Moony Moon

If I could, I'd rate this book at a 3.5/5 stars, but I rated it 3 instead. The pacing and writing style in the book are well written, and I could hardly put it down for the last half of the book. There were a lot of plot twists at the end, and I was almost entirely certain it was a completely different character than the one that was revealed to be. That being said, there was no clear motive for that character. It was brief, and hinted at the abuse that the character had gotten. The only thing that could really point to it was a description of bruises on the wrists. Even with the brief explanation at the end, it didn't work well with the story. The main character? I couldn't click with. I couldn't click with any of the characters really. She had a simple backstory, simple motives, and there was no character growth whatsoever. Apparently, this book is somewhat loosely based off/inspired from "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James. I haven't read it or any of his works, so I can't saw whether it was reminiscent of his style or not. Overall, the plot is interesting, but nothing in the book clicked with me. I know this is picky of me to say, but I at least hoped that this book had a theme, although to be fair, lots of modern books don't have themes. It has no worth to me whatsoever. However, if you're not like me (who needs some literary or philosophical value in writing), I do recommend reading it. I hardly read thrillers but the writing style pulled me in. The only criticism I have of the plot is how some of it was ridiculously cliche and how some details were completely left out of the explanation. But it was interesting and fun nonetheless.

The romance was way too cliche and was boring to read through. The ending was unrealistic in terms of the story, and the magic at the end also broke the power ceiling. Authors should know to set up what should be possible in the magic realm early in the story. The subjects of rape, oppression, and other progressive feminist topics were actually handled pretty well. Not the best but better than how other YA novels tend to handle it. I would assume they go much more in depth within the second novel, but I have no interest in reading it when the plot is so boringly average.

(whoops long review incoming) 784 pages. First and utterly foremost, it seems like way too much for the average reader to absorb. Many people who even think of that many pages would want to put it down or wouldn't even glance twice at this novel. But as somebody who has plenty of time and is a complete bibliophile, I can see why there are so many pages in this book. Details. It's all in the details. The length of the book may be too long for some people, but it's all in every tiny moment that was written in it. It was not meant to be read passively and quickly as so many people want to read books. It was the partial history of his life. Just like every book that you will read. And if you took your year and condensed it into a novel, you would make it about the big things that happened. But a year of your life has little things too. It has many moments that you may forget but that shape the way that you are. The details are how the author created such a tantalizing world for the character to roam and grow in. Besides that, I have skimmed over several reviews and noted that a lot of them claim that this book may be "too depressing" for them or otherwise. The thing is, Theo lost his mother when he was thirteen. And he clearly loved her more than he loved himself. He claimed--page two of the book, also in the movie trailer and movie--that "when I lost her I lost sight of any landmark that might have led me someplace happier". His life plummeted into wreckage the moment that his mother died. And he remembered it all so visibly. Besides, who was he going to turn to? His father was a drunkard. His father's girlfriend owned drugs. The only friend that he had in Vegas was Boris, who's father was also a drug/alcohol addict. For those of you upset about the depressing scenes and the "overuse" of alcohol/drug scenes, you need to realize this: the children of drug and alcohol addicts are much, much more susceptible to being drug and alcohol addicts themselves. Sometimes it is how they needed to escape. And it's nowhere near a good thing, but it makes sense in terms of how this book was written. In many ways, the book needed to be written in a "depressing" way. Because much of your personality is shaped when you are young, and something traumatic can destroy you rather quickly. Another thing about the details: there's a lot of symbolism for this complex plot. The goldfinch painting itself represented hope. As Hobie explains, it was something that survived from generation after generation through a series of miracles. It was the light that couldn't be kept in the darkness. And birds themselves represent hopes and dreams and freedom and all of those lovely, feathered things in so many ways. The painting was the only thing that reminded Theo of his mother. And I don't think that he was able to truly get over her death until it was safe and sound in another museum. The symbolism may be complicated sometimes, but it contributed beautifully to the story. Yes, the book could've been more concise. Yes, it might've been more impactful that way. Yes, it is not the best book or plot in the world. But I just think that people should look at the details of their own lives and the details of other's lives better. Whether it's through a book or another impactful thing. And you may not believe me. You may still hate the book or not even bother to read it--it's your opinion really. I'm just one person with a big passion for books. But you should attempt to look at the little things in your life a little better. And I think Donna Tartt captured that beauty in such a dazzling light. (Thank you for reading this entire review, I know it's kind of long and a bit offtopic, have a nice day to all that may be reading this.)