Check out T. W. Fendley‘s new dystopian science fiction book, Moonblood! Check out my review & then scroll to the bottom for the audiobook & ebook giveaway, courtesy of the author.
Moonblood
By: T.W. Fendley
Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Jerry
Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
Publisher: Spoken Realms
Release date: 08-11-20
Book Blurb
Who wants to live a century before seeing the outside world? Not Ariadne.
Restless and idealistic, the young immortal sneaks out of the Eves’ secret compound and finds the outside world more dangerous than she could have imagined. Cut off from her own kind and hunted by mortals, she is forced to hide among the Adams, the immortal sons born of her sisters.
But the Adams have sinister plans of their own. Ariadne must find a way to stop them, even if it means sacrificing her immortal life.
Written by award-winning author T.W. Fendley and rivetingly narrated by Amanda Leigh Jerry, Moonblood is a deeply thought-provoking and exciting near-future adventure.
My Review
Moonblood is Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games. In a future dystopian world, humans come in three flavors: the Eves (immortal women who live off moonlight); the Adams (immortal men who live off sunlight); and the Cains (mortal men & women who need real food to live). Many of the Eves live in a clan isolated from the rest of the world. However, the Adams have managed to capture some Eves over the years, plus they control these towers filled with Cains. Women are mostly kept in harem-like situations with very little say over their lives. Then there are the average people, all Cains, who live outside the safety and stability of the Adams’ towers. The story is a delicious mix of social castes coupled with an exploration of misogyny.
Ariadne makes a dumb mistake at the start of the story and it puts the Eves in danger of being discovered. She’s assigned a task that takes her away from the only home she’s ever known and almost immediately, things go sideways. Luckily, there are allies out there in the bigger world and Ariadne must take on a role she feels very ill-suited for: to live as a man while she figures out her next move.
The tale brings in more main characters, switching the point of view between them. Blair is some kind of mutant that was somehow identified by this somewhat militant force that forcibly separated her from her family. I forget what this force was called, but it’s separate from the Adams who keep the Tower Harems. As Blair struggles for freedom and also to be reunited safely with her family, she comes across several allies, just as Ariadne does. However, not all allies are created equal. Some of these allies are men and some of these men truly believe the women in the towers have the best life, being cared for and protected. Of course, all the ladies disagree with these men, wanting control over their own lives.
There are some points that I wanted some more explanation for – like how the Adams and Eves live off of sunlight and moonlight, how so many of the men are chemically brainwashed into misogynistic control of the women in the towers; why the Eves die always when they birth male children. I was ok with the parthenogenesis (virgin birth) for the Eves because if we can live off moonlight, why can’t we do parthenogenesis? I can see how a sequel could explore these things and really add to the world building.
The story takes an excellent and unexpected turn at the end. While I did feel it wrapped things up a little quickly and a little too neatly, it still had me on the edge of my seat. I was very worried that the bulk of the Eves would be captured, or even killed. I was worried that a certain character had betrayed Ariadne. Oh, and I loved the pizza delivery vehicle that helped make it all happen – because everyone, no matter which side you’re on, want pizza. 4/5 stars.
The Narration: Amanda Leigh Jerry was a great choice for this book. She had the perfect voice for Ariadne. I also loved her old lady voices for the Matron, Margery, and the cross-dressing ally in one of the Towers. I did sometimes want a bit more distinction among some of the characters, like when the point of view shifts from Ariadne to Blair, it wasn’t always clear with the voices. Yet Jerry had the shift in attitudes down pat. Most of the male voices were distinct and I especially liked the amount of emotion that went into Nathan as he struggles with his established morals. The pacing was perfect. There were a few mispronounced words but they were few and far between. 4/5 stars.
The Giveaway!!!
Author T. W. Fendley is giving away 5 Downpour audiobook copies and 10 Bookfunnel ebook (pdf, epub, or mobi) copies of Moonblood. Do the Rafflecopter thing below or answer these questions in the comments to be entered into the giveaway: 1) Do you want an ebook or an audiobook copy? 2) What other dystopian novels have you enjoyed? 3) Leave a way to contact you if you win (email, twitter, etc.).
