He is merely a man. A mortal vessel. And those easily die.
Moonscript
by H. S. J. Williams
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
About: Seventy years ago a young elf prince ventured into a human town, curious, and looking for adventure. He never returned. Thought to be dead by his people, Errance has been trapped in Darkness and tormented beyond recognition. But an unlikely saviour is coming for him. Tellie might be human, she might be an orphan, and she might not fully understand the significance of the moon medallion she comes across, but she's about to be given a task even her wildest dreams couldn't make up.
The Good
There are some really beautiful descriptions and fantastical ideas in this novel. It's very reminiscent of C. S. Lewis or Michael Ende in the sense of adventure and the religious goodness that's poured into the prose. We get a lot of dream sequences that are actually interesting to read as they aren't strictly just dreams and I liked that blurring of the realities. The characters are sweet and it was all too easy to get swept away into this world of mystical beings and the quest to save a prince. A novel should transport you and this one does.
The Bad
The stakes in this novel are often brought down by the lack of consequences and character reactions to events. For example, when Tellie is captured by The Darkness and rotting away in a cell, possibly awaiting torture or death, she is incensed not by the situation but by hearing swear words. Or when asked how the journey has been so far, Kelm answers that it's been super exciting and wonderous. These things really lower the stakes as it makes it feel as though being captured or chased by murderers and servants of His Darkness, doesn't actually matter. They really don't experience any suffering, at least not what you would expect them to have to deal with given how many times they are captured or in dangerous situations. So while characters might feel fear from time to time, they are too protected for the reader to fear for them.
The Somewhat Iffy
There's a lot of head hopping so we get to experience pretty much what every character is feeling and that can take away the mystery sometimes. There was also a sense of wrapping up character emotions a little too cleanly. Everyone was being partnered up by the end of the novel and the set up leading to these couplings felt a little forced, or I suppose left no room for it to be any other way so there were no surprises.
Overall
Being Middle Grade, there is a definite wholesomeness to the characters and the adventure is more of an emotional journey than one of true peril. It's a beautiful world and a nod to the more traditional fantasy novels of the past.
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