This book got my attention from start to finish. It has a great plot, interesting characters, and a love triangle ( which I hope it will turn into a square in the next book.). Although there is a romance in this book, it is important to highlight that it is not the main theme, just a subplot that, in this case, did help the development of the main plot. Regarding the characters, I have to say that I liked all of them, but Theo was by far my favorite. The only complaint I have with this book is that the ending was rushed. Nevertheless, this was a great book, and I hope I can read the next book soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchorite Publishing, I had the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I generally love the idea of books including some form of werewolves, however most fall short because they don't have this specific type I'm looking for. Luna checked all of the boxes for me. I loved Jess, Theo, Rune, the whole group. They were all beautifully written characters. The plot was fleshed out wonderfully. I'm very excited for book 2 (and the release of this book)

Three and a half
The cover and the synopsis caught my interest. The fact that it's apparently aimed at fans of Sarah J Maas and Laini Taylor definitely had me very keen to read this book. It's YA fantasy about Jess a young girl desperate to find her own place in the world having been shunted around in the foster system. One night whilst going for a run she sees someone she cares about brutally murdered and Jess herself is knocked out. Coming to Jess finds that not only is she in Italy awaiting trial for murder but that the paranormal world is real and she is most definitely part of it !
I thought the beginning of this was very imaginative and actually made the world feel real. I hasten to add though that as much as I felt sympathy for the situations Jess has found herself in throughout her life I didn't particularly warm to her. In fact the few characters we are introduced to were all pretty much unlikable with possibly the exception of Matteo the advocate sent to advise Jess prior to her court appearance.
It just all seemed too convenient that everyone in detention in the part of the penitentiary were Jess was would work together to escape. I did like that we get different species and their antecedents and magic was very different to similar books. Unfortunately it was hard to know who to trust as it felt like the paranorms locked up with Jess all seemed very suspect. Plus the pace felt off as the middle dragged and then bam the last twenty percent or so had dramatic revelations and unexpected turns that just were not really explained that well.
This is the first of apparently four books so obviously the author has time to elaborate her story and hopefully flesh out and explain her characters motivation. I think she wants to bring romance into it but it sure felt as if she hasn't quite decided who to eventually pair with Jess so perhaps an atypical triangle is around the corner ? I personally do not feel it compares yet to the world building of the two previously mentioned authors but only time will tell.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I loved the book Rae Else does it again with her world building.
The story line is amazing not so dark that it borders on horror. Jess is a shifter who cannot shift and meets a motley crew of paras that help her not only understand who she is but in other adventures.
Ticks all the boxes and waiting for the next one

This was an enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the sense of mystery throughout the book. I wish the potential romances were a little more fleshed out, and I felt like the ending was very rushed. I wanted more details about Jess’ history, Lorenzo’s story, what might happen with Matteo, who Rune really is, etc. It just felt a little abrupt. I thought the world building could have used a little more detail, although overall this was well thought out. Overall this is a good read, I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend this to others looking for a good fae/vamp/mage/shifter story with a little bit of romance too.

Luna by Rae Else

📓Genre: YA Fantasy
Star: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (3.7 stars rounded to 4 stars)

🔖 Luna by Rae Else is the first book of the The Dark Between fantasy series.
🔖The story follows a young girl named, Jess, who discovers that she in fact, isn't exactly 'ordinary'. But that knowledge comes to her at a time when she finds herself being convicted of a murder she doesn't remember committing.
🔖The book has some very common elements of YA fantasy including wolves, magic etc. But the writing style is engaging and that helps in keeping the story interesting.
🔖Being a series starter, the story does focus on introducing characters and setting the scene. For readers who are new to this genre, it can be a bit of work to keep up with all the new elements of the fantastical world created by the author. But if you love fantasy novels like I do – then it should be easy to follow and quite fascinating.
🔖Jess is a strong and likable character who shows enough determination and spirit to pull off her role as the protagonist of the tale.
🔖Although this is a complete story on its own, there are of course, many questions left unanswered, as is normal with books that belong to a series. But that's what will keep the readers eagerly waiting for the next one!
🔖Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely look forward to the next in the series.

🔸Final Verdict: Good
🔸Book Cover: I personally loved the cover, specially the theme hue.
🔸Writing Style: Lucid
🔸Character Development: Good

✨Many thanks to Anchorite Publishing (Publisher) and Netgalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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#Luna #NetGalley #arc #bookreview


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Prone to rage blackouts Jess has been moved from foster home to foster home her entire life. After settling in a good home she’s shocked when she wakes to find herself covered in her murdered sister blood. Soon she is arrested and sent to a prison for magical creatures and has to question who killed her sister - was it her or someone else?

I really liked all of the characters in the book; all were very unique and had their own voices which I think is quite hard to find in some books these days. The plot was really interesting, with the majority of it being set in a prison. However, I wish we’d had more of Matteo’s POV’s just because it showed the world building that we were being told in Jess’ POV’s.

The writing style wasn’t my fave. I got a bit confused at the start with who was who because there was a lot of she/her’s being used, but I don’t know if that’s just because I’d just read a book in first person. There was also a lot of info dumps at times, which I got bored of and skimmed through. The plot is very unique and kept me interested throughout, but I felt everything progressed a bit too slowly for my liking.

That being said, I did enjoy the book and the concept. It was all very unique and the overall series could go in any direction. Nothing about this book was predictable, which I loved. Personally, would market it for fans of TOG over ACOTAR - but if you love paranormal/fantasy books you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Rated ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to have an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Luna
book one in The Dark Between Series
By Rae Else
I really liked this book.
The main character is named Jess,
Jess has had a hard life going in and out of foster care her whole life after being found in a forest as a baby, Pus her mental break downs when she goes wild and hurts people, after which she can't remember a thing about or what she had done.
Things get worse when one night her foster sister is killed and the blame is put on her, her world is turn upside down.
She's told that she's a (Rem) a shifters who can turn into a white wolf, but would she really kill her sister even as a wolf.
She's giving a counselor name (Matto) who is a Rom, he can turn into a black wolf and is in a way her enemy, he says he's going to try and find a way to hlep her, but can she really trust him?
There is alot more to the story then meets the eye.
Jess finds her self in a new world where she's a Rem she makes friends with (Theo) an Enodians who can control ghosts, (Rune) who is a Vampire and (Astra) a Fae,
Together they plan to excape their prison and find her sisters killer.

Just look at the gorgeous cover on this book! This is a YA, pnr, slightly dark fantasy about seventeen-year-old Jess. She’s been passed through foster home after foster since she was a baby. Jess believes she is human, loves creating huge works of art, and jogging 20 plus miles at a time…in the woods. Her entire life she’s had “rage blackouts,” where she becomes incredibly angry, people get hurt but she blacks out and doesn’t remember what happened.

The majority of this story takes place in a sort of paranormal juvenile hall facility. It was Breakfast Club but with paranormal creatures. The reader learns about this new world along with Jess. There are huge info dumps, but they don’t feel too cumbersome as the author sprinkles in relationships with the other “guests”. This is where we meet other faes, witches, vamps, and shifters. There are quite a few mysteries going around. Jess needs to not only survive her fellow inmates, but solve some of those mysteries. What is she? Why is she in jail when she knows she didn’t commit the crime she’s accused of? Who can she really trust?

Growing up in foster care helps her to navigate the myriad of political intrigues that have put her in jail. There are a couple of love interests (super tame, no romance) and a few enemies to figure out. For the most part, everyone is a suspect.

As the synopsis states this story is “Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Sarah J. Maas.” This story has an ending, but it still leaves a ton of questions on the table for the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rae Else for this ARC to review.

I enjoyed getting lost in this supernatural world! With Jess, the main character, feeling out of place in her world, can be relatable to many in this world. This was a book I could not put down, and I cannot wait for the rest in this new series.

This book hit right in the feel, and so it was easy to read it all in one go. Fantastic story, plot was well crafted and the author knew a great deal about Italy and the myth of Romulus and Remus.
The ending felt a bit too rushed though, and then I noticed it was shorter than other books within the genre. I noticed that most of the time the side characters would explain a great deal about the para world and how it worked, but it was so much information that I was overwhelmed. That for sure gave me the idea that the novel had a lot to offer in terms of lore, but at the same time felt intimidating.

The characters were well written, I particularly enjoyed Jess for her sarcasm. I liked the idea of seeing faes, vamps and shifters hang out together and the lingering promise of their escape was satisfying. Although as a reader I felt constricted into the same settings, the prison cell and the social hangout room, it also gave me insights on how the main protagonist must have felt in such a repetitive and monochromatic setting and felt dread for her. I loved how the author described the cells and their general surrounding as "lacking nature" and I too felt the dread/happiness when Jess was allowed to hang out in Silva's cathedral around the trees.

All in all, the book had a satisfying ending and a little cliffhanger. I am looking forward to read the next one in the series! Below you can see where I posted the reviews of this book (Goodreads and Instagram)