TEEN: Moondance of Stonewylde - Kit Berry

Release Date: 02/06/11

BOOK BLURB:

NEW EDITION The cracks are beginning to show in the idyllic Stonewylde community. As Yul and Sylvie's forbidden friendship grows into something deeper, Magus' true nature starts to emerge through his charming facade. Ever since Yul defied him at the Summer Solstice, his power has been waning, and his mood darkening. Yul is the problem - and Magus is going to deal with him. Nobody challenges his authority and survives. Sylvie is in danger too. Magus has discovered her secret and now, for all its beauty, her magical gift and Magus' desire to possess it is putting her life at risk. As each full moon rises Sylvie is made to suffer more, and the agony she endures as her magic is stolen leaves her increasingly exhausted, sapping her will to fight back. Unless Magus can be stopped, every full moon could be Sylvie's last. As glorious summer turns to golden autumn, the magic of Stonewylde is becoming a curse to the very people it should nurture ...Are Yul and Sylvie the only ones who see the truth behind Magus' mask of kindness? Why is everyone so deceived by his charm - and why is Mother Heggy, the mysterious wise-woman the only one who will help them? The darkness of winter is coming, and as it does Sylvie and Yul's lives hang by a whisker. Either they will save each other, or history will repeat itself at the sinister standing stone above the cliffs.


REVIEW:

After reading the first novel in this series I was wondering what Kit would do to not only expand upon the carefully built infrastructure of her community but also to add layers of complexity as well as emotional interaction for the characters within. Whilst some of the contents won’t come as a shock due t the way things developed in the previous title it is one that, with the world building out of the way, can concentrate more on the emotional which this one does in spades.

It’s carefully crafted, the characters become more human with actions having consequences and it is a book that works more on the nuances rather than a big power outage. This makes this an ideal YA series and one that whilst Urban Fantasy, one that will strike a chord with many of the readers emotionally. All in a cleverly presented title and one that has great pace as well as character depiction which makes this all in a magical experience.