Name: samantha lias's review of Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty
Item: Blood and Moonlight
Rating: 4
Author: samantha lias

Erin Beaty

In Erin Beaty's fantasy mystery-thriller, Blood and Moonlight, an orphan with a secret, magical sight gets caught between a mysterious genius and the serial killer he’s hunting.

Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan girl with unique skills―for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly.

But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she’s pulled into a dangerous chain of events where the only certainty is that the killer will strike again. Assigned to investigate is the mysterious and brilliant Simon, whose insights into the mind of a predator are frighteningly accurate.

As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between killer and detective while hiding her own secret―a supernatural sight granted by the moon, destined to make her an outcast, and the only thing that might save her and those she loves from becoming the next victims...

Blood and Moonlight

samantha lias

This was a “I really like the cover and it sounds interesting” pickup for me, but I’m really glad that I did. It really kept me on my toes with the suspects & character building. I’m intrigued to see how the 2nd book will play out

I knew I was going to love this one!! A fantasy murder mystery?? There’s literally nothing more I could ask for.. ok, maybe also for it to be an enemies to lovers? Ahaha just kidding. This book has great character building. So much amazing mental health representation that she really took her time to research and also there’s little places mentioned in this book that exist in the real world and I just loved that little fact!

I genuinely didn’t guess the right killer the whole time and the MC also develops this amazing moon based magic, unique right?? It definitely wasn’t talked about enough this Blood and Moonlight (to me), BUT that leaves plenty to discuss in the next book 😉 and boy, I already can’t wait for that one!

Courtney Passio

I knew I was going to love this one!! A fantasy murder mystery?? There’s literally nothing more I could ask for.. ok, maybe also for it to be an enemies to lovers? Ahaha just kidding. This book has great character building. So much amazing mental health representation that she really took her time to research and also there’s little places mentioned in this book that exist in the real world and I just loved that little fact!

I genuinely didn’t guess the right killer the whole time and the MC also develops this amazing moon based magic, unique right?? It definitely wasn’t talked about enough this Blood and Moonlight (to me), BUT that leaves plenty to discuss in the next book 😉 and boy, I already can’t wait for that one!

Christine Bruce

Cat is an assistant to an architect in an alternate medieval Europe. A world where the sun is worshipped, and moon worshipers are feared and othered, confined to a specific quarter in the city despite both religions clearly worshipping the same god but through different means, a clear symbolism of the medieval Jewish population. While inspecting the scaffolding, Cat witnesses a murder, and so begins the hunt for a serial killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. 

I loved everything about this book, it so perfectly blended my historical interests its like it was written for me. As Cat helps with the investigation, she becomes closely embroiled with the powerful ducal family that runs the town. Particularly their distant cousin, the Venatre (inspector) Simon who is in charge of finding the murderer. As is par for course for a young adult novel, Cat and Simon quickly develop feelings for each other, and dance around it for the entire novel. This of course leads to amazing angst moments when Simon thinks he almost lost Cat and has to reevaluate if he wants to stay away from her or not. 

The reason Simon debates staying away from Cat is due mostly to his fear he will develop the same mental disorder his father suffered from, and which he daily helps his cousin Julianne manage. The kind hand schizophrenia and mental health was handled with in this novel, with its extensive author's note at the end, was such a necessity in this world which constantly villainies these disorders. But Beaty handles, particularly Julianne, with respect and dignity and reality. It was nice to see in a novel, especially in a YA novel. 

As for the magic system in the book, that was so well done at first, but the more details we got about how they use magic and the abilities they have started to get confusing. It almost would be better with less detail about the magic, and instead leave it with just Cat's ability. The more detailed functionality of the stones and moonlight just convoluted what the magic was capable of. I kept zoning out and rewinding, then realized it wasn't important to really any aspect of the story and just let it go. Though aesthetically I love the idea of the moon worshippers having an entire magic system, I just think it would have been served better left in more mystery.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy in return for my honest review.

          Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty is a YA-mystery thriller that I would recommend to older audiences who are looking for something with a touch of magic that will keep you turning pages and not quite sure who to trust til the final reveal. 

Adding magic to murder mysteries, especially when there is a serial killer on the loose, can be tricky. You want the magic to tie in to the driving plot, but you don't want to be left with the magic solving all the problems. Blood and Moonlight does an excellent job with this balance, with its unique magic system that can sometimes leave the characters with more questions than answers. I also truly enjoyed the exploration of the world and magic alongside the gruesome mystery. 

Old school - investigating, danger at every turn, and moonlight escapades kept me hooked from page one. This book deals with some dark themes and doesn't shy away from gore so check trigger warnings. 

Minnie Mazuera

          Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty is a YA-mystery thriller that I would recommend to older audiences who are looking for something with a touch of magic that will keep you turning pages and not quite sure who to trust til the final reveal. 

Adding magic to murder mysteries, especially when there is a serial killer on the loose, can be tricky. You want the magic to tie in to the driving plot, but you don't want to be left with the magic solving all the problems. Blood and Moonlight does an excellent job with this balance, with its unique magic system that can sometimes leave the characters with more questions than answers. I also truly enjoyed the exploration of the world and magic alongside the gruesome mystery. 

Old school - investigating, danger at every turn, and moonlight escapades kept me hooked from page one. This book deals with some dark themes and doesn't shy away from gore so check trigger warnings. 

        

caly

this book was so beautiful i’m currently still sobbing

Izzy Judy

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

“Our lives are as short and fleeting as phases of the moon.”

I love Erin Beaty’s ‘The Traitor’s Circle’ trilogy, and so when she first announced she was writing a new fantasy story, I immediately added it to my Most Anticipated list. And I wasn’t disappointed. 

One of the things I really love about Beaty’s fantasy stories are how realistic they feel.
Blood and Moonlight is set in the fictional world of Collis, but it feels a lot like Paris, France. The Gothic architectural designs mentioned mirror that of Notre Dame or Rouen Cathedral or Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes. A familiarity with the kind of architecture she was writing about really helped set the scene. 

Beaty tackles the concept of serial killers in this YA Fantasy, and does so with such incredible accuracy that there were moments I forgot I was reading fiction. Her knowledge of criminal investigations and psychological profiling into serial criminals was astonishingly accurate, with all of her detective’s anecdotes about how these killers think being based in true crime fact. Every time the detective added another piece to the mental puzzle, I wanted to cheer. 

One of the characters has schizophrenia, so there was a lot of talk about mental illness and stigmas around it. There was also an author’s note about how she specifically addresses mental illness in this book, but I loved being able to read about all the various ways those who struggle with mental illness are treated by those around them. It was a different, but accurate, depiction of how mental illness can impact someone and their loved ones. 
The magic and religion systems in this book were simple and easy to follow. The two deities are the Sun and the Moon (one is good, one is bad). There is a group of people, the Selenae, who get magick from the Moon and are able to use it to heal, to enhance their senses as night, and hear thoughts/connect to minds through blood and moonlight. This is Beaty’s first book in which magic is part of the world, but it fits seamlessly with the rest of the story. 
Overall, I really loved this book! It was a fun, quick read with an engaging plot and fun characters. 

samantha lias &
Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty

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