Sun and Moon by Desiree Williams is a good, summer romantic fantasy appropriate for middle grade and young adult readers. It’s short, easy to digest, and has an assured happy ending, like a bag of popcorn at the movie theater.
Synopsis
Eighteen-year-old Zara has been a slave since her parents were killed when she was only eight. She serves as the companion and bodyguard for a princess, and together, they plot escape from the princess’s despotic father, King Melchior.
There’s only one catch; she was chosen from birth to fulfill a much larger destiny, and the time arrives before she is ready. (No spoilers.)
Pros:
- This is a clean romance suitable for all ages. Zara and Jaedon are both wonderful, easy-to-like characters.
- The cover is beautiful.
- The pacing keeps the reader engaged.
- The world-building is great.
Cons:
- For a demanding, older reader, this book tends to be too perfect, too sweet, and too predicable. By the end of 227 pages, not one, but three couples have managed to reach their happy endings.
- Some readers may be uncomfortable with the idea of an assigned life mate and the use of symbols (like tattoos) that come to life to help the characters find each other.
- The evil king is a little too evil to be believable.
Personal Thoughts
Sun and Moon was too sweet and easy for my taste. I don’t think the author intended this book to be a Young Adult book, but the female lead’s age is ripe for this market. Certainly, the content is appropriate for this age group.
The novel had the potential to be much better if only the author had included grittier conflict and not so many happy endings. For lost opportunity, I will give it four stars, but as a “popcorn” romance, it’s a perfect summer read.