A funny kdrama like read with a dramatic cliff hanger ending.
Main character Aera develops psychic powers on her birthday and sees a vision of her childhood friend/enemy dying and she has to decide what to do, and he is also a werewolf who is in love with her. After reading the description I was so excited for this book! There was no real banter between the main characters that make enemies to lovers so enticing. I found the main character Aera spent a lot of time lamenting her life and wallowing. I think this is because she has no friends to bounce off. This was the issue with the story…not enough supporting characters (at least with more than a few lines).
I loved the plot with the mix of supernatural characters and it was very kdrama.
Would like to see the second book to see if the story improves with more characters.
Lots to like and easy to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley.

This book was fun as it was a fast read, with werewolves, and with Kpop. The writing itself left a little to be desired and could use some definite tweaking. The writing style did hinder the development of characters slightly although I still was invested enough to keep going. All in all it was an okay book. I don't know that I would run to grab the sequel but I might pick it up down the line.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC*

I don't usually read YA books buts I wanted to give this a chance and support a female, indie, AAPI author. But I was disappointed with it. Unfortunately, this will have to be filed under DNF. I got through about 20% of the book.

There are some YA romance books that adults also read and enjoy, but I found the the writing and even the main female character too childish for my taste.

This books was advertised as being perfect for k-pop fans but I found it to be more of a Koreaboo fanfiic. I wouldn't be surprised if this came directly from Wattpad. For those of you that don't know, Koreaboos are people that basically fetishize Korean culture and people. It was extremely cringe to read. It got to the point where the characters seem like caricatures instead of well rounded people.

This might be enjoyed by much younger readers who are just as obsessed about Korean culture as the author, but I won't be rushing to finish the book, or even the series, anytime soon.

I liked the premise of this book, however, I find the main characters to be extremely irritating and the plot to be boring. The writing style of the author was also not for me. The writing sounds juvenile and it makes Aera's POV to be irritating and sometimes makes her sounds dumb. This one isn't just for me.

dnf at 4% - sorry but the writing is too juvenile for me. it reads wattpad-y. and there's way too much kpop and kdrama stuff. and aera acts really childish.

also - the fact that there's werewolves in this book NEEDS to be more clear.

thanks to samantha j. won and absolute author publishing house for the arc

This was such a cute yet haunting story!

I got all the drama vibe the author set out to channel through this story. At the centre of it all, it's about love and hope despite the odds, and I had a great time reading it.

With easy to follow writing, and jump off the page characters, I had a lot of fun in this world. Our main character was funny and although some of the jokes were juvenile, it felt suitable for the target audience. The pacing was done well and I liked the romance as it developed. Overall, a cute love story that has it all, highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC.

First of all, can I just say the cover, the front page of every start of the chapter and the mini comic was adorable??

The plot seems promising with a twist of paranormal/supernatural, YA kdrama - so for readers who don't even watch kdrama might not get the reference.

Okay, there were few funny interactions between Aera and Gray but I just can't seem to like Aera. I can't stand her being I-am-not-like-other-girl personality and the fact that she seems fine after her breakup with Cole and obsessing on her ex on m/m r'ship + YAOI reference - just don't sit right with me.

Other than that, I love the plot twist even if it was predictable few chapters before it was revealed. But will I be reading the rest of Moondust series?

Yes. Hoping there will be a major development for Aera.

I recently discovered K-drama and was immediately intrigued by the storyline.

A young adult K-drama with a paranormal twist? Yes, please!

There are a few plot details that might not make sense - like a teenage pack leader - but that's what makes K-drama and Spanish novellas so amazing, they don't need to follow the social standards or expectations.

And, oh my god, the twist this story has and that epilogue?! Can someone please tell me when the sequel will be released?!

I have mixed feelings. It didn't give what I thought I was getting but I also think the author hitting perfectly with the age group they are targeting.

The story follows Aera, who can foresee death and Gray Yoo, a werewolf. And I just want to say that this book has my favorite trope ever… enemies to lovers!!! And is done so well I couldn’t get enough of their dual point of view. The story is full of action, intrigue, twists, and a just amazing world to explore. I do have to say, I’m not used to books like this with another culture, and at times language, but I was so invested in this story that it just made it better. Also I have to say that I didn't immediately catch on to who the villain is, but once the pieces fell into place, I was very surprised. Now I am interested to see where the story goes!

I received this book from the author as a physical copy for free to review. This book is an adorable romance following Aera and Gray. They are childhood enemies who find themselves growing closer after Aera's boyfriend, and Gray's cousin Cole, breaks up with her. Note, Gray has always liked Aera.

This book utilizes certain tropes to help move the story along. For instance, there is the enemies to lovers trope, as well as, some paranormal romance tropes.

This book is special because it features beautiful art, adorable end of chapter comics, Character art as the chapter heading,K-pop references, and nerd culture. This is a great feel-good read when you need something that gives you the paranormal romance nostalgia of the 2010's, with diverse characters for a 2023 reader. Did I mention both main characters are asian? And there is LGBTQ+ representation?

Book Name: When we lost the moon
Series: Moondust #1
Author: Samantha J Won
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ /5

Aera Song has just been dumped by her longtime boyfriend and childhood friend. As she tried to navigate her heartbreak, high school and family, she also has to deal with all the weird things happening in her town. She is a bit obsessed with the rumours that her town is a hotspot for the paranormal and is always on the lookout for werewolves and hunters at her school. Gray is the cousin of her ex boyfriend and also grew up with Aera, though their relationship has always been a bit more tense. We soon find out that there is a lot more than meets the eye with Gray, especially when Aera starts getting visions of his death. They start getting closer as she does what she can to stop her visions coming true.

Tbh the most unbelievable part of the book was the idea of a teenage alpha/pack leader. Like I get that he was next in line or whatever, but there were no other adults? Anywhere? Cause I’ve met teenagers and, as an adult, there’s no way I’d let them tell me what to do hahahaha.

I think I am not really the target demographic for this book so I’ll just say that it wasn’t really for me. There was a lot of pop culture references that just went right over my head that I’m sure a younger person would appreciate much more than me. I did enjoy the diverse characters and the Korean words and foods that were thrown in.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Genre: Paranormal YA
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Age suggestion: 16+

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Yeet! **tosses off ebook shelf**. For someone old enough to be going to prom the female character is very juvenile and child like. I see why he wanted to break up. Yikes. Unfortunately, this story is not for me and im so sad. I was hoping it would have my kdrama vibes. But it did not sadly. The cover is cute, it has that going for it.

I definitely believe fans of "Crave" will enjoy this one. Moondust is a young adult paranormal romance novel by Samantha J. Won, and is It the first book in the Moondust series. The story follows Aera Song, a 17-year-old girl who can foresee death, and Gray Yoo, who happens to be a werewolf. The pair were enemies throughout their childhood, but they are forced to team up when Aera sees a premonition of Gray's death.

Moondust is a fast-paced and exciting novel with a lot of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the romance between Aera and Gray is sweet and believable. The world-building is also well-done, and the author does a good job of creating a believable supernatural world. I really enjoyed the dual point of view, because it gave me both Aera and Gray's perspectives, making me root for the both of them.

Some things I felt could have been worked on: the ending is a little abrupt–I feel like, with many YA novels, we didn't get enough of Aera and Gray's relationship. Luckily, it's a part of a series, so readers won't be entirely left hanging. Additionally, some of the plot points were predictable, but teen readers may not feel the same way.

I love a good paranormal romance. This book has a great enemies to lovers trope. I consumed this book in one sitting because I couldn't not put it down. This was amazing.
I just reviewed Moondust by Samantha J. Won. #moondust #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

My favorite line in this book was early on. "Loneliness only sets in when you have time, and I had all the time in the world."
This book was not for me, and therefore I stopped at 25%. I thought it was a really interesting idea for a book, but in my opinion, it was not executed well. I was indifferent to the characters and it did not feel like there was a lot of depth for them. Things definitely felt disjointed and there were many details that did not really add anything to the plot.

The blurb of this book was very promising which is why I was excited to dive into it. However, the story did not live up to my expectations at all. In my opinion, the first red flag was already present at the beginning - the way the female protagonist was talking about m/m romance, in a weird, fetish-y kind of way which really irked me. It felt like the story went nowhere, the characters seem to be the opposite of empathetic and do not care about each other at all. One thing I did enjoy were the bonus illustrations in-between the chapters.

A fun, Fantasy YA novel with a humorous female protagonist. The modern, imaginative spin on the high school dating scene and the cliques within brought a different dimension to the genre that I hadn’t seen before.

1.5
⭐️
I don’t know who the targeted audience was but it has to be an extremely niche group of people. Take away the K-pop reference combined with the exaggerated amount of pop culture mentions throughout the book, it could’ve been 100 pages without comprising the story. The story itself reads like Wattpad + kdrama. The main character, Aera, is 17 but behaves more like a 13 year old. Very much “I’m not like other girls” but in fact is like every other girl. Aera also has a BL fetish “Clearly, my obsession with boys falling in love was a cause for genuine concern.” It is, deeply concerning. As for the other main character, Gray, he’s a ball of angst. Not the good kinda either. Did not enjoy the bundle of tropes being mash up in one book.


FULL DISCLAIMER: I received this a free ARC through netgally (thank you!!)