An excellent YA book that fits into so many genres. It really is hard to pinpoint one specific topic/setting. It is medieval, mystery, murder, YA, a splash of romance. Erin Beaty did such a fantastic job spinning this world and connecting all of the dots. I thought I knew who the murderer was several times during the book and I was wrong at the end. That is a truly talented author who can keep you guessing literally until the end!

One of my new favorite genres is the blending of fantasy and murder mystery! As soon as I heard this synopsis, I knew that I had to get my hands on it, and I was not disappointed.

With each gruesome murder, the stakes heighten, and the magical deepens. Cat becomes further stressed, especially dealing with her trauma upon finding the first body. It was a good idea to contrast the tension of murder against the unfurling of Cat's magic. It allowed for these two different plots to interest me, so neither would ever really go stale or boring. Honestly, I expected the Sanctum to go after Cat a bit more than they did. I know the Magister and Mistress know Cat well, but I half expected someone to just weigh in on her being a possibility. It definitely was refreshing to not have cat be the center of attention for the suspect list, but with the chaotic unfurling of suspects, I just assumed she'd be involved more.

Cat's found family journey is probably my favorite part of this book. I loved her growth with her friendships and every partnership via Simon. She's always been defined as someone without a family due to the lack of information (to her knowledge at least) via her parents, and I'm really hoping that if there is a book two (the author hinted at the possibility) that Cat's magical heritage can be delved into deeper.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), and NetGalley for this eARC for review.

5/5 stars!!! I'm gonna need a moment to collect my thoughts completely on this but I am going to SCREAM to people about this book for a long long time!!! This was so fresh, exciting, twisty, and was the first book in a while to keep me completely gripped and not wanting to put my kindle down!

It's been a little over a week, I'm now currently reading 2 new books, and I am STILL thinking about this book! This was such a fresh plot idea, taking themes and spinning them in a new way to make it so fresh and unexpected. The mystery of who the killer was absolutely insane, and every time I thought I had an inkling of who it was and their possible motives, something would change on a dime and flip everything upside down.
The character relationships and their individual personalities were very well developed and each interaction felt very personal. Even if it was a smaller side character, we were made to truly CARE without it feeling that way on the surface. I liked that so many facets of the "city" were explained and made a part of the main plot, without actually bogging down the main story. I do honestly love Catrin and Simon so much, and wish there would be a second book so we could get more of their lives post-runaway and see Catrin exploring her magic more. This will definitely be a reread for me in the future!

What a fascinating little world I stumbled into in Blood and Moonlight! Catrin has led an interesting life so far, and I thoroughly enjoyed her journey of self-discovery and her moon-given abilities. While I thought the story would be fairly predictable, I ultimately was pleasantly surprised by the ending. The world Beaty created is unique and I look forward to seeing more of the cities mentioned in potential future novels.

That was a wild ride. At first, I couldn’t tell what this book was supposed to be. Fantasy? Thriller? Mystery? Eventually it found its footing and settled into a compelling blend of all three. A good buy for most high school collections.

"We all live in cages, Catrin. Only those of us who are lucky get to choose which one."

Here are my top 5 reasons to convince you to read this book which I totally recommend -
1. Firstly, the gorgeous cover. I love it.

2. This is a medieval YA fantasy murder mystery, such a great combination you will be hooked with how the story flows.

3. Cat has a mysterious air to her and that had me captivated to know more about her.

4. The characters had charming personality. Each were unique and developed well.

5. The magic is unique and the world building is beautiful. I liked how the mental health was also incorporated in this one.

I can't wait to read more of authors work, this was absolutely good. The casting, plot and the pace everything about this book was interesting.

Thank you for providing with e-arc in exchange of honest review.

So mysterious, medieval, and magical: a combination I didn’t know I needed! Loved this medieval murder mystery, the magic system was a little weird to me just because it was explained in a rush, but I really liked the characters and the world. Also the cover is stunning!!

What a chilling, intriguing and emotional read. I was first interested in reading because of the promise of a romance, alongside a mystery but as the story developed, I became deeply curious about Catrin's family and the secrets that were kept from her. Her developing magic, alongside her growing independence, was truly fascinating to read. That, alongside her part in solving the serial murders in Collis, made the book compulsively readable. I appreciated the mental health discussion and care that went into that representation (as evidenced by the author's note as well). Though the book struggled with identity once or twice--was this a mystery, fantasy or historical fiction novel--I was impressed by the scope of the story and characters. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author in the future.

It’s a lot of Jack the Ripper, fantasy-style, with some amateur sleuthing and a rather intriguing moon-based magic system (I’m serious! I’ve read magic systems that are similar based on darkness or shadows, but not on the moon itself unless it involved vampirism or lupine transformation, so I was geeking out a little. If you read this book and can think of another book with a magic system that comes very close to this one, can you reach me directly and let me know? I’d be totes interested!).

Okay, okay, I’m going to admit that I’m totally guilty of “Ooh, shiny cover” syndrome with this one. I saw the cover and was immediately fixated on it. I had to read it. The blurb helped some, but I’ll go ahead and give big props to the cover designer. But the book didn’t disappoint me either. It’s not the best standalone fantasy novel I’ve read this year, but it’s pretty darn good, and that’s better than 80% of the standalone fantasy novels I’ve read this year so far. As a matter of fact, the only true complaint I have with the book is that I think it’s too long. I think the content editing could’ve been tighter and the story could’ve been resolved in under 400 pages if that had happened. But that’s just this reviewer’s opinion. And we all know I think a lot of books are too long and need better content editing.

The world building is above average, but not outstanding. The magic system is fantastic, even though I wish there was more time to explore it. The plot is entirely a Jack the Ripper plot (or it begins as such, before the serial killer changes his aims and goals), but the way it’s handled by Beaty is masterful: She uses the central conflict of having our female protagonist, Cat, try her hardest to help flush out the killer to highlight how young men feel they are entitled to women’s bodies and hearts as payment for all they do for them and how poor behavior on the part of men is dismissed as playful or flirtatious when it more often than not only frightens women and causes them to eventually become accustomed to violence being a sign of love and affection. This is most evident in the character Juliane, who is mentally ill and has not only witnessed and been a victim of violence in her family all her life, but she also suffers from extreme neglect due to her own violent urges she cannot help.

This was a satisfying, fun read I recommend for fans of fantasy novels involving sleuthing, suspense, or crime-solving. Catch a serial killer in a fantasy world.

Thanks to NetGalley and FSG for granting me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I was so excited to be chosen for this tour. I loved Erin Beaty’s first trilogy and was really excited to see this author take on a murder mystery!

Some Things I Liked
World building and magic. I thought the semi-historical but mostly fantasy world was so interesting. I loved the societal structure and the way the people were divided by magic. I also thought the religious element was portrayed in a fascinating way.

The mystery. The murder and mystery elements of this story were really well done. I truly wasn’t sure who the killer was until the very end.

The romance. It was subtle but I was a nice addition to the story. The mental illness rep was also done very well and the way these two themes were woven together gave the story an interesting twist.

Series Value
I’d love to see more books set in this world. Catrin was a great main character and I feel like she could have plenty of other interesting adventures. I also loved the world and would love to see more set here.

Final Thoughts
I really really enjoyed this book. The setting, mystery, and romance were everything I wanted to see and more. It was very YA but in all the best ways. Definitely recommended for fans of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all this cover is beyond gorgeous, I'm fully obsessed with it and I wish I had looked into the book a little more before picking it up based on the cover alone.
This isn't a bad book by any means, but I found myself forgetting about it while I was reading it which is why I've decided to just put it aside for now. It didn't pull me in.

unfortunately, I dnfed this book. I tried on multiple occasions to get into it and it was just not for me. thank you to the author and publisher for sending this to me, but I wasn't feeling it.

Book Report for Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty

Cover Story: Pretty Deadly
BFF Charm: Maybe
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Disparate Parts
Bonus Factor: Coach Taylor Award
Anti-Bonus Factor: The Patriarchy
Relationship Status: No Second Date

Content Warning: Blood and Moonlight features grisly murders (including some instances of postmortem rape) of women, many of whom are sex workers.

Cover Story: Pretty Deadly
At first glance, there’s nothing but lovely things going on on this cover, even though I’m not sure I’d want to be photographed with vines wrapped around me like that. But when you pause to look closer, you see the blood running out from between the figure’s fingers and everything gets a whole lot more ominous.

The Deal:
Catrin, an orphan raised by sisters in an abbey, has a very important job: inspect the scaffolding of the Sanctum, a giant holy building that seems to be permanently under construction, to ensure that none of the workers fall to their death. She’s very good at her job, especially in moonlight when her senses all seem to become heightened.

During a routine night check, Cat experiences something strange and soon after discovers the body of a dead woman in an alley. She soon finds herself embroiled in the hunt for a serial killer—and the truth about who she is and why moonlight affects her so.

BFF Charm: Meh
I liked Cat well enough—she’s kind, conscientious, and has a great balance of humility and ego. She knows she’s smart and talented, and bristles when both of those traits go unnoticed or overlooked (or even dismissed) by the men in her life. But she also falls prey to the chosen one trope—she thinks she’s no one special, but it turns out that she is. I don’t dislike the trope, but it doesn’t quite fit in this story. And also, everyone is in love with her. Which, OK, but … she’s no one special. (But she is?)

Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Like I said above, everyone’s in love with Cat. (Not really, but you know what I mean.) But she’s only got eyes for Simon, the young man in charge of the investigation. But Cat can’t be fully herself with Simon, and there’s something mysterious that he’s not fully revealing to her, either. Will they be able to overcome these secrets? (Probably. It’s a YA book, after all.)

Talky Talk: Disparate Parts
On the surface, the various elements of Blood and Moonlight seem like they’d go pretty well together, but the fantasy elements of the story don’t mesh well with the serial killer plot. Especially when Cat begins to learn more about who she really is in the latter half of the book; if Cat’s abilities led her to figure out the identity of the serial killer and stop them, that would have made sense. Although she helps the investigation, her abilities aren’t what ultimately solve it. Beaty’s explanation of the book’s setting also left a little to be desired—it was hard to suss out the layout of the city, and the enormity of the Sanctum was hard to fathom—and the villain was pretty obvious even though Cat was suspicious of pretty much everyone else in her life along the way to figuring them out.

Bonus Factor: Coach Taylor Award
I want to read a book about the life of the woman who raised Cat, Mother Agnes, who was married three times and amassed a great wealth before joining the abbey. There are shades of “I killed my husbands (who probably deserved it) and then ran away to be a nun” to her backstory, and I need to know more.

Anti-Bonus Factor: The Patriarchy
Cat’s own efforts to solve the crimes—and do her job—are often thwarted by the men in her life, even the most well-meaning of them.

Relationship Status: No Second Date
We had an OK time together, Book, but I wasn’t feeling much of anything by the end of our date. Your story, which started out intriguing, became halves of two different wholes, and I found myself wishing you would have stuck with one or the other, rather than muddying both.

This is a YA fantasy Criminal Minds episode.

Catrin is a teenage orphan in fantasy Italy, working for the architect in charge of building a massive cathedral. Prostitutes start being murdered. Enter Simon, teenage expert in crime scene analysis and modern forensic psychology.

For some reason, Catrin ends up working on this investigation with Simon and the members of the city's leading noble family. There were contrived reasons for this initially on both sides, but it seemed to end up continuing mostly because of Catrin and Simon's crush.

It does take a while to figure out who the actual murderer is. Mostly because all FOUR of the prominent male characters fit the profile.

This book held my attention. I do love Criminal Minds. Catrin's backstory and special abilities were also an interesting detail.

In general though, this story was nothing special. I can guarantee that its striking cover art is going to live in my imagination far longer than the book itself.

It also read rather young, shying away from touching on sexual assault and toxic family situations in a way that seemed unnecessarily delicate for YA. Catrin and Simon's relationship also seemed only shallowly explored, and the fact that SO many of Catrin's male acquaintance were obsessed with her began to be a little ridiculous by the end.

This book is quite beautiful. It's nothing groundbreaking in the YA fantasy genre, but it's still a fun read due to its mixture of fantasy and mystery.

My only complaint is that the build up in the story is very slow which makes it hard to become invested in the plot and characters.

Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty is a dark YA fantasy thriller with a fascinating mythology and complex characters, but the pacing and the mystery leave a little something to be desired.

The highlight of the novel is the utterly unique mythology and detailed world-building. Catrin’s society is built around the worship of the sun, and she is the ward and employee of the architect currently in charge of the decades-long construction of the Sanctum, a temple that is at the heart of every town. Despite the setting being loosely medieval, Cat is thankfully both capable and respected in her job of inspecting the scaffolding to ensure the workers’ safety.

Yet, within this city of the sun, Cat suddenly finds herself with preternatural abilities apparently granted by the moon — abilities that will label her a heretic if anyone discovers the truth. Readers will be drawn into this intricate world and eager to learn more about Cat’s mysterious gifts, but the descriptions can be a bit dense (especially regarding the layout of the Sanctum). However, the narrative does settle into itself a bit more as the story progresses, and Beaty’s writing features some powerfully evocative turns of phrase.

In fact, Blood and Moonlight was initially a standalone, but is now being developed into a duology — and it would have benefited from being written as one. This would have allowed the mythos to be revealed more slowly and naturally, giving it room to breathe so that Cat doesn’t have to immediately accept anything she learns, no matter how surprising, as well as resolving some of the pacing issues with the mystery element.

The mystery centers around a string of brutal murders, which Cat is drawn into investigating due to her newfound talents. But though it’s billed as a mystery novel, there are no real clues that gradually piece together to reveal the answer. All readers have to go on are the insights of the detective, or “venatre”, Simon, who is presented as an expert in what we now call criminal psychology.

His inferences come without evidence or explanation, so readers (and Cat) just have to take his word for it. Cat also jumps to conclusions, and leaps from suspect to suspect at the drop of a hat, especially toward the end, creating an erratic reading experience.

The detective, Simon, is also the main love interest. Though he can be a bit patronizing, the developing relationship between him and Cat is captivating. The air between them always feels charged, both because of the secrets between them and their undeniable attraction.

Actually, nearly every character in this story has secrets, and a complex (usually tragic) backstory. Beaty did not skimp on character development any more than on world-building. Among other things, several characters experience, or have had experience with, mental illness. Though society at large holds period-typical attitudes towards them, Cat, Simon, and a couple others take a more progressive, empathetic view.

The author’s note further explains that Simon’s fictional hometown of Mesanus, which welcomes people with mental illnesses and cares for those whose families have abandoned them, is based on a real place — Geel, Belgium — whose compassionate practices date back a thousand years.

Overall, Blood and Moonlight is a compelling read that falls victim to its own depth, ultimately feeling a bit cramped and rushed.

3.5⭐️

I loved this one. The characters and atmosphere were so well-developed. The magic system using moon magic and a serial killer on the loose was all I really needed to enjoy this. I'm hoping there is another book because I have a lot of unanswered questions! The setting was so unique and I love the true crime vibe of it as well.

YA in the medieval times and is about a girl who is an orphan who gets caught between a serial killer and a genius and the adventure goes from here and forward. I was skeptical at first because I am not usually a fan of YA thriller ish but this one wasn't too cheesy and had more fantasy aspect to it which was such a good mix!

Erin Beaty's Blood and Moonlight is a young adult themed medieval fantasy thriller about an orphan girl named Catrin with secret powers of perception who gets caught between a mysterious genius and a serial killer. Abandoned as a baby by parents she's never known, raised by the Abbey of the Sisters of Light, Catrin has found her calling when she turned 12. Rising above the city of Collis is the Holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is a girl with unique skills—for she alone can spot the building’s flaws in construction before they turn deadly.

Catrin is tasked with inspecting the scaffolding following a deadly accident and prefers to do her job at night with the aid of the moon when there are less people around. After she checks the Sanctum for the last time before she turns in, she hears something mysterious. First, a voice tells her she should go home. Second, it appears as though something stops her from falling to her death. But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, and finds the body of a familiar she recently saw at the Sanctum, she’s pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again.

Assigned to capture the culprit is the mysterious, brilliant, and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a killer are frighteningly accurate. Since she found the body, Cat is asked to be interviewed and later joins the investigation with the venatre (Simon) and his cousins, Juliane and Lambert. As the grisly crimes continue and her mentor Magister Thomas is arrested for murder, Catrin finds herself caught between a serial killer and detective while hiding her own secret—a supernatural sight granted by the moon, destined to make her an outcast like all Selenae, and the only thing that might save her and those she loves from becoming the next victims, is to put herself in the line of fire.

When it becomes a game of cat and mouse, Cat must find out who she can trust and who is hiding beneath the city’s shadows. In this story, almost everyone could be a serial killer. The was actually pretty dark and disturbing when it came to the murders and the horror of what happens to the victims. She starts working with Simon to help solve these murders but has to hide her magic out of fear. The two of them start to form a bond but at the same time no one can be trusted. As things start to unravel and they get closer to the murderer she's forced to reveal her secrets.

The world is strongly rooted in the religions surrounding the Sun (the Sisters of Light and other followers of the omniscient power that created the sun) and the Moon (the Selenae who possess a magic that causes those who follow the sun to shun and fear them as heretics). The story is also a self-discovery for Cat after she learns about the people who were her father, and the family that she's never knew. I do honestly believe there is room for a sequel since Cat's journey isn't finished. Not after all that happens at the end of the story.

Solid fantasy involving a murder mystery! Erin writes interesting characters, with excellent prose and very engaging pacing. I really enjoyed this one!

[Full review linked]

I'd like to thank the publisher Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) and Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.