Review: Moonless by Crystal Collier

Moonless is Jane Eyre meets Supernatural.

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Among the many things to change for her that evening are: her physical appearance—from ghastly to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors predicting the future, and the blue-eyed man’s unexpected infusion into her life. Not only do his appearances precede tragedies, but they are echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed wraiths on moonless nights.


Unable to decide whether he is one of these monsters or protecting her from them, she uncovers what her father has been concealing: truths about her own identity, about the blue-eyed man, and about love. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with the man of her dreams and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

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My Thoughts: The idea of Jane Eyre with a Supernatural twist caught my attention to Moonless. I was looking forward to reading this book with the classic in mind. However, this book turned out to be something different. It was not a retelling of Jane Eyre at all; instead, it had its gothic qualities about it that made it somewhat like Jane Eyre. Though I do admit I was a bit disappointed about this realization, I was still pleased with the unique concept this story had.

I liked the spookiness of this book. Crystal Collier did a wonderful job in capturing the mystery and suspense of the supernatural. She was able to make creaking sounds and turning heads into something frightening. Also, having characters like Belleza helped to heightened the creepy aspect of the book.

Though as interesting as the concept of the story was, I did struggle with reading this book. I was very confused after the first two chapters as to what was going on. Many questions were risen and I felt dazed trying to figure things out. Because of this, I found myself becoming disinterested to what was happening to the main character Alexia.

Another flaw that I found with the book was the insta-love that Alexia had for Kiren. I absolutely understood why Kiren fell in love with Alexia. He pretty much knew Alexia most of her life without her knowing it. Alexia on the other hand, only saw him once and immediately was in love with him. She kept drooling over Kiren's intense sapphire eyes and just how handsome he was. It made me roll my eyes a few times. I simply do not enjoy insta-love stories.

Besides these flaws, I was still able to enjoy the story, especially the suspenseful parts. Boy, oh boy! Some of these were quite good! I simply enjoy reading books with supernatural twists.

Overall, this was a decent read. It was fast and easy to read, and had a pretty good plot. Though it was not the Jane Eyre that I was expecting, it still had the gothic sense to it. I rate this:

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crystal Collier, author of Moonless, is a former composer/writer for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese.

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