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Plenilune
The fate of Plenilune hangs on the election of the Overlord, for which Rupert de la Mare and his brother are the only contenders, but when Rupert’s unwilling bride-to-be uncovers his plot to murder his brother, the conflict explodes into civil war.
To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her.
En route to Naples to catch a suitor, Margaret Coventry was not expecting a suitor to catch her.
To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her.
En route to Naples to catch a suitor, Margaret Coventry was not expecting a suitor to catch her.
668 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2014
3 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Freitag
2 books62 followersJennifer Freitag is an author of young adult historical fiction (THE SHADOW THINGS) and fantasy (PLENILUNE). THE SHADOW THINGS and PLENILUNE are available through Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 17, 2015
Even if I didn't like the book as a whole, I will always turn to the chapter, The Red King, for a magnificent reference on how to write a spine-chilling, breath-taking duel of fey and incredible power.
REVIEW
In many ways, this book is a gorgeous piece of art and skill. But there are several things from which younger readers should be warned and more mature readers might like to be aware of.
There is no doubt that this writing is spectacular. Jennifer's voice and story is all her own. She masters it, she immerses you right into the world she created. At the same time, the prose takes almost too much pride in itself as it will carry on and on through verbal sparring, court politics, and nightmarish exploring. What I hadn't realized is how big this book is. It requires a patient reader; I am not a patient reader.
When the story first began, I believed it would be a Beauty and the Beast tale, or more like Hades and Persephone. But as the tale progressed, I grew more and more uncomfortable with the idea that I was supposed to end up liking the beast (who purrs everything in the first few chapters). People can repent, yes, but the author was doing a mighty fine job of making me dislike him. Transforming that into admiration would be a mighty task indeed. At one point I could stand it no longer. This guy is awful, truly awful. (The author seems to have intended to make him sympathetic, but that sympathy was lost on me). He couldn't be the true hero of the story.
He wasn't. No, the true hero doesn't even show until a good bite into the book. And WHAT a hero. I don't think I've encountered a hero so fey, so untame. He is noble, self-sacrificing, wonderful...but I beg of you, do NOT get on this boy's bad side. It gets ugly. For a hero he could be shockingly ruthless. It was kind of cool to see evil really get what it deserve, but also a bit unsettling at points.
Violence: As a matter of fact, the ruthlessness of all the violence should make the reader pause. There is quite a bit of battle and confrontations, and the ease and near pleasure with which our hero and heroine dispatch foes is somewhat disturbing, especially the murder of an individual for whom I never worked up passionate hatred, as the author seemed to intend.
Sexual: The kidnapper of our heroine has a strange sense of honor that doesn't allow him to force her into his bed, but he has no problem forcibly kissing her, or abusing her in other physical and psychological ways. There is also a strong sexual comment, startling in its bluntness. A disgusting sexual war crime is discussed, which contributed nothing to the plot. Probably most bothersome of all, the heroine seduces a man in order to kill him.
Language: Foul mouths grow stronger and more frequent throughout the book. Ba----d, b---h, d--m, and more easily roll off character's tongues.
Magic: The magic gleamed unique and fascinating. There are spells, but if you don't have a problem with Tolkien or Lewis, I doubt you'll have a problem with this.
Spiritual: Jennifer Freitag is a Christian. This world is obviously connected to ours, with the same God. There is clearly a heaven and hell. Yet there is a surprising lack of faith. While the faultiness of our heroes is both realistic and compelling, the lack of remorse or conviction struck me odd.
A mature reader or writer seeking to expand their horizons in powerful writing, fantastic worlds, and original characters will find much to learn. And I did. I was also disappointed. I guess I expected better content from this author. I've read mature and grim books before, probably more mature than this at times, but they generally sent me soaring on the wings of inspiration. This one left me rather dull.
REVIEW
In many ways, this book is a gorgeous piece of art and skill. But there are several things from which younger readers should be warned and more mature readers might like to be aware of.
There is no doubt that this writing is spectacular. Jennifer's voice and story is all her own. She masters it, she immerses you right into the world she created. At the same time, the prose takes almost too much pride in itself as it will carry on and on through verbal sparring, court politics, and nightmarish exploring. What I hadn't realized is how big this book is. It requires a patient reader; I am not a patient reader.
When the story first began, I believed it would be a Beauty and the Beast tale, or more like Hades and Persephone. But as the tale progressed, I grew more and more uncomfortable with the idea that I was supposed to end up liking the beast (who purrs everything in the first few chapters). People can repent, yes, but the author was doing a mighty fine job of making me dislike him. Transforming that into admiration would be a mighty task indeed. At one point I could stand it no longer. This guy is awful, truly awful. (The author seems to have intended to make him sympathetic, but that sympathy was lost on me). He couldn't be the true hero of the story.
He wasn't. No, the true hero doesn't even show until a good bite into the book. And WHAT a hero. I don't think I've encountered a hero so fey, so untame. He is noble, self-sacrificing, wonderful...but I beg of you, do NOT get on this boy's bad side. It gets ugly. For a hero he could be shockingly ruthless. It was kind of cool to see evil really get what it deserve, but also a bit unsettling at points.
Violence: As a matter of fact, the ruthlessness of all the violence should make the reader pause. There is quite a bit of battle and confrontations, and the ease and near pleasure with which our hero and heroine dispatch foes is somewhat disturbing, especially the murder of an individual for whom I never worked up passionate hatred, as the author seemed to intend.
Sexual: The kidnapper of our heroine has a strange sense of honor that doesn't allow him to force her into his bed, but he has no problem forcibly kissing her, or abusing her in other physical and psychological ways. There is also a strong sexual comment, startling in its bluntness. A disgusting sexual war crime is discussed, which contributed nothing to the plot. Probably most bothersome of all, the heroine seduces a man in order to kill him.
Language: Foul mouths grow stronger and more frequent throughout the book. Ba----d, b---h, d--m, and more easily roll off character's tongues.
Magic: The magic gleamed unique and fascinating. There are spells, but if you don't have a problem with Tolkien or Lewis, I doubt you'll have a problem with this.
Spiritual: Jennifer Freitag is a Christian. This world is obviously connected to ours, with the same God. There is clearly a heaven and hell. Yet there is a surprising lack of faith. While the faultiness of our heroes is both realistic and compelling, the lack of remorse or conviction struck me odd.
A mature reader or writer seeking to expand their horizons in powerful writing, fantastic worlds, and original characters will find much to learn. And I did. I was also disappointed. I guess I expected better content from this author. I've read mature and grim books before, probably more mature than this at times, but they generally sent me soaring on the wings of inspiration. This one left me rather dull.
February 10, 2017
Additional thoughts added following re-reading.
This one's going to shake a few pillars in the literary world, I think.
Plenilune is a difficult book to review, perhaps in part because it's unlike anything else I've read. Nothing I've tried to write about it quite captures what it was like to read it. To say it's a fantasy about a resilient heroine whisked out of Victorian England into another world, where she becomes a pawn in the power-struggle for a kingdom, is only to scratch the surface. It's a story of great depth and sweep, couched in stunningly gilded, forceful prose—Freitag's style is one of the best things about the book, but the deeply explored characters and the world they inhabit are worthy of the presentation.
One rather surprising, but surprisingly satisfactory thing about Margaret as heroine is that she doesn't instantly demand to know where she is and what's going on, but keeps her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open and takes things in for herself. Sometimes this is frustrating—on a second read, I found it more and more hard to believe that Margaret wouldn't confide her predicament to some of the obviously decent people she encounters. But the benefit is that we aren't landed with chunks of explanation and exposition right up front; we gradually learn about the rich, grand, medieval-esque world of Plenilune along with Margaret. Another thing I liked was that unlike some fantasies, the names in this book are not tongue-twisting imaginary concoctions of consonants, but have a classical feel, evoking names and places in Earth's history and literature. And the fox—the fox is a simply brilliant character. I loved the skillful way Freitag endows him with a human personality, yet expresses it through spot-on descriptions of an animal's mannerisms. To say more about him would be spoiling the plot, but you'll love the fox.
Were there flaws? Yes. In a few places I felt the prose became a little too intricate for its own good, straining a metaphor or piling more ornate imagery on top of itself where it would have been better to pull back for a respite. Also, the violence in some of the battle scenes came close to crossing a line for me—I'm usually not too sensitive to violence in books, but I had to skim a little in chapter 28. (In fact, the way the first part of that chapter was written was jarring and bizarre enough that it took me a while to decide whether this was a nightmare sequence or whether it was actually happening in the story.) Some mature topics are touched upon and an occasional strong word is used (though not what we would call four-letter words). In consequence of those elements, it may not be every reader's cup of tea. This is fantasy for grown-ups, speaking both plainly and positively. Plenilune is a world of high stakes, hard knocks and strong passions—enter ye who dare.
I initially gave Plenilune a five-star rating for the sheer enjoyment of the reading experience. After re-reading and some time to think about it, I have to take it down to four for a couple of reasons: the violence/content touched on the previous paragraph, and also the fact that I find Margaret's actions at the climax to be morally murky. I don't feel qualified to outright condemn their use as a plot device, but I can't outright justify them either. The final chapter, right down to the closing line, is delightful, and the plot is resolved to everyone's satisfaction; yet at this moment in time I'm not wholly satisfied with the means.
[I had the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication while employed in formatting the ebook edition. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review; all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.]
This one's going to shake a few pillars in the literary world, I think.
Plenilune is a difficult book to review, perhaps in part because it's unlike anything else I've read. Nothing I've tried to write about it quite captures what it was like to read it. To say it's a fantasy about a resilient heroine whisked out of Victorian England into another world, where she becomes a pawn in the power-struggle for a kingdom, is only to scratch the surface. It's a story of great depth and sweep, couched in stunningly gilded, forceful prose—Freitag's style is one of the best things about the book, but the deeply explored characters and the world they inhabit are worthy of the presentation.
One rather surprising, but surprisingly satisfactory thing about Margaret as heroine is that she doesn't instantly demand to know where she is and what's going on, but keeps her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open and takes things in for herself. Sometimes this is frustrating—on a second read, I found it more and more hard to believe that Margaret wouldn't confide her predicament to some of the obviously decent people she encounters. But the benefit is that we aren't landed with chunks of explanation and exposition right up front; we gradually learn about the rich, grand, medieval-esque world of Plenilune along with Margaret. Another thing I liked was that unlike some fantasies, the names in this book are not tongue-twisting imaginary concoctions of consonants, but have a classical feel, evoking names and places in Earth's history and literature. And the fox—the fox is a simply brilliant character. I loved the skillful way Freitag endows him with a human personality, yet expresses it through spot-on descriptions of an animal's mannerisms. To say more about him would be spoiling the plot, but you'll love the fox.
Were there flaws? Yes. In a few places I felt the prose became a little too intricate for its own good, straining a metaphor or piling more ornate imagery on top of itself where it would have been better to pull back for a respite. Also, the violence in some of the battle scenes came close to crossing a line for me—I'm usually not too sensitive to violence in books, but I had to skim a little in chapter 28. (In fact, the way the first part of that chapter was written was jarring and bizarre enough that it took me a while to decide whether this was a nightmare sequence or whether it was actually happening in the story.) Some mature topics are touched upon and an occasional strong word is used (though not what we would call four-letter words). In consequence of those elements, it may not be every reader's cup of tea. This is fantasy for grown-ups, speaking both plainly and positively. Plenilune is a world of high stakes, hard knocks and strong passions—enter ye who dare.
I initially gave Plenilune a five-star rating for the sheer enjoyment of the reading experience. After re-reading and some time to think about it, I have to take it down to four for a couple of reasons: the violence/content touched on the previous paragraph, and also the fact that I find Margaret's actions at the climax to be morally murky. I don't feel qualified to outright condemn their use as a plot device, but I can't outright justify them either. The final chapter, right down to the closing line, is delightful, and the plot is resolved to everyone's satisfaction; yet at this moment in time I'm not wholly satisfied with the means.
[I had the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication while employed in formatting the ebook edition. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review; all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.]
November 26, 2021
I sat down to a feast, and it was glorious.
October 6, 2014
Margaret Coventry is already on the train that will carry her away from family disgrace and England, to Naples and her last hopes for a respectable match, when she is kidnapped by Rupert de la Mare, the Overlord-in-waiting to Plenilune, who is under instructions from the lord electors of Plenilune to demonstrate a capacity for humanity by winning a wife...
Trapped on a strange planet in a house of secrets by a man she can neither thwart nor escape, the three chief weapons of Margaret Coventry, pawn, are these: the memory of a burned book, a fox, and a map.
In the great game for the fate of Plenilune, Margaret Coventry is about to become a queen.
I can’t tell you whether Jennifer Freitag’s Plenilune is a great book. All I can tell you is that I liked it better than any other book I can remember having read for quite a number of years, that there were passages where I more or less forgot to breathe, and that one day I hope to be able to create something like the literary fireworks Jennifer Freitag sets off in every other line of her writing.
Full review now available on my blog, Vintage Novels.
Trapped on a strange planet in a house of secrets by a man she can neither thwart nor escape, the three chief weapons of Margaret Coventry, pawn, are these: the memory of a burned book, a fox, and a map.
In the great game for the fate of Plenilune, Margaret Coventry is about to become a queen.
I can’t tell you whether Jennifer Freitag’s Plenilune is a great book. All I can tell you is that I liked it better than any other book I can remember having read for quite a number of years, that there were passages where I more or less forgot to breathe, and that one day I hope to be able to create something like the literary fireworks Jennifer Freitag sets off in every other line of her writing.
Full review now available on my blog, Vintage Novels.
December 30, 2014
I came to this novel with high expectations. I enjoyed The Shadow Things and I also read this author's blog. There's been a lot of positive chatter about Plenilune from some of my favourite bloggers. Since I have actually never spent money on an ebook before, and never bought a title directly from an indie author, Plenilune marked several firsts for me, and I really, really wanted to love it.
First, the good things. I find Freitag to be a talented craftsman of heady, original prose that is angular, sensuous and striking. If I had to use one word to describe her writing, it would be "fearless". She writes particularly well about horses, and wrote what is probably the only hunting scene in literature I have ever found interesting - quite a feat, since I am an inveterate consumer of Victorian novels. And I'm in awe of her battle scenes.
Also, this was definitely a page-turner. Even though I was maddened by delays and red herrings in the story, I never wanted to give up. I wanted desperately to know how on earth (or moon) this whole epic thing was going to resolve. I was never going to put this one down.
Now, the not so good. I was disappointed. I think there are real shortcomings to the book. Before I scrooge on about them (one of my writer friends recently called me a literary Simon Cowell), I want to say this:
If you would enjoy a mash up of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell and the Thor films, with a brooding Wuthering Heights atmosphere and a lot of dresses, horses, hunting and violent battles between masterful men over a defiant anti-heroine and an alien planet, you will love it.
If you are not saying, "where do I pay my money?" after that description, then read on.
Plot problems:
- The heroine never asks obvious questions. I realise from other reviews that some people liked this, but I was not one of them. It really distanced me from the heroine. If she wants to escape her abductor, she needs to get practical/curious about some major details, or she loses my sympathy and respect. If she doesn't want to escape her abductor, then ditto.
- The heroine never asks for help or appeals to law. This one dovetails with other problems I had. Early on in her abduction, Margaret runs into honorable men who presumably could/should help her. Now if Margaret was really a Victorian Englishwoman, she would expect to be able to appeal to a gentleman's obligation to protect her from unlawful captivity and possible seduction/rape/forced marriage. Since Plenilune seems to operate in a generally patriarchal way, the failure of these men to make any attempt to help her also weakened their characters (Skandar, I'm looking at you!) and the whole civilization. We're told that these guys are men of action, but then they wait around and do nothing. Which brings me to...
- The author reveals the book's best character 200 pages in. At this point, finally, we have someone man enough to grab Margaret's hand and run. At great personal risk, when he is vulnerable. Let me say, Freitag has excelled herself here. This revelation made my spirits soar. This character sings with poetry, fire, mirth - he's Peter Pan, Lord Wimsey, and Shakespeare 's Henry V all rolled into one. He is not safe, he is AWESOME. Who makes characters like this anymore?? And suddenly I know why the first 200 pages feel like Margaret is treading water -- but I don't have to think this was a good choice on the author's part.
Ethical and theological problems:
- The absence of justice/sphere sovereignty/law in Plenilune, which is intended to be a civilization. This is a culture that has churches and bible commentaries, but seemingly no legal system. For instance, a warlord verbally dissolves someone else's marriage on the spot, with no legal framework, no consulting of the parties involved. On balance, his act is positive in the context, but the ends don't justify the means and in practice there's a word for this kind of absolute authority: TYRANNY. Murders, murder attempts (apart from war), kidnapping and dark sorcery occur frequently with no apparent fear of or concealment from law. The Honours (feudalistic warlords) take counsel together, but there is no reference to a law code or ethical framework which governs or influences their decisions. Plenilune would simply not be the place of beauty, honour, courage and courtesy that it is painted to be without a Christian system of laws to restrain evil and limit power.
- The absence of repentance/forgiveness/healing on part of heroine. Margaret constantly hates, resents and despises other characters. Fine, but I'm waiting for the part when she reflects on the darkness in her own soul. She unquestioningly sees herself as the heroine, the underdog, and Freitag seems to expect us to accept this. I'd like to see Margaret's journey to humility. That's where real strength is found.
- The ending. I'll try to be somewhat vague here.
Finally, several other Christian reviewers have warned of gratuitous content. Living in Australia, I forget that America Christians are more sensitive to rough language. No one here seems to notice words like 'damn' and 'bastard'. So this didn't bother me. What did indeed bother me though was a completely unnecessary reference to a certain repellant and violent sexual practice, which makes the book undesirable reading for those fortunate people who have made it this far without knowing it exists. I simply can't see a reason to include this. I should note that Freitag is discreet and restrained in her choice of words, and that this occurs 'offscreen'. But it it is clear what has happened. I do think there is a time to confront darkness and perversion in literature, but this unnecessary segment pulled me right out of the novel and seemed to add nothing to it. It hung lifelessly off the spine of the novel (a bit like this sentence, really!).
Finally, this is planetary fantasy and a big part of success in these fantastic genres is if the author's world convinces us. Here's a quote from Douglas Wilson which explains what I mean:
"Hack writers do not sub-create a world; they simply rearrange furniture in a glibly assumed (and largely unexamined) prefab world. If necessary, they make it an ‘other world’ fantasy by having two moons in the sky or by naming their protagonist something like Shambilar. But this is just moving things around on the surface. There is no deep structure to it — the author is not exercising enough authority. He is being too timid. There is not enough deep structure because there is not enough deep imitation” (From The Romantic Rationalist, pp. 76-77).
The areas of sub-creation where Freitag really excelled were where her interests were deep and authoritative (horses, hawks, hunting, gowns, lovers, friendship, war, battle scenes), and the weak areas where she seemed the least interested in details (space science, servants, Victorian modes of speech, industrialization, food, law).
I do NOT think Freitag is a hack writer. I think she is a fearless, gifted artist whom I imagine would make a formidable friend or foe. But I would wish to see her exercise even more authority over her world. She has the boldness and imagination to do so to the moon and back.
It was extremely hard to give this a star rating. I had to give at least three for the artistry that went into making this novel, but I couldn't go further because of my concerns about the ethical/theological problems.
First, the good things. I find Freitag to be a talented craftsman of heady, original prose that is angular, sensuous and striking. If I had to use one word to describe her writing, it would be "fearless". She writes particularly well about horses, and wrote what is probably the only hunting scene in literature I have ever found interesting - quite a feat, since I am an inveterate consumer of Victorian novels. And I'm in awe of her battle scenes.
Also, this was definitely a page-turner. Even though I was maddened by delays and red herrings in the story, I never wanted to give up. I wanted desperately to know how on earth (or moon) this whole epic thing was going to resolve. I was never going to put this one down.
Now, the not so good. I was disappointed. I think there are real shortcomings to the book. Before I scrooge on about them (one of my writer friends recently called me a literary Simon Cowell), I want to say this:
If you would enjoy a mash up of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell and the Thor films, with a brooding Wuthering Heights atmosphere and a lot of dresses, horses, hunting and violent battles between masterful men over a defiant anti-heroine and an alien planet, you will love it.
If you are not saying, "where do I pay my money?" after that description, then read on.
Plot problems:
- The heroine never asks obvious questions. I realise from other reviews that some people liked this, but I was not one of them. It really distanced me from the heroine. If she wants to escape her abductor, she needs to get practical/curious about some major details, or she loses my sympathy and respect. If she doesn't want to escape her abductor, then ditto.
- The heroine never asks for help or appeals to law. This one dovetails with other problems I had. Early on in her abduction, Margaret runs into honorable men who presumably could/should help her. Now if Margaret was really a Victorian Englishwoman, she would expect to be able to appeal to a gentleman's obligation to protect her from unlawful captivity and possible seduction/rape/forced marriage. Since Plenilune seems to operate in a generally patriarchal way, the failure of these men to make any attempt to help her also weakened their characters (Skandar, I'm looking at you!) and the whole civilization. We're told that these guys are men of action, but then they wait around and do nothing. Which brings me to...
- The author reveals the book's best character 200 pages in. At this point, finally, we have someone man enough to grab Margaret's hand and run. At great personal risk, when he is vulnerable. Let me say, Freitag has excelled herself here. This revelation made my spirits soar. This character sings with poetry, fire, mirth - he's Peter Pan, Lord Wimsey, and Shakespeare 's Henry V all rolled into one. He is not safe, he is AWESOME. Who makes characters like this anymore?? And suddenly I know why the first 200 pages feel like Margaret is treading water -- but I don't have to think this was a good choice on the author's part.
Ethical and theological problems:
- The absence of justice/sphere sovereignty/law in Plenilune, which is intended to be a civilization. This is a culture that has churches and bible commentaries, but seemingly no legal system. For instance, a warlord verbally dissolves someone else's marriage on the spot, with no legal framework, no consulting of the parties involved. On balance, his act is positive in the context, but the ends don't justify the means and in practice there's a word for this kind of absolute authority: TYRANNY. Murders, murder attempts (apart from war), kidnapping and dark sorcery occur frequently with no apparent fear of or concealment from law. The Honours (feudalistic warlords) take counsel together, but there is no reference to a law code or ethical framework which governs or influences their decisions. Plenilune would simply not be the place of beauty, honour, courage and courtesy that it is painted to be without a Christian system of laws to restrain evil and limit power.
- The absence of repentance/forgiveness/healing on part of heroine. Margaret constantly hates, resents and despises other characters. Fine, but I'm waiting for the part when she reflects on the darkness in her own soul. She unquestioningly sees herself as the heroine, the underdog, and Freitag seems to expect us to accept this. I'd like to see Margaret's journey to humility. That's where real strength is found.
- The ending. I'll try to be somewhat vague here.
Finally, several other Christian reviewers have warned of gratuitous content. Living in Australia, I forget that America Christians are more sensitive to rough language. No one here seems to notice words like 'damn' and 'bastard'. So this didn't bother me. What did indeed bother me though was a completely unnecessary reference to a certain repellant and violent sexual practice, which makes the book undesirable reading for those fortunate people who have made it this far without knowing it exists. I simply can't see a reason to include this. I should note that Freitag is discreet and restrained in her choice of words, and that this occurs 'offscreen'. But it it is clear what has happened. I do think there is a time to confront darkness and perversion in literature, but this unnecessary segment pulled me right out of the novel and seemed to add nothing to it. It hung lifelessly off the spine of the novel (a bit like this sentence, really!).
Finally, this is planetary fantasy and a big part of success in these fantastic genres is if the author's world convinces us. Here's a quote from Douglas Wilson which explains what I mean:
"Hack writers do not sub-create a world; they simply rearrange furniture in a glibly assumed (and largely unexamined) prefab world. If necessary, they make it an ‘other world’ fantasy by having two moons in the sky or by naming their protagonist something like Shambilar. But this is just moving things around on the surface. There is no deep structure to it — the author is not exercising enough authority. He is being too timid. There is not enough deep structure because there is not enough deep imitation” (From The Romantic Rationalist, pp. 76-77).
The areas of sub-creation where Freitag really excelled were where her interests were deep and authoritative (horses, hawks, hunting, gowns, lovers, friendship, war, battle scenes), and the weak areas where she seemed the least interested in details (space science, servants, Victorian modes of speech, industrialization, food, law).
I do NOT think Freitag is a hack writer. I think she is a fearless, gifted artist whom I imagine would make a formidable friend or foe. But I would wish to see her exercise even more authority over her world. She has the boldness and imagination to do so to the moon and back.
It was extremely hard to give this a star rating. I had to give at least three for the artistry that went into making this novel, but I couldn't go further because of my concerns about the ethical/theological problems.
September 17, 2024
I entered this novel having read Freitag's debut work The Shadow Things and come away generally unimpressed. All in all, I confess to not being engaged by her first novel enough to read it over again, but her online writing presence had potential, and I was interested to see what else she could do.
Plenilune is vast. It is complex (at times laboriously so), and certainly an undertaking to read, though at times a rewarding one. Overall, I put down Plenilune with a much greater satisfaction than Freitag's previous work - though not without many disappointments.
Freitag's writing voice is rich with stylism and imagery, and she offers her readership some artful and imaginative moments. Unfortunately, her laborious amount of detail also weighs down the work, and is heavily slathered not only over charming moments, but also depictions of brutality and violence. It feels clear Freitag prides herself on conjuring unique descriptors (i.e., referring to a character's "sloe-berry eyes"); however, she repeats descriptors without restraint, and they quickly become jarring and repetitive. Because her unique phrases cannot be read without standing out, they interrupt the flow of the book, marking each of the author's attempts to yet again slap you in the face with her brilliant creativity.
If you consider “damn” and "bastard" to be strong language, give the book a few points in that category. Insults are regularly hurled when tempers are high (they often are), and also during a battle scene or two (or seven), which you are likely to want to skip anyway if you have sensitive eyes, as the violence is vivid and brutal. No joke: Freitag clearly enjoys making the reader squirm. Considering she has cited Rosemary Sutcliff as a personal inspiration this should perhaps be no surprise, but Freitag's affection for brutality can be a little shocking.
There is some sexual content of which to be aware (unsurprising, considering the book’s premise, although her more conservative Christian audience may find themselves... um… in for a ride). The thought of sharing a bed with her captor crosses Margaret's mind several times, and though for the most part Freitag handles sexual nuances with some delicacy, their heavy presence definitely makes this novel suited to a more mature audience. That being said, while I can handle my fair share of innuendos without blinking, there were two or three I found distasteful, and at least one gratuitous sexual act which is genuinely disturbing and vile. Details in the spoiler below.
I waded through the beginning of the novel thinking we were in a Beauty-and-the-Beast sort of situation, and that I had to hold out for characters to reveal their true natures before I could feel fond of any of them (or, conversely, hate them as they deserved). Turns out, none of the characters are so nuanced. Or particularly nuanced at all. Whoever seems nice is... well, nice (though often lacking any conviction toward what I would call actual goodness, which leant greatly to my initial detachment), and whoever seems bad is exactly that. In hindsight I suppose I was meant to find this straightforwardness refreshing, though in many ways the lack of character complexity felt wildly uncreative. I'll leave it to you to decide how you like it.
Overall, the first half of the book is a decently diverting read, if a bit slow, and is mostly full of characters who, despite general "niceness" to Margaret, are entirely apathetic about her situation. To be fair, Margaret herself seems oddly apathetic about her situation, asks no obvious questions, and seems a little too content to be dragged around and desired after. Around the middle of the book, however, the author finally gives Margaret an actual ally (and, ahem, a little more than that). Though Dammerung himself is not unproblematic by a long shot, Freitag still does an excellent job at giving us a sense of when a hero has arrived. Thanks to his presence, the pulse of the story quickens at last, and we are blessed with roughly a half-dozen chapters of good pacing and charm. If it feels as if you have waited the whole book to actually enjoy it... well, you probably have, but if heartwarming romance is what you've been holding out for, now just might be your chance.
However, the pulse quickened... and thundered... and anticlimaxed. Then did so again. And again. The book really should have finished about eleven chapters from the actual end, after which point it is packed with anticlimax after anticlimax — which is a HUGE deal, considering every chapter is so. incredibly. long. For a more thorough explanation, see the (vague) spoiler below.
Between the boredom and brutality of the book's final (extensive) portion, it was excruciatingly difficult to keep going. However, having enjoyed the middle of the book, I struggled through until the last couple of chapters. I finally reached them, but for me the climax had already come too many times, and should have been done with many thousands of words before.
The last few chapters did draw me back into the story enough to make the ending somewhat satisfying (if, ironically, a bit of a whirlwind). However, I found myself bewildered by the scene wherein the conflict is actually resolved. It was chaotic, random, and ambiguously spiritual, and not only rendered all the battles leading up to it unnecessary, but was, itself, unnecessarily executed—the same end could so easily have been achieved without the overly dramatic means. Because the climax had already mounted so many times, the actual ending seemed brief, lacking in power, and deflating. Not to mention it resulted in a handful of serious moral quandaries related to our remorseless and seemingly faithless heroine, which have been more thoroughly discussed in other reviews.
I found Plenilune to be respectively a three, four, and two-star book. It may be worth having on your shelf, but it is mature, laborious, and often bewildering. That being said, in any book review it is easier to spend time on the negative than the positive, if only because we are trying to expel what is negative from our systems. The positive must be experienced for itself. So, go and experience Plenilune. It will not be for everyone, but it may be for you.
Plenilune is vast. It is complex (at times laboriously so), and certainly an undertaking to read, though at times a rewarding one. Overall, I put down Plenilune with a much greater satisfaction than Freitag's previous work - though not without many disappointments.
Freitag's writing voice is rich with stylism and imagery, and she offers her readership some artful and imaginative moments. Unfortunately, her laborious amount of detail also weighs down the work, and is heavily slathered not only over charming moments, but also depictions of brutality and violence. It feels clear Freitag prides herself on conjuring unique descriptors (i.e., referring to a character's "sloe-berry eyes"); however, she repeats descriptors without restraint, and they quickly become jarring and repetitive. Because her unique phrases cannot be read without standing out, they interrupt the flow of the book, marking each of the author's attempts to yet again slap you in the face with her brilliant creativity.
If you consider “damn” and "bastard" to be strong language, give the book a few points in that category. Insults are regularly hurled when tempers are high (they often are), and also during a battle scene or two (or seven), which you are likely to want to skip anyway if you have sensitive eyes, as the violence is vivid and brutal. No joke: Freitag clearly enjoys making the reader squirm. Considering she has cited Rosemary Sutcliff as a personal inspiration this should perhaps be no surprise, but Freitag's affection for brutality can be a little shocking.
There is some sexual content of which to be aware (unsurprising, considering the book’s premise, although her more conservative Christian audience may find themselves... um… in for a ride). The thought of sharing a bed with her captor crosses Margaret's mind several times, and though for the most part Freitag handles sexual nuances with some delicacy, their heavy presence definitely makes this novel suited to a more mature audience. That being said, while I can handle my fair share of innuendos without blinking, there were two or three I found distasteful, and at least one gratuitous sexual act which is genuinely disturbing and vile. Details in the spoiler below.
I waded through the beginning of the novel thinking we were in a Beauty-and-the-Beast sort of situation, and that I had to hold out for characters to reveal their true natures before I could feel fond of any of them (or, conversely, hate them as they deserved). Turns out, none of the characters are so nuanced. Or particularly nuanced at all. Whoever seems nice is... well, nice (though often lacking any conviction toward what I would call actual goodness, which leant greatly to my initial detachment), and whoever seems bad is exactly that. In hindsight I suppose I was meant to find this straightforwardness refreshing, though in many ways the lack of character complexity felt wildly uncreative. I'll leave it to you to decide how you like it.
Overall, the first half of the book is a decently diverting read, if a bit slow, and is mostly full of characters who, despite general "niceness" to Margaret, are entirely apathetic about her situation. To be fair, Margaret herself seems oddly apathetic about her situation, asks no obvious questions, and seems a little too content to be dragged around and desired after. Around the middle of the book, however, the author finally gives Margaret an actual ally (and, ahem, a little more than that). Though Dammerung himself is not unproblematic by a long shot, Freitag still does an excellent job at giving us a sense of when a hero has arrived. Thanks to his presence, the pulse of the story quickens at last, and we are blessed with roughly a half-dozen chapters of good pacing and charm. If it feels as if you have waited the whole book to actually enjoy it... well, you probably have, but if heartwarming romance is what you've been holding out for, now just might be your chance.
However, the pulse quickened... and thundered... and anticlimaxed. Then did so again. And again. The book really should have finished about eleven chapters from the actual end, after which point it is packed with anticlimax after anticlimax — which is a HUGE deal, considering every chapter is so. incredibly. long. For a more thorough explanation, see the (vague) spoiler below.
Between the boredom and brutality of the book's final (extensive) portion, it was excruciatingly difficult to keep going. However, having enjoyed the middle of the book, I struggled through until the last couple of chapters. I finally reached them, but for me the climax had already come too many times, and should have been done with many thousands of words before.
The last few chapters did draw me back into the story enough to make the ending somewhat satisfying (if, ironically, a bit of a whirlwind). However, I found myself bewildered by the scene wherein the conflict is actually resolved. It was chaotic, random, and ambiguously spiritual, and not only rendered all the battles leading up to it unnecessary, but was, itself, unnecessarily executed—the same end could so easily have been achieved without the overly dramatic means. Because the climax had already mounted so many times, the actual ending seemed brief, lacking in power, and deflating. Not to mention it resulted in a handful of serious moral quandaries related to our remorseless and seemingly faithless heroine, which have been more thoroughly discussed in other reviews.
I found Plenilune to be respectively a three, four, and two-star book. It may be worth having on your shelf, but it is mature, laborious, and often bewildering. That being said, in any book review it is easier to spend time on the negative than the positive, if only because we are trying to expel what is negative from our systems. The positive must be experienced for itself. So, go and experience Plenilune. It will not be for everyone, but it may be for you.
April 19, 2015
I feel as if I’ve just gotten into a harem, since only one other man has read and rated Plenilune, compared to 44 women. Perhaps the cover put the men off (I mean, how can she see out of that thing on her head?)… or maybe it really was the harem aspect (except that many men aren’t very fastidious when it comes to staying out of harems). But really, though some books are intended for girls and others for guys, guys should want to read planetary fantasy. So, why the sex bias?
Freitag writes well, confidently and evocatively, and I can take my hat off to her in that department. She writes under the shadow of Venus: her style is fundamentally sensuous. Related to this is the romantic pleasure, which I think is at the heart of the high ratings by young girlies, and is the main thrust of the book, whether intentional or not. The reason at least one review was able to point out legitimate problems in the story structure, but the book still gets high ratings is because there is enough story to make Venus satisfying, from a girl’s perspective. The way Margaret is shunted around the chessboard – rarely on her own initiative – renders her position immensely desirable. Douglas Wilson has put it this way: girls want to be wanted and guys want to want. The book largely centres on the former scenario, and is thus appealing to young girls in particular.
The book is a page-turner, though the suspense is concentrated on what’s going to happen to Margaret. This unfortunately results in the character focus contradicting statements which emphasise the value of Plenilune. I can’t help but think that the numerous bath and dress(ing) scenes (oh and yes, to answer your question, I found those deeply interesting... I mean, planetary fantasy, space princesses and all that) serve only to throw Margaret into greater relief (we don’t get comparable scenes of Life on Plenilune). This ends up, again, making the girl feel wanted. The suspense is matched by the consistent atmosphere of intense emotion, though it doesn't become really uncomfortable. However, even the (few) jokes are highly strung. That resulted in me I laughing quite a bit when the book dropped a kind-of sexually explicit comment (the lesson here is not to be emotionally serious all the time, because you risk being ridiculous. Oh, and don’t worry. It was a sanctified sort of laugh, with gold halos round the edges).
Freitag is a somewhat masculine writer, which prevents the romantic side of things from being soppy. However, the romantic focus dampens the story somewhat: the main conflict is really a battle of two suitors over Margaret, not Plenilune. All three are strong-minded: Rupert, Dammerung and Margaret refuse to give in to anyone against their will. Rupert wants to break things, particularly Margaret, to his will. Margaret refuses to be broken. Dammerung wants to break Rupert, and so is ready to break Plenilune, but not Margaret, to do so. What Dammerung is willing to break and not break defines the story, and I was not hugely impressed with him: his erratic behaviour did not inspire confidence. Also, we, the readers, are not given a clear indication of the problem he faces... we infer (this is war, not a mystery), of course, that Rupert and Dammerung are at a stalemate. This needs to be sparkly clear in a fantasy book, not starry-eyed, like some of the reviews. Also, we aren’t clear on what Dammerung was going to do, and if we don’t know, how can we be sure Dammerung knows? Dammerung could have organised a successor, then Obliterated Rupert, and if he, Dammerung, died, there would be no issues, and if both brothers died, there would be no issues. Of course, we are given to understand - vaguely and indirectly - that there is no-one equal to Dammerung’s Moon-running abilities (though there were Plenty-of-Loons (a nod to my dear mother) to choose from), and of course the Houses might debate the successorship. But I counter with a quote from Wilson “Any calling which is incapable of reproducing itself is incompetent in that calling.”
The final plot resolution was unsatisfying: the plan was not really smart, so the sacrifice wasn’t convincing (BTW, I would have been more suspicious if I were Rupert: love might be blind, but it’s not stupid, especially when Rupert is the lover). Also, murdering Rhea was not justified – in the context of war, I have no qualms with killing, even in cold blood, if necessary, persons directly associated with opposing armed forces to gain a legitimate military objective (if you can’t justify killing them, the objective is not legitimate; I realise, of course, that paper plans very often differ from reality, and sometimes it just isn’t possible to consider ‘ethically challenging’ situations in the middle of a firefight). However, Rhea was not such a threat, particularly since Margaret assumes the offensive: Margaret was quite able and had plenty of time to knock Rhea out and shove her in some cupboard (for the record, she was not, I repeat, not capable of fighting as she did in battle. Ever heard of training? Just had to get that off my chest). Leaving the ethical questions aside, Margaret’s heroism was supposed to be in dying for her great love for Plenilune. However, Plenilune was not given enough word-space to make us love it: how, then, is she able to love it? Other reviews have mentioned that Margaret doesn't feel strangely about being on another planet. What is even more amazing is that she doesn't even appear to be on another planet. Plenilune lacks the detail that made Peralandra so beautiful. Young girls may not appear be terribly interested in planets when they’re reading what (to them) is a romance… but then, that’s not entirely true either, since they are obviously interested in Venus. There is nothing in Plenilune, apart from the cryptic title, which assures me that I am on the moon, and not somewhere 1000 years ago in earth's history. That disappointed me, because Freitag is capable of doing justice to another world.
Others have mentioned that putting in the inhuman sexual crime was unsupportable, and I agree. I emphasise that the content is not the primary problem here, but rather the appropriateness and intentionality in relaying depraved practices. A tendency among reviews from Christians in the target audience is to major on minors: Freitag might have written deliberately to forestall any diatribes over the use of the word damn, for instance (and if so, I can’t blame her, because I am susceptible to similar infernal impulses upon reading such stuff) by weeding the sensitive out, but she’s only made that sort of job easy by including the said incident without good reason. It’s a blessing that our society permits an audience to exist that doesn’t appreciate how seriously bad the world can be, but the problem in the reviews is a lack of maturity, not knowledge. Freitag handles these things maturely, but she doesn't incorporate them maturely.
So, perhaps my rating seems inconsistent with the review. In my defense, I can say that the book satisfied my cravings for fiction when writing science-related things: it was an enjoyable read. Also, the book’s faults did not greatly irritate me (probably a fault on my part), which tends to make ratings drop to something unthinkable. However, in future, I recommend Freitag tighten up the story structure, and focus on a setting where the things she knows and loves can form the backdrop. And I don’t want to wander into a harem a second time, particularly one populated by girls unaware of their surroundings.
Freitag writes well, confidently and evocatively, and I can take my hat off to her in that department. She writes under the shadow of Venus: her style is fundamentally sensuous. Related to this is the romantic pleasure, which I think is at the heart of the high ratings by young girlies, and is the main thrust of the book, whether intentional or not. The reason at least one review was able to point out legitimate problems in the story structure, but the book still gets high ratings is because there is enough story to make Venus satisfying, from a girl’s perspective. The way Margaret is shunted around the chessboard – rarely on her own initiative – renders her position immensely desirable. Douglas Wilson has put it this way: girls want to be wanted and guys want to want. The book largely centres on the former scenario, and is thus appealing to young girls in particular.
The book is a page-turner, though the suspense is concentrated on what’s going to happen to Margaret. This unfortunately results in the character focus contradicting statements which emphasise the value of Plenilune. I can’t help but think that the numerous bath and dress(ing) scenes (oh and yes, to answer your question, I found those deeply interesting... I mean, planetary fantasy, space princesses and all that) serve only to throw Margaret into greater relief (we don’t get comparable scenes of Life on Plenilune). This ends up, again, making the girl feel wanted. The suspense is matched by the consistent atmosphere of intense emotion, though it doesn't become really uncomfortable. However, even the (few) jokes are highly strung. That resulted in me I laughing quite a bit when the book dropped a kind-of sexually explicit comment (the lesson here is not to be emotionally serious all the time, because you risk being ridiculous. Oh, and don’t worry. It was a sanctified sort of laugh, with gold halos round the edges).
Freitag is a somewhat masculine writer, which prevents the romantic side of things from being soppy. However, the romantic focus dampens the story somewhat: the main conflict is really a battle of two suitors over Margaret, not Plenilune. All three are strong-minded: Rupert, Dammerung and Margaret refuse to give in to anyone against their will. Rupert wants to break things, particularly Margaret, to his will. Margaret refuses to be broken. Dammerung wants to break Rupert, and so is ready to break Plenilune, but not Margaret, to do so. What Dammerung is willing to break and not break defines the story, and I was not hugely impressed with him: his erratic behaviour did not inspire confidence. Also, we, the readers, are not given a clear indication of the problem he faces... we infer (this is war, not a mystery), of course, that Rupert and Dammerung are at a stalemate. This needs to be sparkly clear in a fantasy book, not starry-eyed, like some of the reviews. Also, we aren’t clear on what Dammerung was going to do, and if we don’t know, how can we be sure Dammerung knows? Dammerung could have organised a successor, then Obliterated Rupert, and if he, Dammerung, died, there would be no issues, and if both brothers died, there would be no issues. Of course, we are given to understand - vaguely and indirectly - that there is no-one equal to Dammerung’s Moon-running abilities (though there were Plenty-of-Loons (a nod to my dear mother) to choose from), and of course the Houses might debate the successorship. But I counter with a quote from Wilson “Any calling which is incapable of reproducing itself is incompetent in that calling.”
The final plot resolution was unsatisfying: the plan was not really smart, so the sacrifice wasn’t convincing (BTW, I would have been more suspicious if I were Rupert: love might be blind, but it’s not stupid, especially when Rupert is the lover). Also, murdering Rhea was not justified – in the context of war, I have no qualms with killing, even in cold blood, if necessary, persons directly associated with opposing armed forces to gain a legitimate military objective (if you can’t justify killing them, the objective is not legitimate; I realise, of course, that paper plans very often differ from reality, and sometimes it just isn’t possible to consider ‘ethically challenging’ situations in the middle of a firefight). However, Rhea was not such a threat, particularly since Margaret assumes the offensive: Margaret was quite able and had plenty of time to knock Rhea out and shove her in some cupboard (for the record, she was not, I repeat, not capable of fighting as she did in battle. Ever heard of training? Just had to get that off my chest). Leaving the ethical questions aside, Margaret’s heroism was supposed to be in dying for her great love for Plenilune. However, Plenilune was not given enough word-space to make us love it: how, then, is she able to love it? Other reviews have mentioned that Margaret doesn't feel strangely about being on another planet. What is even more amazing is that she doesn't even appear to be on another planet. Plenilune lacks the detail that made Peralandra so beautiful. Young girls may not appear be terribly interested in planets when they’re reading what (to them) is a romance… but then, that’s not entirely true either, since they are obviously interested in Venus. There is nothing in Plenilune, apart from the cryptic title, which assures me that I am on the moon, and not somewhere 1000 years ago in earth's history. That disappointed me, because Freitag is capable of doing justice to another world.
Others have mentioned that putting in the inhuman sexual crime was unsupportable, and I agree. I emphasise that the content is not the primary problem here, but rather the appropriateness and intentionality in relaying depraved practices. A tendency among reviews from Christians in the target audience is to major on minors: Freitag might have written deliberately to forestall any diatribes over the use of the word damn, for instance (and if so, I can’t blame her, because I am susceptible to similar infernal impulses upon reading such stuff) by weeding the sensitive out, but she’s only made that sort of job easy by including the said incident without good reason. It’s a blessing that our society permits an audience to exist that doesn’t appreciate how seriously bad the world can be, but the problem in the reviews is a lack of maturity, not knowledge. Freitag handles these things maturely, but she doesn't incorporate them maturely.
So, perhaps my rating seems inconsistent with the review. In my defense, I can say that the book satisfied my cravings for fiction when writing science-related things: it was an enjoyable read. Also, the book’s faults did not greatly irritate me (probably a fault on my part), which tends to make ratings drop to something unthinkable. However, in future, I recommend Freitag tighten up the story structure, and focus on a setting where the things she knows and loves can form the backdrop. And I don’t want to wander into a harem a second time, particularly one populated by girls unaware of their surroundings.
August 3, 2014
"The fate of Plenilune hangs on the election of the Overlord, for which Rupert de la Mare and his brother are the only contenders, but when Rupert’s unwilling bride-to-be uncovers his plot to murder his brother, the conflict explodes into civil war.
To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her."
In giving Plenilune five stars, I hope I am not doing Jennifer Freitag a disservice; I am a reader quite easy to please and I give far more 5-star reviews than some reviewers. I go into a story willing to be pleased, wooed, won by the author. But now, waiting for Plenilune's orb to come crashing into the literary atmosphere, I wish I could retrieve some of those stars from some lesser books because to give a book five stars is to give it my all and that I wish to do now.
For several years I have read Jennifer Freitag's blog, The Penslayer, and enjoyed "snippets" of her writing. I read her first novel, The Shadow Things, and while I enjoyed it, I knew that her writing had grown since its birth and was anxious to read it in its modernity. Plenilune, I imagined, was something a bit more mature than the smaller, tentative Shadow Things.
A friendship gradually sprang up betwixt Jenny and myself but still I had not thought to get to read her "opus" before publication until one day (probably overwhelmed with pregnancy hormones and the pressures of life) Jenny caved and sent me Plenilune en masse. I did not ravage it in a sitting; Plenilune is not one of those novels that calls for such behavior. Indeed, try to swallow it whole and you'll be marked a glutton with no fine taste. It ought to be read, savoured, gentled into one's comprehension because if you try to swallow a moon at one go, you'll certainly feel it a surfeit.
Perhaps the thing that impressed me most in Freitag's novel was the fact that her writing as a whole--the characters, arcs, themes, sensations--stood scrutiny as boldly as one beautiful line in a post of snippets. She can conduct small magic in a line, pyrotechnics in a novel.
I left Plenilune feeling nobler. I can't explain it any other way than that Freitag managed to reach into a fierce, crimson, hidden part of me and call forth a banner-blaze not soon to be extinguished. You will hear readers say that Freitag's work is "like Tolkien" or "like Lewis" and I daresay they mean it well. But it's not. Freitag's writing is like Freitag. That's quite enough for Jenny; that's quite enough for me. I look forward to buying my own copy of Plenilune and prowling upon her doorstep for the next installment in the Plenilunar world.
(Five of five stars. Because of the realistic dealings with characters both good and evil, I heartily recommend Plenilune for ages sixteen and older.)
To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her."
In giving Plenilune five stars, I hope I am not doing Jennifer Freitag a disservice; I am a reader quite easy to please and I give far more 5-star reviews than some reviewers. I go into a story willing to be pleased, wooed, won by the author. But now, waiting for Plenilune's orb to come crashing into the literary atmosphere, I wish I could retrieve some of those stars from some lesser books because to give a book five stars is to give it my all and that I wish to do now.
For several years I have read Jennifer Freitag's blog, The Penslayer, and enjoyed "snippets" of her writing. I read her first novel, The Shadow Things, and while I enjoyed it, I knew that her writing had grown since its birth and was anxious to read it in its modernity. Plenilune, I imagined, was something a bit more mature than the smaller, tentative Shadow Things.
A friendship gradually sprang up betwixt Jenny and myself but still I had not thought to get to read her "opus" before publication until one day (probably overwhelmed with pregnancy hormones and the pressures of life) Jenny caved and sent me Plenilune en masse. I did not ravage it in a sitting; Plenilune is not one of those novels that calls for such behavior. Indeed, try to swallow it whole and you'll be marked a glutton with no fine taste. It ought to be read, savoured, gentled into one's comprehension because if you try to swallow a moon at one go, you'll certainly feel it a surfeit.
Perhaps the thing that impressed me most in Freitag's novel was the fact that her writing as a whole--the characters, arcs, themes, sensations--stood scrutiny as boldly as one beautiful line in a post of snippets. She can conduct small magic in a line, pyrotechnics in a novel.
I left Plenilune feeling nobler. I can't explain it any other way than that Freitag managed to reach into a fierce, crimson, hidden part of me and call forth a banner-blaze not soon to be extinguished. You will hear readers say that Freitag's work is "like Tolkien" or "like Lewis" and I daresay they mean it well. But it's not. Freitag's writing is like Freitag. That's quite enough for Jenny; that's quite enough for me. I look forward to buying my own copy of Plenilune and prowling upon her doorstep for the next installment in the Plenilunar world.
(Five of five stars. Because of the realistic dealings with characters both good and evil, I heartily recommend Plenilune for ages sixteen and older.)
July 6, 2016
I finished this book August 16... after being in it since Christmas. I'm rating it five stars, currently, simply because with a character like Dammerung in it, it would WRONG not to give it the highest rating. Without him, it may have garnered a 4-star rating, but, well, without Dammerung it would have been an entirely different book, so there's no real way of knowing, now is there?
This is not a review. It is merely a note explaining the rating. Right now I'm just extremely pleased with myself for having lived through reading its ginormous bulk of 659 pages of such rich and consequently excruciatingly-slow-reading writing. I feel accomplished; you have no idea. I may, at some point, try to review it, though I feel as if that would be vaguely like attempting to review the ocean...
Even if the book itself had been the worst book in the world (which it is a far cry from), I'd be rating this five stars for Dammerung. Dammerung is one of my favoritest characters of EVER. I've never met a character quite like him, and I love him very very much indeed. I feel that it was very well worth wading through so monstrously large of a book in order to meet him.
DAMMERUNG. That, my dears, is literally all that needs to be said.
Dammerung Dammerung Dammerung! <3
This is not a review. It is merely a note explaining the rating. Right now I'm just extremely pleased with myself for having lived through reading its ginormous bulk of 659 pages of such rich and consequently excruciatingly-slow-reading writing. I feel accomplished; you have no idea. I may, at some point, try to review it, though I feel as if that would be vaguely like attempting to review the ocean...
Even if the book itself had been the worst book in the world (which it is a far cry from), I'd be rating this five stars for Dammerung. Dammerung is one of my favoritest characters of EVER. I've never met a character quite like him, and I love him very very much indeed. I feel that it was very well worth wading through so monstrously large of a book in order to meet him.
DAMMERUNG. That, my dears, is literally all that needs to be said.
Dammerung Dammerung Dammerung! <3
January 24, 2015
When it was released last year, this book flew around our blogging community. Impressed by the number of positive reviews, I planned on reading it sooner rather than later, and the 2014 Blogger Awards gave me a chance to turn that into a reality.
Plenilune has an official excerpt, but I don't feel it captures the heart of the book. It's such a dense, vast story that it's difficult to capture in one sentence, but I'll try.
Plenilune is about a Victorian lady named Margaret who, through a chance meeting and a twist of fate, becomes the coveted object of the two powerful rulers of a different world.
In many ways, Plenilune is gorgeous. It has a vast scope-- the story encompasses countries, a dynasty, and a civil war, but that alone doesn't make Plenilune brilliant. In the long and short of it, Plenilune is a story of power and those that wield it told from the perspective of one small, angry girl cast into the center of it. I still stand by our decision to elect Margaret the best heroine of 2014. Raised in the confines of Victorian-London society, retold through gorgeous chess imagery, her struggle with her own powerlessness and her gradual realization of her value make this novel.
Freitag's use of language rivals the skillfulness of her characters. She has a sophisticated grasp of imagery uncommon in young adult literature and displays a cunning use of repeating motifs. (Indeed, sometimes she overdoes it. But I digress.) She also has a delightful way of handling shocking revelations: namely, she refuses to over-explain them. Freitag does not talk down to her readers. She expects them to have the patience required to dig back through the novel, searching for half-referenced conversations and factoids. Her discipline is a delightful surprise in a debut novelist.
But--
You knew this was coming.
-- but the restraint she shows in referencing her own work does not apply to all of her dialogue and descriptions. Is it gorgeous? Absolutely. Did I go insane with my highlighter, picking out particularly beautiful phrases-- that is, the whole book? You bet.
Did it go too far?
I'm afraid so.
I would like to see Plenilune after it had passed through the hands of a particularly ruthless editor. Scenes wandered on and on through charming, unnecessary subplots (ahem, Woodbird), eating up a decent chunk of word count that could have been used to address another issue: the political civil war.
The world of Plenilune is a vast place-- so vast, indeed, that I only grasped about a quarter of its politics. It was easy enough to remember who disliked whom (Freitag helpfully gave the antagonists sinister names, like Bloodburn and-- well-- Rupert; never mind), but the chain of battles in the war proved more confusing. At every step the forces of good defeated the forces of evil, yet by the end of the novel they were somehow still losing. Perhaps evil greatly outnumbered the good guys; but then, why would so many people choose to follow a frankly detestable character who quite openly attempted to murder his brother?
And then there was Dammerung.
Don't even get me started on Dammerung.
Dammerung might have to be a separate post.
Suffice it to say that he is utterly amazing, and that is not necessarily a good thing.
But I digress again.
In short: Plenilune is fabulously gorgeous. I spent half of it in utter confusion (which will hopefully dissipate after future rereads), but I still fell completely in love with it. Check out Jennifer Freitag's blog and read her awesome books!
Plenilune has an official excerpt, but I don't feel it captures the heart of the book. It's such a dense, vast story that it's difficult to capture in one sentence, but I'll try.
Plenilune is about a Victorian lady named Margaret who, through a chance meeting and a twist of fate, becomes the coveted object of the two powerful rulers of a different world.
In many ways, Plenilune is gorgeous. It has a vast scope-- the story encompasses countries, a dynasty, and a civil war, but that alone doesn't make Plenilune brilliant. In the long and short of it, Plenilune is a story of power and those that wield it told from the perspective of one small, angry girl cast into the center of it. I still stand by our decision to elect Margaret the best heroine of 2014. Raised in the confines of Victorian-London society, retold through gorgeous chess imagery, her struggle with her own powerlessness and her gradual realization of her value make this novel.
Freitag's use of language rivals the skillfulness of her characters. She has a sophisticated grasp of imagery uncommon in young adult literature and displays a cunning use of repeating motifs. (Indeed, sometimes she overdoes it. But I digress.) She also has a delightful way of handling shocking revelations: namely, she refuses to over-explain them. Freitag does not talk down to her readers. She expects them to have the patience required to dig back through the novel, searching for half-referenced conversations and factoids. Her discipline is a delightful surprise in a debut novelist.
But--
You knew this was coming.
-- but the restraint she shows in referencing her own work does not apply to all of her dialogue and descriptions. Is it gorgeous? Absolutely. Did I go insane with my highlighter, picking out particularly beautiful phrases-- that is, the whole book? You bet.
Did it go too far?
I'm afraid so.
I would like to see Plenilune after it had passed through the hands of a particularly ruthless editor. Scenes wandered on and on through charming, unnecessary subplots (ahem, Woodbird), eating up a decent chunk of word count that could have been used to address another issue: the political civil war.
The world of Plenilune is a vast place-- so vast, indeed, that I only grasped about a quarter of its politics. It was easy enough to remember who disliked whom (Freitag helpfully gave the antagonists sinister names, like Bloodburn and-- well-- Rupert; never mind), but the chain of battles in the war proved more confusing. At every step the forces of good defeated the forces of evil, yet by the end of the novel they were somehow still losing. Perhaps evil greatly outnumbered the good guys; but then, why would so many people choose to follow a frankly detestable character who quite openly attempted to murder his brother?
And then there was Dammerung.
Don't even get me started on Dammerung.
Dammerung might have to be a separate post.
Suffice it to say that he is utterly amazing, and that is not necessarily a good thing.
But I digress again.
In short: Plenilune is fabulously gorgeous. I spent half of it in utter confusion (which will hopefully dissipate after future rereads), but I still fell completely in love with it. Check out Jennifer Freitag's blog and read her awesome books!
October 31, 2014
Torture. This must be for more refined and classical readers than me. I forced myself to finish it hoping all the prose and metaphors would actually lead to something magnificent. 618 pages were 400 pages too long. Unless you love beautifully poetic descriptions... For example... "Margaret thought the golden flickers in the water were reflections of hidden light until, passing on the edge of one long pool, she saw the light turn slowly, hugely, and drift to the surface. A red-and-white mottled face appeared out of the shifting black, wet and whiskered like a water-drake, and then slipped under again with a kiss of closing water." Fish, she is talking about fish in a pond she walked past. Beautiful, but after hundreds of pages of descriptions of EVERYTHING, I wanted to scratch my eyes out.
This takes place on another planet for 95% of the book and yet has constant biblical references. The names and titles of the characters (even the animals) become confusing because they pop up partial and inconsistent.
There is NO romance, no passion. She is just pulled and dragged around throughout the story, yet you expect me to believe she falls in love. They never even say the words.
Then there is the whole metaphorical speach. I loved when someone would finally say what they meant. No one talks like that with every sentence. This book made the reader constantly question what was really being said.
Worst of all, the heroine is an idiot. For a smart, refined, strong willed person, she makes no sense. She never asks the right questions. It takes hundreds of pages for her to even wonder "Why me?" Which I would still like to know!
One star is for having an imagination, and one is for the fact that the author writes beautifully... Just stop choking me with it!
If you like a story told that reads like the bible written by Shakespeare... You'll love this.
This takes place on another planet for 95% of the book and yet has constant biblical references. The names and titles of the characters (even the animals) become confusing because they pop up partial and inconsistent.
There is NO romance, no passion. She is just pulled and dragged around throughout the story, yet you expect me to believe she falls in love. They never even say the words.
Then there is the whole metaphorical speach. I loved when someone would finally say what they meant. No one talks like that with every sentence. This book made the reader constantly question what was really being said.
Worst of all, the heroine is an idiot. For a smart, refined, strong willed person, she makes no sense. She never asks the right questions. It takes hundreds of pages for her to even wonder "Why me?" Which I would still like to know!
One star is for having an imagination, and one is for the fact that the author writes beautifully... Just stop choking me with it!
If you like a story told that reads like the bible written by Shakespeare... You'll love this.
Read
March 30, 2015Whew! I'll be reading this slowly, said I. Well I read it as slowly as anyone could possibly read Plenilune. Everything that needs to be said has already been said by others. But for the sake of anyone who gets my updates, I say:
Yes, this book is incredibly good. But I would be slow to recommend it for 3 reasons: First, the absence of the Gospel. Planetary fantasy can be handled in various ways- you could have the people be Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, saved in the same way we are, you could have the people fall and saved by Christ in a different fashion, you could have the people fall and be unsaved, you could present a pre-fall planet (as in the case of Perelandra), or you could not have people at all but animal-like creatures and deal with a spiritual battle in the heavens (as in Out of the Silent Planet). There might be other options, but the point is, that atonement and the work of Christ cannot be absent or unexplained. In Plenilune, God was spoken of with respect and thanked for food by the good men. But overall I got the impression that the good men triumphed because they were like gods and goddesses and not because they served the Triune God. The Scriptures were referenced, but it seemed like just quotable literature, like Shakespeare. The Earth was referred to once as the Cruciform’s World, a reference to Christ, and yet the Earth was not a desirable place to be. The book left me with a ton of questions in this regard. Perhaps the defense would say that the author didn't have the time to develop this thoroughly, but it wouldn't have taken much, just a few conversations really. And she certainly made the time for other lesser things. Which leads me to my second complaint- the sexual tension. It was too much. I could not hand Plenilune to any young women, for fear that it would cause them harm. Even with the good guy there was an abundance of "fingering her hourglass" and intimate touching outside of marriage. Thirdly: Margaret. Her anger was over-the-top. If I had a 20 spot for every "mirthless laugh" I could make a down payment on a 4runner. She drew strength from hatred. She said little child-like prayers during the crisis, but when she was strong she had no need for prayers. She was totally devoid of praise. She is not a heroine worth imitation from a biblical perspective, and yet, of course you are extremely drawn to her and want to justify everything she does.
These things would not be such a big deal, if it weren’t for this- Jenny Freitag can do better. She is a Christian and a literary genius. I see the need for grit at times, but not at the expense of grace. It left me feeling jealous for Christ, and I’m not sure it would lead a non-Christian to Him. SO, in summary: Don’t rush out and buy this book. But keep a close eye on the author, for she could do great things in the coming years, as she continues to grow in Christ.
Yes, this book is incredibly good. But I would be slow to recommend it for 3 reasons: First, the absence of the Gospel. Planetary fantasy can be handled in various ways- you could have the people be Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, saved in the same way we are, you could have the people fall and saved by Christ in a different fashion, you could have the people fall and be unsaved, you could present a pre-fall planet (as in the case of Perelandra), or you could not have people at all but animal-like creatures and deal with a spiritual battle in the heavens (as in Out of the Silent Planet). There might be other options, but the point is, that atonement and the work of Christ cannot be absent or unexplained. In Plenilune, God was spoken of with respect and thanked for food by the good men. But overall I got the impression that the good men triumphed because they were like gods and goddesses and not because they served the Triune God. The Scriptures were referenced, but it seemed like just quotable literature, like Shakespeare. The Earth was referred to once as the Cruciform’s World, a reference to Christ, and yet the Earth was not a desirable place to be. The book left me with a ton of questions in this regard. Perhaps the defense would say that the author didn't have the time to develop this thoroughly, but it wouldn't have taken much, just a few conversations really. And she certainly made the time for other lesser things. Which leads me to my second complaint- the sexual tension. It was too much. I could not hand Plenilune to any young women, for fear that it would cause them harm. Even with the good guy there was an abundance of "fingering her hourglass" and intimate touching outside of marriage. Thirdly: Margaret. Her anger was over-the-top. If I had a 20 spot for every "mirthless laugh" I could make a down payment on a 4runner. She drew strength from hatred. She said little child-like prayers during the crisis, but when she was strong she had no need for prayers. She was totally devoid of praise. She is not a heroine worth imitation from a biblical perspective, and yet, of course you are extremely drawn to her and want to justify everything she does.
These things would not be such a big deal, if it weren’t for this- Jenny Freitag can do better. She is a Christian and a literary genius. I see the need for grit at times, but not at the expense of grace. It left me feeling jealous for Christ, and I’m not sure it would lead a non-Christian to Him. SO, in summary: Don’t rush out and buy this book. But keep a close eye on the author, for she could do great things in the coming years, as she continues to grow in Christ.
July 29, 2014
Rating a book five stars is always a little questionable, doubly so if it's a modern novel; but this is my frank opinion of PLENILUNE. With characters and a world that bound off the page, and the rich, full-blooded writing of Freitag's The Shadow Things times about fifteen, this is a story to grab the heart out of you. If you pick it up expecting a book in all aspects like The Shadow Things, you will no doubt be disappointed. This is a vastly different story, with vastly different characters, in a vastly different setting. But if you're looking for a fresh fantasy with an allegorical touch reminiscent of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, and Freitag's lyrical, almost poetic touch, dive into Plenilune.
If Margaret Coventry is going to save her family's good name, she will have to catch a husband - one far enough removed from Cumbria to have not already heard about her family and the blot on its reputation. The man who kidnaps her from her train car and hurls her into Plenilune, however, is just a little too far removed for comfort.
Rupert de la Mare and his brother were once contenders for the Overlordship of Plenilune, but with his brother out of the way, Rupert stands alone. Not particularly liking the idea of having him to rule over them, the nobles of Plenilune set him a task: prove his humanity by winning and wooing a woman, and he will have also proved himself capable of ruling Plenilune.
Which is where Margaret comes in.
Kidnapped and a world away from home, she finds herself at the center of a chess-game - and the prize is the fate of Plenilune. But is she a pawn?
Or is she the queen?
If Margaret Coventry is going to save her family's good name, she will have to catch a husband - one far enough removed from Cumbria to have not already heard about her family and the blot on its reputation. The man who kidnaps her from her train car and hurls her into Plenilune, however, is just a little too far removed for comfort.
Rupert de la Mare and his brother were once contenders for the Overlordship of Plenilune, but with his brother out of the way, Rupert stands alone. Not particularly liking the idea of having him to rule over them, the nobles of Plenilune set him a task: prove his humanity by winning and wooing a woman, and he will have also proved himself capable of ruling Plenilune.
Which is where Margaret comes in.
Kidnapped and a world away from home, she finds herself at the center of a chess-game - and the prize is the fate of Plenilune. But is she a pawn?
Or is she the queen?
February 13, 2024
Man, oh man, this book!!! I was so close to DNFing it, but I'm glad I didn't. Not because I started enjoying it again - it was still really frustrating. I'm just glad I read it.
2.5 stars - rounded up, because... well, look at the length of this review!
I had a lot of issues with it, but the writing was superb! No doubt, Jennifer Freitag is a very talented writer with an amazing vocabulary. Plenilune often read like a classic. I loved all the archaic expressions; they gave the book so much charm and character. That's what stood out for me the most - it just transported me. The prose was beautiful. Yes, occasionally a bit too much, but just beautiful overall.
However, as beautiful as the writing was, there was just too much of it! Honestly, Pleniune could have been a good 250 pages (of 660) shorter, that's how many descriptions and irrelevant scenes it had.
I also found it quite confusing, at times. I had absolutely no sense of time, particularly in the second half. The transitions from scene to scene were lost on me sometimes. At one point, I thought the character must be dreaming because I couldn't understand how we'd gone from one thing to another. The countless names of people and places didn't make it easier (especially since I'd lost interest and read it in bits and pieces between reading 5 other books) - I really wish we would have had a list or something to help. The map didn't really help me, because it seemed to show towns/households, not names of regions (aka Honours), and definitely not their rulers.
The world-building was the biggest let-down. I mean, Margaret, the main character, lives in Victorian (I think) England and, on her way via train to Naples, she is kidnapped by Rupert de la Mare, who takes her to Plenilune. Plenilune is basically the Moon! She is taken to another planet (yes, I know the Moon is a moon, not a planet, but you get the point :P)! After a very very brief shock at seeing the Earth in the sky, Margaret just accepts it all and never asks Rupert 'Wtf?! How is this possible? How am I on the Moon? There are people living on the Moon?! etc.'. Not only that, but the Moon is basically just like the Earth. Mountains, a sea, rivers, forests, animals - it's all like Earth. They speak English (and a bit of French), are Christians and read Shakespeare... Uhm, sorry, what?! That just didn't make sense to me, even less so when some magic and a magical creature are thrown into the mix.
So Rupert brings her to Plenilune because he was challenged by his cousin to find a woman who would be his wife, as proof that he is humane enough to be declared overlord of Plenilune. There is no other candidate for the role, as overlords are always from the de la Mare family (never explained why, just a fact), and Rupert's brother, Dammerung, who would have been everyone's choice, died a few years ago. Rupert and his brother were also the only ones on Plenilune to possess magic.
Rupert is quite cruel and horrible to Margaret, she despises him and is depressed at the thought of having to marry him. Although, either I can't remember it very well, or it wasn't really shown, but I didn't find him as tyrannical as he was made out to be? Especially to others, yet everyone hated and feared him.
I also didn't find Margaret as amazing as everyone and their mother did. Yes, she was well-bred, she was resilient (especially in the second half) and could be quite fierce (verbally and physically), but that was it. Everyone constantly praised her and she already had such a great opinion of herself! Her vanity got worse and worse, and her self importance grew to insufferable heights. I will be honest, although I liked her at first (even up to the half-point), I hated her by the end of the book.
This one is super spoilery! Don't read on unless you want to get very spoiled!
There were so many other things that didn't make sense to me in terms of plot, but this has already turned into a full-on rant. Such a shame, because the bare bones of the plot had so much potential and the writing was superb! If only the world building and characterisations would have been on the same level...
2.5 stars - rounded up, because... well, look at the length of this review!
I had a lot of issues with it, but the writing was superb! No doubt, Jennifer Freitag is a very talented writer with an amazing vocabulary. Plenilune often read like a classic. I loved all the archaic expressions; they gave the book so much charm and character. That's what stood out for me the most - it just transported me. The prose was beautiful. Yes, occasionally a bit too much, but just beautiful overall.
However, as beautiful as the writing was, there was just too much of it! Honestly, Pleniune could have been a good 250 pages (of 660) shorter, that's how many descriptions and irrelevant scenes it had.
I also found it quite confusing, at times. I had absolutely no sense of time, particularly in the second half. The transitions from scene to scene were lost on me sometimes. At one point, I thought the character must be dreaming because I couldn't understand how we'd gone from one thing to another. The countless names of people and places didn't make it easier (especially since I'd lost interest and read it in bits and pieces between reading 5 other books) - I really wish we would have had a list or something to help. The map didn't really help me, because it seemed to show towns/households, not names of regions (aka Honours), and definitely not their rulers.
The world-building was the biggest let-down. I mean, Margaret, the main character, lives in Victorian (I think) England and, on her way via train to Naples, she is kidnapped by Rupert de la Mare, who takes her to Plenilune. Plenilune is basically the Moon! She is taken to another planet (yes, I know the Moon is a moon, not a planet, but you get the point :P)! After a very very brief shock at seeing the Earth in the sky, Margaret just accepts it all and never asks Rupert 'Wtf?! How is this possible? How am I on the Moon? There are people living on the Moon?! etc.'. Not only that, but the Moon is basically just like the Earth. Mountains, a sea, rivers, forests, animals - it's all like Earth. They speak English (and a bit of French), are Christians and read Shakespeare... Uhm, sorry, what?! That just didn't make sense to me, even less so when some magic and a magical creature are thrown into the mix.
So Rupert brings her to Plenilune because he was challenged by his cousin to find a woman who would be his wife, as proof that he is humane enough to be declared overlord of Plenilune. There is no other candidate for the role, as overlords are always from the de la Mare family (never explained why, just a fact), and Rupert's brother, Dammerung, who would have been everyone's choice, died a few years ago. Rupert and his brother were also the only ones on Plenilune to possess magic.
Rupert is quite cruel and horrible to Margaret, she despises him and is depressed at the thought of having to marry him. Although, either I can't remember it very well, or it wasn't really shown, but I didn't find him as tyrannical as he was made out to be? Especially to others, yet everyone hated and feared him.
I also didn't find Margaret as amazing as everyone and their mother did. Yes, she was well-bred, she was resilient (especially in the second half) and could be quite fierce (verbally and physically), but that was it. Everyone constantly praised her and she already had such a great opinion of herself! Her vanity got worse and worse, and her self importance grew to insufferable heights. I will be honest, although I liked her at first (even up to the half-point), I hated her by the end of the book.
This one is super spoilery! Don't read on unless you want to get very spoiled!
There were so many other things that didn't make sense to me in terms of plot, but this has already turned into a full-on rant. Such a shame, because the bare bones of the plot had so much potential and the writing was superb! If only the world building and characterisations would have been on the same level...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
Once again I am late to the party . . . though I think it's for the best this time. Plenilune is a magnificent book, with a great deal to love, but there is an undercurrent of darkness as well. It's not as much as some of the Mistborn books- but, then, I didn't read those until I was older either.
The Good
-Dammerung. Dammerung is amazing and fabulous and now I know why every review I read raves about him. He's awesome. He didn't show up in at all the way I expected, nor is he the character I expected, but honestly, he's even better.
-Margaret is a good heroine as well. I did have a disagreement or two with her at the beginning- namely, why didn't she try to run away? Yes, Rupert's powerful and kind of scary, but I still think I would've tried, if I were in her shoes- but overall I liked her. She's feminine and not a warrior, but she's still strong and still holds her own and yeah. She's cool.
-Excellent suspense. This book doesn't exactly move at a fast pace- not much faster than LOTR at times. But it still held my attention and kept a feeling of intensity, of suspense, all the way through, even when one would think the feeling would sag.
-Interesting setting. Apparently it's on the Moon, but apparently the Moon is much like Earth? That bit wasn't played up as much as it could've been, but it's still fairly interesting. And the setting is medieval-ish, but at the same time it also has the flavor of later eras, which made it just unique enough to stand out a bit as different.
-Beautiful prose. The style can take a bit of getting used to, but once you get the feel of it, it's lovely. I think that's part of what added to the flavor of non-medieval eras in the setting? Not sure, but still, lovely.
The Bad
-There is some mature content in here. Not a ton, but still. High body count, though not too much graphic description. Rupert's kind of a beast, not in the good sense- he won't force himself on our heroine, but he does forcibly kiss her at one point, and beats her and another character at least once each, possibly more.
-There's not always a whole lot of transition between chapters, which can be mildly confusing, to say the least. On more than one occasion, I finished a chapter, turned the page, and then had to say "Wait, what now? How'd we get here?" That mostly happened in the middle of the book; at the beginning and towards the end it happened less often.
-While the main characters (Margaret, Dammerung, Skander, Rupert) are easy to remember and keep track of, there's a host of secondary characters who are sometimes less easy to identify. For a while, I spent a lot of time going, "Wait, who's Black Malkin? Wait, who's FitzGro? Where and ruled by whom is the Hol-land? Who's this? Where's this? What's going on?" After a while you figure out more or less who's who, even if you're still fuzzy on where anyone rules, but it works.
Overall, Plenilune is a magnificent book, though it does have a few small flaws. I would recommend it for more mature readers who are willing to put the time in- I can promise that it'll be worth it!
The Good
-Dammerung. Dammerung is amazing and fabulous and now I know why every review I read raves about him. He's awesome. He didn't show up in at all the way I expected, nor is he the character I expected, but honestly, he's even better.
-Margaret is a good heroine as well. I did have a disagreement or two with her at the beginning- namely, why didn't she try to run away? Yes, Rupert's powerful and kind of scary, but I still think I would've tried, if I were in her shoes- but overall I liked her. She's feminine and not a warrior, but she's still strong and still holds her own and yeah. She's cool.
-Excellent suspense. This book doesn't exactly move at a fast pace- not much faster than LOTR at times. But it still held my attention and kept a feeling of intensity, of suspense, all the way through, even when one would think the feeling would sag.
-Interesting setting. Apparently it's on the Moon, but apparently the Moon is much like Earth? That bit wasn't played up as much as it could've been, but it's still fairly interesting. And the setting is medieval-ish, but at the same time it also has the flavor of later eras, which made it just unique enough to stand out a bit as different.
-Beautiful prose. The style can take a bit of getting used to, but once you get the feel of it, it's lovely. I think that's part of what added to the flavor of non-medieval eras in the setting? Not sure, but still, lovely.
The Bad
-There is some mature content in here. Not a ton, but still. High body count, though not too much graphic description. Rupert's kind of a beast, not in the good sense- he won't force himself on our heroine, but he does forcibly kiss her at one point, and beats her and another character at least once each, possibly more.
-There's not always a whole lot of transition between chapters, which can be mildly confusing, to say the least. On more than one occasion, I finished a chapter, turned the page, and then had to say "Wait, what now? How'd we get here?" That mostly happened in the middle of the book; at the beginning and towards the end it happened less often.
-While the main characters (Margaret, Dammerung, Skander, Rupert) are easy to remember and keep track of, there's a host of secondary characters who are sometimes less easy to identify. For a while, I spent a lot of time going, "Wait, who's Black Malkin? Wait, who's FitzGro? Where and ruled by whom is the Hol-land? Who's this? Where's this? What's going on?" After a while you figure out more or less who's who, even if you're still fuzzy on where anyone rules, but it works.
Overall, Plenilune is a magnificent book, though it does have a few small flaws. I would recommend it for more mature readers who are willing to put the time in- I can promise that it'll be worth it!
May 7, 2020
This was the first book I've read by Jennifer Freitag.
I'm not really sure where to start. I have to say not many of the reviews posted here really help to completely clarify the book. First I'll say, the book is a beautiful piece of literature if not a bit confusing at times. As with any literature, there are lovely sets of prose and elaborate descriptions. This was no less than any other of its kind.
Now to the story.
I have come to the conclusion this book is a book of war and struggle. Not unlike any otherworldly battle book, there is a beginning, a climax, and an ending.
The beginning starts as a kidnapped English-Earthly woman, Margaret, finds herself on the world of Plenilune. Her kidnapper, Rupert, has the task of making himself Overlord. However, as Margaret adjusts to her new life on a foreign planet, she finds things are not all that they seem. There is the tried and true society not much different than those of her English world.
However, the people of Plenilune are animal-like. Birds, boars, foxes, panthers, and such. Each very human, each very animal-like.
As we progress through the story, Margaret befriends a fox hostage in Rupert's cellar/basement. As her friendship grows with the fox, she overhears Rupert beating the fox and decides it is time to help save the fox. She somehow travels to find the great dragon. The dragon provides a breaking spell for the fox. Traveling through space very quickly, she delivers the salvation to the fox only to discover the fox was really Rupert's brother encased in a spell. So, now we have Dammerung, another contender for the Overload position.
Here comes the war. Brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor.
Somewhere, there was an actual King & Queen of Plenilune that came into play.
However, the entire story was more story building than world-building. Which I find I didn't mind at all. The book seems to cover the space of 18 months - two years.
There isn't much in the way of comedy or levity for that matter. There is not much romance or sweetness. This is a very forceful book that has wit and harshness intermingled with a lovely landscape. There's bravado, magic, darkness, murder, war, grief, sorrow, one instance of necrophilia, and a longing to belong. The overall feeling of the book is light vs dark and who ultimately wins the battle after the bloodshed is finished.
If you choose to read this, understand it is not a light read. It is not altogether pleasant or unpleasant either. Heavy profanity.
I'm not really sure where to start. I have to say not many of the reviews posted here really help to completely clarify the book. First I'll say, the book is a beautiful piece of literature if not a bit confusing at times. As with any literature, there are lovely sets of prose and elaborate descriptions. This was no less than any other of its kind.
Now to the story.
I have come to the conclusion this book is a book of war and struggle. Not unlike any otherworldly battle book, there is a beginning, a climax, and an ending.
The beginning starts as a kidnapped English-Earthly woman, Margaret, finds herself on the world of Plenilune. Her kidnapper, Rupert, has the task of making himself Overlord. However, as Margaret adjusts to her new life on a foreign planet, she finds things are not all that they seem. There is the tried and true society not much different than those of her English world.
However, the people of Plenilune are animal-like. Birds, boars, foxes, panthers, and such. Each very human, each very animal-like.
As we progress through the story, Margaret befriends a fox hostage in Rupert's cellar/basement. As her friendship grows with the fox, she overhears Rupert beating the fox and decides it is time to help save the fox. She somehow travels to find the great dragon. The dragon provides a breaking spell for the fox. Traveling through space very quickly, she delivers the salvation to the fox only to discover the fox was really Rupert's brother encased in a spell. So, now we have Dammerung, another contender for the Overload position.
Here comes the war. Brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor.
Somewhere, there was an actual King & Queen of Plenilune that came into play.
However, the entire story was more story building than world-building. Which I find I didn't mind at all. The book seems to cover the space of 18 months - two years.
There isn't much in the way of comedy or levity for that matter. There is not much romance or sweetness. This is a very forceful book that has wit and harshness intermingled with a lovely landscape. There's bravado, magic, darkness, murder, war, grief, sorrow, one instance of necrophilia, and a longing to belong. The overall feeling of the book is light vs dark and who ultimately wins the battle after the bloodshed is finished.
If you choose to read this, understand it is not a light read. It is not altogether pleasant or unpleasant either. Heavy profanity.
September 24, 2014
Overview:
I am always hesitant to 100% promote something, because more often than not it is not something I should be promoting 100%. However, there are some exceptions -- and I think this is one of them. Plenilune is such a powerful novel, it's impossible to gulp in a few sittings (as I normally read books). It's rich & it's red-gold. The perfect Autumn read.
Pros:
From every book I read I like to take a moral; to pinpoint the thing the author truly mastered. For Plenilune, this was the imagery, particularly how the author uses colour. Brilliant.
The skill of a good author is for the reader to not know who the villain is when she meets him - to fall for his charm with the rest of the characters - and again, Freitag conquered this.
Finally, I love the way she handled the darker issues, facing then head on & fearless, but keeping enough of a distance that the reader does not feel drowned in it.
Cons: There was a lot of description, which can be enjoyable, and useful, but there are points where it takes swimming to get through. I will also say that there are multiple anti-climaxes in the first half of the book. You feel you are on top of something earth shaking, but it's solved with something small, or put away for later - yet, it made the ending all the more powerful. It's not a blaring issue; it just seems to put a damper on the plot progression at some points.
Bravo for a fantastic read, Ms. Freitag.
"Must we all be our own heroes?"
I am always hesitant to 100% promote something, because more often than not it is not something I should be promoting 100%. However, there are some exceptions -- and I think this is one of them. Plenilune is such a powerful novel, it's impossible to gulp in a few sittings (as I normally read books). It's rich & it's red-gold. The perfect Autumn read.
Pros:
From every book I read I like to take a moral; to pinpoint the thing the author truly mastered. For Plenilune, this was the imagery, particularly how the author uses colour. Brilliant.
The skill of a good author is for the reader to not know who the villain is when she meets him - to fall for his charm with the rest of the characters - and again, Freitag conquered this.
Finally, I love the way she handled the darker issues, facing then head on & fearless, but keeping enough of a distance that the reader does not feel drowned in it.
Cons: There was a lot of description, which can be enjoyable, and useful, but there are points where it takes swimming to get through. I will also say that there are multiple anti-climaxes in the first half of the book. You feel you are on top of something earth shaking, but it's solved with something small, or put away for later - yet, it made the ending all the more powerful. It's not a blaring issue; it just seems to put a damper on the plot progression at some points.
Bravo for a fantastic read, Ms. Freitag.
"Must we all be our own heroes?"
September 13, 2019
I'm rating this book five stars because I think it's brilliant. That isn't to say I don't have issues with it (keep reading) but to applaud the author for sheer technical skill (keep reading). Possibly I read this too quickly; it has afforded me the opportunity to consume something very much akin to literature in between tasteless homework assignments (it's been a month, and I'll be happy to bid my biology book farewell); and I can't really regret the time spent in Plenilune, just as I can't really regret the time I spent tonight racing through its heady finish and working off the afterburn in a writing assignment with a background of Tenth Avenue North's Cathedrals album. I think all of us involved are better for it.
But back to this story, because it's quite a ride.
"What is strength but the will to go on? What is bravery but a hatred for that which defies you? What is courage but a love for that which you defend?"
This is a book for certain people, I think. It's a book for those who deeply love the English language and want to see a master at effortless effulgent work with adjectives that personally satisfy me down to the depths of whatever part of my heart it is which loves syntax. It's a book for those who love classic literature and would have fun at all the a-ha moments of classical rephrasings in glorious Plenilune vocabulary (look for Shakespeare, look for the Bible, look for poetry, look for--"...we shall be in Hannibal, where we will, by God's grace, light such a candle as will dry our shifts a bit."). It's a book for those who were fascinated with Howard Pyle and probably Rosemary Sutcliff as well. If you get impatient with long sentences or unorthodox matching of nouns with adjectives, it's probably not going to be the book for you, because much of this book's strength lies in its quality of writing.
This writing is hard to achieve today, because much of it would be called archaic and can look posturing when done weakly. Here, it's by no means done impotently. I'm glad I read on Kindle for the sheer sake of being able to highlight easily. So. many. quotes. Okay, so nobody talks like this today, true. Except in Plenilune, where they should talk no other way. I would not want to read this dialogue in every book, but I could use a few more (sequels? prequels? something please!). One of my favorite things about the book in its entirety were the names. They're unique and clever and pleasing to the eye and ear without being weird or overused. Nothing about them seems common. I mean--Bloodburn! Woodbird! Dammerung! Aikaterine! Skander Rime! Mark Roy! Centurion!
Moving on, now. Plenilune is the story of a rebellious girl swept out of her Victorian England world into a one torn by a war that's dividing families and will force her to consider her own place as she goes deeper into a dangerous game with and against powerful players.
Margaret Coventry is a dynamic, multifaceted heroine, unapologetically feminine in her love for sewing her own evening gown and appreciative of the merits of clothes, but disturbing in her development. I was left with the impression that her ultimate victory rested with her brutally overcoming three characters who in their varied ways abused her but perhaps could have been used to point to mercy rather than vengeance (for readers only: ). But there are moments when she is not as iron-hard as she proclaims herself to be, where she articulates in a hesitant prayer her insecurities about what is happening to her and what she herself is doing:
"In your rough and ready compassion, pluck me from among them like a brand from the fire... I am standing a little too close to the wicked. I will smell of smoke when you smite them. I hope you do not mind the scent of it."
Few of these characters are easy to classify as entirely right or wrong. The villain, however, is quite obviously in the wrong. And the heroes defend each other and love each other fiercely and display moral courage in spades. There is sharp language in this book as well as lyrical, old-fashioned swearing that increases in frequency as the book goes on, and a couple of blunt comments that set this book at adult level. But I think it takes the maturity of 18+ to handle the weight of its ideas.
Plenilune, I think, is a story of war, of the people who fight it, and how they change. Not all is quiet on the Plenilunar front, nor in the hearts of those who people this rich new world. Yet--
"You are a people fond of battle and glory, but I think you know gentleness and comfort too."
and I already want to re-read it.
But back to this story, because it's quite a ride.
"What is strength but the will to go on? What is bravery but a hatred for that which defies you? What is courage but a love for that which you defend?"
This is a book for certain people, I think. It's a book for those who deeply love the English language and want to see a master at effortless effulgent work with adjectives that personally satisfy me down to the depths of whatever part of my heart it is which loves syntax. It's a book for those who love classic literature and would have fun at all the a-ha moments of classical rephrasings in glorious Plenilune vocabulary (look for Shakespeare, look for the Bible, look for poetry, look for--"...we shall be in Hannibal, where we will, by God's grace, light such a candle as will dry our shifts a bit."). It's a book for those who were fascinated with Howard Pyle and probably Rosemary Sutcliff as well. If you get impatient with long sentences or unorthodox matching of nouns with adjectives, it's probably not going to be the book for you, because much of this book's strength lies in its quality of writing.
This writing is hard to achieve today, because much of it would be called archaic and can look posturing when done weakly. Here, it's by no means done impotently. I'm glad I read on Kindle for the sheer sake of being able to highlight easily. So. many. quotes. Okay, so nobody talks like this today, true. Except in Plenilune, where they should talk no other way. I would not want to read this dialogue in every book, but I could use a few more (sequels? prequels? something please!). One of my favorite things about the book in its entirety were the names. They're unique and clever and pleasing to the eye and ear without being weird or overused. Nothing about them seems common. I mean--Bloodburn! Woodbird! Dammerung! Aikaterine! Skander Rime! Mark Roy! Centurion!
Moving on, now. Plenilune is the story of a rebellious girl swept out of her Victorian England world into a one torn by a war that's dividing families and will force her to consider her own place as she goes deeper into a dangerous game with and against powerful players.
Margaret Coventry is a dynamic, multifaceted heroine, unapologetically feminine in her love for sewing her own evening gown and appreciative of the merits of clothes, but disturbing in her development. I was left with the impression that her ultimate victory rested with her brutally overcoming three characters who in their varied ways abused her but perhaps could have been used to point to mercy rather than vengeance (for readers only: ). But there are moments when she is not as iron-hard as she proclaims herself to be, where she articulates in a hesitant prayer her insecurities about what is happening to her and what she herself is doing:
"In your rough and ready compassion, pluck me from among them like a brand from the fire... I am standing a little too close to the wicked. I will smell of smoke when you smite them. I hope you do not mind the scent of it."
Few of these characters are easy to classify as entirely right or wrong. The villain, however, is quite obviously in the wrong. And the heroes defend each other and love each other fiercely and display moral courage in spades. There is sharp language in this book as well as lyrical, old-fashioned swearing that increases in frequency as the book goes on, and a couple of blunt comments that set this book at adult level. But I think it takes the maturity of 18+ to handle the weight of its ideas.
Plenilune, I think, is a story of war, of the people who fight it, and how they change. Not all is quiet on the Plenilunar front, nor in the hearts of those who people this rich new world. Yet--
"You are a people fond of battle and glory, but I think you know gentleness and comfort too."
and I already want to re-read it.
December 29, 2014
We meet Margaret Coventry, Englishwoman to the core, on the train station platform, and like her, we're prepared for a trip. What we get, however, is a journey that nearly rivals Frodo Baggins' for length, peril, and awe. Plenilune reaches out and plucks you from your comfortable chair into a world of high beauty and splendor, where men walk as gods and wield their magic at will. It's a story to heighten the senses through its lavish setting and plot filled with light and thunder. It may delight you, it may shock you, it may even frighten you, but one thing's for certain: you'll be invested.
"Why did all the silences of this place sound like the silence before a scream? Why did the stillness of this house feel like the stillness before a storm?"
When you first open Plenilune, the description envelops you with its energy. Freitag suffuses her image-driven prose with a singularly arresting beauty. It's thick. It's warm. It's alive. The reader learns to see common things in brighter shades; in some respects, this novel opens the eyes with its rich narrative. Does it have a tendency to grow so ornate as to distract from the forward progression of the plot? In places, yes. It would be dishonest to say there were not instances where certain details could have been slimmed down in the narrative. The overall tone, however, never wanes in its appeal. Not for nothing has Freitag been called a penslayer.
"How peacefully I am killed by you, she told the landscape. How quietly you break me into pieces."
You will love these characters. Firm and wild, fierce and gentle, they are so large that they squeeze the breath from one's chest. Freitag draws each detail of their natures with striking precision, and from Orzelon-gang to Dondonné and back again, each is threaded so deeply into his world that they are practically one and the same. You will be swiftly acquainted with the great kindness of Skander Rime, the rough warmth of Lord Gro FitzDraco, the tragedy of Kinloss, the grace of Romage, the mystery of the White Ones, and the wit and brilliance of the fox himself. Together they and the other lords are the blooming flower of Plenilune, and standing at their blood-red heart is Margaret, the English rose who slowly learns to take on the crown and scepter of a strange world she has come to call her own.
"With their thin skins, quick to take offence and to defend their bantam plumage, these were men who lived among danger and swords and blood and put a great price on honour. They had not turned their world into a nursery. They loved their world fiercely and their world loved them still more fiercely back."
The true joy of Plenilune does not come in analyzing its various literary merits, however. I finished the novel Saturday evening, and I am still not fully rid of its lingering effects. I've re-read certain scenes multiple times; for that matter, I've re-read certain lines until they are stamped on my mind. ("Nay, sirrah," she spoke low, huskily. "Do not look to us for mercy. Our hearts are iron-clad.") I never want to forget the sensation of boldness and bravery and beauty that's been washing over me in waves since I first opened Plenilune many months ago. That is its strongest merit. Plenilune unlocks something in the soul and sends it soaring. You will touch the thrumming beat of a grace almost too overwhelming for comprehension, and you will step away changed.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
"Why did all the silences of this place sound like the silence before a scream? Why did the stillness of this house feel like the stillness before a storm?"
When you first open Plenilune, the description envelops you with its energy. Freitag suffuses her image-driven prose with a singularly arresting beauty. It's thick. It's warm. It's alive. The reader learns to see common things in brighter shades; in some respects, this novel opens the eyes with its rich narrative. Does it have a tendency to grow so ornate as to distract from the forward progression of the plot? In places, yes. It would be dishonest to say there were not instances where certain details could have been slimmed down in the narrative. The overall tone, however, never wanes in its appeal. Not for nothing has Freitag been called a penslayer.
"How peacefully I am killed by you, she told the landscape. How quietly you break me into pieces."
You will love these characters. Firm and wild, fierce and gentle, they are so large that they squeeze the breath from one's chest. Freitag draws each detail of their natures with striking precision, and from Orzelon-gang to Dondonné and back again, each is threaded so deeply into his world that they are practically one and the same. You will be swiftly acquainted with the great kindness of Skander Rime, the rough warmth of Lord Gro FitzDraco, the tragedy of Kinloss, the grace of Romage, the mystery of the White Ones, and the wit and brilliance of the fox himself. Together they and the other lords are the blooming flower of Plenilune, and standing at their blood-red heart is Margaret, the English rose who slowly learns to take on the crown and scepter of a strange world she has come to call her own.
"With their thin skins, quick to take offence and to defend their bantam plumage, these were men who lived among danger and swords and blood and put a great price on honour. They had not turned their world into a nursery. They loved their world fiercely and their world loved them still more fiercely back."
The true joy of Plenilune does not come in analyzing its various literary merits, however. I finished the novel Saturday evening, and I am still not fully rid of its lingering effects. I've re-read certain scenes multiple times; for that matter, I've re-read certain lines until they are stamped on my mind. ("Nay, sirrah," she spoke low, huskily. "Do not look to us for mercy. Our hearts are iron-clad.") I never want to forget the sensation of boldness and bravery and beauty that's been washing over me in waves since I first opened Plenilune many months ago. That is its strongest merit. Plenilune unlocks something in the soul and sends it soaring. You will touch the thrumming beat of a grace almost too overwhelming for comprehension, and you will step away changed.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
December 15, 2016
Having read Jenny's historical fiction The Shadow Things, and since her blog is one of my favorites to read, I knew I was going to love her newest book. I bought pre-order and plunged in as soon as it appeared on my Kindle.
It's a big book, and thus it took me a good few months to read properly. Jenny's writing isn't to be read in great gulps, and I had to ration myself properly. This isn't a story for the faint of heart.
I had known from The Shadow Things that Jenny doesn't shy away from the stark ugliness of human depravity, and this book was no exception. It's not a story for young readers, and there are a number of shocking incidents, some of which I'd have rather she'd left out.
The plot, at face value, seems to be that a Beauty and the Beast formula. Margaret is kidnapped and held captive by a less than kind fellow, who expects her to marry her. But then the fox shows up.
I can't say much about the fox, but he's one of my favorite characters. I might have been biased, because he shares many similarities with a fox character that I have in my own writing, but I agree with many of the other readers - this book is worth a read just for the fox.
The book takes place on the moon - though apparently not the moon that the Apollo astronauts visited, for, senery-wise, the place is little different than earth. There are plants, forests, animals - indeed, it seemed to be the same plants, forests, and animals that we have on our own sphere - and there are houses and people and wars. Really, the only difference between the world of Plenilune and our own is that Plenilune has magic.
So I was a bit disappointed in the world building, though you really won't notice with the thickness of the writing.
I recommend this to older readers who are willing to slough through thick writing and have a stomach for some pretty nasty situations.
It's a big book, and thus it took me a good few months to read properly. Jenny's writing isn't to be read in great gulps, and I had to ration myself properly. This isn't a story for the faint of heart.
I had known from The Shadow Things that Jenny doesn't shy away from the stark ugliness of human depravity, and this book was no exception. It's not a story for young readers, and there are a number of shocking incidents, some of which I'd have rather she'd left out.
The plot, at face value, seems to be that a Beauty and the Beast formula. Margaret is kidnapped and held captive by a less than kind fellow, who expects her to marry her. But then the fox shows up.
I can't say much about the fox, but he's one of my favorite characters. I might have been biased, because he shares many similarities with a fox character that I have in my own writing, but I agree with many of the other readers - this book is worth a read just for the fox.
The book takes place on the moon - though apparently not the moon that the Apollo astronauts visited, for, senery-wise, the place is little different than earth. There are plants, forests, animals - indeed, it seemed to be the same plants, forests, and animals that we have on our own sphere - and there are houses and people and wars. Really, the only difference between the world of Plenilune and our own is that Plenilune has magic.
So I was a bit disappointed in the world building, though you really won't notice with the thickness of the writing.
I recommend this to older readers who are willing to slough through thick writing and have a stomach for some pretty nasty situations.
April 22, 2015
Rating Plenilune is hard. Therefore, I give it a 3 star rating, and will proceed to try and review it soon, Lord willing, to explain.
In some ways I loved Plenilune fiercely - beautiful writing (for one thing), in other ways, I had things that made me concerned (moral choices, etc). This is a book I would definitely not recommend everyone to read, but for those who have an interest in legends/ and plantery fantasy, and philosophy, and aren't shy of a deal of blood, and gore, you'd like the opportunity of reading this rich novel.
In some ways I loved Plenilune fiercely - beautiful writing (for one thing), in other ways, I had things that made me concerned (moral choices, etc). This is a book I would definitely not recommend everyone to read, but for those who have an interest in legends/ and plantery fantasy, and philosophy, and aren't shy of a deal of blood, and gore, you'd like the opportunity of reading this rich novel.
December 29, 2020
I truly enjoyed this fantastical tale. My reasoning for giving it only four stars, is simply because of the unexpected amount of unnecessary language. And the fact that to me, the first half of the story was rather slow and confusing. But once past that, and on into where everything starts clicking together, the plot just seems to explode. I would definitely recommend this to all my friends, but on a careful note...
To read my full review, visit my blog! Sarah, Plain & Average: http://sarah-plainandaverage.blogspot...
To read my full review, visit my blog! Sarah, Plain & Average: http://sarah-plainandaverage.blogspot...
Want to read
October 22, 2014
Look at that cover.
*in a murmur* I know, I know. Never judge a book by its cover. But, fear not, I read the summary, and it sounds good, too... I would still really like to stroke it obsessively read it.
August 21, 2019
holy MOLEY.
review coming soonish.
review coming soonish.
Read
January 19, 2016There are just some books that is clearly not for me.
September 6, 2019
2.5 stars!
DNFed this one at page 100. What I read was well written (minus the plethora of grammar and spelling mistakes I found in one chapter), but I wasn't finding myself growing attached to Margaret.
DNFed this one at page 100. What I read was well written (minus the plethora of grammar and spelling mistakes I found in one chapter), but I wasn't finding myself growing attached to Margaret.
June 1, 2020
While I really liked The Shadow Things by the same author, this one I did not, unfortunately. She crafted her sentences very carefully, but her literary style isn't for me; I did not like the hero much and the heroine not at all; the romance was matter of fact.
July 10, 2015
More reviews can be found in http://steelsparkleandscripture.blogs...
Margaret Coventry knows she must leave her home in England find a husband after scandal strikes her family, but she never dreamed a suitor would find her or just how far from home he would take her.
Rupert de la Mare is ruthless in claiming whatever he wants, and, right now, he wants a bride so he can be named Overlord of Plenilune. However, his choice may be more bring him more trouble than he bargained for.
A fox waits alone and ignored in a cellar, but his presence cannot be ignored forever.
Plenilune is a proud world, full of mighty people. Now it needs an Overlord, as darkness and war hover on its horizon. Can Margaret, a woman from another world, bring Plenilune the hope and leader its people truly need?
With lush descriptions, powerful characters, and an incredibly unique plot, Plenilune is certainly a memorable read, and only a few minor details prevented me from giving it an elusive seventh star. Although the story is quite long, I felt like a bit more information would have been helpful, especially about Margaret’s life in England. When I started the book, I couldn’t help but feel like I was starting to read the second book in a series without fully grasping what was going on. Margaret was leaving home and a pushy mother after a scandal caused by her cousin, but I felt like a few more details about Margaret’s home life would have been helpful. In addition, the book included a bit more swearing than I was comfortable with.
Still all of the characters were masterfully drawn into a fully-developed world with powerful prose. Each character truly seemed to spring vibrantly from the pages. Margaret in particular is intriguing. Although kidnapped, she is not a damsel in distress. Although stubborn, she is not invincible. Margaret is a profound jumble of determination, refinement, pride, tenacity, vulnerability, and reserve. Despite being dragged to a world vastly different from her own, she is able to adapt and discovers a real home, completely unlike the house she was raised in. The man who thrusts her into the world of Plenilune is just as complex as her, although even more flawed. Rupert de la Mare is uncompromising and domineering but self-conscious, desperate to claim what he desires, but unwilling to accept something he has not won. When Rupert chooses Margaret for his bride, their personalities and wills clash in a flurry of sparks. The main characters are all incredibly real and flawed as they live life to the fullest. Even the minor characters are vividly drawn. One of my favorite characters in the story is Dammerung, but his story is full of secrets and surprises which I will let you discover for yourself.
The text’s strikingly constructed language is powerful like steel, and the all the characters sparkle with life. The story also includes many allusions to Christian ideas and themes, but I wanted a bit more of this scriptural element and less of the swearing and blunt violence. Still, the overall combination of the language, the plot, and the characters of Plenilune unite to create a gorgeous and stunning story. I absolutely loved reading this book!
I believe this book would be perfect for lovers of fantasy. The world of Plenilune is a character itself, and the adventure is outstanding.
Margaret Coventry knows she must leave her home in England find a husband after scandal strikes her family, but she never dreamed a suitor would find her or just how far from home he would take her.
Rupert de la Mare is ruthless in claiming whatever he wants, and, right now, he wants a bride so he can be named Overlord of Plenilune. However, his choice may be more bring him more trouble than he bargained for.
A fox waits alone and ignored in a cellar, but his presence cannot be ignored forever.
Plenilune is a proud world, full of mighty people. Now it needs an Overlord, as darkness and war hover on its horizon. Can Margaret, a woman from another world, bring Plenilune the hope and leader its people truly need?
With lush descriptions, powerful characters, and an incredibly unique plot, Plenilune is certainly a memorable read, and only a few minor details prevented me from giving it an elusive seventh star. Although the story is quite long, I felt like a bit more information would have been helpful, especially about Margaret’s life in England. When I started the book, I couldn’t help but feel like I was starting to read the second book in a series without fully grasping what was going on. Margaret was leaving home and a pushy mother after a scandal caused by her cousin, but I felt like a few more details about Margaret’s home life would have been helpful. In addition, the book included a bit more swearing than I was comfortable with.
Still all of the characters were masterfully drawn into a fully-developed world with powerful prose. Each character truly seemed to spring vibrantly from the pages. Margaret in particular is intriguing. Although kidnapped, she is not a damsel in distress. Although stubborn, she is not invincible. Margaret is a profound jumble of determination, refinement, pride, tenacity, vulnerability, and reserve. Despite being dragged to a world vastly different from her own, she is able to adapt and discovers a real home, completely unlike the house she was raised in. The man who thrusts her into the world of Plenilune is just as complex as her, although even more flawed. Rupert de la Mare is uncompromising and domineering but self-conscious, desperate to claim what he desires, but unwilling to accept something he has not won. When Rupert chooses Margaret for his bride, their personalities and wills clash in a flurry of sparks. The main characters are all incredibly real and flawed as they live life to the fullest. Even the minor characters are vividly drawn. One of my favorite characters in the story is Dammerung, but his story is full of secrets and surprises which I will let you discover for yourself.
The text’s strikingly constructed language is powerful like steel, and the all the characters sparkle with life. The story also includes many allusions to Christian ideas and themes, but I wanted a bit more of this scriptural element and less of the swearing and blunt violence. Still, the overall combination of the language, the plot, and the characters of Plenilune unite to create a gorgeous and stunning story. I absolutely loved reading this book!
I believe this book would be perfect for lovers of fantasy. The world of Plenilune is a character itself, and the adventure is outstanding.
September 24, 2016
If I could summarize this book into one word, that word would be confusing.
Plenilune is an an amazingly-detailed world that I was sucked into and thrown around and battered, and awed, and swept away.
Margaret, our main character was a simple, English girl, plunged into a a strange new world (and that world was the moon). The war would eventually come after her capture and as she comes into contact with the magic that the world possesses, she eventually finds herself in a place of power, her mere presence swinging sides and determining fate.
Frietag's writing is incredibly detailed, and at times, confusing. There is an over-abundance of characters to keep up with (including horses), while at the same time, places, legends, and wars are brought up, and you're expected to be familiar enough with them all to have clarity going ahead. It is a long read, so she doesn't blaze through all the details; she takes her time constructing the world, but I feel as though a cast of characters and maybe places in an appendix would help by the end.
The way that magic is used in the book is interesting: it's like it didn't need an introduction, it's as though we all should have expected it, like strange and powerful forces are just an everyday occurence here in our Earth world. Maybe if I suspended my belief in the everyday non-magical view of things (which is the world I do live in), it would have been easier for me to grasp all the seemingly magical ties and string them all together. Eventually, that part I could do with ease.
One thing that I had the most trouble with was her jumping around the storyline. Frietag takes great leaps from one chapter to another, even sometimes within a chapter she jumps forward 2 weeks, or past a battle, or over a great event, and the characters look back and analyze it. Or in one instance, I thought Margaret was dreaming, and I had to go back to see that a battle was real and was happening around her in real-time. That threw me off the most. It might simply have been getting used to the author's writing style, but that was like 88% through the book.
The book is beautiful, you can see every detail, every strand of horsehair flying in the wind, the grit of battle dirt and the sting of blood in your nose. That, I give her. 5/5. Amazing.
Lastly, the emotional aspects of the book were interesting and nuanced and sometimes the feelings were plainly seen on faces, and at other times just felt and brewing and waiting. It was great, and the end was definitely tied all up in a bow. It seems to me the end was a bit abrupt, and it makes me wonder if there'll be another book coming.
I was enthralled enough to see it through til the end and am awaiting news of a possible sequel or maybe even just another book in this same world. The beautiful imagery in my mind is enough to keep me hoping.
Plenilune is an an amazingly-detailed world that I was sucked into and thrown around and battered, and awed, and swept away.
Margaret, our main character was a simple, English girl, plunged into a a strange new world (and that world was the moon). The war would eventually come after her capture and as she comes into contact with the magic that the world possesses, she eventually finds herself in a place of power, her mere presence swinging sides and determining fate.
Frietag's writing is incredibly detailed, and at times, confusing. There is an over-abundance of characters to keep up with (including horses), while at the same time, places, legends, and wars are brought up, and you're expected to be familiar enough with them all to have clarity going ahead. It is a long read, so she doesn't blaze through all the details; she takes her time constructing the world, but I feel as though a cast of characters and maybe places in an appendix would help by the end.
The way that magic is used in the book is interesting: it's like it didn't need an introduction, it's as though we all should have expected it, like strange and powerful forces are just an everyday occurence here in our Earth world. Maybe if I suspended my belief in the everyday non-magical view of things (which is the world I do live in), it would have been easier for me to grasp all the seemingly magical ties and string them all together. Eventually, that part I could do with ease.
One thing that I had the most trouble with was her jumping around the storyline. Frietag takes great leaps from one chapter to another, even sometimes within a chapter she jumps forward 2 weeks, or past a battle, or over a great event, and the characters look back and analyze it. Or in one instance, I thought Margaret was dreaming, and I had to go back to see that a battle was real and was happening around her in real-time. That threw me off the most. It might simply have been getting used to the author's writing style, but that was like 88% through the book.
The book is beautiful, you can see every detail, every strand of horsehair flying in the wind, the grit of battle dirt and the sting of blood in your nose. That, I give her. 5/5. Amazing.
Lastly, the emotional aspects of the book were interesting and nuanced and sometimes the feelings were plainly seen on faces, and at other times just felt and brewing and waiting. It was great, and the end was definitely tied all up in a bow. It seems to me the end was a bit abrupt, and it makes me wonder if there'll be another book coming.
I was enthralled enough to see it through til the end and am awaiting news of a possible sequel or maybe even just another book in this same world. The beautiful imagery in my mind is enough to keep me hoping.
May 28, 2016
What a book. Don't ask if that's a positive or negative statement, as I'm not sure myself. I went with three stars, because I didn't not like it, but I was too torn about it to enjoy it properly.
The writing was beautiful, but awfully heavy. When so many words described the simplest things, it was really tiring to read, but yet the bits and pieces of plot pulled me to keep reading. You have to be in a certain mood to read such heavy and ornate writing, it doesn't go over so well when I'm trying to get a chapter or two in before bed. :) It doesn't help that it's a stinkin' heavy book to hold up. :)
The characters were interesting. I can't say I really liked Margaret, so I was thankful when other characters came in that I could feel more invested in, like Skander and Dammerung.
What else?....Hmm, there was the conflicting mix of God and magic. Margaret would pray, there were these sort of Bible commentary books mentioned, and the villain was against those sorts of things, yet the characters who I guess were supposed to believe in God didn't seem to put any trust in Him, or have any hope in Him. God seemed very, very distant, and that disturbed me. Why ask God for help when you can go to a dragon and get a magic spell? There also didn't seem to be much of a line drawn between good and evil. The things some of the characters did on the "good" side, were no better then the villain they were fighting against.
Other reviews cover objectionable content better then I would be able to. I will say, although there were some gory parts, I never felt squeamish about them, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like to see blood. Maybe I was just too tired to pay much heed to it.
The concept was really neat, and I may dare to venture into another book set in the world of Plenilune as Jennifer Freitag continues to write them, but overall, I was disappointed, and it's not nice to be disappointed in a book you've invested a lot of time in reading. On the bright side, it had some of my favorite things, like falcons, and foxes, and beautiful rambling mansions. But when the One who is dearest to me seems to be incorrectly portrayed? When people have to make themselves the saviors? Something is wrong. All the witty banter, gorgeous settings, and plot twists can't make up for that.
The writing was beautiful, but awfully heavy. When so many words described the simplest things, it was really tiring to read, but yet the bits and pieces of plot pulled me to keep reading. You have to be in a certain mood to read such heavy and ornate writing, it doesn't go over so well when I'm trying to get a chapter or two in before bed. :) It doesn't help that it's a stinkin' heavy book to hold up. :)
The characters were interesting. I can't say I really liked Margaret, so I was thankful when other characters came in that I could feel more invested in, like Skander and Dammerung.
What else?....Hmm, there was the conflicting mix of God and magic. Margaret would pray, there were these sort of Bible commentary books mentioned, and the villain was against those sorts of things, yet the characters who I guess were supposed to believe in God didn't seem to put any trust in Him, or have any hope in Him. God seemed very, very distant, and that disturbed me. Why ask God for help when you can go to a dragon and get a magic spell? There also didn't seem to be much of a line drawn between good and evil. The things some of the characters did on the "good" side, were no better then the villain they were fighting against.
Other reviews cover objectionable content better then I would be able to. I will say, although there were some gory parts, I never felt squeamish about them, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like to see blood. Maybe I was just too tired to pay much heed to it.
The concept was really neat, and I may dare to venture into another book set in the world of Plenilune as Jennifer Freitag continues to write them, but overall, I was disappointed, and it's not nice to be disappointed in a book you've invested a lot of time in reading. On the bright side, it had some of my favorite things, like falcons, and foxes, and beautiful rambling mansions. But when the One who is dearest to me seems to be incorrectly portrayed? When people have to make themselves the saviors? Something is wrong. All the witty banter, gorgeous settings, and plot twists can't make up for that.
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