So, I know I was going to put the review up for Shade of Light, since I did get it finished. But then I dove straight into Land of Two Moons by a friend of mine. One night of “sleep is unessential,” and I got through most of it. My review is down below. The good points and my comments:)
LAND OF THE TWO MOONS
Political unrest, war over valuable mines, forbidden love, and a homesick dragon bound in chains threaten the land of two moons.
“The gritty reality of trench warfare and the smoky chaos of riots is striking in D. L. Gardner’s Land of Two Moons…a rich and ambitious fantasy novel that successfully builds a world trembling on the brink of magical and political upheaval. This is a delicate, intricate novel that rewards patient reading.” – Independent Book Review
Dianne has also been writing for years and is a stunning artist, as well. This story is a very solid YA coming-of-age tale set in a quasi-medieval, standard fantasy setting. The two YA children of the Duke are the main characters that we follow, with an occasional POV from someone else (I think. This was an audiobook, so I wasn’t sure, but I think there were a few outside chapters).
D.L. Gardner is an award-winning author, artist, filmmaker, and screenwriter with over 28 published works to her credit. Writing and painting are her passions and fantasy her forte. When she’s not pounding keys on the computer, she’s canning salsa, picking apples, listening to the voices of critters in the woods, or watching flowers grow. She loves visiting far-off lands through books by both reading and writing.
Her genres include all fantasy, historical, and mystery.
Get to know D.L. through her websites and blogs or send her a message on Kickstarter.
Currently a FINALIST (2025 March) in the Cannes World Wide Film Festival for her screen adaption of her book An Unconventional Mr. Peadlebody.
Author Links
Website: https://www.gardnersart.com/
Newsletter: https://dianneg.substack.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianneLynnGardner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gardnersart/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/d-l-gardner
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15294119.D_L_Gardner
Giveaway
$20 Amazon or Paypal
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
https://sdbook.promo/LandOfTwoMoons
You can find her books AT THIS LOCATIONS
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bgjj2S
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-two-moons-d-l-gardner/1149312501
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/nBvawn/DL-Gardner
My Review
Now- my grumbles. and let it be noted. First, I am the classic “but what about…” person. My ex-partner used to hate watching anything with me, for that very reason. And two, for YA, the things that caught my attention as “huh” things… will likely go largely unnoticed by anyone else. I remember reading Ember in the Ashes and having several… WTF moments– and yet the bookverse perpetually raved over that one… so..
Given that she is writing for a YA audience, the characters are enjoyable and engaging. And she is writing with an ethical/moral slant. Their father is a bit of a narcissist, and the children are both a bit more enlightened. I would have loved reading a bit about what created these changes in them, but there wasn’t a lot of delving into back story. Their father has exploited the land, and his son, Arthur, the heir, is an environmentalist, agonizing over the destruction of the land as a resource, where mining is ruining the region. He is also a negotiator who is trying to come up with a solution to the dispute between their realm(?) and the neighboring dukedom. He struggles between having a moral compass and desperately wanting his father’s approval, or at least respect. Yet, at every instance, he is treated as a child or as someone who obviously just doesn’t understand the way things work. Their father seems intent on coming from a place of strength, and negotiating and compromise are seen as weakness or ineffectiveness (my interpretation:). He also seems caught between his twin sister, Hallie, and their parents. Where he is trying to be the dutiful son… and she is the rebellious one who will forge her own path, hell be damned…:) But, Arthur is definitely made himself a man of the people, having become good friends with the local community, and even dabbling in the woodworking trade craft.
The twins in Land of Two Moons have compassion for the common people, but Dad, the Duke, wants to rule with an iron fist, mostly because he’s going bankrupt. His stubbornness causes his children to go out on their own to stop a war that is bringing their father’s duchy to ruin.
The support system the teens have is in each other, and that support is magnified by twin moons and ultimately twin dragons. What stands out is their loyalty to one another and how it changes the people they come into contact with, and how it changes the world they live in.
Hallie- she is the epitome of vibrant youth. She is young and she is in love. And, it is a secret, forbidden love, adding that element of rebellion and danger to it. Young Paolo, the baker’s son, is all she can think about, the thing she cares most about. For some unknown/unexplained reason, she has become like a member of Paolo’s family, who take her in when she is in trouble with her own family and love her like a daughter. She harbors dreams of a life and future with Paolo, such as opening their own bakery. She is the classic privileged but sympathetic noble. She knows her father is over-taxing and exploiting the population. But, given her age and status, she has no power to do anything about it. And the choices she — and her brother– make turn them into fugitives where they must learn to navigate the world outside the protection of their family, all while trying to find solutions to the problems tearing the realm apart.
Now- the backdrop of all of this is the fun fantasy part…
Puck and Phoebe are two giant orbs, a magnificent sight to the humans who live on the planet Unnilles. Both beautiful and dreadful. But what is most terrifying is that every forty years they will meet and turn the world dark. In those days, the wind wreaks havoc in their villages and cities.
There is a strange doorway in the middle of nothing. We learn early on that this is a portal to another realm, the realm from which the dragon originated. And every forty years, there is an eclipse, which allows this portal to open. And, you guessed it– we are one day away from this momentous event occurring. Now, most people know nothing about the dragon, but there are legends and lore aplenty about scary superstition and eclipses.
The story and writing flow smoothly, and there were very few places where I felt my attention wandering or got confused. I enjoyed the work and will be picking up the next book in the series:)
Okay. grumble1: Main character Hallie- is in love with a local boy. Fine. I’m good with that. What caught me is what wasn’t on the page. She is the daughter of a duke. There is a very strong probability that she was raised from birth– knowing her role was to make an advantageous marriage, etc. So, if Papa was very ambitious– he would have been parading her around from the time she could walk to the upper levels of society, he’d be angling for a prince if they were really lucky and she was stunningly beautiful, etc. If he was hoping to strengthen local ties, it would have been a neighboring realm, or region, etc. Now, and I had to Google this to be sure I wasn’t mistaken. There are generally no more than two dozen dukedoms in a country. That’s not a huge marriage pool. In England, for example, the daughter of a duke would likely be married off to someone in France, or Spain (depending on which war they were currently enjoying:) A single line or two in the story would have corrected for this. She had thwarted every proposal and made herself a social outcast, refusing and insulting every possible suitor:) And- a line from her twin brother, upon finding out about her romantic connection with Paolo– what were you thinking? You know this isn’t an option for you, for either of us…:)
grumble 2: Mama has been keeping a secret dragon. How has she been feeding it for forty years? and, without anyone finding out? She’s a queen, probably has a few resources, but credibility is a little stretched there. A line or two about how she’d gone about that would have been nice;)
grumble 3: Papa, it turns out, has been spying on Mama because he suspected she was having an affair (all the slipping out:)… So- how did Papa’s spy never discover the dragon? Was he just crap at his job? did he know and, for unknown reasons, choose to keep this secret? (I don’t recall who the spy was. I don’t think it was mentioned:)
grumble 4: The neighboring duke (with whom they have political issues) (THIS IS A SPOILER) gets killed. The daughter returns home after a year-long absence to find him dead. She is also the daughter of a duke. Now, I’m not sure precisely how it would work in a dukedom… but the reference to living in a palace would make me think that it is similar to royalty. She finds him dead, screams. Very reasonable. Everyone comes running. Now, in a historical setting, every guard there would have fallen to their knee and sworn fealty to her. She is now no longer the heir, but the successor to a vacant throne. There is an assassin loose, somewhere. They would have guards protecting her until the castle was secured, and they would have either placed her somewhere they could defend or accompany her everywhere. Instead, she brushes everyone off and goes off searching for Arthur– whom she has never even met.. through the castle dungeons, where– surprise– she runs into the assassin, who was a trusted member of the household.