower as being a plot point for later on.
• Speaking of Fae's mother, who is she exactly? What is she? Is she a goddess? A witch? Is she immortal? In this world, she actually created the moon, presumably to keep any "dark creatures", who had existed since the beginning of time, at bay. It's not clear how long ago the creation of the moon happened. Was this from even before Fae was born? I have no freaking clue.
• Who are the mice, Frik and Frak, in relation to Fae's mother? In the end she acts like she knows them, and implied she'd sent them to look after Fae while she was gone. Huh?! And did Fae name them? They're nontalking animals, so she must have. But if not, then... what?!
• Why did Frik and Frak steal random stuff from Fae's house and keep them underground? This isn't brought up again.
• How come some animals can talk, while others, like the mice, can't?
• Speaking of, there is no real point to the talking Rat King and his rat horde, either. They could have been cut out of the comic and no difference would have been made. They could have been replaced by any other antagonist role, and no difference would have been made. Their "vermin in hiding taking back and taking over the surface world" plot goes absolutely nowhere. They're expendable, and once the Rat King, who wants the moon's power for himself, is suddenly, swiftly killed off by the dragon (oh, I'll get to him), the rats bugger off, never to be seen or mentioned again. Since they're presented as being an ostracised, marginalised minority race, not wanting to be shamed, killed and forced into hiding anymore, this is more than iffy.
• How did the Rat King know that it was Fae who took the moon from the sky? Never explained!
• The dragon, who we first see destroying Fae's house in trying to find the moon (which Fae had taken down in the hopes that it might bring her missing mother back to her) and Fae's mother (I think?). He is portrayed majorly as a violent brute - remember, he kills the Rat King, squishes him, but the comic doesn't remember, after the fact. Suddenly, at the end, when he is beaten down and dying, he becomes sympathetic - information is dropped on the reader about how Fae's mother had looked after him when he was a hatchling, when "others only wanted to destroy me" (huh? What? Who? Where? Why?!). She apparently just left him as soon as he could look after himself. She didn't bother to see him again afterwards. Sounds like she straight up abandoned him, but the dragon still sees her as his mother. Some mother. This supposedly took place before Fae was born. The dragon loves the mother and wants to protect her - then why did he not try to find her even before the moon went missing?! - and by extension he now wants to protect Fae. Citation needed. He destroyed part of her house with her inside it in his introduction! Even if he didn't know who she was at that point, it's still sloppy writing. Plus, he later says he was trying to stop the monster who was responsible for Fae's mother's disappearance. *Deep breath*, why did he not say so before!? To the scared little girl who looks like her mother in her house!? It could have saved a whole bunch of misunderstandings, such as Fae thinking that it was the dragon who was responsible for her mother's disappearance, because of an extremely vague dream she had (seriously, don't ask, it never makes any sense). He only cared about the moon in his first appearance. His motivation changes more than the moon phases. The dragon, whose name is Kulkan, in the climactic battle, refers to Fae as his "little sister"... and Fae immediately starts referring to him as her brother, despite them barely knowing each other and meeting only under violent, life-and-death circumstances. Also out of nowhere, Kulkan officially becomes part of the family, and Fae's mother's other child... who she'd abandoned for years. What BS.
• How did Kulkan find Fae's mother's house so quickly, years after she left him, if she was moving around constantly whilst in hiding?
• And what was that line from Kulkan calling himself "selfish once", like the Rat King... right as he kills the rodent? It doesn't come up again. Does it link to his past about others trying to kill him as a baby? Allow me to repeat the mantra of this graphic novel: What? Why? Who? When? Where? How? Huh?!
• Fae didn't 100% believe in her mother's stories about the moon and blue flowers and whatnot - they were more like fairy tales to her than anything. She didn't believe that dragons existed until one destroys part of her house. But talking rabbits, talking rats, smart mice, not to mention her being able to take the moon itself right out of the sky using ladders and it then somehow being small enough for her to hide in her cloak, her house, and in the chest in her room, all of this is normal to her. Not worth even commenting on.
• Now onto the talking rabbit himself, Percival. Initially he is set up to be Fae's friend, mentor, and guardian in place of her missing mother. He is like the cute animal mascot common in all magical girl-like media. But then - twist - just over halfway through the comic, he is revealed to be the true villain of the story the whole time. It's a decent and clever twist, though sadly I knew it was coming because someone on Goodreads carelessly revealed it in the first paragraph of their non-spoiler review. Regardless, it doesn't stop the What? Why? Who? When? Where? How? Huh?! mantra of everything. Why is Percival, or whoever he is and whatever he is called, so evil? Why does he want to take over the world? It can't just be because he is a creature of darkness, repelled by the moon. That's racist, isn't it? Why did it take so long for this shapeshifting monster of pure evil, who has existed since time began (however long ago that was in the context of this vague fantasy world and its poor worldbuilding), to find Fae's mother and attempt to deceive her into pulling the moon from the sky? Space is warped and time is bendable in this world and story. Why did he want to find the moon at all once it was gone from the sky, thanks to his tricking Fae into retrieving it herself and hiding it (he didn't count on her doing that specifically, but plot contrivance is plot contrivance)? The moon's gone, he's free in his power at night, and he can rule over everything. He doesn't really need the moon's power. But then he is immune to the moon's power in the sky? Or is less affected than other dark creatures, due to his shapeshifting? Why would the moon being different colours affect its power? In what ways? This point about the colours of the moon also ends up meaning nothing in the grand scheme of things. HOW WAS THIS COMIC PUBLISHED?! Why would Percival bother with the deception of both Fae and her mother at all? He's powerful (not to mention immortal) enough without them and their (witch? goddess?) powers. Whether or not the moon exists is in fact inconsequential to him. IT MAKES NO SENSE!
• It is made clearer at the end that apparently Percival had "killed" Fae's mother by completely absorbing her into him, and it wasn't enough power, so he then came after Fae for her power. Er, why was absorbing the mother, physically and in essence, not enough for him to take the moon? Why does he want the moon again, especially when he has its creator's power inside of him? How did he absorb her anyway? Again, why bother deceiving either of them when he could just absorb them and their power from the get-go?! Percival, in his true monster form, is defeated - killed, I think, though it's not made clear - far too easily by Fae beating him about with the moon he should be immune to. And his flowing blood, together with Fae's tears, make more blue flowers bloom, and free her mother. Thus they are reunited. It really would have been better for the storyline about grief if the mother never came back, if Fae had learned to move on, and grow from there. It feels like a copout.
• Just before Fae beats monster Percival over the head with the moon, she pulls up a weed from the ground (a blue flower stem? I have no frikin' and frakin' clue) and squeezes it, causing her hand to bleed (from its thorns? Its stinging nettles? Once again, I don't know). Why does she do this? It ends up doing absolutely nothing. It affects absolutely nothing. It doesn't even turn the moon in her hands red, indicating a difference in power, like how blue flowers combined with Fae's and her mother's magic can turn it blue. In fact, the weed and the blood disappear from Fae's hand when she first hits Percival with the moon. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?! HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED?
• At the very end, when Fae's mother comes back, Fae mentions that her mother dropped her key in her Moon garden the night she disappeared, and that is why Fae had it around her neck throughout the story. This is literally the first mention of the "found Mother's key in Moon garden" plot point. Fae just has it, and the reader has no idea how she got it up until that moment. The mother is seen wearing it in a couple of panels in flashbacks, but otherwise there is no indication that she ever wore it, as "special" and "important" as it is. This seems like both a writer and an artist problem and miscommunication. I say once more, HOW DID THIS GET PUBLISHED?
• The mother (okay, her name is I'Lette, but I can't be arsed to constantly type that) also drops the bomb at the end: "The power does not run through the veins of every generation, but it seems to be within you [Fae]", and she has family outside of her little house of choice, to hide away from the dark creatures and to protect Fae. Um, WHAT? I thought she was immortal. What generations? What family? I thought she and Fae were the only ones in the world with moon powers, hence why Percival targeted them. How old is she? HOW LONG AGO DID SHE CREATE THE BLOODY MOON?! And why did she feel it necessary to go into hiding from creatures of darkness when she is powerful enough on her own, AND with her moon?
Phew! There are other blatant flaws, but I'm too tired out to write more. It's all so baffling and confusing.
But despite everything above, I don't hate 'Fae and the Moon'. It does contain good points. It is very cute, cartoony and sweet, with great artwork, and I can easily see it being pitched as a pilot on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or the Disney Channel. It has decent action scenes. I adore the colours, and the elements and motifs of the moon, magic, animals, gardens, cute tea sets, and mother and daughter bonds.
I only wish the story made sense.
Stay tuned for another review of a middling, messy, baffling fantasy girl power graphic novel I seriously wanted to love.
[EDIT: The review is now up! You can read it here.]
Final Score: 2.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
Cutesy art, but the convoluted plot makes no sense
June 6, 2023
this gives off such strong sailor moon vibes. Fae reminds me of sailor moon with her mother and her helpful animal sidekick, only in this the sidekick is evil. Really cute!!
March 4, 2024
Cute story about the idea of female empowerment, friendship, family and self understanding. The illustrations are simple, but cute and even the scary parts are lovely in the simplistic nature of the color and minimal details. There are a few bumps for me, but overall, a delightful read. There are vibes of Alice in Wonderland, Nutcracker, Asian and European folklore.
March 29, 2023
What a fun, heartwarming, quick graphic novel read! Fae, in mourning for her missing mother, sits night after night below the Moon that her mother so loved. Then one night she discovers she can pluck the Moon out of the star-filled sky! Back safe in her house, she holds it close, feeling comfort at last. But Fae loses the Moon, & finds that taking it has awakened ancient monsters--rats, dragons, & more, who hunt it for themselves. Will Fae be able to reclaim the Moon, find her own inner strength, & save the world from eternal darkness? There's loss, grief, hope, monsters, folklore, love, & adventure in here & more. Fae is such an endearing MC, & you root for her. Loved the twists in here & the ending. Such a charming read, full of BEAUTIFUL illustrations by Catherine & Sarah Satrun too! Had such a fun time with this one!💜
April 17, 2023
The illustrations were what attracted me to pick up this book. Other than that, I think the storyline could have used some work? There were a lot of scenes where I was hoping Fae might have said or done things differently instead of sulking that her mother is gone and she misses her; it seems she's at the age where she can cook and make food on her own, so she doesn't seem too young to make bolder decisions.
There were also some scenes that were questionable, like the scene where Fae realized that Frik and Frak were the ones who took the moon and hid it in the garden and then while Kulkan and Percival were fighting, Fae took the entire moon out of the ground. Wouldn't it have been smarter to wait until idk Percival finished fighting with Kulkan and then Percival leaving, then take out the moon? Since if you just take out the moon like that, it's bound to be stolen... since Fae is no match for Percival.
If Fae and her mother are the only individuals who can take the moon off the sky, does that make them a goddess? If so, for them to be powerless against dragons even though their entire existence is powerful enough to make a moon stay in the sky and keep dragons/evil creatures away while they linger in the shadows and darkness doesn't make sense to me. It would make more sense if Fae was able to fight as well, but she acted like a regular human being. It also seems Fae is only powerful when there is moon dust involved, which to me questions who really are Fae and her mother...
I think overall the story is quite different from the other graphic novels for children, but there are some holes in the story that I think could have been thought over again.
Also there seems to be a cliff-hanger at the end. Maybe the next book or couple of books (?) would explain these questions...
There were also some scenes that were questionable, like the scene where Fae realized that Frik and Frak were the ones who took the moon and hid it in the garden and then while Kulkan and Percival were fighting, Fae took the entire moon out of the ground. Wouldn't it have been smarter to wait until idk Percival finished fighting with Kulkan and then Percival leaving, then take out the moon? Since if you just take out the moon like that, it's bound to be stolen... since Fae is no match for Percival.
If Fae and her mother are the only individuals who can take the moon off the sky, does that make them a goddess? If so, for them to be powerless against dragons even though their entire existence is powerful enough to make a moon stay in the sky and keep dragons/evil creatures away while they linger in the shadows and darkness doesn't make sense to me. It would make more sense if Fae was able to fight as well, but she acted like a regular human being. It also seems Fae is only powerful when there is moon dust involved, which to me questions who really are Fae and her mother...
I think overall the story is quite different from the other graphic novels for children, but there are some holes in the story that I think could have been thought over again.
Also there seems to be a cliff-hanger at the end. Maybe the next book or couple of books (?) would explain these questions...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2023
Fae and the Moon by Franco Aureliani is a fantasy graphic novel. It takes place in a world filled with magic and talking animals. Fae is a young girl who has been left all by herself since her mother disappeared suddenly one day. Fae doesn’t know if her mother ran away or if she was kidnapped by an enemy. Fae misses her mother dearly, and none of her animal friends have been able to locate her. Fae decides that the best way to reach out to her mother and let her know that she needs to come back is by climbing a giant ladder into the sky to steal the moon. The moon had a lot of importance to her and her mom since they would bond by gardening at night under the moonlight.
What Fae didn’t realize is that without the light of the moon, creepy monsters are able to come out at night and interact with the towns people. Thus, Fae needs to try and find her mother while fending off, a rat king, a dragon and a friend turned foe.
This book focuses a lot on the importance of family. It is also a fast-paced graphic novel, and I honestly wanted to read it all in one sitting because I was so emersed in the fantasy world, and in the stakes of Fae both getting the moon back to the sky to prevent more monsters from coming out and in the stakes of whether of not she would find her mother.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the typical fantasy stories about fighting monsters and using magic so that the good guys can win.
What Fae didn’t realize is that without the light of the moon, creepy monsters are able to come out at night and interact with the towns people. Thus, Fae needs to try and find her mother while fending off, a rat king, a dragon and a friend turned foe.
This book focuses a lot on the importance of family. It is also a fast-paced graphic novel, and I honestly wanted to read it all in one sitting because I was so emersed in the fantasy world, and in the stakes of Fae both getting the moon back to the sky to prevent more monsters from coming out and in the stakes of whether of not she would find her mother.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the typical fantasy stories about fighting monsters and using magic so that the good guys can win.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2023
Fae's mother has been gone a long time, and she doesn't know where she is. Maybe she died? In a last-ditch attempt to get her mother's attention, she takes the moon from the sky, but she learns that dark, scary creatures take over the sky without the moon's light to shine them away. A great fantasy graphic novel for 3rd grade (maybe even 2nd grade) and up. It's fast-paced with some action sequences. There's a bit of violence, but nothing too extreme for this age group. The illustration style reminds me of Disney princesses. For fans of Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures and the Kingdom of Wrenly. It kinda reminded me a cuter, not funny version of The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, but maybe it's just because of the Rat King.
June 18, 2023
I love the art, and the story had me going for awhile. Fae makes a very impulsive choice early in the book that is motivated by an intense longing for her mother, and it's understandable even if it is obviously a stupid thing to do. Where the story falls apart is the ending, which is full of overly simplistic and easy twists in the story. And then entirely jumps the shark when Fae literally beats the villain about the head with the moon itself. It just feels so out of place in a book that's otherwise pretty serious, weirdly slapstick. The messaging about handling grief also gets confused by the too easy ending. I think this needed a bit more plotting before it was written.
September 3, 2023
Received a finished copy from the publisher to read/review.
The artwork was cute, and I loved the colors. And I was really looking forward to adding this fantasy graphic novel to my 4/5th grade classroom library, but I won't be. I just could not get into it and had to force myself to finish. I honestly did not understand the purpose of the story, how the characters' storylines interacted, or what the character was trying to accomplish.
The artwork was cute, and I loved the colors. And I was really looking forward to adding this fantasy graphic novel to my 4/5th grade classroom library, but I won't be. I just could not get into it and had to force myself to finish. I honestly did not understand the purpose of the story, how the characters' storylines interacted, or what the character was trying to accomplish.
March 3, 2024
First of all... fuck Percival. What an ass. This was such a cute story about a young girl trying to process and live through an insurmountable grief and the choices she makes as a result of that. There was more adventure and action in this than I anticipated but it was an interesting direction for the story to go. This is a short and sweet read that has a really good overall message. The twist with the dragon was so fun and this does kind of leave on a bit of a cliff hanger.
April 20, 2024
I had some Tweens read this for me and these are some of the things they said...
-I liked it!
-I don't get it.
-It's sad about her mom. I can see why she did what she did.
-The pictures were legit in this graphic novel.
Over all the kids seemed to like it because of the fantasy aspect.
They also praised the graphic features. As an adult, it wasn't quite
what I love reading but your tweens and teens should give it a read.
-I liked it!
-I don't get it.
-It's sad about her mom. I can see why she did what she did.
-The pictures were legit in this graphic novel.
Over all the kids seemed to like it because of the fantasy aspect.
They also praised the graphic features. As an adult, it wasn't quite
what I love reading but your tweens and teens should give it a read.
November 6, 2022
The illustrations in this graphic novel were fantastic. Everything was so crisp and the color palettes were fantastic.
The story was interesting, I definitely did not guess who the monster was. The ending was ambiguous and I am hoping there will be a second book that answers Fae's last question.
The story was interesting, I definitely did not guess who the monster was. The ending was ambiguous and I am hoping there will be a second book that answers Fae's last question.
February 7, 2023
Fae and the Moon was a really cute younger middle grade graphic novel about a girl who steals the moon from the sky to bring her missing mother back home.
This has a great moral about the consequences of our actions and making amends.
The artwork is beautiful and the story was left open ended, so we'll have to see what happens next.
3.5⭐️
This has a great moral about the consequences of our actions and making amends.
The artwork is beautiful and the story was left open ended, so we'll have to see what happens next.
3.5⭐️
May 3, 2023
This was OK. I think my favorite character was the dragon.
Fae's mom is missing. The rabbit, Percival, tries to convince her that her mom is never coming back but Fae just can't believe that. So she steals the moon out of the night sky so that her mom will notice and then Fae will be able to find her.
Note to self - Never trust a rabbit named Percival.
Fae's mom is missing. The rabbit, Percival, tries to convince her that her mom is never coming back but Fae just can't believe that. So she steals the moon out of the night sky so that her mom will notice and then Fae will be able to find her.
Note to self - Never trust a rabbit named Percival.
February 11, 2025
This is the best book I've read this year it's a really good book from a girl who dosent have her mom around and her taking the moon and saving her mom it's such a good one definitely recommended the art is amazing it's so 😍 and I loveeee the story and the different fonts so cool wish you could give it 10 stars 🌟 ❤️
April 7, 2023
Mysteriously abandoned by her mother, Fae waits and hopes for her return and ends up in an enormous battle with a nefarious group of magical creatures over the moon (which she has pulled from the sky). A little bizarre, the dialogue didn't really get the world quite built, but not awful.
April 24, 2023
A sweet and enjoyable story. Illustrations are gorgeous!
But...
But...
July 15, 2023
Cute artwork and sweet story with some unexpected twists. However, this didn't make much sense and the storyline was full of holes... I'm still giving it three stars since kid 1 keeps rereading it though!
October 17, 2023
This was a book. It felt like something a kid in school would write. The cover is pretty, but the actual book itself lacks the same depth and is very basic in art, writing, and plot. The ending just kind of happens, and the twists aren’t as much of a surprise as they should be.
January 29, 2024
Beautiful artwork. I felt like the story could have flowed better somehow. I know graphic novels basically lend themselves to character narration, but it's really a balancing act of not making it feel that way. I understand how it could be a challenge in this format.
March 1, 2024
This would be a good Graphic Novel starter for 1st-3rd graders.
The writing is very tell-me. I was able to know the whole story by reading 15% of the book and then skipping to the last 15%.
The style of illustration is pretty 💗
The writing is very tell-me. I was able to know the whole story by reading 15% of the book and then skipping to the last 15%.
The style of illustration is pretty 💗
January 1, 2026
such beautiful art style I'm really curious if she has more family the rats were really creepy in the dragons for a children's book so if you get your kids get scared easily I definitely wouldn't read this to them and my cook them and give them nightmares I don't know
February 24, 2023
3.5 rounded up
March 7, 2023
This story had so many twists. And not in a good way. The art was cute, I guess? I’m just left feeling “that sure was a book I read, huh” at the end of it.
March 23, 2023
I was really impressed by this story! Felt refreshing with some nice twists and turns.
April 2, 2023
4 stars for the art. 3 stars for the story. It was fun to read aloud.
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