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Zephyr Hollis #1
Moonshine
Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets.
Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss.
What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request — not to mention attempting to resist (often unsuccessfully) his dark, inhuman charm.
Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss.
What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request — not to mention attempting to resist (often unsuccessfully) his dark, inhuman charm.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
1881 people want to read
About the author
Alaya Dawn Johnson
95 books679 followersAlaya Johnson graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
June 11, 2010
Basically this is the paranormal romance catering completely to my id. 1920s Jazz!Vampires! Zephyr being the awesome bleeding heart liberal ex-demon hunter that she is! Female-to-female interactions that completely pass the bedchel test and are ALL AWESOME. Daddy issues from multiple characters! Hot but morally ambiguous male lead! AND BEST OF ALL, a ‘open world fantasy’ that does NOT try to use Supernatural Creatures as a replacement metaphor to explore racism without any POC in the cast! (You have noooo idea how much this pisses me off when I see it. And its prevalence in urban fantasy makes me want to die. Or kill someone.) She handles all of this so nicely, with POC characters and Supernaturals side by side and it WORKS and I love it. OMG. Everyone please just go and read it now.
July 27, 2012
An urban fantasy/paranormal romance set during Prohibition in an America in which supernatural beings called “Others” exist and are known to the public, but lack civil rights. Thankfully, they are not just stand-ins for real-life oppressed groups, as those groups also exist (and are oppressed) in the world of the novel.
New York City teacher and full-time activist Zephyr Hollis, who becomes widely known during the book as “the singing vampire suffragette,” is the daughter of a demon-hunter, but unlike her bigoted father, she has never met a social justice cause she doesn’t like. Zephyr is a little over the top – she gives her rent money to the poor, she belongs to thirty-one separate political organizations, and at one point she forgets to eat because she was too busy feeding the hungry – but she’s definitely a unique heroine, and the sometimes absurd lengths to which she takes her convictions make her plausibly obsessive rather than obnoxiously self-righteous.
The book is fast-paced and fun. Within the first few chapters, Zephyr rescues a boy in the process of turning into a vampire, gives her rent money to a student with a hard-luck story, teaches a class to immigrants and Others, is hired by the handsome and mysterious djinn Amir to investigate a local crime lord, crushes on Amir, and attends a rally. I enjoyed the convincing grass-roots politics and the amusing takes on the various supernatural beings, from the disgusting way that vampires die to how Amir, the romantic lead, has ears that sometimes billow smoke and eyeballs that sometimes burst into flames. I repeat: the romantic lead has flaming eyeballs!
Amir, despite a rather more interesting dark side than is common in the genre, is not the alpha asshole who so often appears in romances, and Zephyr, while naïve in some ways, is completely capable of rescuing herself. Amir and Zephyr’s relationship, however, didn’t quite work for me – she was attracted to him so quickly that the relationship didn’t seem based on anything other than that she’s the heroine and he’s the romantic lead, especially since she had such strong feelings for him long before we’d seen enough of them interacting to justify them. I would have liked it better if the romance had developed more slowly, as they were both fun characters individually and had genuine conflicts based on opposing worldviews, which is always interesting in a romance.
I would be curious to hear from someone who actually knows something about the period how accurate the historic details are – the language and attitudes about sex often seemed anachronistically modern to me, but I might be projecting my own preconceptions on the time.
Overall, I enjoyed this. (My favorite bit, for those who have already read it, was the egg whites.) If you like paranormal romance but are tired of heroines who do nothing but have sex and the asshole men who dominate them, this is definitely the book for you.
New York City teacher and full-time activist Zephyr Hollis, who becomes widely known during the book as “the singing vampire suffragette,” is the daughter of a demon-hunter, but unlike her bigoted father, she has never met a social justice cause she doesn’t like. Zephyr is a little over the top – she gives her rent money to the poor, she belongs to thirty-one separate political organizations, and at one point she forgets to eat because she was too busy feeding the hungry – but she’s definitely a unique heroine, and the sometimes absurd lengths to which she takes her convictions make her plausibly obsessive rather than obnoxiously self-righteous.
The book is fast-paced and fun. Within the first few chapters, Zephyr rescues a boy in the process of turning into a vampire, gives her rent money to a student with a hard-luck story, teaches a class to immigrants and Others, is hired by the handsome and mysterious djinn Amir to investigate a local crime lord, crushes on Amir, and attends a rally. I enjoyed the convincing grass-roots politics and the amusing takes on the various supernatural beings, from the disgusting way that vampires die to how Amir, the romantic lead, has ears that sometimes billow smoke and eyeballs that sometimes burst into flames. I repeat: the romantic lead has flaming eyeballs!
Amir, despite a rather more interesting dark side than is common in the genre, is not the alpha asshole who so often appears in romances, and Zephyr, while naïve in some ways, is completely capable of rescuing herself. Amir and Zephyr’s relationship, however, didn’t quite work for me – she was attracted to him so quickly that the relationship didn’t seem based on anything other than that she’s the heroine and he’s the romantic lead, especially since she had such strong feelings for him long before we’d seen enough of them interacting to justify them. I would have liked it better if the romance had developed more slowly, as they were both fun characters individually and had genuine conflicts based on opposing worldviews, which is always interesting in a romance.
I would be curious to hear from someone who actually knows something about the period how accurate the historic details are – the language and attitudes about sex often seemed anachronistically modern to me, but I might be projecting my own preconceptions on the time.
Overall, I enjoyed this. (My favorite bit, for those who have already read it, was the egg whites.) If you like paranormal romance but are tired of heroines who do nothing but have sex and the asshole men who dominate them, this is definitely the book for you.
December 10, 2014
I couldn't decide quite how to rate this one. Although I ended up enjoying it, I was able to walk away from it initially and wasn't drawn back to it. If it hadn't been a challenge read, I might have left it a while longer. So ... 3.5★ even though I'd read #2, if it's to be a series.
Moonshine tells the story of Zephyr Hollis living in NYC in the 1920's. She's the daughter of Montana's best demon hunter. She moved to NYC after deciding demon hunting wasn't for her. She considers herself able to handle anything that gets thrown at her because "you can't be the oldest daughter of the best demon hunter in Montana without learning a few tricks."
She is often called a "do-gooder" and nicknamed the "vampire suffragette" because she now fills her life standing up for Others. She goes about making amends for her hunting past by teaching English to underprivileged immigrants, including Others, at the broken down Chrystie Elementary School at night while during the day she attends suffragette meetings, pickets against the Mayor and works at soup kitchens. She's always looking out for those that aren't treated fairly or equally.
While riding her bicycle to the school one evening, she finds a newly turned vampire child. She knows that if she turns him over to the police they would "take {him} to the morgue, turn up the electric lights and stake {him} ... for good measure they would cut off {his} head." She cannot bear to let that happen, so she carries him, on her bicycle, to the school. Once there, she has no idea what she's going to do with this, new awake and hungry, child vampire. Lucky for her, she has a rare immunity to vampire bites. So, when one of her students, Amir (a handsome foreigner who is Other, but which kind she doesn't know) finds her with the boy latched on her neck, he offers to help. After explaining that she is immune, he tells her that if she will do him a favor he will see to the boy.
The favor turned out to be a request to find the elusive, ruthless, vampire mafia boss, "who terrorizes the immigrants in the city and supplies almost all the gin joints below Fourteenth Street", Rinaldo. No one has seen him, everyone knows "of" him though. He runs the little gang of young vampiri, The Turn Boys. Even his own officers have never seen him.
The romance between Zephyr and Amir is so-so. His Other status is an interesting read though. Aside from that, the other relationships in Zephyr's life were a hoot. Her boarding house friend, Aileen, who loves her bodice rippers, "twopenny erotic novels with anatomically impossible cover illustrations", cracked me up. She loves to share the "good" parts with Zephyr. (LOL!!)
She has a tense "relationship" with the head of the boarding house and forms an unlikely friendship with a socialite reporter, Lily. They agree to help each other. Lily reports on all things Other and Zephyr is in search of one of the most elusive NYC has seen, or rather not seen, as the case may be.
I enjoyed her family. They continue to love and support her, even though she is supporting Others instead of hunting demons.
Zephyr Hollis is a character you can easily enjoy reading about, she's feisty and brave and doing what she can to help clean up NYC and make it a better place for all ... creatures. :)
** There were some interesting twists to vampires. Ex: "The younger the vampire, the less susceptible they are to the burning effects of sunlight."
Moonshine tells the story of Zephyr Hollis living in NYC in the 1920's. She's the daughter of Montana's best demon hunter. She moved to NYC after deciding demon hunting wasn't for her. She considers herself able to handle anything that gets thrown at her because "you can't be the oldest daughter of the best demon hunter in Montana without learning a few tricks."
She is often called a "do-gooder" and nicknamed the "vampire suffragette" because she now fills her life standing up for Others. She goes about making amends for her hunting past by teaching English to underprivileged immigrants, including Others, at the broken down Chrystie Elementary School at night while during the day she attends suffragette meetings, pickets against the Mayor and works at soup kitchens. She's always looking out for those that aren't treated fairly or equally.
While riding her bicycle to the school one evening, she finds a newly turned vampire child. She knows that if she turns him over to the police they would "take {him} to the morgue, turn up the electric lights and stake {him} ... for good measure they would cut off {his} head." She cannot bear to let that happen, so she carries him, on her bicycle, to the school. Once there, she has no idea what she's going to do with this, new awake and hungry, child vampire. Lucky for her, she has a rare immunity to vampire bites. So, when one of her students, Amir (a handsome foreigner who is Other, but which kind she doesn't know) finds her with the boy latched on her neck, he offers to help. After explaining that she is immune, he tells her that if she will do him a favor he will see to the boy.
The favor turned out to be a request to find the elusive, ruthless, vampire mafia boss, "who terrorizes the immigrants in the city and supplies almost all the gin joints below Fourteenth Street", Rinaldo. No one has seen him, everyone knows "of" him though. He runs the little gang of young vampiri, The Turn Boys. Even his own officers have never seen him.
The romance between Zephyr and Amir is so-so. His Other status is an interesting read though. Aside from that, the other relationships in Zephyr's life were a hoot. Her boarding house friend, Aileen, who loves her bodice rippers, "twopenny erotic novels with anatomically impossible cover illustrations", cracked me up. She loves to share the "good" parts with Zephyr. (LOL!!)
Aileen says, "This auteur, ah, Verity Lovelace, has quite a way with risqué euphemism." "Better than 'dew-filled love chasm'?" {Zephyr} asks. "Oh, you can't imagine. Here." She flipped to a page whose corner she had folded down. "Her anus was a perfection of unblemished beauty, its youthful folds ruddy as an apple, with a delicate budding cherry at its center." "Oh, my," {Zephyr} says, ginning at her. "Don't tell me he pops her cherry?" Aileen giggles... "It's terribly shocking. And rather messy, if you trust Madame Lovelace."
She has a tense "relationship" with the head of the boarding house and forms an unlikely friendship with a socialite reporter, Lily. They agree to help each other. Lily reports on all things Other and Zephyr is in search of one of the most elusive NYC has seen, or rather not seen, as the case may be.
I enjoyed her family. They continue to love and support her, even though she is supporting Others instead of hunting demons.
Zephyr Hollis is a character you can easily enjoy reading about, she's feisty and brave and doing what she can to help clean up NYC and make it a better place for all ... creatures. :)
** There were some interesting twists to vampires. Ex: "The younger the vampire, the less susceptible they are to the burning effects of sunlight."
August 16, 2010
Moonshine is quite different from the usual urban fantasy sprinkling the shelves. First of all, Zephyr does not put on leather pants to go hunting (though her name would suit her wicked well in one, eh?), she barely has clothes (clean ones at least) to put on for normal stuff. Actually, Zephyr is not a hunter. Not a willing one anyway. She’s what they call a “vampire suffragette.” And she’s a do-gooder. Like, the kind of do-gooder that’s involved in a gajillion societies and goes to pickets every day for the many causes she supports. She’s also a teacher to the city’s Undead Immigrants who need to understand the law (and the language) if they are going to survive. I have to commend Ms. Johnson on her characterizations. She manages to make Zephyr into a good, a sincerely good person without making her preachy and sanctimonious. Oh Zephyr has many flaws, not least of them is a demon hunter father who is also as bigoted as they come. The story is gritty, fast paced and contains some unexpected twists that will have you raising your eyebrows in surprise. This is the first in a series and I must admit that it is a pretty strong opener. It doesn’t read fast and easy like the many others but it reads like it has a bit more substance and as such must require more concentration. I also like the fact that the “hero,” the love interest is so flawed. Of course it spells drama but that is always a fun thing in a series. Oh and one more thing, just because the heroine is a vampire suffragette, it doesn’t mean that vampires are presented as some sort of sparkly ethereal beings. Oh no, the truth of their nature is presented in quite realistic terms. And the heroine is quite capable of handling herself without disintegrating into a mass of sniffles and annoying internal monologues. What I mean to say is, if you like this genre, you will like this book.
December 18, 2010
Meet Zephyr, the vampire suffragette (she's not a vampire, though, quite the opposite). This book hooked me and wouldn't let go. First of all, the setting: New York City, 1920s. Female heroine very involved in social justice who's also a teacher. Does it get any better than that, I wonder?
The plot reminded me of The Godfather, in a good way - different factions of a city fighting for power and blood, with a lot more social commentary than Mario Puzo's novel as well as a dollop of supernatural elements. It touches on many things - society's systematic oppression of immigrants and anyone who isn't white and human (I thought the parallel between supernatural creatures' status and that of a whole bunch of minorities was very well brought up), feminism, religion and class. Zephyr is an unforgettable heroine - finally a character I can fully root for! Doesn't happen very often but she's passionate, driven, idealistic and down-to-earth and just plain charming. I loved her and it was a joy following her in New York.
While I found the romance at first a little tedious (but then again, I'm not the best audience for romance, which I always find boring to read), I'll have to admit even I was interested by the end. It's got some interesting twists and turns and while I'm not completely sold on Amir, he was a funny character.
This book passes the Bechdel test easily - Zephyr has interactions with Lily and Aileen that are about more than men. Lily is a journalist that I really really enjoyed reading about, she's sharp and smart and I thought her teaming up with Zephyr provided us with some of the best scenes of the book.
Moonshine is a rare gem in that it illuminates a side of the 20s that seems to have failed making it into the history books. That all the luxury of the Roaring Twenties had a price, and for every cocktail paid for, people died of poverty, lacking basic care. That essentially, the Roaring Twenties were Roaring for the benefit of an elite. Zephyr's job (she teaches a range of subjects at her local night school) makes the link between her flapper dresses and immigrants' need to understand the law that works against them.
The reason I'm giving this book four stars is because I wish Alaya Johnson had written more of this world and developed her themes in more pages. Her ideas are wonderful and I think the book would have been even better had she detailed the universe of Moonshine more than she does here. It's fortunate that a sequel is in the works - I'll definitely be amongst the first to purchase it, I can't wait to follow Zephyr again!
The plot reminded me of The Godfather, in a good way - different factions of a city fighting for power and blood, with a lot more social commentary than Mario Puzo's novel as well as a dollop of supernatural elements. It touches on many things - society's systematic oppression of immigrants and anyone who isn't white and human (I thought the parallel between supernatural creatures' status and that of a whole bunch of minorities was very well brought up), feminism, religion and class. Zephyr is an unforgettable heroine - finally a character I can fully root for! Doesn't happen very often but she's passionate, driven, idealistic and down-to-earth and just plain charming. I loved her and it was a joy following her in New York.
While I found the romance at first a little tedious (but then again, I'm not the best audience for romance, which I always find boring to read), I'll have to admit even I was interested by the end. It's got some interesting twists and turns and while I'm not completely sold on Amir, he was a funny character.
This book passes the Bechdel test easily - Zephyr has interactions with Lily and Aileen that are about more than men. Lily is a journalist that I really really enjoyed reading about, she's sharp and smart and I thought her teaming up with Zephyr provided us with some of the best scenes of the book.
Moonshine is a rare gem in that it illuminates a side of the 20s that seems to have failed making it into the history books. That all the luxury of the Roaring Twenties had a price, and for every cocktail paid for, people died of poverty, lacking basic care. That essentially, the Roaring Twenties were Roaring for the benefit of an elite. Zephyr's job (she teaches a range of subjects at her local night school) makes the link between her flapper dresses and immigrants' need to understand the law that works against them.
The reason I'm giving this book four stars is because I wish Alaya Johnson had written more of this world and developed her themes in more pages. Her ideas are wonderful and I think the book would have been even better had she detailed the universe of Moonshine more than she does here. It's fortunate that a sequel is in the works - I'll definitely be amongst the first to purchase it, I can't wait to follow Zephyr again!
February 27, 2016
Loaned to me by a friend as a bonus (in addition to the book I'd asked for). Now vampire books are following me home!
Overall, I enjoyed this book. While the plot felt a little bit wobbly to me in a few places, the story kept me interested. The end is obviously a set-up for a sequel, and I'm interested in reading it.
The story stands out among the recent flood of stories featuring vampires because of some unique qualities. The author does a good job making a case for vampires (and other non-human beings) being mistreated minorities. The main character, Zephyr, is a suffragette/social activist with a surprising past; and she's an interesting girl. I also really liked Amir, who is not at all what I first guessed. I liked the unusual direction the author took with him; and he’s charming, complicated, and often funny. I wondered a little if one reason the author decided to include Amir was to make a bit of post 9/11 commentary, given some of the suspicious comments other characters make about him (“Is he a Mohammedian?”). If that was her intention, it was well-done; and the suspicion/prejudice also fit the 1920s atmosphere.
I’m not an expert on the 1920s, and it seems the author has done significant research; but I did feel at times that Zephyr is a little too modern, or at least her voice is. (The book is an alternate history/fantasy version of Roaring ‘20s New York City, but a few things still bugged me a little.) Most of the other non-American-born characters’ speech patterns seemed accurate; but Zephyr’s friend Aileen, who is Irish, didn't read quite right, in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. While the plot felt a little bit wobbly to me in a few places, the story kept me interested. The end is obviously a set-up for a sequel, and I'm interested in reading it.
The story stands out among the recent flood of stories featuring vampires because of some unique qualities. The author does a good job making a case for vampires (and other non-human beings) being mistreated minorities. The main character, Zephyr, is a suffragette/social activist with a surprising past; and she's an interesting girl. I also really liked Amir, who is not at all what I first guessed. I liked the unusual direction the author took with him; and he’s charming, complicated, and often funny. I wondered a little if one reason the author decided to include Amir was to make a bit of post 9/11 commentary, given some of the suspicious comments other characters make about him (“Is he a Mohammedian?”). If that was her intention, it was well-done; and the suspicion/prejudice also fit the 1920s atmosphere.
I’m not an expert on the 1920s, and it seems the author has done significant research; but I did feel at times that Zephyr is a little too modern, or at least her voice is. (The book is an alternate history/fantasy version of Roaring ‘20s New York City, but a few things still bugged me a little.) Most of the other non-American-born characters’ speech patterns seemed accurate; but Zephyr’s friend Aileen, who is Irish, didn't read quite right, in my opinion.
May 25, 2010
Sucked in from the onset, I fell instantly in awe of the singing vampire suffragette, Zephyr Hollis and her world of out of the coffin, vamps that have inalienable rights just like any other person. I find my fascination didn't end with the character of Ms. Hollis though, it also extended to her dashing counterpart Amir and her charming friends, Lily, Iris and Aileen. Johnson definitely has a knack for character creation. Paired with the strong 3 dimensional characters was also a very staccato and fun tone that was reminiscent of the Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. Moonshine is a keeper, and I hope to revisit the world Johnson created over and over again.
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July 16, 2011
Have you ever picked up a book with a lackluster cover, read it, and thought to yourself, “Why isn’t this book a bestseller?” There are hundreds of books (perhaps more) that go unrecognized every year. These books are almost impossible to find at your local bookseller, there is little to no details about them, and they remain in obscurity. While bestsellers take up shelf space, crowd display windows, and leave avid readers thinking, “Why is this book even popular? It’s trite, poorly written, and overrated?”
These are the thoughts that went through this reader’s mind after reading Alaya Johnson’s “Moonshine” for the first time. Though “Moonshine” is not categorized as a Young Adult novel, Ms. Johnson is primarily a writer for Young Adults. Her most notable work is featured in the comical “Zombie vs. Unicorns” anthology.
Yes, “Moonshine” features vampires. However, this is not a typical vampire novel by any measure. Set in the 1920’s, “Moonshine” features a young “do-gooder” named Zephyr Hollis. Zephyr is a “vampire suffragette” who is willing to assist anything and anyone in need, especially if they happen to be an “other”; who are often discriminated against for not being human. It is because of her benevolence that she often finds herself with no money to her name, and taking odd jobs to pay her rent.
Taking advantage of Zephyr's predicament, Amir, her student and potential love interest, makes her a tempting offer: find Rinaldo, a vampire mob boss with New York City in his pocket.
Zephyr, to put it simply, is an amazing character. She is resourceful, intelligent, and philanthropic without emitting any signs of pretentiousness. Constant action blends well with bits of romance, and plot twists will leave readers guessing as to what will happen next. The plot is solid, all of the loose ends tie up as neatly as possible. Moreover, Johnson’s writing style is superb, and writes with well-researched detail. She has interwoven a comedy with elements of sadness. All while showing the reader the effects of prejudice, and what it can do to a society without the message being overbearing. Although “Moonshine” does not end in a cliffhanger, the plot leaves the possibility of a sequel, which readers will be begging for.
"Moonshine" epitomizes the underrated novel, and it is a shame that it did not become a bestseller. Humorous, maddening, and heart wrenching, “Moonshine” is a must read for adults and young adults alike.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Mobsters and Moonshine - Atlantic City Young Adult Fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-f...
These are the thoughts that went through this reader’s mind after reading Alaya Johnson’s “Moonshine” for the first time. Though “Moonshine” is not categorized as a Young Adult novel, Ms. Johnson is primarily a writer for Young Adults. Her most notable work is featured in the comical “Zombie vs. Unicorns” anthology.
Yes, “Moonshine” features vampires. However, this is not a typical vampire novel by any measure. Set in the 1920’s, “Moonshine” features a young “do-gooder” named Zephyr Hollis. Zephyr is a “vampire suffragette” who is willing to assist anything and anyone in need, especially if they happen to be an “other”; who are often discriminated against for not being human. It is because of her benevolence that she often finds herself with no money to her name, and taking odd jobs to pay her rent.
Taking advantage of Zephyr's predicament, Amir, her student and potential love interest, makes her a tempting offer: find Rinaldo, a vampire mob boss with New York City in his pocket.
Zephyr, to put it simply, is an amazing character. She is resourceful, intelligent, and philanthropic without emitting any signs of pretentiousness. Constant action blends well with bits of romance, and plot twists will leave readers guessing as to what will happen next. The plot is solid, all of the loose ends tie up as neatly as possible. Moreover, Johnson’s writing style is superb, and writes with well-researched detail. She has interwoven a comedy with elements of sadness. All while showing the reader the effects of prejudice, and what it can do to a society without the message being overbearing. Although “Moonshine” does not end in a cliffhanger, the plot leaves the possibility of a sequel, which readers will be begging for.
"Moonshine" epitomizes the underrated novel, and it is a shame that it did not become a bestseller. Humorous, maddening, and heart wrenching, “Moonshine” is a must read for adults and young adults alike.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Mobsters and Moonshine - Atlantic City Young Adult Fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/young-adult-f...
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August 10, 2012Every time I go into Barnes & Noble, I always check out the bargain section. Well today I looked at it and I found this book. I'm not sure what it is that made me want to buy it. I think it was because it says on the cover that it is "A cross between Gangs of New York and True Blood. That sounds awesom. Anyway, I got it for $3.99!(gotta love that bargain section...lol)
July 4, 2020
Moonshine by Alaya Dawn Johnson is a clever, inventive book as well as a fun read. Zephyr is an unusual but likable heroine. Amir is a smoldering man of mystery. Side characters are interesting and often surprisingly complex, from a diverse range of backgrounds. The historical setting feels accurate and realistic, full of little details (clothing, social activities, historical facts, etc) that add authenticity without bogging down the flow of the plot. The supernatural element has been incorporated in such a way as to feel natural as well, with vampires, seers, fairies, and other supernatural beings living among the human residents of NYC. And best of all, Moonshine is one of the very few books I've been able to pick up and keep on reading during a pandemic, when I have struggled to focus on anything, including reading books at all, much less at my normal pace.
I really did like Zephyr. She's tough and capable, given her family history and experiences, but also compassionate and open-minded. The "vampire suffragette" of New York City, she makes it her life's mission to improve the lives of the down-trodden "Others" who populate this paranormal alternate historical fiction set in Jazz Age historical NYC. She's an underfed vegetarian who has a habit of giving away her rent money to people in need, a liberated young woman navigating a world that isn't quite sure it's ready for her kind yet. She attends protests and teaches classes and volunteers at clinics. She tries to make a difference, while not being preachy or holier-than-thou about it and while still occasionally hitting back an illegal drink or having a night out dancing with friends. She's got hidden depths, like being an excellent singer, and having a supernatural secret of her own. She is friendly with men and women alike, regardless of human/ Other status or ethnic identity, including several Bechdel-test passing friendships with other women, including her roommate Aileen and her journalist contact Lily, as well as her fellow activist Iris and her own mother. Her only real hostility or skepticism against people is reserved for the wealthy and powerful who prey on the vulnerable to maintain their own privilege. Amir's Middle Eastern heritage and African appearance (while presented in a slightly exoticized manner by the author) doesn't faze Zephyr any more than her Jewish friends at the blood bank or her Italian students. She does make some bad and/or impulsive decisions throughout the story, and yet that didn't make me dislike her. She's got heart in a way unlike most other paranormal heroines about which I've read.
As mentioned above, there is some problematic content. While the characters depicted are racially and ethnically diverse, those who are of different ethnic or racial origin are sometimes stereotyped or exoticized. In addition to Jewish folks having a golem and running a (blood) bank [Does the blood aspect make it better or worse, given the awful history of blood libel? I don't know.] and Amir being presented in an exoticized generic "sexy Middle Eastern prince" kind of way by Johnson, Amir is also referred to repeatedly by characters other than Zephyr as [the N word]. There's also the inclusion of skin walkers among categories of Others, with a throw away reference/ explanation involving "some Indian shamans". I realize some of this tone and language may be historically accurate, but it seemed unnecessary to include the slurs (and odd coming from a Black author) and sad to see Indigenous culture once again lumped into a generic "magical Indian" sort of stereotype. I realize this book was published ten years ago, and the publishing world is shifting rapidly to better address issues like this, but it still detracted from the story for me.
Despite my qualms about the slurs and stereotypes, and Zephyr's often reckless behavior or unwise choices, though, I still enjoyed this book very much. Zephyr's reckless choices often actually felt believable coming from someone so wholeheartedly focused on the prioritization of the needs of others over her own. Her openness to new people and experiences, her desire to help others, her simmering relationship with Amir, and her strong relationships with other women, all made her a charming protagonist at the center of an interesting story. I look forward to reading the sequel. If you enjoy historical fiction and/or paranormal fiction, Moonshine is worth giving a try.
I really did like Zephyr. She's tough and capable, given her family history and experiences, but also compassionate and open-minded. The "vampire suffragette" of New York City, she makes it her life's mission to improve the lives of the down-trodden "Others" who populate this paranormal alternate historical fiction set in Jazz Age historical NYC. She's an underfed vegetarian who has a habit of giving away her rent money to people in need, a liberated young woman navigating a world that isn't quite sure it's ready for her kind yet. She attends protests and teaches classes and volunteers at clinics. She tries to make a difference, while not being preachy or holier-than-thou about it and while still occasionally hitting back an illegal drink or having a night out dancing with friends. She's got hidden depths, like being an excellent singer, and having a supernatural secret of her own. She is friendly with men and women alike, regardless of human/ Other status or ethnic identity, including several Bechdel-test passing friendships with other women, including her roommate Aileen and her journalist contact Lily, as well as her fellow activist Iris and her own mother. Her only real hostility or skepticism against people is reserved for the wealthy and powerful who prey on the vulnerable to maintain their own privilege. Amir's Middle Eastern heritage and African appearance (while presented in a slightly exoticized manner by the author) doesn't faze Zephyr any more than her Jewish friends at the blood bank or her Italian students. She does make some bad and/or impulsive decisions throughout the story, and yet that didn't make me dislike her. She's got heart in a way unlike most other paranormal heroines about which I've read.
As mentioned above, there is some problematic content. While the characters depicted are racially and ethnically diverse, those who are of different ethnic or racial origin are sometimes stereotyped or exoticized. In addition to Jewish folks having a golem and running a (blood) bank [Does the blood aspect make it better or worse, given the awful history of blood libel? I don't know.] and Amir being presented in an exoticized generic "sexy Middle Eastern prince" kind of way by Johnson, Amir is also referred to repeatedly by characters other than Zephyr as [the N word]. There's also the inclusion of skin walkers among categories of Others, with a throw away reference/ explanation involving "some Indian shamans". I realize some of this tone and language may be historically accurate, but it seemed unnecessary to include the slurs (and odd coming from a Black author) and sad to see Indigenous culture once again lumped into a generic "magical Indian" sort of stereotype. I realize this book was published ten years ago, and the publishing world is shifting rapidly to better address issues like this, but it still detracted from the story for me.
Despite my qualms about the slurs and stereotypes, and Zephyr's often reckless behavior or unwise choices, though, I still enjoyed this book very much. Zephyr's reckless choices often actually felt believable coming from someone so wholeheartedly focused on the prioritization of the needs of others over her own. Her openness to new people and experiences, her desire to help others, her simmering relationship with Amir, and her strong relationships with other women, all made her a charming protagonist at the center of an interesting story. I look forward to reading the sequel. If you enjoy historical fiction and/or paranormal fiction, Moonshine is worth giving a try.
June 22, 2010
This book is set in the 20s. Not exactly the roaring 20s we usually are privileged to have in our movies, but more like the social problems of the 20s we rarely see. This book, of course, goes further and has another group of people who suffer the injustices of prejudice. "The Others" are any groups of people who aren't human.
Zephyr is a "do-gooder" with a heart of gold. She doesn't blindly try to help anyone in need (but she does what she can for those who ask) and sees the hypocrisy of some of the groups she has joined. She understands there is no perfect situation but also believes that everyone has a right to be treated as equals. It's not about saving everyone or that even that everyone needs saved. It's more about the fact that no one is above another. She knows who she is and is willing to suffer for that knowing. These are reasons why I just loved this character.
Amir, her mysterious student and counterpart proposes an offer she can't refuse. As she tries to discover what he is hiding and helping him catch the biggest mob boss on her side of town she starts to fall for him. Although this attraction seems mutual, there is no easy way for them to be together. They do make a good pair as they both challenge what they believe is true in their lives and why. However, as Zephyr's inquiry starts to get more dangerous, Amir tries to pull her from the fray even though he knows it is an impossible task. He respects her independence but needs her help desperately. In the end they are both torn as to what is the right thing and living with the consequences.
Although this didn't end in a cliffhanger, it does have an open ending. I want more! I am so hoping that this is a series. I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It is a wonderful read and I recommend this to anyone looking for a different type of vampire read. Love that it was set in a specific time period.
I received this signed book for free as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.
Zephyr is a "do-gooder" with a heart of gold. She doesn't blindly try to help anyone in need (but she does what she can for those who ask) and sees the hypocrisy of some of the groups she has joined. She understands there is no perfect situation but also believes that everyone has a right to be treated as equals. It's not about saving everyone or that even that everyone needs saved. It's more about the fact that no one is above another. She knows who she is and is willing to suffer for that knowing. These are reasons why I just loved this character.
Amir, her mysterious student and counterpart proposes an offer she can't refuse. As she tries to discover what he is hiding and helping him catch the biggest mob boss on her side of town she starts to fall for him. Although this attraction seems mutual, there is no easy way for them to be together. They do make a good pair as they both challenge what they believe is true in their lives and why. However, as Zephyr's inquiry starts to get more dangerous, Amir tries to pull her from the fray even though he knows it is an impossible task. He respects her independence but needs her help desperately. In the end they are both torn as to what is the right thing and living with the consequences.
Although this didn't end in a cliffhanger, it does have an open ending. I want more! I am so hoping that this is a series. I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It is a wonderful read and I recommend this to anyone looking for a different type of vampire read. Love that it was set in a specific time period.
I received this signed book for free as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.
July 12, 2010
Moonshine was an uneven experience for me. I loved, loved, the prohibition-era feeling of it (the heroine rides around on a bicycle in the snow and is called the "vampire suffgatte").
I loved the non-European character of Amir, as well as the emphasis on immigrants rights/vampire rights of all those new vampires living in tenements.
Quite an interesting twist on the whole vampire culture.
Zephyr is an ex-Defender (killer of vampires and Others (there seems to be fairies and djinni too) who has reformed and now lives in the big city teaching night classes and demonstrating for rights for the Others.
Right as she finds and rescues a young boy forcibly turned vampire, one of her students asks for her help in finding the crime boss ultimately responsible for vampire gang violence in the city.
The story was fine, the plot drew you in, and the side characters from the Italian immigrant Giuseppe who plucks Zephyr's heartstrings to the society reporter who plays Pygmalion to Zephyr to her hick Montana Defender Father were engaging and fun to read.
Where the story was uneven was somewhat on the dialogue level/action level where all of a sudden important action was glossed over, and in the details of the ultimate plot revelation where several people are revealed to be important people or to have does questionably wrong things and I wanted that to be more tightly woven into the plot so that I could go back and say "ah ha, I see that here".
Still, quite an engaging book and definitely not the same old same old urban fantasy. I'll defininitely be paying attention to the next book in the series.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Grilled cheese sandwhich with sauteed peppers for the comfortable, old-timey feeling of the world created in this novel with the spiciness of Amir and the vampire culture to give it pep.
I loved the non-European character of Amir, as well as the emphasis on immigrants rights/vampire rights of all those new vampires living in tenements.
Quite an interesting twist on the whole vampire culture.
Zephyr is an ex-Defender (killer of vampires and Others (there seems to be fairies and djinni too) who has reformed and now lives in the big city teaching night classes and demonstrating for rights for the Others.
Right as she finds and rescues a young boy forcibly turned vampire, one of her students asks for her help in finding the crime boss ultimately responsible for vampire gang violence in the city.
The story was fine, the plot drew you in, and the side characters from the Italian immigrant Giuseppe who plucks Zephyr's heartstrings to the society reporter who plays Pygmalion to Zephyr to her hick Montana Defender Father were engaging and fun to read.
Where the story was uneven was somewhat on the dialogue level/action level where all of a sudden important action was glossed over, and in the details of the ultimate plot revelation where several people are revealed to be important people or to have does questionably wrong things and I wanted that to be more tightly woven into the plot so that I could go back and say "ah ha, I see that here".
Still, quite an engaging book and definitely not the same old same old urban fantasy. I'll defininitely be paying attention to the next book in the series.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Grilled cheese sandwhich with sauteed peppers for the comfortable, old-timey feeling of the world created in this novel with the spiciness of Amir and the vampire culture to give it pep.
April 25, 2012
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/04/...
How did I possibly miss Moonshine! Zephyr Hollis, former vamp hunter and current crusader for social causes, teaches night classes to immigrants and the underprivileged, but by day, takes part in all manner of protests and marches. The only problem is, these endeavors are not going to make her rich, and when she’s approached by one of her students to find and help take down a vicious vampire mob boss, she takes the job. Little does she know that her handsome, charming employer will soon become more than just a job.
Moonshine takes place in ‘20s New York, in the midst of much social strife, which keeps a girl like Zephyr pretty busy. But make no mistake, Zephyr is one tough cookie. She can kick butt, too. Literally. Mostly vampire butt, and there are plenty of vamps roaming around. However, she’s all for vampire rights, just not for the ones that think turning a small boy is their idea of sport. When she finds said young boy in an alley, covered in vampire bites, she has no idea what her discovery will lead to. But she’ll soon find out.
I really enjoyed following Zephyr around ‘20s New York as she navigates her way through vampire family secrets, her own growing attraction to the handsome Amir , who’s definitely more than human(even I had a crush), not to mention the pressure of her own family (who’s interests are most definitely NOT in the vampires’ corner.) Add to the mix Zephyr’s charming diva of a roommate Aileen, an intrepid girl reporter hot on the trail of the ultimate scoop, and the charm and atmosphere of the roaring ‘20s, and you’ve got a charmer of a book. I loved Moonshine from start to finish, and can’t wait to crack open Wicked City!
How did I possibly miss Moonshine! Zephyr Hollis, former vamp hunter and current crusader for social causes, teaches night classes to immigrants and the underprivileged, but by day, takes part in all manner of protests and marches. The only problem is, these endeavors are not going to make her rich, and when she’s approached by one of her students to find and help take down a vicious vampire mob boss, she takes the job. Little does she know that her handsome, charming employer will soon become more than just a job.
Moonshine takes place in ‘20s New York, in the midst of much social strife, which keeps a girl like Zephyr pretty busy. But make no mistake, Zephyr is one tough cookie. She can kick butt, too. Literally. Mostly vampire butt, and there are plenty of vamps roaming around. However, she’s all for vampire rights, just not for the ones that think turning a small boy is their idea of sport. When she finds said young boy in an alley, covered in vampire bites, she has no idea what her discovery will lead to. But she’ll soon find out.
I really enjoyed following Zephyr around ‘20s New York as she navigates her way through vampire family secrets, her own growing attraction to the handsome Amir , who’s definitely more than human(even I had a crush), not to mention the pressure of her own family (who’s interests are most definitely NOT in the vampires’ corner.) Add to the mix Zephyr’s charming diva of a roommate Aileen, an intrepid girl reporter hot on the trail of the ultimate scoop, and the charm and atmosphere of the roaring ‘20s, and you’ve got a charmer of a book. I loved Moonshine from start to finish, and can’t wait to crack open Wicked City!
November 3, 2014
In Alaya Johnson's imagined Prohibition-era New York, vampires and all manner of other Others walk the streets alongside humans. Zephyr Hollis is all to familiar with their kind and feels that they deserve just as many rights as humans. When she discovers a young boy recently turned by a pack of vamps who call themselves The Turn Boys, she know she can't take the kid to the police. The law states that turned children must be staked. In steps Amir, a mysterious non-human and a student in one of Zephyr's classes. Amir agrees to take the boy into his protection in exchange for a favor: Zephyr must help him track down a crime lord named Rinaldo. Rinaldo -- the man who controls the Turn Boys. Rinaldo -- a man so elusive, no one can recall ever having seen his face. And, as Zephyr soon learns, not a man at all. Rinaldo is a vampire who has taken something very precious from Amir.
This first in the Zephyr Hollis series is a unique twist on urban fantasy: blending the historical setting of 1920's New York and the events of that time with the paranormal makes MOONSHINE an interesting stand out.
This first in the Zephyr Hollis series is a unique twist on urban fantasy: blending the historical setting of 1920's New York and the events of that time with the paranormal makes MOONSHINE an interesting stand out.
October 12, 2014
I made it to page 20 when I realized that this book didn't captivate me, which surprised me as I usually love reading about prohibition era. But with kids being vampires changed against their will turned me off. This one just wasn't for me.
Want to read
October 13, 2009A 1920's vampire novel? Be still my paranormal loving heart. :-D
April 21, 2011
Aside from some nitpicky things, I loved this to death - but the ending. The ending! :( IS THERE GOING TO BE A SEQUEL? Please tell me there's going to be a sequel!
September 10, 2016
Zephyr Hollis has a reputation as a do-gooder. As a singing vampire suffragette, actually. From Brooklyn to Midtown to Battery Park to the LES, she and her bicycle are near-ubiquitous as she runs from protest to meeting to night school, where she teaches. One night, before class, she comes across a young boy, victim of an Other attack, and tries to save him. She’s helped by Amir, a mysterious Other who attends her classes, who in turn offers her a deal: if she will help him track down Rinaldo, the vampire mob boss whom she suspects is behind the attack of the child, he will pay her a much needed $200. The more Zephyr investigates, though, the more she finds herself compromised by her growing attraction to Amir, and by the feeling that something is very, very wrong.
I want to start by saying that I really, really enjoyed the concept of this novel. I love supernatural fiction & urban fantasy, and I love historical fiction, especially alternate histories, and I love sweet, slightly dangerous romances. But I don’t know; there was just something about Moonshine that I didn’t…exactly…love. Some part of that is Zephyr herself. Not that I don’t like do-gooding heroines with diatribes for everyone who crosses her path––it’d be more than a little hypocritical if I didn’t––but she was lacking something. She felt, quite frankly, like a bit of a white feminist.
Like she wants to be the saviour of everyone around her, and is frankly shocked when that doesn’t work out in her favour. I don’t want to say that I found her sanctimonious (this from the girl who runs a blog dedicated to yelling about social issues in popular media), but the truth is that I did. I guess I just didn’t buy her characterisation. If her guilt was something that had been brought to the forefront, her dedication to the social causes she throws herself into might have more weight, but as it is, it just feels like she’s perpetually disappointed with the world for not being as Good as she is––and she’s not particularly Good.
There were things that were well-done, though. With a lot of mystery novels that cross into other genres, I tend to feel really let down by the resolution of the plot, but here, it felt like the mystery was really at the heart of the plot. It had stakes, it had consequences, and most importantly, it was resolved in a way that was surprising, but didn’t disrespect the reader by pulling a rabbit out of a false-bottom hat and telling us it was a pigeon all along. It resolved the issues that were necessary to resolve for this novel, but it also left a few things to be wrapped up in the sequel.
The novel also raised a lot of very interesting dynamics: Others are very distinctly not human, yet they are people. They are dangerous, and this is a fact, but they are also in danger from frightened humans. They are the butchers and the butchered, the terror and the terrorised, and the novel doesn’t present this like it’s an easy equation to solve. The vampires (who are coded as white, and who largely live around Little Italy––though this raises the question of whether or not there are vampires of colour, particularly in such proximity to Chinatown) are treated one way because they are Others and because many of them also happen to be immigrants. Yet Amir is treated quite another way because he is Other but also because he is very obviously brown.
Speaking of Amir, his dynamic with Zephyr is also really complicated, made even more so by the end of the novel. Perhaps because this is not a YA novel (She’s older than 21, and he’s in his hundreds), but the impossibilities of their relationship extend beyond “but he’s hot and dangerous what do I dooo!” The fact that he is so much older than she is, that his lifespan is much longer than she can conceive, and as such, the extent to which this changes the way he relates to the world, is something that has implications beyond their romance, and it’s something that really affects the tone of their relationship.
Amir is also not some cold, distant virgin who has only loved our precocious heroine ever in the entirety of his long, long, life. (No shade, just saying.) He’s had relationships, relationships that have meant something. Zephyr is one in a line of people who have loved him, and there likely will be people he loves after Zephyr dies, but that’s the reality of their situation, and the reality of loving someone who doesn’t simply stay stagnant for centuries.
Even so, there were things that I found troubling about the way Amir is presented in text. He and West Asia are often exotified, in a way that is meant to be indicative of contemporaneous racism and in a way that is indicative of the author’s modern day attitudes. When he is introduced, it’s as a darker version of Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. I gather it’s meant to be complementary, as Rudolph Valentino (and certainly no one will dispute this) was exceptionally handsome, but it’s frankly quite odd that a West Asian is being held in comparison to a film that propogates an Orientalist vision of West Asia. Odd, and discomforting. His characterisation also indulges in Orientalist stereotype.
I’ve mentioned before that I strongly dislike it when Asian and North African material culture is described as ‘lush’ or mysterious or strange or exotic, and these are things that are all present when it comes to descriptions of Amir and his home and his language. He’s frequently described as an Arabian prince, and while the lack of specific culture and ethnicity is understandable within the context of his identity, it’s troubling considering how MENA nations are grouped as a monolith at the expense of real people’s identities. There are also a few uses of antiblack slurs that I found kind of unnecessary and almost felt like it was for shock value? But that’s not something that I’m in a position to judge more than the author, who is herself Black.
Overall, this was definitely a novel that has its problems. It tries, I think, to do good, to represent the realities of living in 1920s New York (even if this New York has vampires and other supernatural creatures) while giving readers an interesting story, but I found some of its messaging to be ill-considered or perhaps underdeveloped. That said, though, I did enjoy the plot. I really adored Amir and the way his relationship with Zephyr developed and how it was affected by the complications that many other supernatural romances tend to skate over. I would recommend picking it up, as I had great fun reading it, but an honest rating of its quality compared to the other books I’ve read would render my final judgement a “just okay.”
I want to start by saying that I really, really enjoyed the concept of this novel. I love supernatural fiction & urban fantasy, and I love historical fiction, especially alternate histories, and I love sweet, slightly dangerous romances. But I don’t know; there was just something about Moonshine that I didn’t…exactly…love. Some part of that is Zephyr herself. Not that I don’t like do-gooding heroines with diatribes for everyone who crosses her path––it’d be more than a little hypocritical if I didn’t––but she was lacking something. She felt, quite frankly, like a bit of a white feminist.
Like she wants to be the saviour of everyone around her, and is frankly shocked when that doesn’t work out in her favour. I don’t want to say that I found her sanctimonious (this from the girl who runs a blog dedicated to yelling about social issues in popular media), but the truth is that I did. I guess I just didn’t buy her characterisation. If her guilt was something that had been brought to the forefront, her dedication to the social causes she throws herself into might have more weight, but as it is, it just feels like she’s perpetually disappointed with the world for not being as Good as she is––and she’s not particularly Good.
There were things that were well-done, though. With a lot of mystery novels that cross into other genres, I tend to feel really let down by the resolution of the plot, but here, it felt like the mystery was really at the heart of the plot. It had stakes, it had consequences, and most importantly, it was resolved in a way that was surprising, but didn’t disrespect the reader by pulling a rabbit out of a false-bottom hat and telling us it was a pigeon all along. It resolved the issues that were necessary to resolve for this novel, but it also left a few things to be wrapped up in the sequel.
The novel also raised a lot of very interesting dynamics: Others are very distinctly not human, yet they are people. They are dangerous, and this is a fact, but they are also in danger from frightened humans. They are the butchers and the butchered, the terror and the terrorised, and the novel doesn’t present this like it’s an easy equation to solve. The vampires (who are coded as white, and who largely live around Little Italy––though this raises the question of whether or not there are vampires of colour, particularly in such proximity to Chinatown) are treated one way because they are Others and because many of them also happen to be immigrants. Yet Amir is treated quite another way because he is Other but also because he is very obviously brown.
Speaking of Amir, his dynamic with Zephyr is also really complicated, made even more so by the end of the novel. Perhaps because this is not a YA novel (She’s older than 21, and he’s in his hundreds), but the impossibilities of their relationship extend beyond “but he’s hot and dangerous what do I dooo!” The fact that he is so much older than she is, that his lifespan is much longer than she can conceive, and as such, the extent to which this changes the way he relates to the world, is something that has implications beyond their romance, and it’s something that really affects the tone of their relationship.
Amir is also not some cold, distant virgin who has only loved our precocious heroine ever in the entirety of his long, long, life. (No shade, just saying.) He’s had relationships, relationships that have meant something. Zephyr is one in a line of people who have loved him, and there likely will be people he loves after Zephyr dies, but that’s the reality of their situation, and the reality of loving someone who doesn’t simply stay stagnant for centuries.
Even so, there were things that I found troubling about the way Amir is presented in text. He and West Asia are often exotified, in a way that is meant to be indicative of contemporaneous racism and in a way that is indicative of the author’s modern day attitudes. When he is introduced, it’s as a darker version of Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. I gather it’s meant to be complementary, as Rudolph Valentino (and certainly no one will dispute this) was exceptionally handsome, but it’s frankly quite odd that a West Asian is being held in comparison to a film that propogates an Orientalist vision of West Asia. Odd, and discomforting. His characterisation also indulges in Orientalist stereotype.
I’ve mentioned before that I strongly dislike it when Asian and North African material culture is described as ‘lush’ or mysterious or strange or exotic, and these are things that are all present when it comes to descriptions of Amir and his home and his language. He’s frequently described as an Arabian prince, and while the lack of specific culture and ethnicity is understandable within the context of his identity, it’s troubling considering how MENA nations are grouped as a monolith at the expense of real people’s identities. There are also a few uses of antiblack slurs that I found kind of unnecessary and almost felt like it was for shock value? But that’s not something that I’m in a position to judge more than the author, who is herself Black.
Overall, this was definitely a novel that has its problems. It tries, I think, to do good, to represent the realities of living in 1920s New York (even if this New York has vampires and other supernatural creatures) while giving readers an interesting story, but I found some of its messaging to be ill-considered or perhaps underdeveloped. That said, though, I did enjoy the plot. I really adored Amir and the way his relationship with Zephyr developed and how it was affected by the complications that many other supernatural romances tend to skate over. I would recommend picking it up, as I had great fun reading it, but an honest rating of its quality compared to the other books I’ve read would render my final judgement a “just okay.”
July 17, 2020
Moonshine is a 1920s Take on 2000s Paranormal Romance Trends
Reviewed on virginiaheartsvintage.com.
As someone who enjoys the odd dip into paranormal romance, Moonshine had been on my radar for a couple of years. I lost track of it because it’s not available on Kindle or through my library system. But when I read the synopsis for Johnson’s upcoming release, Trouble the Saints, I was so enthused I had to track down this book from a decade ago. I discovered, surprise, this book does indeed feel like it was written a decade ago.
There is more than a passing resemblance between the plot of Moonshine and a certain Southern vampire mystery series. The vampires-coming-out-of-the-coffin premise makes for super fun paranormal fiction, and Moonshine does a great job of exploring concepts of Other prejudice while also highlighting real-life prejudices of race, class, and sex. But a full exploration of these weighty themes aren’t the purpose of this book—it’s a paranormal romance driven by action and adventure.
Everything about Moonshine adds up to a reading experience I could’ve loved but ultimately just sort of liked. I found myself unable to connect with Zephyr because she’s too many types in one—like Sookie, she has a special immunity to vampire control and she used to be Buffy but now she’s more of a Hermione. And this doesn’t function as layers so much as plot convenience. We’re in Zephyr’s head the whole time, and her thoughts oscillate between charming 20s slang to super modern colloquialisms. The romance is the real draw to this genre but, lust aside, I didn’t buy the connection. The visuals around Amir’s Otherness are great, and I can see how the sequel would explore their connection in a deeper way, but I’m not sure if I’ll get there. The vibrancy promised by the premise didn’t quite deliver.
That said, it’s been ten years and this book is basically out of print. I have no doubt at all that Johnson has grown as a writer since publishing Moonshine, and a lot of the writing gives me a ton of faith—I am still just as jazzed for Trouble the Saints.
Reviewed on virginiaheartsvintage.com.
As someone who enjoys the odd dip into paranormal romance, Moonshine had been on my radar for a couple of years. I lost track of it because it’s not available on Kindle or through my library system. But when I read the synopsis for Johnson’s upcoming release, Trouble the Saints, I was so enthused I had to track down this book from a decade ago. I discovered, surprise, this book does indeed feel like it was written a decade ago.
There is more than a passing resemblance between the plot of Moonshine and a certain Southern vampire mystery series. The vampires-coming-out-of-the-coffin premise makes for super fun paranormal fiction, and Moonshine does a great job of exploring concepts of Other prejudice while also highlighting real-life prejudices of race, class, and sex. But a full exploration of these weighty themes aren’t the purpose of this book—it’s a paranormal romance driven by action and adventure.
Everything about Moonshine adds up to a reading experience I could’ve loved but ultimately just sort of liked. I found myself unable to connect with Zephyr because she’s too many types in one—like Sookie, she has a special immunity to vampire control and she used to be Buffy but now she’s more of a Hermione. And this doesn’t function as layers so much as plot convenience. We’re in Zephyr’s head the whole time, and her thoughts oscillate between charming 20s slang to super modern colloquialisms. The romance is the real draw to this genre but, lust aside, I didn’t buy the connection. The visuals around Amir’s Otherness are great, and I can see how the sequel would explore their connection in a deeper way, but I’m not sure if I’ll get there. The vibrancy promised by the premise didn’t quite deliver.
That said, it’s been ten years and this book is basically out of print. I have no doubt at all that Johnson has grown as a writer since publishing Moonshine, and a lot of the writing gives me a ton of faith—I am still just as jazzed for Trouble the Saints.
August 10, 2021
Se non siete ancora stufi di vampiri e altre creature paranormali ecco che arriva Il Fascino del vampiro, libro che per ora sembra essere unico ma molto probabilmente ci sarà un sequel di cui non ci sono ancora notizie in rete.
Purtroppo il finale, seppur non lascia l'amaro in bocca, ci sono alcune cose che restano in sospeso.
Alcuni elementi potrebbero richiamare altri libri dello stesso genere come per esempio la protagonista con un potere particolare o l'amore tra un'umana e una creatura mitologica ma questo non vuol dire che non ci sia qualcosa di innovativo. A cominciare dall'ambientazione che questa volta non è affatto
contemporanea ma nella New York degli anni Venti. E stranamente la protagonista non è affascinata dai vampiri ma da un... (scopritelo leggendo il libro) e per fortuna sembra non esercitare un fascino travolgente su tutti quelli che incontra.
I personaggi sono ben delineati soprattutto Zephyr la protagonista indiscussa (è lei stessa a raccontare la propria storia) mentre per quel che riguarda la ricostruzione dell'epoca in cui si svolge la storia, è molto accurata.
Ora veniamo alle dolenti note. La storia nonostante avesse un risvolto misterioso e romantico non mi ha coinvolto. Non riuscivo proprio a simpatizzare con la protagonista che mi è sembrata un po' troppo moderna.
Anche il ritmo non era serrato e spesso ho faticato a continuare con la lettura.
Sicuramente rappresenta un approccio nuovo alla letteratura sui vampiri ma mi aspettavo qualcosa di più.
Purtroppo il finale, seppur non lascia l'amaro in bocca, ci sono alcune cose che restano in sospeso.
Alcuni elementi potrebbero richiamare altri libri dello stesso genere come per esempio la protagonista con un potere particolare o l'amore tra un'umana e una creatura mitologica ma questo non vuol dire che non ci sia qualcosa di innovativo. A cominciare dall'ambientazione che questa volta non è affatto
contemporanea ma nella New York degli anni Venti. E stranamente la protagonista non è affascinata dai vampiri ma da un... (scopritelo leggendo il libro) e per fortuna sembra non esercitare un fascino travolgente su tutti quelli che incontra.
I personaggi sono ben delineati soprattutto Zephyr la protagonista indiscussa (è lei stessa a raccontare la propria storia) mentre per quel che riguarda la ricostruzione dell'epoca in cui si svolge la storia, è molto accurata.
Ora veniamo alle dolenti note. La storia nonostante avesse un risvolto misterioso e romantico non mi ha coinvolto. Non riuscivo proprio a simpatizzare con la protagonista che mi è sembrata un po' troppo moderna.
Anche il ritmo non era serrato e spesso ho faticato a continuare con la lettura.
Sicuramente rappresenta un approccio nuovo alla letteratura sui vampiri ma mi aspettavo qualcosa di più.
July 23, 2020
The only other work I’ve read by this author before is a short story in the Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology, but their story was my favorite out of all of them, so I was hoping to really like this book. However I just could not get into it at all. It was well-written and the concept was cool - vampires and supernatural creatures in a late 1920’s era, set in a magical realism world where vampires and “Others” are recognized and accepted as a normal part of society. But there was a lack of world building, almost none at all. I didn’t feel too connected to any of the characters nor the story. I was kind of bored trying to get through this and I won’t continue with the rest of the series, but it gets three stars because it did have a good writing style and the plot was nicely executed.
January 10, 2018
Carino...originale soprattutto l'ambientazione. La storia in sé non l'ho trovata particolarmente brillante; personaggi simpatici ma un po' macchiette. Scrittura piacevolmente scorrevole, ottima tenuta sia per scene placide che per scene di azione.
January 31, 2019
Johnson creates a wonderful world that seamlessly mixes magic with reality. Amazing novel!
August 1, 2021
Very entertaining premise (real and acknowledged vampires in 1920s New York City winter) and a winning heroine can't completely make up for the fact that this book was just okay. It was just a little bit all over the place. Entertaining but not memorable.
March 26, 2015
“Oh guarda! Un libro sui vampiri ambientato a New York nei ruggenti anni venti! La protagonista è figlia di un cacciatore di vampiri e si chiama Zephir! Lo voglio leggere!”
Ecco quello che mi sono detta quando ho richiesto su bookmooch questo libro.
I presupposti per una buona storia c’erano tutti: l’ambientazione, l’epoca ricca di fascino, una copertina accattivante e una protagonista particolare. Peccato che niente sia sviluppato bene.
Partiamo da lei, la protagonista: Zephyr Hollis, figlia del più grande cacciatore di demoni (ma non dovevano essere vampiri?) del Montana, ora trasferita a New York per… insegnare in una scuola serale dizione ed educazione civica agli Altri, che comprendono tutte le creature non umane, quindi fate, folletti, licantropi e via dicendo.
Impegnata in 31 associazioni benefiche, tra cui la banca del sangue che distribuisce gratis sacche di sangue ai vampiri bisognosi, la nostra eroina viene chiamata "la cantante suffraggetta dei vampiri", perché li difende e li aiuta in tutti i modi possibili, pensando che non debbano essere trattati come mostri o in modo differente dagli esseri umani.
E questo non è nemmeno tanto sbagliato, visto che vuole redimersi dal suo passato da cacciatrice. Passato che non ci viene mai svelato.
Ma, e qui viene il bello, questa donna è tipo Madre Teresa di Calcutta per vampiri. Corre per tutta la città distribuendo sangue, si leva di tasca ogni centesimo per darlo a vampiri senza lavoro, e non mangia per giorni perché troppo impegnata in tutte queste attività. Dopo un po’ risulta tutto esagerato.
Parliamo dell’aspetto romance della storia: lei cade vittima del fascino di uno dei suoi studenti, Amir, che ovviamente, non è umano. E’ un djinn, cioè un genio arabo, bellissimo, ricchissimo e molto sexy.
Lui è stato piuttosto accattivante, è qualcosa di diverso dai soliti vampiri o miliardari egocentrici, la storia d’amore è piuttosto veloce ma carina, tutto sommato.
L’ambientazione e l’epoca non sono quasi per nulla descritte. C’è sempre e solo la protagonista che corre in bicicletta di qua e di là. Mi aspettavo più atmosfere alla grande Gatsy, e questo mi è dispiaciuto molto.
Le scene d’azione sono descritte abbastanza male, troppo veloci ed inconcludenti, e molto spesso non si capisce cosa succede.
La “mitologia” del vampiro, se così vogliamo chiamare i dati che conosciamo dei vampiri, tipo bruciare al sole, sono capovolti rispetto alla tradizione classica: qui sono i vampiri giovani ad essere più forti, a sopportare meglio il sole e via dicendo. Strano, ma alla fine uno si può abituare.
Eccoci arrivati quindi alla nota che ha stonato tutto: la nostra paladina, che si arrabbia con sua madre per una stola di pelliccia di volpe, che non mangia carne perché ha visitato dei macelli, che non uccide vampiri perché in fondo sono buoni… non esita ad ammazzare gatti a mani nude e poi lanciarli dai tetti del palazzi perché i ratti li elimineranno in maniera più efficace di lei.
Ma stiamo scherzando? Questa è praticamente una vegana animalista ultraconvinta e fa una cosa del genere? Ma poi, ragazza mia, sorvolando la crudeltà gratuita che mi hai costretto a leggere, ma sei cretina? E se becchi qualcuno? Cavolo, abiti a New York, buttalo nel fiume, in un tombino, in un cassonetto, fallo bruciare allo djinn a cui vuoi strappare i vestiti, non dal palazzo in mezzo alla strada, così i ratti se lo mangiano!!
Oramai non sopporto più i libri pieni di contraddizione come questi. Non li sopporto. E non sopporto nemmeno i libri con scene come questa. Abbasso immediatamente la mia valutazione e devono anche ringraziare che non lancio il libro fuori dalla finestra per cretinate come questa.
In quanto ad errori, ho trovato errori di battitura, ma pochi rispetto al solito, una pagina intera in cui Zephyr perde la Y e si chiama Zephir e sicuramente qualche errore temporale (cioè cose che all’epoca non esistevano) ci sono, ma non ho voglia di controllare una cosa per volta. Mi ha schifato la questione precedente.
Il finale è piuttosto scialbo, lascia in sospeso milioni di cose, ma a quanto ho capito la scrittrice non intende proseguirlo. Meglio, forse ha capito anche lei che non ne valeva la pena.
Ecco quello che mi sono detta quando ho richiesto su bookmooch questo libro.
I presupposti per una buona storia c’erano tutti: l’ambientazione, l’epoca ricca di fascino, una copertina accattivante e una protagonista particolare. Peccato che niente sia sviluppato bene.
Partiamo da lei, la protagonista: Zephyr Hollis, figlia del più grande cacciatore di demoni (ma non dovevano essere vampiri?) del Montana, ora trasferita a New York per… insegnare in una scuola serale dizione ed educazione civica agli Altri, che comprendono tutte le creature non umane, quindi fate, folletti, licantropi e via dicendo.
Impegnata in 31 associazioni benefiche, tra cui la banca del sangue che distribuisce gratis sacche di sangue ai vampiri bisognosi, la nostra eroina viene chiamata "la cantante suffraggetta dei vampiri", perché li difende e li aiuta in tutti i modi possibili, pensando che non debbano essere trattati come mostri o in modo differente dagli esseri umani.
E questo non è nemmeno tanto sbagliato, visto che vuole redimersi dal suo passato da cacciatrice. Passato che non ci viene mai svelato.
Ma, e qui viene il bello, questa donna è tipo Madre Teresa di Calcutta per vampiri. Corre per tutta la città distribuendo sangue, si leva di tasca ogni centesimo per darlo a vampiri senza lavoro, e non mangia per giorni perché troppo impegnata in tutte queste attività. Dopo un po’ risulta tutto esagerato.
Parliamo dell’aspetto romance della storia: lei cade vittima del fascino di uno dei suoi studenti, Amir, che ovviamente, non è umano. E’ un djinn, cioè un genio arabo, bellissimo, ricchissimo e molto sexy.
Lui è stato piuttosto accattivante, è qualcosa di diverso dai soliti vampiri o miliardari egocentrici, la storia d’amore è piuttosto veloce ma carina, tutto sommato.
L’ambientazione e l’epoca non sono quasi per nulla descritte. C’è sempre e solo la protagonista che corre in bicicletta di qua e di là. Mi aspettavo più atmosfere alla grande Gatsy, e questo mi è dispiaciuto molto.
Le scene d’azione sono descritte abbastanza male, troppo veloci ed inconcludenti, e molto spesso non si capisce cosa succede.
La “mitologia” del vampiro, se così vogliamo chiamare i dati che conosciamo dei vampiri, tipo bruciare al sole, sono capovolti rispetto alla tradizione classica: qui sono i vampiri giovani ad essere più forti, a sopportare meglio il sole e via dicendo. Strano, ma alla fine uno si può abituare.
Eccoci arrivati quindi alla nota che ha stonato tutto: la nostra paladina, che si arrabbia con sua madre per una stola di pelliccia di volpe, che non mangia carne perché ha visitato dei macelli, che non uccide vampiri perché in fondo sono buoni… non esita ad ammazzare gatti a mani nude e poi lanciarli dai tetti del palazzi perché i ratti li elimineranno in maniera più efficace di lei.
Ma stiamo scherzando? Questa è praticamente una vegana animalista ultraconvinta e fa una cosa del genere? Ma poi, ragazza mia, sorvolando la crudeltà gratuita che mi hai costretto a leggere, ma sei cretina? E se becchi qualcuno? Cavolo, abiti a New York, buttalo nel fiume, in un tombino, in un cassonetto, fallo bruciare allo djinn a cui vuoi strappare i vestiti, non dal palazzo in mezzo alla strada, così i ratti se lo mangiano!!
Oramai non sopporto più i libri pieni di contraddizione come questi. Non li sopporto. E non sopporto nemmeno i libri con scene come questa. Abbasso immediatamente la mia valutazione e devono anche ringraziare che non lancio il libro fuori dalla finestra per cretinate come questa.
In quanto ad errori, ho trovato errori di battitura, ma pochi rispetto al solito, una pagina intera in cui Zephyr perde la Y e si chiama Zephir e sicuramente qualche errore temporale (cioè cose che all’epoca non esistevano) ci sono, ma non ho voglia di controllare una cosa per volta. Mi ha schifato la questione precedente.
Il finale è piuttosto scialbo, lascia in sospeso milioni di cose, ma a quanto ho capito la scrittrice non intende proseguirlo. Meglio, forse ha capito anche lei che non ne valeva la pena.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2010
I was very lucky to win this through one of the First Reads Giveaways.
I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I was struck by how easily Ms. Johnson set up the world and the character within even the first scene. You knew who Zephyr Hollis was and what this 1920's New York was supposed to be from simply those first few pages.
Zephyr herself is immensely likable. Spunky, intelligent, gutsy, able, and empathetic: she is the "singing Vampire Suffragette" as she is labeled at one point. Zephyr stands up for herself (and most certainly others), is able to handle herself in a fight as well as be the proper school teacher and large-hearted philanthropist. She is a layered character, plagued by a family of demon hunting, Zephyr endeavors to save all the Others (as well as helping anyone else) she can find, devoting her entire life to such a cause. Yet she struggles with the fact that not all Others are worth saving, just as not all humans are as well, and the fact that she still has to defend herself even unto "popping" them for good when pushed. In fact Zephyr is deftly skilled at hunting and is even immune to the vampire venom, an exceedingly rare trait which means the Defenders in town both deride her decision to leave them and beg for her return all in the same breath. Zephyr has a reputation for campaigning for the other side by the beginning of the book, fighting for the rights of Others and Immigrants alike through picketing, meetings, teaching, and any other method she can endeavor. Zephyr believes so strongly in the rightness of the path she now follows that she is even unfashionably vegetarian, having been disgusted by her first hand experience with the meat slaughtering process. Zephyr is a character living very in the present, practically dealing with the situations at hand in the hopes of changing things for the better in the foreseeable future. She is an intensely modern woman in her more straightforward approach especially when compared to the proper, wealthy Lily or even her best friend, the epitome 20's NYC vamp, Aileen. Zephyr even advocates for the use of prophylactics and a more modern view of sex, even going so far as to publicly kiss Amir in a cab and in a cafe.
Zephyr's romantic entanglements with Amir are passionate and yet realistic, tugging her back and forth between how she is drawn to him and her rationality. The two of them challenge each other in a way that is complementary and fun. Yet the trouble and happiness shared between the two of them is also purposefully used for the plot as well. Nothing is rushed to be unfolded to the reader before Zephyr herself figures it out, leaving the book with an anticipation of a good mystery. When all is revealed the theme of the interpersonal relations in the book becomes even more definitive for we are left with no one perfectly right or perfectly wrong. Yes, there is a conclusive ending but we also are left questioning the moral rightness of the main love interest.
The book is set in a world of gray-scale where black and white are very rarely the case. In fact this sense of gray is even further used in the description of the backdrop of New York, scenes alternatingly bathed in pure white snow, shadowy alleys, or pitch black tunnels. It's a world where not all Others are perfectly bad or perfectly good much like their human counterparts. Where the characters are described in color with the focus on a single blue mitten or a bright teal dress in a crowd. It's a world where Zephyr Hollis' conflicting background and purpose very much has a place, where she is constantly challenged with the rightness of her philanthropic acts of kindness. Zephyr even has moments where she learns that the situation is so hopelessly muddled and gray that the best thing she can do is, in all honesty, nothing. The best, wisest decision can sometimes be inaction for much like the real world not everything waits on Zephyr to become involved.
An immensely enjoyable and fun read, the book went by almost too quickly and I hope to read more adventures from Zephyr Hollis at some point soon.
I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I was struck by how easily Ms. Johnson set up the world and the character within even the first scene. You knew who Zephyr Hollis was and what this 1920's New York was supposed to be from simply those first few pages.
Zephyr herself is immensely likable. Spunky, intelligent, gutsy, able, and empathetic: she is the "singing Vampire Suffragette" as she is labeled at one point. Zephyr stands up for herself (and most certainly others), is able to handle herself in a fight as well as be the proper school teacher and large-hearted philanthropist. She is a layered character, plagued by a family of demon hunting, Zephyr endeavors to save all the Others (as well as helping anyone else) she can find, devoting her entire life to such a cause. Yet she struggles with the fact that not all Others are worth saving, just as not all humans are as well, and the fact that she still has to defend herself even unto "popping" them for good when pushed. In fact Zephyr is deftly skilled at hunting and is even immune to the vampire venom, an exceedingly rare trait which means the Defenders in town both deride her decision to leave them and beg for her return all in the same breath. Zephyr has a reputation for campaigning for the other side by the beginning of the book, fighting for the rights of Others and Immigrants alike through picketing, meetings, teaching, and any other method she can endeavor. Zephyr believes so strongly in the rightness of the path she now follows that she is even unfashionably vegetarian, having been disgusted by her first hand experience with the meat slaughtering process. Zephyr is a character living very in the present, practically dealing with the situations at hand in the hopes of changing things for the better in the foreseeable future. She is an intensely modern woman in her more straightforward approach especially when compared to the proper, wealthy Lily or even her best friend, the epitome 20's NYC vamp, Aileen. Zephyr even advocates for the use of prophylactics and a more modern view of sex, even going so far as to publicly kiss Amir in a cab and in a cafe.
Zephyr's romantic entanglements with Amir are passionate and yet realistic, tugging her back and forth between how she is drawn to him and her rationality. The two of them challenge each other in a way that is complementary and fun. Yet the trouble and happiness shared between the two of them is also purposefully used for the plot as well. Nothing is rushed to be unfolded to the reader before Zephyr herself figures it out, leaving the book with an anticipation of a good mystery. When all is revealed the theme of the interpersonal relations in the book becomes even more definitive for we are left with no one perfectly right or perfectly wrong. Yes, there is a conclusive ending but we also are left questioning the moral rightness of the main love interest.
The book is set in a world of gray-scale where black and white are very rarely the case. In fact this sense of gray is even further used in the description of the backdrop of New York, scenes alternatingly bathed in pure white snow, shadowy alleys, or pitch black tunnels. It's a world where not all Others are perfectly bad or perfectly good much like their human counterparts. Where the characters are described in color with the focus on a single blue mitten or a bright teal dress in a crowd. It's a world where Zephyr Hollis' conflicting background and purpose very much has a place, where she is constantly challenged with the rightness of her philanthropic acts of kindness. Zephyr even has moments where she learns that the situation is so hopelessly muddled and gray that the best thing she can do is, in all honesty, nothing. The best, wisest decision can sometimes be inaction for much like the real world not everything waits on Zephyr to become involved.
An immensely enjoyable and fun read, the book went by almost too quickly and I hope to read more adventures from Zephyr Hollis at some point soon.
May 8, 2011
Alaya Johnson, dopo una serie di pubblicazioni per giovani e giovanissimi, decide di scrivere e pubblicare un libro per adulti e, a tutti gli effetti, ci riesce perfettamente.
E’ un lavoro autoconclusivo (per adesso, visto il finale decisamente “molto” aperto) che ci trascina in una New York alternativa dei primi anni del secolo: siamo nel 1920 e Vampiri, Umani, Fate e altri “Altri” convivono, anche se non sempre pacificamente, in una città fatta di miniere, proteste e lotte fra gangs di quartiere.
L’ambientazione è estremamente accurata e lo stile di Alaya Johnson è molto fluido, elegante, perfettamente in linea con il periodo storico e ironico quel tanto che basta da rendere i suoi personaggi abbastanza frizzanti e carismatici da smorzare un po’ la serietà del romanzo. Riesce a creare un intero mondo in cui le creature soprannaturali interagiscono fra loro, riproponendo, anche se in versione romanzata, i processi integrativi che molte “razze diverse” hanno dovuto affrontare all’inizio del ’900; in questo caso sono gli Altri che dovranno farsi accettare dagli umani che non sono particolarmente inclini.
I problemi di emarginazione, razzismo, nonchè i problemi inerenti alle gangs come lo spaccio di droga, le violenze e gli omicidi sono trattati con assoluto realismo e, a combattere tutto questo troviamo lei, la suffragetta dei vampiri, Zephyr, la figlia di uno dei più grandi cacciatori di vampiri.
Zephyr sa perfettamente quali sono i pericoli che possono nascondersi nel buio delle stradine di periferia di New York ma per lei arrivare a scuola a fare lezione di integrazione ai “suoi” Altri, gli allievi intenzionati ad integrarsi, è più importante. Sarà proprio in una di queste sere che si imbatterà in un bambino, prosciugato a morte. Di norma i bambini, inadatti alla traformazione, dovrebbero essere impalati e decapitati, invece Zephyr salta in bici e lo nasconde a scuola con l’aiuto di Amir, uno dei suoi allievi più misteriosi e seducenti.
Peccato, o per fortuna, da quel momento la sua vita cambierà totalmente grazie, soprattutto, proprio a quello strano Altro che si ritrova a chiederle aiuto per trovare il più pericoloso e misterioso boss di New York…
La storia si snoderà fra colpi di scena, attimi di puro romanticismo e momenti talmente esilaranti che non mancheranno di farvi fare delle grosse risate nell’immaginare la nostra eroina, ricoperta di fango, affamata e di pessimo umore a farsi tutta NY in bici avanti e indietro fra un disastro e l’altro. Alla fine del romanzo proverete uno strano senso di pietà per quella povera bici, garantito!
Zephyr è una protagonista molto divertente, coraggiosa e delineata perfettamente in ogni sua sfaccettatura. All’avanguardia (per il 1920!), sfacciata, forte e spericolata… Una suffragetta dei vampiri che non disdegna di impalarne qualcuno se si tratta di salvarsi la vita, salvo poi soffrire di tremendi sensi di colpa per essersi lasciata trascinare dalle vecchie abitudini.
Amir, invece, è la perfetta controparte maschile, una coppia perfettamente equilibrata. Pacato, riflessivo e maschilista quanto basta da non rendelo antipatico, un vero gentiluomo di altri tempi. Le loro schermaglie amorose sono assolutamente irresisitibili, se non addirittura esilaranti.
Nulla nel romanzo di Alaya Johnson è perfettamente come sembra, in nessun caso. Le tonalità di grigio si alternano con maestria grazie alla penna dell’autrice che ci presenta dei personaggi secondari interessanti (come il “giovane” Nicholas) e decisamente intriganti, nessuno escluso.
Un romanzo per adulti caldamente consigliato a tutti gli amanti del genere fantasy con “una marcia in più”, dove amore e azione di amalgano perfettamente con un leggero tocco dark gothic che rende il tutto ancora più interessante.
E’ un lavoro autoconclusivo (per adesso, visto il finale decisamente “molto” aperto) che ci trascina in una New York alternativa dei primi anni del secolo: siamo nel 1920 e Vampiri, Umani, Fate e altri “Altri” convivono, anche se non sempre pacificamente, in una città fatta di miniere, proteste e lotte fra gangs di quartiere.
L’ambientazione è estremamente accurata e lo stile di Alaya Johnson è molto fluido, elegante, perfettamente in linea con il periodo storico e ironico quel tanto che basta da rendere i suoi personaggi abbastanza frizzanti e carismatici da smorzare un po’ la serietà del romanzo. Riesce a creare un intero mondo in cui le creature soprannaturali interagiscono fra loro, riproponendo, anche se in versione romanzata, i processi integrativi che molte “razze diverse” hanno dovuto affrontare all’inizio del ’900; in questo caso sono gli Altri che dovranno farsi accettare dagli umani che non sono particolarmente inclini.
I problemi di emarginazione, razzismo, nonchè i problemi inerenti alle gangs come lo spaccio di droga, le violenze e gli omicidi sono trattati con assoluto realismo e, a combattere tutto questo troviamo lei, la suffragetta dei vampiri, Zephyr, la figlia di uno dei più grandi cacciatori di vampiri.
Zephyr sa perfettamente quali sono i pericoli che possono nascondersi nel buio delle stradine di periferia di New York ma per lei arrivare a scuola a fare lezione di integrazione ai “suoi” Altri, gli allievi intenzionati ad integrarsi, è più importante. Sarà proprio in una di queste sere che si imbatterà in un bambino, prosciugato a morte. Di norma i bambini, inadatti alla traformazione, dovrebbero essere impalati e decapitati, invece Zephyr salta in bici e lo nasconde a scuola con l’aiuto di Amir, uno dei suoi allievi più misteriosi e seducenti.
Peccato, o per fortuna, da quel momento la sua vita cambierà totalmente grazie, soprattutto, proprio a quello strano Altro che si ritrova a chiederle aiuto per trovare il più pericoloso e misterioso boss di New York…
La storia si snoderà fra colpi di scena, attimi di puro romanticismo e momenti talmente esilaranti che non mancheranno di farvi fare delle grosse risate nell’immaginare la nostra eroina, ricoperta di fango, affamata e di pessimo umore a farsi tutta NY in bici avanti e indietro fra un disastro e l’altro. Alla fine del romanzo proverete uno strano senso di pietà per quella povera bici, garantito!
Zephyr è una protagonista molto divertente, coraggiosa e delineata perfettamente in ogni sua sfaccettatura. All’avanguardia (per il 1920!), sfacciata, forte e spericolata… Una suffragetta dei vampiri che non disdegna di impalarne qualcuno se si tratta di salvarsi la vita, salvo poi soffrire di tremendi sensi di colpa per essersi lasciata trascinare dalle vecchie abitudini.
Amir, invece, è la perfetta controparte maschile, una coppia perfettamente equilibrata. Pacato, riflessivo e maschilista quanto basta da non rendelo antipatico, un vero gentiluomo di altri tempi. Le loro schermaglie amorose sono assolutamente irresisitibili, se non addirittura esilaranti.
Nulla nel romanzo di Alaya Johnson è perfettamente come sembra, in nessun caso. Le tonalità di grigio si alternano con maestria grazie alla penna dell’autrice che ci presenta dei personaggi secondari interessanti (come il “giovane” Nicholas) e decisamente intriganti, nessuno escluso.
Un romanzo per adulti caldamente consigliato a tutti gli amanti del genere fantasy con “una marcia in più”, dove amore e azione di amalgano perfettamente con un leggero tocco dark gothic che rende il tutto ancora più interessante.
April 18, 2016
Stuff I Read – Moonshine by Alaya Dawn Johnson Review
Forward into some urban fantasy! I have absolutely loved basically everything that I've picked up from Alaya Dawn Johnson, but most of it was technically YA (Love is the Drug and The Summer Prince). So when I saw that she had an urban fantasy series marketed more toward adults I jumped all over that. Please and thank you! What I found was Johnson's signature fun wrapped in a city at turns gritty and hopeful. This actually is a bit lighter a read than The Summer Prince, though perhaps more violent as well, an interesting take on the vampire story mixed with 1920s civil rights and women's suffrage. It's fun and imaginative and mysterious, drawing a world filled with creatures not quite human but not exactly Other. And I sort of love that Other is how the non-human people are classed, showing just how they're treated and just where they fit into the historical lens of the setting.
And Zephyr is just a great character, bold and active with a bleeding heart that gets her into a lot of trouble but is sort of what makes her a decent person. That she doesn't really stop trying to help, even when it puts her at risk, even when she ends up exhausted and still looked down on. It's obvious that she's worked from a place of both joy and guilt. Guilt because of who her father is and who she was and what she did and joy because she loves singing and dancing and meeting people and helping. She's not content to just stand aside and let oppression go on and she's not willing to wave her hands at the vampires and other magical beings and decide that Other means not having to care. They are human, are basically human, with different struggles and appetites and powers, but the drives remain and the need for respect and safety. The world building in the book is excellent, creating a New York where all these people live side by side as a supposed melting pot only there are still clear and strong divisions.
The book does not flinch away from difficult issues, either, showing how corruption, fear, and intolerance can create castes of people who are expendable. How people of certain groups are views as so much more dangerous and animalistic. How law enforcement and institutions that are supposed to help everyone can be used as a way to further injustice. And that in a system where certain people are left without protections some from those groups can seek to benefit from the system by exploiting their own. It is a complex world and Zephyr moves around it with agency and awareness, courage and a perpetual lack of clean clothes.
The cast is amazing, too, all complex people with very different situations and problems. Amir is a great love interest except that he's also kinda terrible as well, hiding his involvement in certain things and never really telling the complete truth. I'm very interested to see where his and Zephyr's relationship goes from where it ends up at the end of the book. And oh glob I want to see more of Zephyr's friends. Her roommate and the journalist and all the women in her suffrage groups and it's all just very good. There might be one guy who is unequivocally "bad," but on the whole the characters are all human, acting out of frustration and desire, hurt and longing. The book is fun and action intense. And in the end it's a charming and refreshing take on the historical urban fantasy, twisting the noir so that it doesn't erase so much of history, so many of the people who have always been there, fighting their own battles. An 8.25/10.
Forward into some urban fantasy! I have absolutely loved basically everything that I've picked up from Alaya Dawn Johnson, but most of it was technically YA (Love is the Drug and The Summer Prince). So when I saw that she had an urban fantasy series marketed more toward adults I jumped all over that. Please and thank you! What I found was Johnson's signature fun wrapped in a city at turns gritty and hopeful. This actually is a bit lighter a read than The Summer Prince, though perhaps more violent as well, an interesting take on the vampire story mixed with 1920s civil rights and women's suffrage. It's fun and imaginative and mysterious, drawing a world filled with creatures not quite human but not exactly Other. And I sort of love that Other is how the non-human people are classed, showing just how they're treated and just where they fit into the historical lens of the setting.
And Zephyr is just a great character, bold and active with a bleeding heart that gets her into a lot of trouble but is sort of what makes her a decent person. That she doesn't really stop trying to help, even when it puts her at risk, even when she ends up exhausted and still looked down on. It's obvious that she's worked from a place of both joy and guilt. Guilt because of who her father is and who she was and what she did and joy because she loves singing and dancing and meeting people and helping. She's not content to just stand aside and let oppression go on and she's not willing to wave her hands at the vampires and other magical beings and decide that Other means not having to care. They are human, are basically human, with different struggles and appetites and powers, but the drives remain and the need for respect and safety. The world building in the book is excellent, creating a New York where all these people live side by side as a supposed melting pot only there are still clear and strong divisions.
The book does not flinch away from difficult issues, either, showing how corruption, fear, and intolerance can create castes of people who are expendable. How people of certain groups are views as so much more dangerous and animalistic. How law enforcement and institutions that are supposed to help everyone can be used as a way to further injustice. And that in a system where certain people are left without protections some from those groups can seek to benefit from the system by exploiting their own. It is a complex world and Zephyr moves around it with agency and awareness, courage and a perpetual lack of clean clothes.
The cast is amazing, too, all complex people with very different situations and problems. Amir is a great love interest except that he's also kinda terrible as well, hiding his involvement in certain things and never really telling the complete truth. I'm very interested to see where his and Zephyr's relationship goes from where it ends up at the end of the book. And oh glob I want to see more of Zephyr's friends. Her roommate and the journalist and all the women in her suffrage groups and it's all just very good. There might be one guy who is unequivocally "bad," but on the whole the characters are all human, acting out of frustration and desire, hurt and longing. The book is fun and action intense. And in the end it's a charming and refreshing take on the historical urban fantasy, twisting the noir so that it doesn't erase so much of history, so many of the people who have always been there, fighting their own battles. An 8.25/10.
August 14, 2010
The main character of Moonshine is Zephyr Hollis, described as "an overzealous, underfed social activist" . She really was, almost to the point of irritation. The only thing that saved her from being a total goody two shoes was her rather instant attraction to Amir (dark-skinned Arabic-looking hot djinn - literally hot - hot to the touch, burning hot...Careful Zephyr!), and the rather intense sense of bloodlust that would come upon her when she had to fight for her life....but she was ashamed of the way she felt then...a bit, not too much. :) (Don't fight it Zephyr - just be yourself and let your freak-flag fly!)
Turns out our little miss goody two shoes used to hunt - that's right, HUNT vampires and others with her father and crew back in good old.....Montana. (how did you end up in New York, Zephyr?). She 's not happy about her past and apparently is trying to atone by teaching night school to the oppressed "Others" (because they ARE oppressed, treated as second-class citizens with NO rights), and sticking up for them when she can, giving them literally the last dime in her pockets...(better than me - I'll give a few bucks away even if I only have $10 or $5, but never my last buck).
Anyway, Zephyr becomes embroiled with a found vampire boy (turned and abandoned), trying to locate a mob boss for pay, teaching a very dangerous young vampire street tough how to read and write, a new dangerous vampire drink, and finds herself in danger and having to fight off vampires and revenant cats.
I started out the book very interested, then found my self feeling a bit ho-hum about it (here I have to admit, I had just started it when Magic Bleeds came out, and there are few books that would have made me happy to read them after THAT!) and then finally seemed to be back into the story. By the end of the book I cared about what was happening to Zephyr, to the vampire boy, to Amir (the towering inferno genie), even to the street tough gangster vampire Nicholas.
One of the interesting and yet frustrating thing for me was the time setting. It's set during the Prohibition, which I really don't know much about. I'm not usually interested in that time period. Moonshine had it all though, the mobsters with the vampire twist, the illegal speakeasies along with the vampire equivalent, and all the accompanying problems. Poverty, bigotry, excess by the rich (nothing's changed there!) and I enjoyed the way Ms Johnson handled the "Others" addition to this. The Vampire mob King had his own territory, with rival vampire gangs. There was a separate Night Mayor that was corrupt. There's a lot happening in this novel and Ms Johnson really thought out the extended world that would have Vampires and Djinns, and Shapeshifters in it. Interesting and well done.
Moonshine is a good book, with an interesting take on vampires, djinns, shapeshifters and the prohibition. There is a good plot, and the dialogue was good, no lameness at all. There was some interesting instances of bigotry - even from Zephyr, while she was raging against the bigotry that humans had against skin color and other species, she herself exhibited her own brand of bigotry towards the priviledged upper class (which I think I am also guilty of - sorry rich over-priviledged-know-nothing-about-living-in-the-REAL-world-people....oops, have some work to do there. ahem... )
Turns out our little miss goody two shoes used to hunt - that's right, HUNT vampires and others with her father and crew back in good old.....Montana. (how did you end up in New York, Zephyr?). She 's not happy about her past and apparently is trying to atone by teaching night school to the oppressed "Others" (because they ARE oppressed, treated as second-class citizens with NO rights), and sticking up for them when she can, giving them literally the last dime in her pockets...(better than me - I'll give a few bucks away even if I only have $10 or $5, but never my last buck).
Anyway, Zephyr becomes embroiled with a found vampire boy (turned and abandoned), trying to locate a mob boss for pay, teaching a very dangerous young vampire street tough how to read and write, a new dangerous vampire drink, and finds herself in danger and having to fight off vampires and revenant cats.
I started out the book very interested, then found my self feeling a bit ho-hum about it (here I have to admit, I had just started it when Magic Bleeds came out, and there are few books that would have made me happy to read them after THAT!) and then finally seemed to be back into the story. By the end of the book I cared about what was happening to Zephyr, to the vampire boy, to Amir (the towering inferno genie), even to the street tough gangster vampire Nicholas.
One of the interesting and yet frustrating thing for me was the time setting. It's set during the Prohibition, which I really don't know much about. I'm not usually interested in that time period. Moonshine had it all though, the mobsters with the vampire twist, the illegal speakeasies along with the vampire equivalent, and all the accompanying problems. Poverty, bigotry, excess by the rich (nothing's changed there!) and I enjoyed the way Ms Johnson handled the "Others" addition to this. The Vampire mob King had his own territory, with rival vampire gangs. There was a separate Night Mayor that was corrupt. There's a lot happening in this novel and Ms Johnson really thought out the extended world that would have Vampires and Djinns, and Shapeshifters in it. Interesting and well done.
Moonshine is a good book, with an interesting take on vampires, djinns, shapeshifters and the prohibition. There is a good plot, and the dialogue was good, no lameness at all. There was some interesting instances of bigotry - even from Zephyr, while she was raging against the bigotry that humans had against skin color and other species, she herself exhibited her own brand of bigotry towards the priviledged upper class (which I think I am also guilty of - sorry rich over-priviledged-know-nothing-about-living-in-the-REAL-world-people....oops, have some work to do there. ahem... )
September 7, 2013
More cool stuff from my People I Saw At Readercon list! I will be doing this for a long time, y’all.
Anyway, the people in question is Alaya Dawn Johnson, who I saw speak on… uh… four panels, I think, but who I was not able to meet in person, which is a bummer, because she was pretty awesome on all her panels. Her newest book, and first YA book, is The Summer Prince, which I was sort of intending to buy until I saw she wrote vampire books as well, so I bought those instead for now, because I am predictable. (I fully intend to read The Summer Prince too, hopefully sooner rather than later; I have heard nothing but good things about it.)
Moonshine takes place in Prohibition-era Manhattan, which is always a fun time, in a universe where vampires and various other forms of nonhumans, known as “Others”, are openly known to exist, but generally denied most rights like the vote and a living wage. Our protagonist is Zephyr Hollis, a night school teacher for immigrants and Others and chronic social-justice activist—often to the detriment of her own health—and the daughter of a famous Other-hunter from Montana. The plot happens when Zephyr, short on money, agrees to find notorious mob boss, bootlegger, and suspected vampire Rinaldo, for a very handsome Other of unspecified kind named Amir, who is one of her night school students. Amir turns out to be a djinn, and the main love interest, which is pretty cool; I don’t believe I’ve ever read a djinn romance before.
Secondary characters include a just-turned vampire boy named Judah with no memory of who he was before he was turned, Amir’s ponderously djinn-y older brother, a gang of teenage mobster vampires called the Turn Boys, Zephyr’s Irish roommate Aileen who may or may not be a Seer, and a lady reporter called Lily who is (a) a fabulous lady reporter and (b) also kind of an upper-class twit at the same time. Lily is possibly the most interesting character, to me. Amir is somewhat less so; the djinn thing is cool and it is nice to have a mixed-race lead couple (Amir is clearly Arab when he is not a pillar of smoke, apparently), but he’s kind of got the “feckless bad boy” thing going on and generally I don’t care that much about his personality.
The plot gets plottier when a new street drug made from cloned pig’s blood and ergot hits the streets, resulting in a rash of blood-mad, drugged-up vampires running around doing stupid things like mobbing the blood bank and staying out past daybreak. Rinaldo is trafficking the drug, so figuring out the drug situations becomes important for finding Rinaldo. Also, Zephyr’s bigoted Other-hunting daddy shows up with a contract on the Turn Boys, at this point Zephyr’s most important sources of information, so then there is family conflict and daddy issues and stuff.
This book may not have been a deep work of literature but it was a ton of fun, and it was aware of and sensitive to both the social issues of the 1920s and with the current issues about diversity in fantasy, and seriously GANGSTER VAMPIRES IN PROHIBITION NEW YORK WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT.
X-posted at http://bloodygranuaile.livejournal.co...
Anyway, the people in question is Alaya Dawn Johnson, who I saw speak on… uh… four panels, I think, but who I was not able to meet in person, which is a bummer, because she was pretty awesome on all her panels. Her newest book, and first YA book, is The Summer Prince, which I was sort of intending to buy until I saw she wrote vampire books as well, so I bought those instead for now, because I am predictable. (I fully intend to read The Summer Prince too, hopefully sooner rather than later; I have heard nothing but good things about it.)
Moonshine takes place in Prohibition-era Manhattan, which is always a fun time, in a universe where vampires and various other forms of nonhumans, known as “Others”, are openly known to exist, but generally denied most rights like the vote and a living wage. Our protagonist is Zephyr Hollis, a night school teacher for immigrants and Others and chronic social-justice activist—often to the detriment of her own health—and the daughter of a famous Other-hunter from Montana. The plot happens when Zephyr, short on money, agrees to find notorious mob boss, bootlegger, and suspected vampire Rinaldo, for a very handsome Other of unspecified kind named Amir, who is one of her night school students. Amir turns out to be a djinn, and the main love interest, which is pretty cool; I don’t believe I’ve ever read a djinn romance before.
Secondary characters include a just-turned vampire boy named Judah with no memory of who he was before he was turned, Amir’s ponderously djinn-y older brother, a gang of teenage mobster vampires called the Turn Boys, Zephyr’s Irish roommate Aileen who may or may not be a Seer, and a lady reporter called Lily who is (a) a fabulous lady reporter and (b) also kind of an upper-class twit at the same time. Lily is possibly the most interesting character, to me. Amir is somewhat less so; the djinn thing is cool and it is nice to have a mixed-race lead couple (Amir is clearly Arab when he is not a pillar of smoke, apparently), but he’s kind of got the “feckless bad boy” thing going on and generally I don’t care that much about his personality.
The plot gets plottier when a new street drug made from cloned pig’s blood and ergot hits the streets, resulting in a rash of blood-mad, drugged-up vampires running around doing stupid things like mobbing the blood bank and staying out past daybreak. Rinaldo is trafficking the drug, so figuring out the drug situations becomes important for finding Rinaldo. Also, Zephyr’s bigoted Other-hunting daddy shows up with a contract on the Turn Boys, at this point Zephyr’s most important sources of information, so then there is family conflict and daddy issues and stuff.
This book may not have been a deep work of literature but it was a ton of fun, and it was aware of and sensitive to both the social issues of the 1920s and with the current issues about diversity in fantasy, and seriously GANGSTER VAMPIRES IN PROHIBITION NEW YORK WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT.
X-posted at http://bloodygranuaile.livejournal.co...
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