This was a nice, refreshing little story. Perfect for people over 10 years old. The story is well written, the characters are funny and there were nice little twists in it. The action starts right at the start which I definitely like. Overall this was a fun little read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Malachite Moon by Kimberly CC was such a cute fairytale! ✨
It was humorous, fun, and full of adventure from beginning to end. The story had such a lighthearted charm and would be absolutely perfect for younger readers who love magical adventures and whimsical characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this lovely read it was exactly the kind of story I needed right now. 🌙📚

A magic system built on moonlight, a city full of watered-down creatures, and a sixteen-year-old girl who’s spent her whole life thinking she’s just a little too weird, Malachite Moon is the kind of middle-grade fantasy that sneaks up on you with its charm before you realize how much worldbuilding it’s quietly done.
The first thing that stood out to me was the chapter art. It adds so much to a short middle-grade book, and the character is absolutely adorable and easily recognizable from the cover. I was also impressed by Kara’s voice. She’s funny, self-aware, and instantly likable without feeling unrealistically mature. From the opening line, you get a clear sense of who she is: a girl who’s spent most of her life on the outside looking in. The story feels personal, almost as if Kara is sharing secrets directly with the reader, and that connection carries the story from beginning to end.

The worldbuilding is one of the book’s greatest strengths. Miastro is a fascinating setting where magic was stripped away centuries ago, leaving every magical creature as a weaker version of what they once were. Pixies can no longer fully transform. Werewolves inherit only fragments of their abilities. It’s a clever concept that serves both the world and the story itself, like living with the feeling that you’re somehow less than what you were meant to be. The idea of these “watered-down” magical creatures adds a surprising layer of melancholy beneath the adventure.

Kara and Milo absolutely steal the show. Their dynamic is easily one of my favorite parts of the book. The banter feels natural, the arguments are genuinely funny, and their relationship develops naturally. The bathroom flooding scene had me laughing, particularly because Milo remains completely unfazed while the apartment slowly fills with water, attempting to solve the problem with a cooking pot because nobody ever taught him how plumbing works. Kara’s ongoing habit of calling him every name except the correct one only makes things better. Their interactions bring a lot of energy to the story, but there’s emotional depth underneath the humor as well.

The first half of the novel moves at an excellent pace. My biggest issue comes in the latter portion of the story, where some of the most important moments feel rushed. The time-travel sequence introduces several major revelations, but it moves through them so quickly that they don’t always get the emotional space they deserve. The climax suffers from a similar problem. Several major events happen almost back-to-back. The emotional payoff is there, particularly in the family moments that follow, but the resolution arrives so quickly that it doesn’t quite carry the weight I expected after everything the story had built toward.

What really worked for me was that Sattva never feels like a cartoon villain. It would have been very easy to make her the evil queen who does evil things because she’s evil, but that’s not what happens here. I also liked that the book doesn’t pretend the adults always know what they’re doing. Sattva’s choices hurt people. Grans’ choices hurt people too. It’s messy, and I appreciated that. Kara’s growth felt natural to me. She doesn’t suddenly become brave or powerful or start making perfect decisions. Most of the time, she’s scared out of her mind and has no idea what she’s doing. She just keeps going because nobody else is going to do it. That’s a lot more interesting than watching a character magically turn into a hero overnight. The ending felt right for Kara.

Overall, I had a really good time with this one. I’d absolutely pick up a sequel.

Tropes & Vibes:
• Found family
• Grumpy x sunshine
• Enemies to reluctant allies
• Magical world hidden in plain sight
• Creature companion (Zabi the Pygmy Draaline)