Catrin, 17 years old, finds a woman’s dead body that’s been mutilated by a murderer, so she becomes the main witness in helping Simon solve the case. Simon is the nephew of the Comte in charge of keeping the justice in Londunium but he wants to keep his son Oudin out of suspicion, so he assigns Simon to the case. The murders continue and several suspects come to light. Catrin uses her newly found magic that appears in moonlight to try to stop and prevent any more murders from happening and she receives the last thoughts of the fatally wounded women that will help find the killer. Catrin is adamantly protective of those she loves and does her best to stop the violence and the person behind it. 

Likes/dislikes: The intensity of the mystery kept me riveted. The explanation of magic and the world building are written out nicely. I love Catrin, the main character because of her strength, loyalty to those she loves, bravery and intelligence.

Mature Content: PG for drug use mentioned, brief kiss, gentle kisses, urgent nondescript kiss.
Language: PG for 8 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for  Catrin finding a dead body that’s bloody and broken. The death is described with little detail. Description of a bloody death, implied sexual assault.
Ethnicity: predominantly white

A thrilling YA fantasy revolving around a serial killer, a young woman who is discovering her power, a detective with a tortured soul, and the family that surrounds them. Secrets will come to light as main characters Cat and Simon put their minds against the killer in their midst. 

This book had me immediately hooked! The magic is neat - getting powered up by the moon! The love interest is right up my alley - a tortured soul with a mysterious past! Though there were several side characters in this first installment, they felt fleshed out just enough. I even felt bad for Oudin at one point. 

I didn't care about the religious aspects, but the exploration of mental illness was done well, I felt. 

I'm excited to learn more about the magic and community in the second book - as well as see what Cat is capable of. I'm definitely going to pick up a physical copy of this one.

Medieval.  Fantasy.  Thriller. Serial Killer.  
Checks a lot of boxes.  
And even though this book is labeled “YA”, I was definitely not disappointed. 
Start with an orphan with magical sight who witnesses a murder.  Throw in a mysterious genius out to catch the villain.  Don’t forget to stir in a serial killer.  
The writing is fantastic and I couldn’t put this one down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was an absolute breath of fresh air. Once I started reading this book, I absolutely could not put it down. It is a pretty long book and I pretty much read the entire book in one sitting. 

This book is full of amazing characters, a unique magic system, and a murder mystery that will keep you on your toes for the entire book. This book kept me guessing from the minute I started reading it. I also really enjoyed the romance in this book. 

Overall, I absolutely loved everything about this book, and I highly recommend it!

Blood and Moonlight is a a mix of mystery, love and murder. Catrin is the person who can spot flaws in the foundation of the church. But while she is working at night, she witnesses a murder and the mystery begins. The mystery is tricky and will have the reader t the edge of their seats. The romance adds some spice but does not deter from the overall plot.

I’ve never read a fantasy mystery before. I really enjoyed it. Trigger warning for mental illness. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon.  Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I really wanted to enjoy this but no matter how hard I tried it just wasn't happening. The premise of this was very intriguing -- you can't go wrong with a fantasy with a mystery vibe right? unfortunately it just didn't work for me. It felt like I was waiting for *something* to completely grasp my attention which didn't happen so here we are. 

- thank you to the publisher for the early copy !!

I tried so many times to get into this book. I felt so guilty not getting to it in a timely fashion,  but I think it’s time to admit defeat. 

I think the ideas of magic in the book are good but the characters are stale.

A string of unsolved murders, clever young woman and her friends off to investigate, and unexplained things happening under the moonlight. This description sounded like it was right up my alley. Unfortunately for me, this book fell a bit short of what I was hoping for.

Cat is a likable enough protagonist, but definitely not the most memorable. While she is likable and kind, she is also sort of a Molly Sue. She’s sort of the chosen one and all of the boys want to date her. She does go a bit deeper than that, but I wish the author had even pushed farther.

The whodunnit part of the story was interesting enough that I kept reading. There were some decent twists/red herrings, but I could’ve probably done without the romance subplot. I suppose that’s a big ask for a YA book though. 

I will give kudos for the treatment of mental illness within this story. Cat, Simon, and friends express a relatively modern view of mental illness.

All in all, this book was okay for me. Maybe as a teenager, I would’ve enjoyed this book a bit more.

Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty

444Pages
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: June 28, 2022

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult, Coming of Age, Mental Illness

Catrin is an orphan raised in a convent by the Sisters of Light. She works with the chief architect as a foundation inspector at night so work can continue during the day. Catrin realizes she is different from others when she can see things in the shadows. She keeps this knowledge to herself because she does not want anyone to know she is different. One evening she hears screaming and following her senses to find a dead woman, someone she knows.

Simon is a newcomer to the city and is asked to investigate the crime. He brings Lady Juliane, Comte de Montcuir’s daughter. Juliane has impeccable memory and assists Simon while he investigates. Unfortunately, Juliana suffers from mental illness and breaks down if not tended to by Simon.

I was immediately drawn to the cover. The image is beautiful and grabbed my interest. I knoew I had to read this book. The story has a fast pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. Catrin and Juliane have a special relationship and it was nice to see the characters grow. Although this is listed as a young adult book, the topics addressed would benefit anyone age group. The mystery was well written and kept me captivated. Learning about Catrin and her origin was a twist to the story as was Juliane’s history. If you like sci fi mysteries with a couple of twists, you will enjoy this book.

I was super surprised when I found out this was a murder mystery.  I went into the story completely blind, I just knew I loved the cover and I am a total cover snob. Well, this was a super interesting murder mystery that just so happened to have a big dollop of magic and a smidge of romance. Overall, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by this book. The main mystery in the story is resolved completely so there are no loose ends to keep you up at night, but this is the first in a series so there are questions about the main character and her friends that are still left open for the next book.

On a side note, this book deals a lot with mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, and all the difficulties involved with living with it as well as caring for someone suffering with it. In my non-experience opinion, the author seemed to approach the topic with care and sensitivity and overall well done, but at times  very hard to read.

I saw this book and read the summary and knew immediately I wanted to read it and I wasn't wrong.

Catrin is our main character and she has a special ability to spot flaws in the construction of the holy sanctum before anything bad can happen. When she is out one night looking over the building, she witnesses a murder and is pulled into the investigation to help try to stop the murderer before they strike again.

Assigned to officially investigate the crime is Simon, a distant relative of the town leader. He has insights into the mind of the killer that prove to be strangely accurate and as he and Catrin work together to stop the murderer, they find themselves drawn to each other and as their relationship changes, they disclose secrets that could put them both in danger.

I really enjoyed this book and if you're looking for a new standalone YA with a bit of mystery and magic, definitely pick this one up.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really did enjoy this novel, it kept me engaged throughout the entirety of it and I found myself wanting to know more and I connected to so many of the characters. I would highly recommend this read!

Great story.  Interesting world and a twisty mystery.  The only part that was confusing was the architecture of the building.  It was hard to imagine the scenes with all the architectural jargon.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

A fantasy-set Paris/French town, cathedrals, a murder mystery, and special powers? Sounds absolutely intriguing. 

Catrin has a special power that has awoken the first night of the murder. She witnesses the murderer standing in moonlight. A handsome inspector, the lord of the manor's two sons are interested in her, and everyone is a murder suspect. Meanwhile, Catrin is determined to find out her true heritage which might solve the mystery before it happens again.

Soo good. Doubt there will be a sequel, but if there is I'll be excited!

It’s rare to find a murder mystery fantasy novel and even rarer to find one that’s written well. This book had all that and more. The romance in this book tied this story nicely together. Definitely feel like the fantasy elements could’ve been explored a little but more but none the less it doesn’t take away from the story. A must read for mystery and fantasy lovers!

Currently taking a break from this book but might try it again later. It just didn’t catch and maintain my interest.

This one wasn't really for me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It had a very distinct feel the whole way through that I think many readers will enjoy, and look for when reading one of Erin Beaty's books, but it just didn't work for me.