The Girl Who Drank The Moon

Summary: Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .

Thoughts: This was a mystic and beautiful tale of growing up and family. I really enjoyed the writing style and I was actually fairly surprised by how some of the characters developed in here. Honestly, the character development was the best part of the story as I could rarely predict where they were going next. The plot was good and the setting was intriguing, but it was the strange cast that really keeps you hooked until the end and they don't disappoint!

Content: Magic and some mildly dark plots (abandoning children, attempted murder, near-death experiences), written to still be clean for most ages. 

Immortal Rain Series

Summary: Rain Jewlitt, known as the Methuselah, is a spaced-out, immortal, 624-year-old man dressed in priest's clothes. He's got eternal youth and a large price on his head... put there by those questing after the secret of his immortality.

Machika Balfaltin is a tomboyish, energetic 14-year-old girl who, upon the death of her grandfather, sets out to kill Methuselah, the one bounty her assassin grandfather, Zol the Grim Reaper, couldn't kill. Instead, however, Machika ends up being saved by Rain again and again from other aspiring bounty hunters attacking them both.

Thoughts: This 11 volume manga series was a pretty interesting take on the "hunting an immortal" trope. Reminiscent of Trigun, it follows a laid back immortal trying to just get by in a really long life, his mortal enemy (quite literally), and a kid who has to decide what she she stands for. I really enjoyed the cast and the story itself, with a pretty interesting setting though not enough to go off of to call it world-building. A pretty good read all in all!

Content: Violence, a couple inappropriate sketches of women and implied sexual scenes. Generally clean, good for teens and up. 

Brave Story

Summary: Young Wataru Mitani's life is a mess. His family has problems they never told him about, a new student at school upsets everything he knows about the world, and a girl's voice rings in his mind all hours of the night. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life; a way to alter his fate.

To achieve his goal, he must navigate the magical world of Vision, a land filled with creatures both fierce and friendly. And to complicate matters, he must outwit a merciless rival from the real world.

Wataru's ultimate destination is the Tower of Destiny where a Goddess of fate awaits. Only when he has finished his journey and collected five elusive gemstones will he possess the Demon's Bane; the key that will unlock his future.

Charity, bravery, faith, grace and the power of darkness and light: these are the provinces of each gemstone. Brought together, they have the immeasurable power to change Wataru's life. 

Thoughts: This is a story rivaling many classics in size (it's huge) and content. A heartbreaking story of divorce and family issues seen through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy, Brave Story packs a punch. Masterfully told, we follow Wataru through his real-world troubles and his Vision-world troubles as he searches for a way to fix his broken family and make sense of his life. The world-building was a little shaky but the characters are great and the story keeps you pretty entertained despite being so big. It's moving and gripping with a culmination that places it with the classics. 

Content: There are some dark moments, magic, and a few mature plots lines like Wataru's father was cheating on his mom, but it is all told through a twelve-year old's point of view so it remains pretty clean. Overall, good for middle-grade and older.  

Furthermore

Summary: Born as blank as canvas in a world brimming with colour and magic, Alice's pale skin and milk-white hair mark her as an outcast. Because, for the people of Ferenwood, colour and magic are one and the same. And since the disappearance of her beloved father, Alice is more determined than ever to prove herself and her own magical abilities.

To do so she'll have to travel into the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, with the help of a fiercely annoying boy named Oliver. But nothing in Furthermore is as it seems, and it will take all of Alice's wits to find her father and return him safely home.

Thoughts: Aaaaand here we are with another Alice in Wonderland retelling, the last for a bit, promise. But I wasn't kidding when I said I like retellings and Furthermore delivers with an especially unique twist in that it has absolutely nothing to do with our world. Even the world Alice originates from is new and interesting. The double-sided world-building was fascinating as well as the intriguing plot that constantly has you wondering what's around every plot twist. Furthermore offers a whole other look into the mysteries of Wonderland and, despite being a retelling, is interestingly original. 

Content: Magic and some mildly creepy scenes. Otherwise, good for all ages!

Happy New Year!

Hope you all are ready for 2021! I know I am, lots of big developments to happen this year, particularly a  brand new to-be-read list. Brace yourselves!