Review: The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers

From the author of A Witch in Time comes a haunting tale of ambition, obsession, and the eternal mystery and magic of film. 

THE STAR AND THE STRANGE MOON

 by CONSTANCE SAYERS

Series: n/a

Publication date: November 14, 2023

Published by: Redhook

Genre: fantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

1968: Actress Gemma Turner once dreamed of stardom. Unfortunately, she’s on the cusp of slipping into obscurity. When she’s offered the lead in a radical new horror film, Gemma believes her luck has finally changed. But L’Etrange Lune’s set is not what she expected. The director is eccentric, and the script doesn’t make sense. 

Gemma is determined to make this work. It’s her last chance to achieve her dream—but that dream is about to derail her life. One night, between the shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is still alive. She’s been transported into the film and the script—and the monsters within it—are coming to life. She must play her role perfectly if she hopes to survive. 

2015: Gemma Turner’s disappearance is one of film history’s greatest mysteries—one that’s haunted film student Christopher Kent ever since he saw his first screening of L’Etrange Lune. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there is new, impossible footage of Gemma long after she vanished. Desperate to discover the truth, Christopher risks losing himself. He’ll have to outrun the cursed legacy of the film—or become trapped by it forever.

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Praise for Constance Sayers:

A captivating tapestry of a tale, A Witch in Time weaves together the supernatural, historical fiction, and a humorous present day heroine, while traveling the macabre brambles of a dark curse-through lifetimes-with a compass to the heart.-- "Gwendolyn Womack, bestselling author of The Fortune Teller & The Time Collector on A Witch in Time"

A spellbinding historical fantasy....Fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Ladies of the Secret Circus"

A sweeping story of magical, star-crossed love, as glamorous as it is romantic. Prepare to be dazzled.-- "Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger on A Witch in Time"

Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder.-- "Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation on The Ladies of the Secret Circus"

At once a sweeping tale of dark magic, artistic obsession, and a love unbound from the limits of time, The Star and the Strange Moon captivates with lush prose and moments of poignant, heartbreaking beauty. A soaring celebration of female agency and the power of free will, this is Constance Sayers at her finest.-- "Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain"

At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women.-- "Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch on The Ladies of the Secret Circus"

Be warned! The Star and the Strange Moon will cast its spell on you. Constance Sayers has created a book of worlds within worlds. Like the main characters, the reader is irresistibly drawn into the dangerous intrigue and dark truth at the heart of the story. Highly recommended!-- "Paula Brackston, New York Times bestselling author"

Fans of Deborah Harkness will devour this page-turning tale of love, reincarnation, and dark magic. A highly unique and enjoyable read!-- "Hester Fox, author of The Witch of Willow Hall on A Witch in Time"

Fresh and original... a narrative rich in historical detail, brightened by flashes of humor, and filled with colorful characters and fascinating settings. A most rewarding read!-- "Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches on A Witch in Time"

Sayers traverses time periods effortlessly with lush, graceful descriptions....This spiraling narrative will appeal to fans of historical fiction and complicated love stories .-- "Publishers Weekly on A Witch in Time"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Constance Sayers is the author of the Amazon best-selling novel, A Witch in Time (2020 Redhook/Hachette) as well as The Ladies of the Secret Circus (2021 Redhook/Hachette) that received a starred review from both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. Her books have been translated into six languages.

A finalist for Alternating Current’s 2016 Luminaire Award for Best Prose, her short stories have appeared in Souvenir and Amazing Graces: Yet Another Collection of Fiction by Washington Area Women as well as The Sky is a Free Country. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

She received her master of arts in English from George Mason University and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She attended The Bread Loaf Writers Conference where she studied with Charles Baxter and Lauren Groff. A media executive, she’s twice been named one of the “Top 100 Media People in America” by Folio and included in their list of “Top Women in Media.”

She lives in Washington DC. Like her character in The Ladies of the Secret Circus, she was the host of a radio show from midnight to six.

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REVIEW

The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Arriving here, a hollowness had enveloped her. 

Perhaps a horror film was appropriate 

for her current state of mind, 

yet she had a premonition of sorts that this

film was going to be the undoing of her.

Constance Sayers has just joined a very short list of authors that are so good I will auto-read their books no questions asked. The Star and the Strange Moon is the third book in a row of hers that I absolutely LOVED. Like the first two reads by Sayers, this story had a dark, foreboding edge that keeps you turning the pages with equal parts anxiety and wonder. I've never really been a big fan of the horror genre, but this novel leans towards the gothic sub-genre with the element of romance involved. The romance was not in the forefront of the story, which I didn't mind at all. The dual timelines and time travel feel (I would describe it as traveling to an alternate world/dimension rather than time travel) both added to the complexity of this thought-provoking story.

Christopher Kent's childhood was very unstable and chaotic. From a very early age, he had to learn how to deal with his mother's extreme mood swings, addictions, and unpredictable behavior. Constantly on the move to a new place and a new job, they lived a nomadic life out of hotels filled with uncertainty and dread. Christopher knew he wouldn't stay in any one place too long, so he wouldn't allow himself to make friends. While it wasn't an easy childhood, it was what he had become accustomed to in order to take care of his mother and keep them safe. Then his world came crashing down one day when his mother seemed to have a complete mental breakdown. The catalyst was (strangely enough) a poster of an old black and white movie star named Gemma Turner. It seemed to send his mother into an unhinged loss of control that became her final breaking point.

After Christopher couldn't hold the pieces of their life together any longer, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle. He never forgot Gemma Turner and the strange effect she seemed to have on his mother. It started a lifelong obsession-a quest to learn everything he could about the actress and her possible connection to his mother. It was a quest that would ultimately dig up dark secrets that were meant to stay hidden forever.

Christopher knew in his heart that 

his mother’s true tale had been hidden 

from him—from all of them. 

He just had to find it.

Gemma Turner's POV is ominous from page one. If you've read the synopsis, you know that she is doomed to disappear during her last movie. That movie, L’Etrange Lune, grew to have a cult-like following as well as the strange deaths of some people connected to it. Was there some sort of curse on the property they were filming at? The world had a macabre fascination with the unexplainable events. To Christopher, it was more than that. He felt uncontrollably drawn to the story. Obsessed. Gemma's fate meant something to him in a very personal way and he couldn't stop until he had closure. Her alternating chapters become hard to read because you're filled with dread for her. Knowing she has nothing but a living nightmare waiting for her in the near future, in a living story that alters with each decision she makes.

I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling the mystery of it all, but I will say that Christopher and Gemma's worlds eventually will collide. He must find a way to extract her or he may become entangled right along with her. What sacrifices is he willing to make in order to put this cursed movie to rest once and for all?

The book was a little slow going at first, partly due to my impatience to just get Gemma's entrance into the movie over with. Even though I was impatient, the attention to detail created a fine-tuned plot and three dimensional characters. Everything was brought to life in an exquisite, sinister package that kept me hooked until the very last page. I can't wait to see what this author has in store for us next!

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Review: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT

 by ALLISON SAFT

Series: n/a

Publication date: January 2, 2024

Published by: Wednesday Books

Genre: romantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. 

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous gossip columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks. She lives with her partner and an Italian greyhound named Marzipan.

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REVIEW

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I was so excited to start this because the premise sounded really different and intriguing. Sadly, it was a bit of a mess, and very difficult to read for many reasons. Surface level character development, pacing, inconsistencies, unlikable hero, minimal fantasy worldbuilding, and the weak historical setting were just a few of the things that came together to make this lackluster romantasy. I am so bummed that I didn't love it, but I'm honestly patting myself on the back for trudging through and making it to the last page.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair is the female protagonist. She's eighteen years old and has just been offered the position of clothing maker for the upcoming royal wedding of the youngest prince. Prince Christopher, Duke of Clearwater (Kit) is marrying Rosa because his older brother has decreed that it's for the good of the kingdom. The alliance will prove to strengthen them financially and improve Kit's battered reputation. Kit is seen as a bit of a joke because of his alcoholism and the fact that he's been living away from Avaland in an attempt to recover from his addiction. He's reluctantly going along with the wedding, but he's not happy and everyone knows it.

From the first introduction, Kit is surly, mean-spirited, and just generally unpleasant to be around. Niamh is asked to stitch something for him and the prince regent in order to show the capabilities of her magic. He sneers at her work and makes her feel unwelcome before stomping off. This immediately causes her to (understandably) hate him from the get-go. During all of their interactions, his behavior takes a similar vein, though she starts to sympathize with him as she sees hints of compassion in him. Personally, I did not see enough in him to excuse his bratty behavior, nor did I see him as a multi-layered person who is misunderstood. His reputation is well-earned, and I didn't even feel sorry for him being forced into a loveless marriage.

Niamh came off as a bit of a people pleaser and a martyr. She lives to help support her family (even though they're ungrateful), has no personal life to speak of, and weakens herself by working her fingers to the bone knowing that it's accelerating the mysterious disease she is "dying" from. When she is overly stressed or anxious she ages and/or weakens which is shown in the physical manifestation of her hair gradually turning white. In the synopsis, it says that the magic she uses in her clothing is "the same magic that will eventually kill her." However, in the book, it says this:

Some illnesses pass through generations. We tend to see them appear more often in families with divine blood—not necessarily because they’re connected [...]

Absolutely nobody else in the book with magic powers is suffering the same health issues as her. Nobody else has hair turning white. None of this was explained with any type of detail, and no one seems to be overly concerned when she baldly states to various people that she is "dying." When she blurted it out to Kit, they were becoming involved at that point and he acted surprised but that was the extent of it. How do you not react with horror to a statement like that for someone you are supposedly falling for? I kept thinking that this would be addressed somehow towards the end in order to ensure a smooth HEA, but unfortunately no. She could literally die one year after they get together...one day even. But they calmly accept that like it's no biggie. In fact, all of the seemingly insurmountable hurdles these two have are hopped over quickly and unrealistically. Kit's engagement is even solved from many different angles in very few pages. Everything all tied up in a neat bow, but not in a remotely realistic manner.

The magic system is described very vaguely as well as the historical setting. All we are told about the magic is that every person with an ceird (magic) claimed they could trace their ancestry back to one of the Fair Ones. The Fair Ones are described in one paragraph. None of it really makes sense. Are there a set amount of powers based on the six Fair Ones named, or are there too many to count? Despite the source of the magic, some of the Machlish people who are peasants who live in poverty have magic, like Niamh. It seems that anyone in any class can have them, but having them doesn't earn respect unless you are upper class. There is no structure to any of it, and it's all briefly, sporadically, and in an inconsistent way. If I'm reading a fantasy with magic involved I expect world building and in-depth explanations in order for the setting to come to life. The historical detail was sufficient either, despite the fact that this world was supposed to have been modeled after Regency England. Their clothing may have been appropriate, but I didn't have the benefit of a description besides a bit of lace here, or a mention of a garter under her dress there. The speech and social customs were more modern than antiquated, so everything was a bit artificial for my taste.

There is the addition of various conflicts like the gossip columnist Lovelace, and Lady Helen Carlile who pop up at various points in the book but again, lack any focus or detail. The romance pretty much sprouts out of nowhere after she spends more than half the book despising him, and I couldn't find excitement for it once it did. His fiancé pretty much says it all.

    “He is . . . pretty, in his way, I suppose. In theory,” Rosa conceded. 

“But I am shocked at his poor breeding. 

He is gentlemanly to no one but you. To the rest of the world, 

he is peevish, extraordinarily rude, and

possesses no grace or decorum.”

To me, this feels like a story you would expect from a debut author. I don't think I'll be trying another book from Allison Saft because her writing is just not for me. Many others have read her work and appreciate it, so maybe you will have a different experience.

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