Title: When We Lost the Moon - Moondust Book 1
Author: Samantha J. Won
Publisher: Absolute Author Publishing House
Publishing Date: April 30, 2023
Pages: 333
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, YA
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Very enjoyable, fun, YA read.
The scifi/fantasy elements that were brought into this story were so fun and added an intriguing element to the story. I LOVE a slow burn enemies to lovers plot, and the way the relationship was set up between Aera and Gray was everything I hoped for. The way Gray feels for Aera is so sweet and I really loved following their story and the moral compass of Aera.
The language/context is very YA and is very juvenile. I would have liked a little more maturity, but it was still very cute and fun. The plot twist really set up the anticipation for book 2 and I’m really excited to get my hands on it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Absolute Author Publishing House for sending this book for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

Aera is an avid lover of Kpop, Kdrama and things supernatural. Living in the same small town since childhood, Aera has grown up with her current boyfriend, Cole and his cousin, Gray. Their town is full of oddities. There are werewolf hunters and Aera has suddenly developed the ability to predict death. After seeing the death of several town folks, she sees the death of Gray and she does everything to prevent it. Gray and Cole both are hiding secrets of their own.

As a Kdrama fan, it breezed through this book. I found myself quickly being engrossed in the characters and story. Samantha J Won weaves a tale that is fun, engaging and suspenseful. There is plot twist that I did not see coming and now am anticipating book two! Hopefully it’s soon!

"I usually don't enjoy slow burns, but the enemies-to-lovers dynamic between the main characters in this book was absolutely captivating. The gradual transition from adversaries to lovers made every page of the story incredibly engaging. Although it took me a few pages to fully immerse myself in the plot, the payoff was definitely worth it. Overall, it was a satisfying and enjoyable read.

enemies-to-lovers paranormal contemporary romance that expertly blends exhilarating action with edge. Samantha J uses her writing to fill those literary voids she stumbles upon when struggling to find her next.

When We Lost the Moon was not what I was expecting in a good way. I didn’t read the synopsis closely enough, so I didn’t realize there was a paranormal/supernatural subplot, and that really worked in the book’s favor. I like the lore that was developed and am eager to see how that changes in future books, especially after that epilogue.

I liked the characterization of both Aera and Gray. I think they were both well-thought out characters that gave me something to root for in them, which is always important. I was a little disappointed about how the ending initially went because character death always feels like a cop-out to force character development in a particular direction, but I think it may have worked well here. I can’t say for sure, as it will depend on what happens next I think.

Ultimately, I’m excited to see where the series could go, since this is dubbed Mooondust Book 1. It helped me realize I may actually enjoy reading books about werewolves, which was also a really nice surprise. I applaud the author for her efforts and look forward to what comes next.

I unfortunately could not finish this book. I really did try because I was interested in the idea/story but the writing style was just a really big miss for me. I think the author, while trying to make her main character sound authentically like a young girl, made the overall story feel a bit juvenile. I say this as an adult that enjoys reading YA, so I do believe if you are a younger person reading this you may not have the same issue as I do.
I do think this story has promise though, I think the overall plot was a cute idea that I was excited about and I liked the characters (well not the ex boyfriend, he was terrible but he was supposed to be) and wanted to know what was going to happen. If you are someone that is not picky about voice and writing style then I think you should still give this a shot, but if those things are really important to you then you can probably figure out from a sample if you would like this book or not.
Overall my rating would be a 2.5/5 but since I can't do half stars I round up.

This is a fast read, filled w/ Korean culture-food, everything K-drama, and K-pop. Aera is socially awkward, disinterested, and happens to foresee death. She goes through a breakup (pretty juvenile to me) and takes on the paranormal world to help Gray Yoo, her childhood nemesis. Gray has secretly been in love with her for years. He's a 17-year-old alpha werewolf (not very believable) who will meet a tragic end unless Aera intervenes. All the BTS and K-drama stuff was just redundant. I wish Aera and Gray were a bit older. The language wouldn't be so YA, and I'd believe the love story. A solid enemy to lovers, PNR with great comic strips and plot twists.

**Source: e-ARC, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this complimentary copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I thought the concept of Moondust is incredible. I am utterly in love with the cover and was so excited to read it. And I did enjoy it! Though I do think, that some ideas and scenes could have been developed a little more.

I enjoyed the concept and the characters, but the actual execution fell a little flat for me. It's definitely a quick read, but it did feel a bit like reading fanfic.

**eARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

I hate not finishing books. I try my very best to power through them. But this one was not good. The writing was childish and hard to read. DNF

Thank you for allowing me to give this a try.

This book was an interesting take on the supernatural romance genre. I think a lot people could relate to Aera in a bunch of different ways, which makes it that much more enjoyable to read. Glad that the author decided to go with the love story of Aera & Gray instead!

🪻ARC
I love watching K-Dramas and when I saw this book I was immediately intrigued, bc I mean k-Drama WITH a paranormal twist??
Oh yes!!!

There were a few plot details that make no sense, to me but that was okay.

The story line was good and full filled with cute moments. I liked this book really well!

Thanks to Netgalley!

Wow that cover kind of gives off some spooky vibes and it would be a great October read. I am a little surprised it did not come out in October. It was a fun read and I would recommend!

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I loved the comic book pages in this book! It added a uniqueness and creativity! I just couldn’t connect with the characters and I liked Gray but Aera was a bit immature and bratty. I honestly didn’t understand why Gray was trying so hard to be nice to her when she was always being mean. The writing felt juvenile to me and I just needed more of a developed plot.

This was such a great read. i think that the pacing was perfect and the story was such a great read. I absolutely loved the comic bits throughout the book. A very nice touch. Some of the descriptive details seemed a little clunky but all in all it was a good read. If you’re looking into changing the future type reads then this is a good one. I enjoyed the character art for the chapter POVs allowing you to visualize the characters as the author sees them is fantastic and I wish that more books had this feature. Great read that you won’t regret.

The book's concept and plot have great potential, with a shocking ending that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. The front page to every chapter and the mini comic at the beginning add a delightful touch to the book. Additionally, fans of the Twilight series and K-dramas will enjoy this novel's werewolf storyline and humorous writing style.

However, some aspects of the book were lacking. The main character, Aera, is 17 years old but often acts like a younger teenager. The idea of a teenager being an alpha of a wolf pack is also hard to believe, and the writing can be over the top and unserious at times. Furthermore, the book was advertised as an enemies-to-lovers trope, but it felt more like a barely friends to lovers trope. Additionally, death was not explored deeply enough, and it felt like a regular occurrence in the book.

Overall, Moondust #1: When We Lost the Moon is a fun and light-hearted read that delivers emotions in some parts. Although the book has its flaws, it is a promising start to the series and will appeal to fans of paranormal romance with a suspenseful twist.
3.7/5 rounded up to 4.

This book was just okay, the storyline was okay, it just felt underdeveloped, it could have been more. I wanted more!

**Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. This review is my opinion**

*sigh*... I really tried getting into this, but I was just not feeling it. The writing was very Wattpad-ish and a lot of things were said repeatedly. The idea was a great one, buuuut the execution fell flat. Sadly, I had to DNF this at 50%. BUt I am willing to give the author another shot in the future. God, I really wanted to like this!

REVIEW:
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was just okay, the storyline was okay, it just felt underdeveloped, it could have been more. I wanted more!
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I liked GRAY, he was the favorite part of the book, Aera was okay, but I only started to like her in the last few chapters. I liked the chemistry between them. I also liked the Kdrama mentions, I'm a huge fan of Kdramas
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I would lived for the death theme to be explored, I wanted to feel grief. So many people died and it just felt normal.
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I still liked reading it and I'd definitely read the next one the series, I hope there's an unexpected twist in the next one because it can not continue from where it stopped in Book one