Moth and Spark is the debut novel of author Ann Leonard. Published in 2014 it has been well recieved in both the fantasy and romance genres. However as a reader of both fantasy and romance, I place it firmly in the romance with fantasy attributes catagory. It is a nice hard back with stunning cover design.
For a quick light read this is a decent book, however if you are expecting a hardcore fantasy novel with a dash of romance this isn’t it. The love story is the author’s prime focus for over half the book while she builds the plot quietly in the background. The last third of the book did not seem as well built as the previous chapters. There were certain loose ends that were too neatly tied up without the reader feeling there was more to it.
I wanted to like this book and parts certainly amused me, however I felt there was certain elements missing from the story. According to the author’s website she wrote this as a stand alone novel. But she has been tossing about ideas for a sequel that would be placed years in the future. Perhaps when she writes her sequel the characters will shine a light on certain events from a hisorical context. I give this novel more points from a romance than fantasy because that is what it is. Magic and dragons do not a fantasy make when they are merely window dressing for the love story.
Cheers on this Halloween evening, james
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