From an award-winning author and master of world building comes a future fueled by greed and corruption, where airships rule the skies and coal mines have been turned into prisons… carefully built walls threaten to crumble.
After being rescued by an airship full of pirates, led by the sexy and irresistible Asher Kimura, Scarlett finds herself surrounded by cons and fugitives, and thrust into the middle of a coal-smuggling business. When they take her to Columbus, the one place she never wanted to set foot in again, she wants nothing more than to get away. And her discomfort only grows as she becomes increasingly drawn to Asher.
But everything changes when she discovers there may be a way to rescue Rory. Enlisting the pirates’ help, Scarlett sets out on a mission to save her friend, praying that her overwhelming attraction to Asher doesn’t mean the end to her freedom—in more ways than one.
The past meets the future in this post-apocalyptic dystopian novel readers are calling “unlike anything I’ve read” and a “much needed breath of fresh air.” Award-winning author Kate L. Mary has created “yet another post apocalyptic world in which to immerse ourselves” with Moonchild, which is sure to suck you in with “its captivating setting, riveting plot, and heart-pounding action.”
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Moonchild (Moonchild, #1) was a good read by Kate L. Mary. Scarlett Moon has only one goal, it’s to survive. The world is now fueled by greed and corruption. The coal mines have been turned into prisons. All Scarlett’s carefully built walls are threatened to crumble when her best friend Rory is arrested and returned to the mines. Scarlett is rescued by an airship full of pirates led by Asher Kimura. Scarlett finds herself surrounded by cons and fugitives. She is uncomfortable with her surroundings as they head to Columus. She also finds herself drawn to Asher. She comes up with a way that she could possibly rescue Rory, with the help of Asher. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.
Good narration. She does a great job with all the character’s voices, and she gives a quality performance and quality recording.
Entertaining and interesting story! Fun ideas and premise. There’s a little bit of that steampunk type style; airships and such, I actually would’ve like more of those elements, but still an interesting sort of apocalyptic world. Not a fan of most, if not all of Kate L. Mary’s books dealing with disgusting, sexually deviant men, but it is satisfying that those idiots mostly get what they deserve. Loved Scarlett ability to kick butt; not into her wearing a skimpy skirt all the time when she knows she’ll be fighting, and she is a bit of a brat, but I liked her overall. She’s ruled by her emotions, but I enjoy her tough attitude. She’s had a tough life; parents died, orphan, living on the streets, and dealing with gross men trying to abuse her, so she finds it tough to trust. When Scarlett and her crew get into some trouble, sort of pirate, Asher, and his crew save Scarlett and her crew. Unfortunately, one of Scarlett’s friends gets taken; the friend is in major danger, so Scarlett is forced to trust on the help from Asher and his crew to save her. Lots of corruption, greed, and disgusting people causing problems. The romance was too high school for me; not into the whole annoying long-term ex-girlfriend being a part of the story. I do like the chemistry between Scarlett and Asher though; there’s just a lot of push back from Scarlett because she thinks she doesn’t want a true, loving relationship. It gets annoying, but I’d be wary too with how close Asher and Paget were. Asher and Paget’s past and current relationship is a lot to deal with. Plus, Asher has that whole I’m charming and flirt with all the ladies type of personality, which isn’t an ideal for a future boyfriend. Overall, I found the story interesting and fun!
Scarlett’s goal is to survive. After escaping from the coal mine where she was a prisoner, she learned that looking out for herself was her best chance to stay free. Somewhere down the line, she ended up banded to a group of outcasts like herself. When her best friend is kidnapped, Rory winds up on a mission to save not only herself but her group of friends from certain doom.
Kate L. Mary has a way of weaving suspense into her dystopia tales, of creating characters that you want to root for, and writing twists that leave you on the edge of your seat. This was an interesting mix of steampunk and dystopia. While I don’t read a lot of steampunk, I have read some, and I loved the way the author was able to mix those vibes well with dystopia to give an almost but not quite apocalyptic feel to the story.
Scarlett had a very down to Earth personality, and I loved the way the author surrounded her with secondary characters who are all wild contrasts of that. Some are bubbly, some are flirty, but all of them are loyal. Every time a new character was introduced, I loved to see the way they were effortlessly found their place in the story.
The narrator did a great job. Her tone was even and calm though in the dialogue she did a wonderful job of expressing emotions. Entertaining performance overall.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Moonchild by Kate L. Mary and narrated by Heidi Drennan is a marvelous steampunk adventure! If you are into steampunk, pirates, post-apocalyptic worlds, or strong female leads, I can’t recommend this book enough. I hesitate to say this is for young adults only as it contains adult/darker themes.
What to expect: After Scarlett’s parents died, she was put to work in the mines. She managed to escape and has been on the run since with her friends. Unfortunately, being on the run comes with it’s own downfalls. One night, Rory is taken by the enforcers while they are out scavenging, from there Scarlett’s adventure to rescue her begins. Enter the pirates (some good, some bad) and Asher, a potential love interest that has Scarlett second guessing her ways. This book is a go-go-go story. Lots of action, mysteries (some to be unraveled in future installments), a love story sprouting, and great character development (even the minor characters).
The narrator, Heidi Drennan, did an excellent job with this. Voices are distinct and easy to listen to.
Overall, I recommend- I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to Scarlett’s story unfolding. Kate has a gift for world building, smooth writing, and portraying strong female characters. I would love to see this story turned into a TV series.
Parental guidance/trigger warnings: death of parents (multiple characters), unwanted child (one character who is an adult now), prostitution of females (sex slaves or like situations) by powerful males, death, weapons such as throwing stars, attempted rape when drinking, child pit fighting to death, drugging of a male.
*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
Audiobook review: Who wouldn’t love dystopian pirates!?! I found the Moonchild world and characters fascinating, interesting, and exciting. I was pulled into this world and enjoyed the ride as it lasted. The lead couple Asher and Scarlett battle it out with sex trade sellers while being tempted by their attraction for one another. This was my first steampunk dystopian story and I look forward to more from this genre. The narrator did a good job with providing unique voices for each character and appropriate tone inflections for each scene! I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.