#The Alchemy of Moonlight

[oblivionsdream]

Just wanted to share the cover redesigns + edges that I did for Dazzling Bookish Shop! I got my copies and I just love how they turned out 😭

#book cover redesign #winters orbit #oceans echo #teach the torches to burn #in other lands #the alchemy of moonlight

[noahhawthorneauthor]

The found family and mystery is always a good bonus ✨🔍📚🏳️‍🌈

#noahs book recs #queer books #aelina isaacs #indie books #fantasy author #matsdotter and adrastus #dress the neck becomingly #three meant to be #the last sun #teeth and tarot #the alchemy of moonlight #book recs #book recommendation #gay books #happy queers #lgbtqia books

[the-dust-jacket]

#The Alchemy of Moonlight #The City Beautiful #The Diviners #David Ferraro #Aden Polydoros #Libba Bray #Love That? Read This!

[mstornadox]

TFW when you realize that the queer and/or genderbending retelling of an old novel ALSO has vampires and werewolves and supernatural elements:

2nd this has happened to me this year. I should probably read the entire blurb for a book instead of stopping once i’m hooked on its premise.

#books #classic novels #retelling #scarlet #the alchemy of moonlight #supernatural elements #bookblr #trends

[amethystfiction]

So, I love you because the entire universe

conspired to help me find you.

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

#book quotes #paulo coelho #the alchemy of moonlight #romance #romantic #bookaddict #headcanon

[kinziethings]

REVIEW: The Alchemy of Moonlight By David Ferraro

When Emile’s aunt declares he must marry or be disowned for being gay—he runs away to hide as a servant in Count Montoni’s mansion. In their service, Emile tends to the family who all suffer a strange affliction on the full moon. And after overhearing suspicious family arguments, he finds a body on the estate, drawing the attention of a handsome doctor as well as the count’s charismatic nephew,…

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#2023 #2023 reviews #book #book lover #book review #Book Reviews #Books #coming out #David Ferraro #Fantasy #historical fantasy #in hiding #love triangle #new books #queer YA #reviews #The Alchemy of Moonlight #werewolves #YA

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb: In this queer gothic romance, a young marquis caught between freedom and passion, honor and love will have to unravel a centuries-old curse to find his own happy ending. Trapped in a world of straight expectations, queer marquis Emile longs for independence. So, when his aunt declares he must marry to produce an heir or be disowned, he runs away disguised as a servant until he can come of age and reclaim his inheritance. All Emile needs to do is keep his head down and bide his time, but he quickly stumbles into a mystery beyond his imagination. While working in the service of the intimidating Count Montoni and his family, Emile learns that they suffer from a strange affliction every full moon, which requires full sedation. And when he discovers a mangled corpse on the estate the same night as suspicious family arguments break out, he reports it. But Emile cannot guess what lengths Count Montoni is willing to go to to keep his family’s secrets safe. As Emile becomes more entangled in the household and its paranormal origins, his inquiries draw the attention of the handsome doctor, Bram, and the count’s charismatic nephew, Henri. But how can Emile earn the esteem of the earnest doctor, while keeping his own identity and desires a secret? And how can he trust—let alone love—Henri, a man as mercurial as the ever-changing moon? To find the love he deserves and survive the Montoni family, Emile will have to risk his title as well as his life.

Review:

Emile is a queer Marquis who is pretending to be a servant in order to escape his aunt who wants him to marry a woman to produce a heir and if not she will send him to an asylum, so he takes on a new identity and now finds himself in a love triangle between a count’s son named Henri and a handsome doctor named Bram. While at his new position as a servant he discovers that the Count Montoni and his family all suffer from a strange affliction every full moon that requires them to be sedated.... (we all know its clearly werewolves) and now Emile finds himself not only trying to sort out his feelings between the two men in his life but also the fact that his secret is close to being revealed and that he might be in danger if the Count think’s he might be onto the family’s secret. Emile is essentially 17 and his character definitely feels young and juvenile, I’m going to be honest, he was absolutely annoying and the story felt like it dragged on and on. For what was suppose to be an interesting queer gothic romance it definitely did not live up to it. Sadly, I found myself just wishing the book was over already. Emile is wishy washy about his feelings and can’t figure out what or who he wants while Henri is aggressive and Bram is overly sweet. In the end it has a happy ending *spoiler, they enter into a poly relationship between the three of them* but truly the entire book was just about Henri and Emile’s relationship, you never really get the relationship building with Bram yet Emile claims his heart always wants Bram while Henri just keeps pushing and pushing. Honestly this felt so juvenile, oddly placed, and just kind of a mess. Sadly this one really didn’t work for me despite how much I wish it did. It had all the elements to be something I would love, from having a queer romance, being a gothic with a dash of werewolves, and a bit of historical, all the elements to be something I would adore, yet it just missed the mark completely. If you are looking for a queer  historical romance with a bit of paranormal and with a more juvenile story definitely give this a go, maybe it’ll be for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and Page Street Publishing, Page Street Kids for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #lgbtq books #queer romance book #the alchemy of moonlight

[foxfren]

Books I’ve Read in August

A mixed bag this month

Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer | 4/5

“Chin up, brave girl.”

An enjoyable and quick read that got me out of a reading slump 🤞 I loved the premise of the book, and the artwork is genuinely so beautiful!! The novel feels like a mix of sci-fi and sports fiction (two genres I absolutely love), and overall had so much fun with this book!

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser & Robyn Smith | 2.5/5

“Oh, whatever. This is the remix!”

The illustrations were wonderful, and I liked the way that hair was used as symbolism throughout the story (although I was disappointed as it didn’t occur as frequently as the title led me to believe). I liked the idea of having a collection of shorter slice-of-life stories with an overarching plot, though I feel that this book didn’t achieve it to its fullest potential; many parts felt unresolved and inconsistent, contributing to a lack of overall cohesiveness. I also didn’t like the way that their depiction of depression and medication was handled (and also left unresolved).

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle | 2/5

How close anger and hunger are, really. Like different songs in the same key. They can be hard to differentiate.

A fast paced read that tries to mix dark academia vibes in literature with the werewolf genre. The artwork is excellent, and I loved the character designs and the use of color. Though the premise is awesome, the execution of it is subpar at best. It felt cliche and surface level, and overall lacked substance. That, along with the frequent micro-aggressions, tainted my perception of the novel.

How to Bite Your Neighbour and Win a Wager by D. N. Bryn | 3/5

“I want you to bite me.”

This is a different take on the vampire genre than I was expecting; loved the worldbuilding (low key really dense for the length of the novel!!) and the way that vampirism is more of a medical condition rather than a supernatural one. But while the worldbuilding was strong, the chemistry between the two leads unfortunately was not. I feel like this would’ve been a much better read had the characters been given more time to learn to love and forgive each other.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager | 2/5

The thing I remember most--the thing I still have nightmares about--is when it was all but over.

Ok [cracks knuckles] let’s do this. The beginning of the novel was my favorite, and the author did a wonderful job of setting the scene. However, the atmosphere was not maintained throughout the course of the story. My main issue with this book is its pacing, and the fact that most of the twists felt very randomly dropped in (especially near the end).

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro | 1.5/5

“To live in sin in plain sight of everyone.”

This is a retelling of a gothic story, but it wasn’t a very good one. Both of the romances involving Emile felt very underdeveloped; whilst Bram was an incredible supporting character, Henri was very lacklustre. Henri is in a position of power over Emile, and reading about his manipulative actions and attempts at forcing a relationship painted him clearly as an antagonist rather than the leading love interest. Also, his poorly written redemption arc very much soured my impression of the novel. The premise is promising, but it’s execution was disappointing.

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson | 4/5

Maybe it’s a matter of tenses. Of grammar. Our love existed, it does exist, it will exist. On the great continuum of time, perhaps it is the tenses that will cease to be. What does the scientist in you think of that?

This has no reason to be so sad 😭 Loved almost every minute of reading this book omg!! I really like the way that different characters represent the past, present, and future of this tiny town. I thought the characters were well fleshed out, and while the pacing was a tad slow, the story actually benefited a lot from that!! Would recommend :)

#fennec speaks #book list #monthly book review #cosmoknights #wash day diaries #squad #how to bite your neighbor and win a wager #the only one left #the alchemy of moonlight #a town called solace

[bookstagramofmine]

Book Tour: The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro

Book Review and Book Tour: The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro #BookReview #TBRandBeyondTours #PrideMonth #NetGalley #BookTwt #Bookish

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours and NetGalley for the chance to read and review The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro Blurb for The Alchemy of Moonlight When Emile’s aunt declares he must marry or be disowned for being gay—he runs away to hide as a servant in Count Montoni’s mansion. In their service, Emile tends to the family who all suffer a strange affliction on the full moon. And after…

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#book review #book tour #David Ferraro #debut #fantasy #NetGalley #page street publishing #Pan Macmillan #paranormal romance #queer romance #the alchemy of moonlight #werewolves

[illustratus]

Fire Dancers by FuFu Frauenwahl

Latin palindrome- In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni  “We enter the circle at night and are consumed by fire.” — Virgil

#fire #dancers #night #art #animated #gif #moon #clouds #moonlight #moonlit #full moon #dancing #flames #fufu frauenwahl #esoteric #flame #poem #symbolic #alchemy #virgil #latin #palindrome #moth #moths

[oblivionsdream]

Looks like I get to share another book cover redesign today! This one is The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro and will also be found in @//dazzlingbookishshop on Insta! 😉

#the alchemy of moonlight #David Ferraro

[fortunatefires]

#It's not even on purpose it just keeps happening #What am I on? #Like my seventh?? #Right now it's alchemy of moonlight #And I'm getting why choose vibes #If it's why choose I'm going to lose my mind #But also there might be Betrayal which I also love #Either way I'm enjoying myself #Will there be smut? Perhaps #We shall see #Bookblr #Booktok #bookworm #Text post #Text #Personal #Alchemy of moonlight #A marvellous light #The secret lives of country gentlemen #Gentlemans guide to vice an virtue #The London seance society #The queer principles of Kit webb #the song of achilles #Granted some of them don't have aspects of magic #Oh wait #venom & vow #So this is ever after #Dude #There's so many #I really should sort my books by era

[mothman-milk]

YALL. Alchemy of Moonlight is so so so good.

I didn't even know it was a retelling of a gothic romance until right now, and I finished it yesterday.

Gothic regency, werewolves, gays, poly?!

The only downside is that it's a YA, and I love me my smut. That's hardly a reason to dock points. It is such a lovely book, and let me tell you--it does not pull punches.

Great characters, twists and turns, HEA. Do yourself a favor and read this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#alchemy of moonlight #mysteries of udolpho #gothic romance #lgbtq #books #fantasy #YA fantasy #David Ferraro

[mantisgodsdomain]

Possessed with desire to convert a handful of OCs to Dungeon Meshi for fic purposes. Downside is ofc that we are going to have to draw humanish faces. Wish us luck.

#we speak #it is bau and marigold for all interested #considering we feel like bau would be solidly an ogre with no questions asked #but marigold is a big tougher because unfortunately the stereotypes that match up are less compatible with her role #considering her TF specialty though. might not be that much of a barrier. #half-foot who moonlights as a “tallman” for purposes of not getting fucking arrested. or possibly other way round in some way #she is ofc doing illegal activities but with a subtly different flavor #worlds number one user of changeling spores for illegal activities. probably also uses them in beastkin tattoo ink. #something something alchemy yknow how it is

[skybristle]

started concepting another oc on accident woopsss. shoutout to terra wayfarer i love you monarch

#it always bugged me there wasnt a fourth elemental #[and yeah ik moonlight is treated like one but i dont subscribe to that #like. what abt the four elements of alchemy #sky rambles

[captnswilson]

#gap the series #moonlight chicken #my school president #alchemy of souls #island kdrama #my video #mine #Youtube