Vow of Moonlight

by Morgana Stewart

Princess Aurora has a secret. She thinks she owes everything to her fiancé, because he is kind and is helping save her kingdom from war debts. But, inside her heart, she knows she will never belong to him.

Prince Elias has a secret. He loves Aurora with all of his heart, but he knows that he can only love her this way and doesn’t know how to tell her.

The witch has too many secrets. Her past, the reason behind the vows, the blood on her hands, and the worry that aches in her chest. She may delight in torturing the princess with harsh words, but can she face what she feels when Aurora begins to place her life in danger?

Nobody wants their secrets found but war uncovers many hidden things. The moonlight gods are no longer watching, shadows have voices, and nothing is as it seems.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Lesbian, Romance, Witches, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers

353 pages, Paperback

Published March 25, 2023

Reviews

[Lauren Dedroog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I rated it 4 stars after finishing it because it didn't have a HEA and I was an emotionally broken mess after the ending but this story will not leave my thoughts so I've given it a rightful 5-star rating.

I've been reading complex fantasy for the past weeks, so this 'lighter' fantasy was a welcome breath of fresh air. The world was easy to understand and visualise, though I do hope that the final version will include a map, as I missed one to look back at while reading. I also would love a little glossary about the gods and goddesses because they were so interesting and unique but that is just a personal preference since I'm a sucker for myths and deities. Though the worldbuilding was easier, that certainly did not make it less interesting or well thought-out!

The characters are all well-rounded and interesting and very human. Aurora was a lovable cinnamon roll who learned so much about herself in this book, the witch was multidimensional and raw and Elias had major 'fictional man written by a woman' energy. I even adored Ash, Aurora's younger brother. Their struggle and growth stuck with me and I found myself heavily rooting for them. I lost count of how many times I wanted to throw my book, which was a bit problematic since this was a PDF ARC on my laptop. Oops.
I loved the sapphic romance between Aurora and the witch, how natural it felt and how normal it was made. Elias' asexuality was a nice addition to the story as well!


***[minor spoiler] ***
The only feedback I have about Elias' character is that his mental health struggle and suicidal thoughts were gone too quickly, after like half a conversation about this. He tried to end his life and yet this isn't really addressed any further. Elias just seems to move on like this never happened, though it is obvious that he still struggles with feeling like he's useless and not enough. This is the perfect moment to also include some mental health representation and open up a conversation between the characters, the same way Morgana beautifully represented queer characters.
***[end minor spoiler]***

The plot twist about the witch caught me completely by surprise and every single plot twist after had me whipped. I feared for these characters. I hated the villain. I read this ARC in one evening because I simply could not put it down, I needed to know what would happen and that these beans would be okay and I cried for a full hour when that bittersweet ending came and left my heart in shambles. So if you're not into non-HEA love stories, this is not the book for you.

My only wish for this story was for it to have a HEA, since those are often rare in sapphic fantasies, but this was wrapped up in such a bittersweet blanket that it also felt fitting.
Though I will forever convince myself that Aurora and her lover are dancing together in moonlight.
And that is how you know you read a fucking fantastic book.

[Isha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know if my brain was tired because this book was total chaos for me. Lost interest and skipped a lot. Don’t know what was the epilogue because I don’t care anymore. 😣

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

my best friend @emisbookish on ig told me to read this & all i have to say is im demoting her to friend bc this book tore my heart to shreds and i will never forgive her nor morgana for this

[Hannah Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 🌟
I had been waiting for this book since seeing reels and tick tocks on social media and was like this sounds like my jam fantasy enemies to lovers , sapphic and other LGBTQ+ characters .
I was not disappointed! Thoughroughly enjoyed this book a lot ! , in some places however the pacing felt tedious but it did not take away from how much I was enjoying this book.
Morganna Stewart slayed the enemies to lovers aspect , which can be hit or miss for me and finnnalllyyy my itch for a fantasy enemies to lovers sapphic book got itched .
I really recommend this book to people who want a light read , easy read , sapphic fantasy and an enemy's to lovers fix .
Cannot wait to see what more this author pulls out of the bag !.

[Mieke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need you all to be seriously joking about liking this book. Oh my god where do I even start...

Okay, to be fair, there were things I liked.
Specifically, the ending. I thought it was pretty clever and the characters all developed into pretty pleasant directions. Elias specifically was a delight in the end, and genuinely the best character all throughout. So, the ending was good. However, if I wasn't so determined to never be a dnf-person, I would never have gotten to this. I suffered through this book so much oh my GOD.

Let's get to it all. All characters were endlessly annoying up until the very end. The only reason Aurora isn't still annoying at the end is only because she stops being the center of the story. I am completely incapable of enjoying her. I also didn't enjoy Ophelia lots of the time, and even Elias had a lot of really weak moments. All the side characters are basically blanks, except for Ash (I liked Ash usually) and I'm pretty sure I won't remember any of them.

The biggest problem was the constant direct characterization. I have never read a book where the characterization was so obvious that it jumped me, again and again, often enough to become annoying. "I am this. I am that. I was that, but now I have grown and am this instead.", are genuinely sentences that you could probably find in this book almost exactly like that. Wow, thank you, you definitely shouldn't have shown that through your actions.

The weirdly modern language was also something that I found jarring in a so obviously medieval time. That's definitely much more personal taste but it still set me off.

Additionally, the emotions of a scene change too quickly, without any prompting. In truth, the scenes themselves change too quickly without any prompting. The pacing of this book was a straight up MESS. Really important emotional scenes were reduced to half a page, and entire arks were pressed into sentences. I think it's possible that there is just way too much happening in this one book with not even 400 pages. It is a mess, and takes the weight away from everything.

Adding to that, there are mistakes, plotholes, things that just don't make sense. Explanations are pulled out of nowhere like in some fanfictions from 2012. Things happen without prompting and without sense. Ever heard of foreshadowing? Well, this book hasn't either. The best thing is when a character suddenly thinks of a possible outcome of a situation, that they have never considered before, and then two sentences later, shocker, exactly that happens. Oh god it's just so lazy.

The romance was horrible I'm not sorry. I don't even know what this was aiming for. Was it supposed to be slow burn? Because it sure as heck wasn't. Why would Ophelia all of the sudden care for this one human. "Oh you were pretty" damn yeah that's deep. Definitely something life changing.

It was just bad, folks. I straight up was not having a good time. Even the theres-only-one-bed trope couldn't fucking save this.
This book Is exactly what happens when you try to do so much, so so much, all at once, so in the end, you just end up doing nothing at all, because you don't have time to do any of the things you wanted to do correctly.

[Lucy BC · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Rating: 3 stars... although I considered giving it 4)

⭐⭐⭐ VOW OF MOONLIGHT by Morgana Stewart

TW: This review contains mentions of suicide and mild swearing


This was, overall, a mostly solid, sometimes incredible book. I’ve never read anything else by the author, but this was a nice place to start and I look forwards to reading any potential sequels (and also seeing the cover of this one when it comes out!).

I made notes as I read, so this review will mostly consist of those, formulated into a slightly more coherent response. Be warned, the entire thing contains spoilers and it becomes a lot more fangirl-y towards the end. Let’s start with the beginning of the novel :)


FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

The main thing that attracted me to this novel was the author’s marketing of it on Instagram. The ace and sapphic rep was a major factor, as I’m an oriented aroace myself, and so was the fact that it’s allegedly a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, which I adored as a child. In other words, I jumped at the chance to read this and it didn’t disappoint. It was slightly different from what I was expecting but (mostly) in a good way. There were very few points where I had negative or mixed feelings about the book, but those points were still unfortunately there. I’ll get those out of the way first, so there’s more time for gushing over the things I adored. Most of them weren’t huge issues, though, and should be fixable.


1) DIALOGUE

In the opening chapters, the dialogue of the characters bordered on overly formal, hardly conjuncting any words at all. While I like this as a way of setting up the medieval-esque atmosphere, it did feel forced in places, as people have historically used slang and conjunctions regardless of time-period. What’s more, this formality had all but vanished by the time I’d finished reading, and words like “okay” started to make frequent appearances. The consistency could definitely be improved, although I personally preferred the informal and relaxed language of later chapters to the stiff speech of the beginning. Possibly the issues at the start of the book are the result of over-editing??


2) PASSIVE TENSE

There was a lot of passive tense in the opening chapters as well, in particular with Aurora. As she’s the main character (at first, anyway), it would have been nice to get a stronger sense of her in the opening pages. Even tiny alterations would help - for example, “I wondered” could be scrapped in favour of direct italicized thoughts. The same goes for descriptions of settings, in which “there was” is overly frequent. This, however, like other issues, became almost unnoticeable by the end of the story, when the author’s unique and memorable writing style started to come through.


3) GRAMMAR

Misplaced semi-colons were rife. Nuff said.

There are also some misplaced/missing commas. For example, “The reason that no one would expect us to be in here, was that it was improper for the courting couple to be alone in a bedroom” should not have a comma of any kind anywhere. There are other instances too, including “I said, mostly to myself as my own words had actually made my cowardly heart beat ice through my body,” where the comma is missing after “mostly to myself”. I don’t want to scour the work for grammatical mistakes but thought I’d pinpoint a couple as reference points.


4) SENTENCE FLOW

Occasionally, there were points where phrases could be shortened. For example, “in order to” could just be “to” and “to escape the eyes of” could just be “escape”. This is a tiny issue, but it was noticeable in slowing down the pacing, especially at the start.


6) PLOT AND CHARACTER

The biggest issue I had while reading, which led to some frantic flipping back of pages to try and work out what was happening, was with certain scenes. I’m no plot expert, but instinct tells me this might have happened because the author stuck to a rigid outline. Long story short, several scenes felt forced and certain lines (which were beautiful on their own) became melodramatic responses to the minor situation at hand. For example, towards the start of the novel, Aurora’s narration gives us this line, which seemed disproportionately dramatic given what readers know about her at that point: “I smiled back but, at his words, the ice that had been pumping around my body suddenly froze and the air in my lungs locked in place. Sometimes it felt like marriage was far worse than war.”

In later lines, a similar thing happens where her eyes fill with tears in the middle of the crowded ballroom, but no one seems to ask her whether she’s all right, despite her being the centre of attention and their literal future queen. She’s understandably upset because her mother was killed months before, but it feels too sudden here and then isn’t followed through. None of the other characters, not even Elias (who kind of becomes as significant as the wallpaper during this scene - it would have been great to see his reaction to the drama about the king) says anything at all about it, although the prince does spring back to life the moment Aurora is out of the door. I think consistency is the primary problem here.

Similarly, during this scene, Aurora seemed to know what was going on before anything had actually been hinted at. Of course, foreshadowing works well in scenarios like this and the line where Aurora walks into the room and catches sight of the courtiers’ faces is done perfectly. The later paragraphs, however, contradict this. She walks into the room and guesses that something is wrong because everyone is whispering… but somehow jumps to the conclusion that her family are dead. Possibly, if one of the courtiers was crying or if they all looked grave from the beginning, this would have worked brilliantly. But at the moment, Aurora reacts before she notices the expressions on their faces, which is confusing for readers.

Aurora’s characterisation was also occasionally inconsistent elsewhere. She discussed her dead mother in-depth but used the euphemism “lost” immediately after and began to cry at the mere thought. Her toughness was interspersed brilliantly with her vulnerability for the most part, but readers can be thrown off in early stages by contradictions in her character. This happens again at various other points when she goes from being tough to coming up with a wild plan and declaring herself a failure in the space of a few paragraphs. She is harsh on herself to the point that it stops being realistic. Much of her emotions were written perfectly, however, with every line being felt.
Other scenes that forced me to frantically reread the text were: the Aurora-stumbled-out-into-the-rain scene, the Elias-throws-himself-off-a-cliff scene and the part where the spells/disease were explained. I’ll break them down in more detail below:

The scene where Aurora decides to walk to another kingdom (which also happens to be a war zone) on foot in the middle of the night and single-handedly rescue her brother and father from droves of angry warriors was… There isn’t really any way of saying it which doesn’t sound harsh… But it didn’t work for me. At all. Why, why, why, why, why in the name of Kaden and Ophelia and all the other gods in this book (they were a great addition to the text, incidentally) would Aurora think of doing such an absolutely insane and unrealistic thing? As someone who had had a fair share of mental breakdowns, there is no way that anyone would come up with that and actually think of following through with it. This could have been avoided entirely if Aurora had just gone staggering out to the garden for some fresh air and then collapsed, or if she’d gone onto her balcony or something similar… there are so many ways she could have gone outside and had that little horse rendezvous with the witch WITHOUT her coming up with The Plan. It felt like a convenient way of getting the witch to carry her home, if I’m honest, and even thinking about it makes me annoyed. The rest of the scene was awesome, but Aurora’s emotions were… not.

The other scene that drove me up the wall and down the other side, so to speak, was the bit where Elias decides to attempt suicide. There is nothing good I can say about that scene. He threw himself into a river because he was questioning his sexuality. In the middle of battle. Out of nowhere. Killing people is hard and so is being a closeted asexual, but, while a breakdown was justified, the actual throwing himself into the river part was overdramatic. It felt like another convenient way of getting the witch to do something--in this case, bond with Elias. The problem was that this could have been done, just like the scene where Aurora goes out into the rain, in so many more plausible ways. Elias could have just talked to the witch, admitting that he’s questioned the point of his own existence and has been wondering whether he is broken. He could have wandered off on his own for a while and then come back. The point is, there are a lot of things they could have done together involving his depression and asexuality which would not have resulted in him throwing himself into a river. Another issue that I had with this scene is that, once it happens, it is never ever discussed again. Ever. Even though Elias literally tried to kill himself. The reason I’m so frustrated by this is that I adored the book and its characters, and seeing them fall flat like this in a way that could have been avoided was hard.

(Rant over now, I promise)

The other scene that confused me, although I did manage to work out what was going on by leaving the book for an hour and piecing it together in the shower, was the one where the disease is introduced and explained. Technically it’s not really an issue as I got there in the end, but I felt it was worth pointing out.


I’m currently scrolling through my notes to see if there’s anything else I can add to this before I move on to the good stuff (*excited dancing*) and as far as I can tell, there are only a few minor things left. None of those was a particularly big issue, though, and I’ve done plenty of complaining already, so I’ll leave this list as it is for now.


The GOOD STUFF:

While the above list might make it sound as though I didn’t enjoy this reading experience, that is not at all true. In fact, I adored the majority of the novel, especially once the writing style grew more confident and the plot picked up. The turning point for me was the meeting of the witch; the descriptions went from “good” to “HOLY CRAP THIS IS FANTASTIC” (yep, I wrote that in the notes) in the space of one scene.

These are some of the other things I noted down while reading, so my thought process can be seen:

1) Awesome descriptions of characters’ appearances - realistic and not overly cheesy. Very relieved to see no “chiselled jaws”, etc.

2) Beautiful formatting! It makes my little girl heart happy

3) Really great worldbuilding - love the detail about the knights having magical powers/being able to “vanquish” creatures - too often, it is only the powerful royals who are magical

4) Oh my God. I love the relationship between Elias and Aurora. I want to hug them both and treasure them forever

5) I love that Aurora sets boundaries by not being close to him through body language. I especially love that he respects that. Everyone in relationships right now should be taking notes :)

6) I FRICKING ADORE THE PORTRAYAL OF SEXUALITY ARGHHH

7) I love the continuous references to spinning - gives it a very Sleeping Beauty-esque vibe that I love

8) I love that she wasn’t aware that her brother had gone to fight and that she was angry about it. Her emotions felt very real - as someone with a little sister, I’d feel exactly the same way, regardless of my grief.

7) I love that Elias comforts her <3

8) It’d be interesting at this point to know how old Aurora is compared to Ash. She’s older… but by how much?

9) The fact that liking dresses isn’t made out to be a bad thing is great!

10) Oh WOW, I love the lore with the Gods and Goddesses!! <3

11) Oooh, I love the “heart is true” plot twist

12) “I’m sorry it’s not… romantic or anything” lmao the ace/aro vibes <3

13) Love the constant references back to the open window, through which the witch escaped

14) Pfffffftttt “Maybe I could force my heart to jump and flutter? Maybe it was possible to train such reactions at the sight of someone.” Ahahahahaha the number of times I thought this as a teenager--

15) “This river was where people turned up dead, often with their hearts removed, as if the trees themselves had chewed them up and spat them back out again.” Wow <3

16) I LOVE the descriptions of the Red River. I can practically feel the pressure of the water pounding around me

17) I LOVE THE SCENE WITH THE WOLVES AND THE DRAGONS

18) I love that the wolf’s name is Atlas, implying map or guide <3

19) THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WITCH IS ASDFGHJKL

20) SCRAP THAT: EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WITCH IS ASDFGHJ KALZASDFGHJKL

21) I have tears in my eyes--

22) I’M LITERALLY ABOUT TO CRY IN MY PHILOSOPHY CLASS THIS IS SO FRICKING GOOD I’M SCREAMING INTERNALLY ASDFGHJKASDFGH ARGGGGHHHHHHHHH SHE LOVES DRESSES AND SHE’S PROUD OF LOVING DRESSES AND THE WITCH IS FUCKING AWESOME AND SCREEEEEEECH

23) I love that Aurora is guided by the witch but that she makes her own decisions ultimately/comes to terms with the witch’s advice on her own

24) “I shouldn’t have suggested this game.” // She raised her eyebrows. “Why?” // “I haven’t done anything.” // “Drink if you’ve ever lied to your parents.” // I rolled my eyes, taking a sip. “That isn’t exactly interesting.” // “I do not have parents, perhaps it is interesting to me. What lies did you tell?” I love this exchange so much <3

25) Oh my God the witch has collapsed 😦 Nice plot twist!

26) Love the dialogue and beginning of this new chapter!

27) WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

28) WHAT THE HECK I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING

29) OH MY GOD YESSSSSSSS FEMALE SOLIDARITY ❤️

30) The dragon is her sister’s first creation omg I’m tearing up 🥺🥺

31) OPHELIA IS A FRICKING AMAZING CHARACTER

32) My heart is breaking omg poor Ophelia I want to hug her xxx

33) AHAHAHAHA YESS AURORA HAS TOTAL KICK-ASS CONTROL OVER HER DREAMS AND WOKE HERSELF UP ❤️❤️❤️

34) YOU’RE EVERYBODY ELSE’S FAVOURITE GOD, OPHELIA ✨


As you can tell from these, I felt a lot while reading this book. The descriptions were wonderful, even when certain elements of the plot fell apart. Yes, there were plot holes and things I think could have been explored more, but this was an enjoyable take on a fantasy novel. The plot twists were incredible (I still don’t know how I didn’t see them coming) and there were times when I thought I’d explode with sheer shock/joy. If it wasn’t for the lack of internet connection while I was reading, I would probably have sent all my fangirling comments to the author… but as it turned out, I had to make do with a document instead. Probably a good thing, really...

Before I end this review, I’d like to break down the characters briefly as, for me, they are the most important thing in a novel, regardless of plot or description (for me, anyway)

1) AURORA

- I can’t stress enough how excited I was when I realised I’d finally found a blonde, dress-loving princess who also happened to be based on my favourite fairytale.

- She was a win for feminists everywhere and I will defend her to the ends of the earth and back.

- Her character is sometimes inconsistent and I think it could be more impactful… it hit me in the guts, yes, as she resonates with me, but not as much as other reviewers claimed. I think this is because of that aforementioned inconsistency


2) ELIAS:

- Mixed feelings...
- On one hand, I love him to bits (because what sort of person couldn’t love him? <3) but I also feel as though he needs more development. I liked him because he was nice. Being nice was the only thing I really got about him, apart from his sexuality (which could be toned down in the marketing as well, if I’m being honest)… and it wasn’t enough to make me scream/gush/sob over him in the way I could have done

- More character development would be awesome, but he gets some more of that towards the end of the book, so I’ll leave the complaint at that.

- The suicide scene sort of made me see his faults as a character… Sometimes he feels like a fanfic sunshine character rather than an actual realistic person. He has the potential to be FANTASTIC and an example to men everywhere, but I’m still debating whether or not he gets close to actually achieving that.

- That said, I do love a good fanfic sunshine character so, while I can’t necessarily applaud him from a literary standpoint, I can give him a standing ovation for winning the hearts of all readers (including me haha)

3) THE WITCH:

- Fricking brilliant character. End of.



FINAL THOUGHTS:

I’ve been relatively harsh with this review, mostly because Vow of Moonlight is a professional novel now and critics won't hold back. It also has the potential to be my favourite fantasy book of all time… But it isn’t. Not yet. That said, it came pretty close and I hope it can get there one day. After all, I could gush over the themes and descriptions all day. It’s an awesome fantasy novel which, nevertheless, could do with a few tweaks. I’m not sure whether those tweaks will happen but, even if they don’t, I look forward to reading the sequel. I’ve kept some of my thoughts to myself for the sake of shortening this review but if the author ever wants to hear them, I’d be happy to go through a copy of the book and leave more specific/detailed comments <3

[⋒ Natalie (she-her) ⋒ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh lordy this book needs an editor. I almost wanted to re-write everything and send back a well written version myself. Those sentence structures… yikes. And don’t even get me started on the plot and the worst kind of insta-love. Thank goodness it’s on kindle unlimited and I didn’t have to pay for it.

[Brittney Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of editing this book and absolutely adored the story.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75⭐️

[Skye Emery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been following this author on Instagram for a while and I was really excited to read a sapphic enemies to lovers, especially a book that deals with shame and sexuality. So of course I jumped at the chance to be an arc reader.

There are numerous trigger warnings, which I had no issue with, except for the fact that the writing style of the book was less complex than I was used too. It was readable, but it was still obviously a first novel. I especially noticed it during the emotional confessions- the language was dramatic, but I didn't feel that there had been enough emotional buildup to warrent that level of dramatics.

That being said, there were some major high points in this book.
- The witch, who I was totally picturing as Morgana, from Merlin (thank you reels) was an incredibly multilayered character. She was brave and authentic in herself, while dealing with issues of past trauma and her internalized hatred toward humans. I think she was a perfect foil for Aurora, who was still learning to be brave and accept her own sexuality.
- The witch and Elias's growing friendship was such a pleasure to read and I liked how their relationship progressed. Elias was such an amazing character; just as strong as the other two leads.
- I really love the foil of Aurora learning to express her sexuality juxtaposed against Elias learning to accept his asexuality- it was incredibly done and truly shows how the pairing of these narratives really strengthen both stories.
- I loved the authors liberal use of tropes (knife against the throat, only one bed) and how open the witch was about her desire to Aurora. As someone who loves smutty romance, I appreciated that they were stated explicitly, instead of hinted at.
-The ending, which originally annoyed me, actually made sense by the end of the multiple epilogues and felt like a closed

Unfortunately, there were also many things I disliked about the book
- The writing style like I stated above didn't feel as sophisticated as I was expecting it too.
-Low fantasy: Low fantasy is a completely valid choice for world building, but I didn't feel like the kingdoms had a lot of depth to them
- The book was advertised as sapphic enemies to lovers, and yet the ending was unhappy. Too angsty for me if I'm looking for a romance.
-Some of the consent felt iffy during Aurora and the witch's early physical scenes which I don't think was the author's intention especially because the book is all about how you deserve love and respect but that made it hard to enjoy the scenes. I wish there had been more spice and I feel like the book was overadvertised as spicy when it really wasn't.
-I'm not a fan of time skips and there was a four year time skip that I don't think was necessary to the plot, in terms of building tension or moving the story along.
-The book covered a lot of heavy subject matter, but I think it was oversimplified sometimes and could have been explored more.

That being said, this is a great book if you have a high angst tolerance, tend more towards YA, and like your fantasy uncomplicated.

[Pasha.exe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for awhile now after following the author on instagram, as the themes and ideas set out in this book are all really interesting. The representation of minority communities in the book was also a major selling point for me, which the author definitely delivered on.

I did however have some difficulties getting used to the writing style, as it was quite fast paced and less descriptive than I’m used to, which ended up meaning I wasn’t fully invested in a few of the characters and their motivations till much later on. For instance, whilst I loved the deity system and the world built up around this, I felt it could have been more fleshed out in the beginning of the story. With one of the central conflicts being the hatred between witches and humans it would of been nice if we could of spent more time setting up the dynamic at the castle with Aurora & her family to see how this effects their relationships and choice. It would also mean that we could have grown more invested in them as people before being moved into the action of the story. I found instead that we were more just expected to care about certain things because we were told to rather than being made to feel it, subsequently when Aurora berates the witch for killing humans, I don’t emphasis with her because all the evidence in this universe points to humans being mostly awful so the witches wrongs mean almost nothing to me. It also didn’t fully make sense to me why the witch was interested in Aurora as their relationship seemed to almost immediately jump from ‘we hate each other’ to ‘we’re secretly obsessed with each other and hate it’ for no apparent reason, and I wish this could of been slightly more drawn out.

That being said I did end up enjoying a lot of things in the book, I really liked the witches character and seeing her friendship with Elias develop was something I was no expecting to enjoy as much as I did. It seemed to happened really naturally and I loved the way they bonded & supported each other throughout the book. The story itself was really fun, with a few shocking twists that worked nicely with the message of the story. I found a lot of the concepts included extremely unique and exciting (if only they could of been fleshed out a bit more) and I think the whole system with the moon phases and their corresponding deities was cool.

I saw a few people mention that they didn’t like the ending, however I absolutely adored it. The author managed to capture the emotions of each of the characters so beautifully, guiding each other through the turmoil of the choices they each had to face in a manner that was almost poetic (I might of cried at the end). If I could rate just the ending 5 stars I would.

Overall I gave the book 3 stars, as whilst I loved the ideas and certain parts of the book, it was much too fast paced for my liking and I didn’t quite get the writing style. As a first book it was still very impressive and I look forward to seeing what their new projects might be.

[abby! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was it a little cheesy and predictable at some points?? yes. Did it make my jaw drop multiple times?? also yes! DId It make me sOb like a little baby at the end???? triple yes!

it was very fun- we love the diverse relationship dynamics and ace representation 🙌😌

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

i have been so excited about this book!! a sapphic, fantasy, enemies to lovers between a princess and a witch, plus a wholesome ace prince? sign me the heck up! and morgana from merlin is used to promote the witch? extra bonus (i’m a katie mcgrath stan)! so of course when morgana asked for arc readers, i jumped at the chance (thank you again, morgana!)

LIKES:
- i loved the premise
- i loved the main trio! they are now my children and i would die for them. i came for the romance but, honestly, i stayed more for the friendship between the witch and elias. that’s not to say the romance wasn’t good, but i found myself enjoying that relationship more
- each character has their own personal journeys as well that were all really interesting
- the plot twists were really good! i didn’t see any of them coming and i enjoyed them a lot. the plot twist regarding the witch was especially good (although the one about 85% of the way in felt kind of sudden in my opinion)

DISLIKES:
unfortunately there were some issues i had that took away from my enjoyment a bit
- overall i think a lot of things needed to be fleshed out more. lots of things are either glossed over (such as information about the wider world & the kingdoms), happen so suddenly with little explanation (a lot of what happens towards the end of the book, especially), or felt very surface-level (aurora likes pink & wearing dresses and that’s almost her whole character at the beginning; and heavy topics felt oversimplified)
- needed to “show, not tell” in a lot of instances
- the writing style wasn’t as sophisticated as i had expected. some parts felt a bit like a first draft. sometimes a really profound quote would be said, but wouldn’t feel like it fit or was earned by the rest of the writing
- i wasn’t a big fan of the time jump or the general ending as a whole

despite my hesitations, i really did enjoy this book. i would definitely urge you to check it out! ❤️ i’ll be buying a physical copy as soon as possible!

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this queer and sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty! Truly what got me interested was the author's promo videos on social media - and I was not disappointed.

At times I felt like the story and the emotions were rushed. I would have liked to see Aurora's inner conflict and turmoil more for myself as a reader before the Witch so boldly calls her out for it.

As always, I would like to see some moments of levity or friendship between love interests. A lot of the main pairing's interactions are either about hating each other or about confessing feelings desperately and dramatically. Both are fun, and I really can't criticize too much because I did still feel regret pangs for their bittersweet ending.

My favorite character is Elias. He's doing his best and trying to be a good leader, despite his insecurities. And I love his character development and friendships later in the book.

This felt like a world that could have been built out more, and we just caught a glimpse into it. I have so many more questions about the kingdoms. So I will almost definitely be reading the next book in this series when it comes out.

If you like fantasy, dark themes, witches, WLW/sapphic relationships, and wholesome asexual princes, then I recommend this book.

[Gia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:
Violence (graphic)
Rape
Suicide attempt
Suicidal ideation
Death (graphic)
Kidnapping
Disease (graphic)
PTSD
Anxiety
(Edit: trigger warnings are also included at the beginning of the book in case I missed any)

“Perhaps there was life even when the love story had ended. Perhaps I would live in the inky words and unwritten sentences of an epilogue.”

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book. Wow. What an emotional, heart wrenching and beautiful story. I’ve never been one for enemies to lovers, but this book made me consider giving that trope more of a chance in other books. Not to mention how that plot twist with the witch took me utterly by surprise!

[jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was super confused when the witch revealed herself as Ophelia. She was talking to Elias and than all of a sudden there was this whole chapter about her past. And I was just really confused by the whole thing and thought it was really weird.

And what exactly was the point of that rape scene? It was obviously just stuck in there to make us feel sympathetic for the villain

[Oh dear · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a struggle to get through, I hate the way it’s written and is also so boring.

[Adjectiveplusnoun · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy this review, please consider visiting my blog for more
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. There were definitely good points to it, and I’d be interested to see where the author goes from here, but this book wasn’t for me. I don’t think this is really a negative review, because something I don’t like could easily be something that another reader really enjoys, so when I say that something isn’t for me, that’s all I mean, and I hope that comes across.

I felt like this book should have been a series. I don’t think I’ve ever had that complaint before, but I feel like so much happened that a lot of moments didn’t get time to get as fleshed out or explored as I would like. I love slow burn character development and growing relationships, it’s why the found family trope is my favourite, and enemies to lovers can be so impressive when done right. While both of those tropes are present in Vow of Moonlight, I feel like not enough was done to show why and how Aurora grew in the ways that she did in this novel. I also felt her growth went completely backwards more than once, and while I understand this could add believability to the story, it didn’t read as authentic self-sabotage or struggle.

Elias was a great character and I truly enjoyed his relationship with another character who shall remain nameless to avoid spoilers. That being said, his central struggle was mentioned so casually, and solved in such a brief amount of page time that it never had the emotional payoff it would have otherwise have.

Ash was also a great character and I enjoyed the role he played, and the sibling moments between Aurora and him were fantastic. I wish there had been more moments like this in the novel. The villain of the piece was also fantastic, and I was far more interested in the book as soon as we got some segments of her point of view. I wish her hatred for humans had more of a reason, because without one it reads like a pure plot device to make her capital-E Evil, then redeem her as soon as she becomes a character in her own right.

There were a lot of themes that could have been explored in this novel, but instead seemed more hinted at. Bigotry, internalised homophobia or heteronormativity, sexism, greed, redemption, gendered violence, power imbalances, and fear. And instead, other than a line or two of dialogue or internal monologue here or there, these were never explored.

Another thing that confused me about Vow of Moonlight was the scale of everything. The first step of Aurora’s journey seemed to take half a day, and the kingdoms mentioned at various times seem to be little more than a castle and a village or two. I wish the world had been fleshed out more. Especially in the last quarter of the novel, details seem sketchy.

The pantheon of the world also disappointed me, and the trials needed to visit the land of the gods could more accurately be called the trial. And it apparently doesn’t change. The shadow gods could have been fascinating, but because so much happens in this book they barely get a mention until they introduce a plot-disrupting twist at the eleventh hour. There are so many twists in this book. Some of them are good. Most of them are good even; but my eternal complaint persists. Nothing is detailed enough, explained enough, has emotional weight enough attached to make me care. Everything happens on top of itself and instead of being exciting it’s exhausting.

There are some great ideas for a series of books, but because it got crammed into one, none of the settings, characters or relationships got enough time to be explored and expanded into a believable and engaging world.

I liked the queer representation in this book, and liked that at least one of the queer characters central struggle wasn’t directly tied to their sexuality. I thought the use of modern terminology was jarring in a fantasy setting though, and wish that just a little more work could have gone into making things sound a bit more in tune with the world. I should also mention that the sex scenes in this book were not really written in a way that I liked either.

Reading this book was slow going, and I hesitated to even post this review, but I do my best to share my honest opinions of the books I read. You might enjoy Vow of Moonlight if you enjoy fast moving books with a lot of twists and turns; characters with clearly defined archetypes and an immediate bond, and fairytale and fantasy elements without compromising on modern terminology and ethics.

After contacting Morgana Stewart, the author, I found out there will be further book focussing on the shadow gods, and anyone who enjoys Vow of Moonlight will doubtless be eager to read more set in this world.

[Paulina Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so excited that I was given the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this novel. I am giving the writing itself 3 stars, but the creativity and world building is a solid 4.5 stars. I am going to start by explaining the things I did not like, and then go through what I did. Overall, I am excited to see how this author will continue to grow and evolve and really hone their craft because they truly have SO much potential.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*



I have to admit, I struggled with getting into the book because the writing comes off as very young, especially in the beginning. It often felt rushed, forced, and generally like a lot of scenes were a means to an end, instead of a moment naturally unfolding on its own. There were a lot of moving parts of this novel, but none of them seemed to be given enough development for me to feel moved and invested the way I was hoping.

I think the part that irked me the most was the development, or lack thereof, of the relationship between Aurora and the Witch. I was so excited to watch their enemy to lovers arc, but their entire relationship felt so forced. Now this may be a personal preference, but I can't get behind a romantic plotline that does not involve getting to know one another before deciding they are in love. They met on day one, the witch commits a terrible act of violence against her and her betrothed, and then within two days and ZERO conversational development, they are suddenly in love. I understand what the author was trying to do, but in my opinion it would have been so much more captivating if she would have given them time to get to know each other and let the ice melt a little instead of it being such a jarring experience of immediate hate to immediate love. The dialogue also felt somewhat lackluster since there was not a lot of substance for them to build upon, at least in the beginning. You could definitely see the switch towards the middle of the book where the author felt a lot more confident and sure of her writing style, and that was when I finally felt more invested. Overall, I desperately wished there would have been more character building. There was so much potential in Elias, Aurora, and the Witch, that I felt we did not get because of the fast-paced nature of the book. Again, this could be a personal preference, but I would have felt so much more connected to each character if they had all been given the chance to really explore their own character arcs, instead of seemingly being a cog in the storyline just being used to push it forward. There was also a lot of run on sentences and grammatical structuring that definitely interrupted the flow. I think that would just come down to getting a really good editor that could take the raw version and pull out the beautiful gem that it is deep down.

Ok now for the good stuff.

I LOVED this concept. The gods and goddesses, the kingdoms, the aspect of politics and corruption (I also really wish we would have gotten more of the kingdom politics too, but I know there's only so much you can do in one book). I think the descriptions were lovely and the language when given the chance to flourish, was also lovely. The message throughout it was very heartwarming and inclusive, which was beautiful. I even really enjoyed the way it did not end happily ever after because it made it feel more powerful (even though the relationship did not have the substance I would have liked that would have justified the sacrifices). The author did a good job of conjuring up images in your mind with the different scenery, and letting you feel the shock the characters did in certain big moments. I also especially enjoyed the sibling relationships between all the gods and goddesses, and the shock value of death in the end. I think the trials to get into the Moonlight may have been my favorite scenes because it was so cleverly done and really showed the author's creativity and I thought it was well-executed. Atlas....my poor sweet angel Atlas. I think he may have been my favorite character of all, and I adored the way we were afraid of him in the beginning, but the author did such a good job with his development. Letting us feel the fear that turned into mild caution, and slowly but surely he became a symbol of safety. *chef's kiss* That is the kind of progression I am obsessed with.

Morgana, if you are reading this, thank you for your bravery in bringing this book to life. I am being a little hard on you because I see that you have a lot of talent, and I am so excited to see you come into your own. I know this is a first book, so it is nerve-wracking, but you should be so proud of yourself! I can't wait to read what you do next!

[Genghis Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot express my excitement for a book about a witch (my dream job!) having a sapphic romance with Sleeping beauty, my favourite princess.

Overview
The ending was bittersweet, and the plot became very exciting towards the end of the book. The ending lives in my mind rent free, and for that I am glad I read this book! It changed my brain chemistry. I cried over it and would highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I read fanfiction, AO3, and other than that I mostly read authors like Sylvia Plath and Gustave Flaubert. Sometimes I read the New York Times. This will determine my tastes in writing style, which I understand are niche.

Praise
I love the character of the witch. She is believable, realistic and a joy to read.
Elias is charming and a great member of the ensemble.
I like that there is one bed.
I like the whole "the evil one has a soft spot for the sunshine one." The love the witch and aurora bear each other warms my cold heart.

Criticisms
The story uses SA to create a sort of phoenix arc, which I think is a very common trope that inherently has to use loaded content. It takes a very experienced author to pull this off, and I am not sure we get that here.

Spoiler Warning: description and review of SA content



The witch- also the creator of witches- hooks up with a human man at a bar, but revokes her consent. The man continues, attempting r*pe. This is stopped by a human woman. The witch, however, sells her soul to the devil equivalent that night and vows vengeance on humans. Obviously the woman saving her shows there are good humans as well as bad, but this is merely mentioned and glossed over. The entire r*pe scene is over in a couple pages, but there is play-by-play rundown of the act.

I did not feel this was an essential component of the story. There was no real build up to this SA, and it felt like an isolated event.

My personal understanding of the role SA plays in books:
When I heard there would be SA in the plot, I was picturing more of a "I hate humans due to an understanding that the whole system is corrupt", or a "Men have hurt me through structural violence of the patriarchy", as these feel like nuanced perspectives mirroring real crises in society.



Worldbuilding and Personal Preferences

The worldbuilding: 7.5 out of 10. I like low fantasy, and the creator Gods are fascinating. I did find it less immersive that the God of humans was named 'Kaden', as that to me is the name of a normal boy who plays soccer and goes to community college, not a creator god.
I did feel that in an effort to streamline the story, the worldbuilding left out crucial points so that it did not fully make sense. Elias is bethrothed to the MC, and his coffers fund their wars. Why? what does Elias get out of it? This was an obstacle to immersion for me. I would even have settled for a one liner about "Aurora's kingdom has trade routes" or something similar.
- The war system confuses me, but I am a newbie to the fantasy genre, so I am not counting this as the book's fault.
- the premise of witches and humans are sworn enemies feels contrived, as we don't see material reasons behind their conflict. Since the witches are born out of trees, it would have been interesting to see some reason why the interests of witches and humans are at odds: ie human development cuts down sacred witch woods, or something of the like.

Form and Style

The author delves into panic attacks and grief, the representation of which I feel is very important. I was actually interested in seeing how this would be approached, as this element of the book was highlighted in marketing and reels. It was approached probably the same way I would have approached it: descriptions of physical symptoms, stream of consciousness, etc. This depiction felt like it was missing something, but I am not sure what. however, it should be noted that it is one of the better depictions of anxiety I have read.

All in all, this is a lot of raw talent, but you can tell it is a first novel. The writing is clumsy at times and while I am excited to see the author develop their style, I feel the ambitious, heavy material the novel addresses is not done justice.

[Ana Tanase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like to mention that I have been given an ARC (advance readers copy) in exchange for a review and these are my honest thoughts. Also, since it is an ARC, I read the story when Arabella was actually Aurora, thus my comments concerning her will be under the name Aurora.
Where to start?
An amazing fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ve spent the past two day on a roller coaster of emotions trying to figure out how to describe this book.

I’ll start with the setting because it’s the easiest. An amazing, easy to follow, fantasy kingdom. What more does one need? The descriptions made me feel like I was there, alongside Elias, Ophelia and Aurora. It was magical, a but resembling the medieval Disney movie setting but far more intricate and interesting. Although, if you’re picky like me, you might find yourself wondering where do all the kingdoms get their money especially after they go rescue Ash and the King.

I guess the next thing on the list is how the book talks about magic. I love that magic is not an almighty thing and that even the gods have weakened powers. They also treat magic as going hand in hand with morals which I loved. Magic is often seen as power, but it’s much more and Ophelia really showcases it.

Moving on to the plot: genius, heartbreaking, heartwarming, more heartbreak, angst and acceptance. Those are the stages of the plot. I can’t begin describing how I was on the edge of my seat every time we got to Ophelia’s perspective (oh also it’s a great multiple POV book). I just can’t seem to get the story out of my head. Especially how in the end, the smallest details resurface as they were all part of a bigger entity, one that I didn’t foresee (and I am a good foreseer).

Ok now the best part of the novel: the characters.
Elias has my heart. His quest for love is just so admirable. The way he shows is weaknesses and fights through all the hurdles thrown at him is admirable what really made me smitten with him was his love/hate with Ophelia especially near the end. They just have amazing friendship chemistry and it really shows Ophelia’s bubbly personality haha.

Which brings me to my second favourite character: Ophelia. If she was an actress playing as herself, she would get an oscar. Her emotions, turmoil, responses are all so human-like and wide range. She has a complex personality that makes her feel so real I loved it! The best thing about her was her confusion as she struggled with her emotions, battling her morals. It was a delight reading her (I am not going to spoil, but she stands out the second we get to her pov, she holds so much mystery yet we’re in her head… an interesting choice)

Ash is a darling, and I love his evolution, but I think we would need a spinoff just on his life after the Vow of Moonlight so that we can see him in his full glory.

Onto the most important character, the one who holds all the puzzle pieces together, the one whose name inspired the story, Aurora. It’s funny how she’s the main character yet she sleeps halfway through the action and is a coward for three quarter of the novel and the last bit she was actually not bad. It sounds like I hate her, but I loved the take on her. The original sleeping beauty always felt bland yet Vow of Moonlight adds a depth to Aurora. Her cowardice is more seen as the bubble she grew up in didn’t allow her to show bravery. Her insecurities overtake her, offering us the readers a very raw and real emotion about failing and not being enough for the people we love. Aurora time and time again fails all the hurdles, while Elias and Ophelia manage quite fine, but in the end, she is stronger than everyone we see, doing the ultimate sacrifice. She is a great character because she was so unlikeable at the beginning. However, Elias and Ophelia have my heart. And the ending is just so heartwarming.

I’m gonna end this waaaay too long review by saying that this story is unconventional, and in its originality and touchy subjects it manages to capture a lot of feelings that as a student I understand. It might not be for everyone, but it is a great read if Sleeping Beauty was one of your favourite fairy tales.

[Josie Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Vow of Moonlight a month ago as an ARC reader, and I'm only now just able to start putting my feelings about this book into coherent thoughts. Mostly because I couldn't put them down without crying over it. Even now, though, I'm not sure I'll truly be able to capture how this book made me feel, so I apologize now for any rambling about the devastatingly beautiful story that's been shared with us.

**Warnings for spoilers because there is no way I can talk about this without getting into some of them**

Hadestown, as quoted in the opening pages of the novel, and Moulin Rouge are two pieces of media I immediately thought of after I finished the book. They are stories where we know how it ends before it even begins. With great love…and loss. And yet it’s a story we consume—or does it consume us?—again…and again…and again. Because, within them, we learn “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.”

I think that same idea runs throughout Vow of Moonlight, and all the ways love can exist in our world. As I said above, this book is devastatingly beautiful, in the vein of how the end of The Haunting of Bly Manor made me feel when the credits started to roll. Many books have made me cry. I can count on one hand the amount of books that have made me audibly sob. This is one of them.

This story does not have a HEA, but a bittersweet conclusion to a love story I won't forget any time soon. As I finished the final chapters, it felt like raw grief clawing at my throat as I realized how it would end. But it also shows the strength and power of Morgana's writing that such a short time with these characters I could be impacted so heartbreakingly profoundly. Usually, the lack of a traditional HEA would take away from everything I loved about a story. I can say with a 100% honesty, this is the first time that isn't the case. I was just too moved by the world and characters conjured to life here. There are two quotes towards the end of the novel that I know for certain will never ever leave me:

"There could be no goodbye between loved ones; it simply wasn’t possible when hearts were connected in such a way. In memory, we’d never leave each other."

"Perhaps there was life even when the love story had ended. Perhaps I would live in the inky words and unwritten sentences of an epilogue."

Morgana and her writing did something no other author has been ever able to do in all my years of reading: make me accept, even if painfully so, there wasn't a true HEA, but a bittersweet close to our characters' journeys. This story will stay with me forever because of that.

In terms of the story, I loved the pacing where it threw us right in the midst of the war and story to unfold just in the first few chapters. It passed my The Mummy (a 1999 classic) test of how quickly we get into both the tension between love interests and the plot at hand. The world building was the perfect balance of intriguing but not needing to have everything spelled out explicitly for the reader to understand what was going on. I was able to grasp what I needed to understand of their world to enjoy the story. And of course, much love for all the representation here that is not given it's due in writing, let alone fantasy.

Our story opens with a line from Hadestown, so I will close my thoughts with one: “To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now.”

The world I dream of where the strength of our heroes love is enough to outwit even Death himself. After living long, fulfilling lives and the kingdom in Rory’s capable hands, of course, they are all together forevermore, dancing in moonlight.

Vow of Moonlight Spotify Playlist
ivy by Taylor Swift
evermore by Taylor Swift
Dancin’ on the Moon by The Harters
False God by Taylor Swift
Hits Different by Taylor Swift
For Good from Wicked
Running Up That Hill cover by The Hound + The Fox
Bigger Than The Whole Sky by Taylor Swift
Forever Isn't Long Enough by Raintown
Mountains by Cult of Venus
Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3yN...

[Tip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads doesn't do percentages but this is a solid 3.5 stars.

First the bits I didn’t like: The pacing was hurried in places, there were some time jumps that were quite jarring and it really seems that this should have been at the very least a duology to get the full story in properly. Parts of it felt like it was written to only to get to the next scene which was deeply frustrating when all I wanted was more of these characters and story. I wish we’d gotten more insight into the politics of the end of the story (iykyk) and just more of the general politics of the 7 kingdoms but that might just be a me thing. There were definitely some events that the characters seemed to gloss over that I really would have like more insight into their reactions. The romance felt a bit rushed but that’s a complaint I have with most fantasy romances so take that but with a grain of salt. And not enough chapters from Elias’ pov but that’s cause I'm offically an Elias girlie.

Now the good bits: Each of the three main characters had my heart from the very moment they appeared on the page and I only loved them more as the story went on. The princess was a wonderful character who went through some absolutely phenomenal growth in every aspect of her character especially her sexuality and the excuses she makes in regard to it. The witch was a delightful bitch with hidden depths that had me shrieking every time something new was revealed. Elias was perfect no notes I love him. His journey of realizing he's not broken is something that's unfortunately deeply tied to the aspec experience that most of us have to grapple with at some point. The entire story was so much fun and heartbreaking in the best possible way. I adored the platonic relationships and the romance was wonderful even if it moved a bit too fast for me. Elias really decided that the witch is his emotional support villain even after the witch stabbed him and lowkey tortured him and he’s so valid for that. And, of course, the witch turned right around and declared him her emotional support prince and she’s also incredibly valid. They’re everything to me!!! And once Elias and the princess got past their nonsense and misunderstandings, their partnership was just so soft and sweet and they’re also everything to me!!! Basically while the witch and the princess were absolutely wonderful, this is an Elias stan account. And without spoilers, chapter 47 killed me stone dead and the ending broke me in the best possible way and the only reason I didn’t cry was because I was on a crowded subway car and did not need that energy going into work that day.

I loved the story, let’s make that 110% clear. It had everything, it had sapphic nonsense, it had aspec nonsense, it had dangerous quests, it had a dragon, it had a pretty neat religion, it had 'omg there's only one bed', it had characters not just helping each other grow but forcing them to, it had tragedy, it had happiness, it had the bittersweet perfection I crave but it did not have enough of any of it. There was a spot in the story that could have been the end of the first book and the rest of it could have been in a sequel. I am firmly of the belief that this story not only should have been more than one book but DESERVED to be a series. I wanted more world building, less time jumps, more of the characters, more time for the romance to build, more time for character growth, just more in general.

Ultimately, despite its flaws, Vow of Moonlight was a rip roaring good time and I will be rereading once the physical book comes out because I will be buying it even if I already was given the honor of being an arc reader. I will be forcing my friends to read it. And most importantly I am looking forward to whatever Morgana Stewart does next and you should as well.

[sarahemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting out with my thoughts whilst reading this book:
Solid opening - the prologue is short and sweet, but gets you hooked straight away

"I have been dancing at my victory celebrations for centuries because I won the moment I was created"

The world building is really good. Within the first few pages we get an understanding of what is happening in the kingdom, the relationship that Aurora and Elias have, even if only from her perspective, and the relationship Aurora has with herself. The inner battle she has with her sexuality and the choices she made to not become a warrior.

We also learn quite quickly about the events that happened leading up to the book. How long the war has been happening, Aurora's family structure and why Elias is involved.

Within the first chapter we also get the first 'quest' that Aurora will go on, and this scene alone shows the reader more of who she is and what her family means to her as she accepts the quest very quickly when she's told it will save them, and without really thinking the logistics of it through before agreeing.

" 'I think I'm going into the Forest of Murdock and find a witch that will save my family.' ... 'Be serious.' 'I am serious.' "

We also get a brief explanation of how their spiritual belief system works. We know how many gods and goddesses there are, and why they are or are not worshipped. It's not a super complicated and wordy explanation, it's straight to the point, and done through Aurora's point of view, again giving us more insight into her personality.

Fantastic introduction to the witch. You get a really good understanding of what she looks like and the way that Aurora feels about her. As a queer woman, it's really well done in my opinion.

"I felt myself hold my breath, every nerve in my body elongating as I waited. Would I wait forever?"

The tension building between Aurora and the Witch is so good. I am completely obsessed and hold my breath basically every time they interact with each other because it's just so *chef's kiss*.

The end of Chapter 10 had me screaming, but no spoilers tho...

Chapter 17!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 19 is GOOD. It is very short, which makes sense with context, but gives you such a clear picture of the rage that Aurora feels. It's fantastic.

I sped read through the last few chapters and took no notes on them because I absolutely could not put it down, even just to write down what was going through my brain. It was absolutely hectic and so well done I was completely hooked the whole way through.

My thoughts after finishing the book:
I absolutely loved this book. It was well paced, and each time you thought it was the end something else showed up to change it all. Aurora, Elias and the Witch are all fantasticly written, with well developed voices, so even if you miss the heading chapters, you know who is talking throughout the chapters.

The romances and friendships that are created between the characters is so well written and feels really real. It doesn't feel like it was forced for a plot point, they feel genuine and especially the Witch and Elias is just so much fun to read.

I genuinely just loved reading this, even the scenes that aren't particularly 'happy' scenes, I just enjoyed reading. This is definitely a good fantasy book for people who are just getting into fantasy, as well as people that are 'experienced fantasy readers.

I'm so honoured that I got to read an advanced copy of the book, and I cannot wait to see what else Morgana has up her sleeve, it's going to be so good!!

[kelsey bjorklund · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much and I was beyond excited to read it when I heard that it was a sapphic enemies to lovers fantasy, but it just fell flat for me in a lot of ways.

First, let’s start with what I liked about this book. Something that I really appreciated about this book, was that it took all of the things that people typically love about male love interests and put it into the female love interest. Seeing a female character who was flirty, strong, dark, brooding, and a little bit evil was so fun and refreshing! I also really enjoyed that the author tried to be inclusive of numerous identities (lesbian, asexual, non-binary, etc.) instead of just having the one token diverse character.

Now let’s move on to what I did not like about this book, which is unfortunately a lot more than what I liked. One of the biggest things I didn’t like about this book was the main character, Aurora. I found her annoying, boring, and shallow. Additionally, the book started off following Aurora’s story, framing her as the main character (despite multiple POVs), but near the end of the book it suddenly shifted to the story being about the other characters, making her story feel incomplete. The story also felt somewhat incomplete due to the lack of world building and lack of details when it came to the conflict in the kingdoms. Another big critique I had with this book was how it framed the queer characters. All of the human characters who were queer faced the exact same struggles of not accepting who they were, the author even had their thoughts/dialogue surrounding this struggle be the exact same, which was very frustrating because it showed only one experience of queer folk. I think that it is an important narrative to tell, but it is also important to show the experiences of queer people who don’t hate themselves and are accepting of their identity. My last critique of this book is regarding the writing itself. The writing in this book lacked cohesion and sophistication. There were a few times while reading that I would come across a great line, but because the rest of the writing was not up to that same level it felt out of place and weird.

In the end, I thought that the premise behind this book was really cool, but I just had a lot of issues with the book that made it hard to enjoy. For me this book definitely landed at 2 stars because I didn’t hate it, but I wouldn’t say that I really liked it either. That being said, if you are not a very picky reader and you are looking for an easy queer fantasy, with some enemies to lovers, I think you might enjoy this book and you should give it a try.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book a solid 4.5. This novel is a rather low fantasy read, a bit different from what I’m used to and I did at the beginning struggle with some of the writing. But well, I just personally tend to prefer lots of world building and long descriptive passages (I feel like it’s something that’s a bit harder to do when a book is in first person, so I can understand). Even though I thought these few negative points here and there would render this book less enjoyable to me, well I was thoroughly mistaken.

This book had me in so many states of emotion through the entire book. I haven’t read hundreds and hundreds of books, but rarely have I ever felt so many emotions while reading. The hope, the heartbreak, the sorrow, the joy….everything that these characters felt, be it Aurora, the Witch, or Elias (even Ash, but I didn’t get enough time to fully appreciate him, hopefully in the next novel). And that’s one of the main reasons why despite the negative points I mentioned before, this book still managed to captivate my attention and made me fall in love with the stories and characters, which, well bravo to Morgana for that. I do appreciate the ending, I know it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but when done well, I do really love (and hate, but in a good way) endings that aren’t your typical happily ever after. And I have a toxic trait that when a book doesn’t have the perfect ending I imagined and I hear there might be a sequel….well I put all my hopes into a happy ending for the sequel and convince myself that the happiness will come later ahaha but we’ll have to see.

Other than that, I am a sucker for sapphic enemies to lovers and this was really well done (just maybe a tad repetitive on the « I hate you » speeches in the early parts, I felt like I was reading it twice each page) and badass, intimidating, and morally gray witches are just my cup of tea apparently 😩. Villains >>>>

Definitely recommend checking it out if you like enemies to lovers, classic tropes, princes who actually serve a purpose (and are very loveable), witches who aren’t afraid to use their powers….for good and evil, princesses doing very rash things, and wolves who are just the best doggo.

[Patricia Mirocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading “Vow of Moonlight” feels like a stormy summer night. The air thickens, the birds get nervous and so do you. What will happen? How bad will the storm be?
The first drops of water fall on your head, then the lightning sets in and you cannot stop any of it. The world around you changes and no one has control over it. Everything is tossed by the wind, nothing is going to save you now. You try to make yourself as small as possible so that the lighting doesn’t hit you. You open your eyes and…it’s all over. The world looks like a battlefield but you know that life will go on. There will always be that one voice in your head telling you the things you once had and that it will never be the same again. But you know that it’s going to be fine.

That’s exactly how it feels to read “Vow of moonlight”.
The brilliant focus on character development makes your breath hitch every time someone does or says anything. What will happen? As the adventure progresses you start to fall in love with all of the characters. Their joy becomes your joy, their pain becomes your pain, their love becomes your love. You walk with them in this short section of their lives, you become part of it.

Morgana has shown the world how one can make you feel so involved in a book. You can feel every little drop of blood, sweat and tears that went into “Vow of Moonlight”. And that is something I barely encounter. She’s a brilliant writer that knows exactly how to use her words in order to capture not just your mind but your heart as well. It never gets boring because you truly connect with the characters.

I read this book in one sitting never being able to take my eyes off of it. I felt every little thing these characters went through as if I was experiencing it myself.
This book will break your heart. But just like after a storm you know that life will go on. You will keep walking and breathing and doing all the things you did before but there will always be that voice in your head telling you the things you once had. The joy, the pain and the love.

[Anusha Vashishth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every human is broken, I just said that. But have you ever seen fractured moonlight? Broken glass in beams of sun? I don’t know why you humans are so afraid to admit that throughout your life, you will always find something that breaks you. Surviving, living, comes when you accept that’s what you are. "


I finished reading this book in a single day. Once I started, I couldn't bring myself to stop, even if it resulted in me reading through out my college lectures of that day 😅

First off, the characters. They're so amazingly complex yet simultaneously simple people. Every character was three dimensional and I never felt like they could be defined by a single word(as in flat).
Aurora's fear of everything, the future and of what she felt towards the witch, were both, incredibly relatable for every young adult. The witch's actions and words, seemingly opposite to everything she thought or believed in made me love her, hate her and even fear her at times. And Elias, sweet Elias is my cinnabon that I would absolutely defend with my life.
The plot develops at a good pace, with us genuinely seeing growth in who the characters are as people.
The plot was such an emotional rollercoaster that I practically got whiplash, which is what makes it so good in my opinion.
The book talks about grief and love and moving on with life even when it seems impossible. The thing that touched me the most was how despite going through so much, to the extent that at some points I was truly expecting them to give up the characters stood back up again. It wasn't easy or quick but they struggled through everything and rose back up.

"Not that I have ever really understood the human sentiment that someone needs to be worth something to be saved in the first place."

The message of grief and hope intertwined so beautifully that by the time it ended, I had swollen eyes and a heart that was simultaneously broken but also full of hope. The representation also got this a big point in my books.
I'd definitely recommend reading this to everyone!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vow of Moonlight Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“I don’t know why you humans are so afraid to admit that throughout your life, you will always find something that breaks you. Surviving, living, comes when you accept that’s what you are. Broken.”

A story of royalty, Gods, friendship, queerness, and enemies to lovers.

We follow Aurora and Elias as they manage their love and their simultaneous lack of want for one another.

Aurora is Princess of a Kingdom at war. Her mother is dead, and her father and 13-year old brother brother have been kidnapped. She will do whatever she has to to bring them home. Even if that means ‘making a deal with the devil’. At the same time, she is living with the guilt that she will never be be able to love Elias, and the guilt that comes with that.

Elias is a Prince that has been brought to Emberdawn to marry Aurora and offer the town riches for doing so. But Elias also has a secret. Could he ever give Aurora what she truly desires?

The Witch hates humans. Doesn’t she? The Vow she makes with Aurora will truly test this phenomenon of centuries of hate between the two.

I loved this. The relationships between all characters were addictive. The Witch and Elias’ relationship without a doubt being my favourite.

Enemies to lovers? I’m in. This was tense, sexy, brutal, and honest.

I will forever love books with Queer rep. In here, we see many different representations of the LGBTQIA+ community. Some of which even in side characters that, if you weren’t paying attention, you probably wouldn’t notice. And I think that makes a truly Queer book.

This is sad, funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming. All I could’ve asked for is more. This, as a series- starting pre Aurora and Elias- would’ve been *chefs kiss*.

I would like to thank Morgana for sending this as an ARC, it’s been an honour.

[Alyssa Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Morgana Stewart for an E arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to officially rate this book because I wanted to reflect on all of my emotions while reading this book. Eventually, I decided that it was a solid 4 star read for me.
I really enjoyed this book, and had a lot of fun while reading it. It was fast paced and complex.
I loved the cast of characters, they felt so distinct to me and it was so nice getting to see multiple POV's and watching them grow.
In the beginning, I had a harder time getting into the book, and didn't think I was going to enjoy myself all that much but I quickly had a change of heart. It became so interesting so fast, and I was quickly invested in the characters, their personalities, backstories, and where they would go.
The middle of the book was so action-packed and had several twists that I didn't see coming. Some weren't twists necessarily, but I loved getting to be surprised because that usually doesn't happen for me while I'm reading. I also loved the romance, it was so sweet and their banter was so believable and beautifully written. This book pulled so many different reactions out of me, and I loved every second of it.
The end really got me, I've only cried a few times while reading. And while I didn't cry at the end of this book, I almost did and that is a big accomplishment. (Saying all these things makes me sound so emotionless while reading, I promise that's not the case LOL). But the ending really was very sad, and definitely made my heart hurt. But It was written in such a wonderful way that I couldn't necessarily be mad about it.
I wouldn't rate this book five stars for me, because I'm very selective with my five-star ratings and it wasn't mind-blowing to me. But, I would totally recommend this book to anyone who wants a sapphic, romantic, and well written fantasy.