Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by ellelainey
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
The Alchemy of Moonlight, by David Ferraro
★★★★★
377 Pages
1st person, single character POV
Content Warning: mentions of blackmail, corrupt police officers, violence towards servants, murder, violence, suicide, homophobia, forced captivity, threats to commit the MC to an asylum for 'deviancy' for being gay, spiders!, off-page beheading, mentions of medical situations
Themes: unrequited infatuation, arranged marriage, stolen inheritance, forced proximity, manipulation, swapped societal roles, morally grey characters, love triangle, MMM, FF off-page side characters, taxidermy
~
The Alchemy of Moonlight is an excellent gothic horror that takes its cue from classic werewolf literature, while adding a new spin. As my second book by the author – the other a vampire novel – I can see they enjoy juxtapositions. In A Vile Season, the MC was a vampire turned human; here, we have a noble, a Marquis, becoming a servant, to escape his life. And the concept that humans can be just as monstrous as the actual monsters worked perfectly in both books. Here, this worked well, by putting Emile immediately off kilter and in a situation out of his control.
From the start, we know that Emile is yet to turn 18, so he's only 17 at this point, which felt quite young. I definitely felt like he was written as older than that, but maybe he was just mature for his age. There were definitely times when he acted his age, which was great to see, but I don't remember any ages being given for Bram or Henri – the two love interests – and they both definitely read as much older. I would have liked a little clarity, because I think the only mention was that they were 'around' Emile's age. Although, saying that, the book is set in 1873, where are wasn't much of a concern, especially among nobility, so I didn't let that affect my rating too much.
I adored the formatting – again! – because they take the time to have everything so prettily and neatly arranged. It was just as beautiful as the style of writing, which is so evocative and makes the story crystal clear in my mind. I'm not always a fan of 1st person, since a lot of details can be left out due to the limitations, but I never felt that way with Ferraro's writing. Everything was exactly as I would have wanted it. They have a knack for beginning with a stunning opening line/paragraph, that really sucks you into the story.
By 9%, we had been introduced to pretty much every plot point of the blurb, except the reality of who Emile really was. I love this, because we already know this information from the blurb so there's really no reason to hesitate over telling us in the novel. I like to have that out of the way quickly, so that I feel settled into the story and can anticipate getting to the parts I know nothing about.
There were a lot of twists in this story. I did guess two from the very end of the book, but I still found myself surprised – always pleasantly so – often, along the way. I really felt like the story went places I wasn't expecting, while giving me everything I wanted from a gothic horror. There were times when Emile needed to flee, and it wasn't a clear cut situation. I loved the times when events didn't happen cleanly or clearly, just to resolve an issue, but they didn't fall apart in ridiculous ways just to continue a bad situation or to force the characters towards a path that didn't feel natural. Everything was so well plotted and paced that nothing felt out of sync.
I was quite surprised by the fact that all of the characters are morally grey. They all have that moment where they face some moral dilemma and make the selfish, arrogant or unexpected choice. They all have flaws, they all make mistakes. I loved that when Henri made a mistake that hugely impacted Emile, Henri grovelled and Emile didn't instantly forgive him. For that situation, he needed to not forgive Henri, otherwise it wouldn't have felt right.
Saying that, I did feel like there was one big issue I couldn't really get past. I chose not to let it affect my rating, because it's a me problem: Bram. I have to admit that I never really warmed to him, as a central character. He's part of the love triangle that takes us the majority of the book – Emile is torn between the kind doctor Bram and the egotist noble Henri. However, I just couldn't take to him. I never felt like he was a genuine competition to Henri, who I adored. Maybe it was because he came across as too good to be true, for most of the book, and Emile saw him through rose-tinted glasses. Or maybe it was just that I liked Henri more, but I definitely didn't see Bram as a real love interest, even to the end.
I loved Emile as a main characters. He's young, a bit naïve, alone and afraid, but he's got a strength about him that comes out when he most needs it. He can stand up for himself, even if he has those teenage moments of temper tantrums and running off to avoid his problems. I think this might be another reason I preferred Henri as a love interest, because he shared those teenage traits, whereas Bram read as much older and wiser, like he just didn't fit with Emile, on the same emotional wavelength.
The plot was split into Parts.
Part 1 focused on Emile being a servant, exploring the new position, and meeting his two potential suitors. It felt a little slow, especially compared to A Vile Season, which I read just before this. There's one death in this part, which happens off page, but lots of mystery and uncertainty.
Part 2 built on that story and progressed better, as Emile was exposed as being a Marquis and his aunt appears at the chateau, to make his life miserable. Two more deaths happen, all off page, where Emile either stumbles upon the remains or sees the aftermath.
Part 3 is when they head to Udolpho; his aunt is now a fixture in the plot, there have been multiple deaths, and there's a forced proximity with Henri.
I really enjoyed the vast array of secondary characters – Annette, Henri's sister Blanche, Montoni and Ludovoci. They all had so much individuality and potential. I particularly loved how close Blanche grew to Emile, their banter with each other, and the late and brief appearance of Carmilla.
Were there any downsides? This was an ARC, so there were a few editing issues, with Emile once being called Henri, as well. I also didn't connect to Bram, probably since he didn't get nearly as much page time as Henri or Emile. I felt the beginning was slow.
However, despite all of that, I really enjoyed the book and I feel like it did exactly what it set out to do and I was left feeling satisfied, when I was finished. It was exactly what it needed to be, and what I wanted to read, so I chose not to dock any stars. My enjoyment was a definitive 5* and even taking my issues into account, I would only have marked it as a 4.5 and marked it up to 5 anyway.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Did he really think he could just...order me to fall in love with him? Did he really expect a command could thaw a heart? It was shocking. It was unthinkable.”
“I never wanted you to leave me, Emile, but I've come to understand that I have to let you go.”