Smash reviews Light of the Moon by David James

Stars. Fire. Blood. Magic.

One night long ago, a constellation disappeared and fell from the sky in the form of a boy.

Secrets are being kept in the sleepy town of Lakewood Hollow, Colorado. Nothing but pools of blood and dripping words are left where bodies once were, and no one but Calum Wade seems to be worried. Life unfolds in shades of red for Calum, until a mysterious girl named Kate Black enrolls at his school and everything changes. Suddenly a dangerous world of dream demons, elemental enchanters, and blood witches unfurls before Calum. He learns that the stars have forever held his destiny, and that the constellations above are much more than what they seem. As Kate and Calum sink deep into a paranormal war, they realize that an ancient prophecy might hold the answers they seek. But life is not so easy for Calum, and he can feel his heart beat faster whenever Kate is close. Worse, Kate's blood holds a dark secret even more dangerous than the war between the demons and enchanters. Soon the two find that there are worse things than loving someone you shouldn't. For Calum and Kate, even love and the fiery power of stars may not be enough to break a curse as dark as the blood that binds their destiny.

I met David James on Twitter and #RumIsland was soon born. It was right before the release of Light of the Moon, and even though I knew nothing about David or his book, I was excited for him. After seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, I decided to read his debut. I’m glad that I did because he has a beautiful, lyrical quality to his writing. It is vivid and intoxicating, and I sometimes felt like I was being rocked to sleep by the pretty words.

Here are some examples:

Night demised in ice.
Morning was born in inferno.
Sun beat through my window, waking me in an ocean of warm sweat. At once I smelled hints of burnt air, the fragrance raw, influencing my headache like gasoline on fire.

and

Tiny flecks of what looked like mirrored snowflakes floated through the air like fragmented thoughts from a thousand angels. Each fleck shone a rainbow of whites, not colors, reflecting everything and nothing at all; it was as if they were made of pure light, white as the center of the sun.

Our introduction to Calum, a troubled teen whose father left and never looked back, is somber and morose. Dad left his mother feeling dead inside, and Calum is pretty much parent-less at this point.

The day Dad left was the day mom stopped loving me. I remember the door slamming, screams breaking glass. I remember looking out my window to see him driving away. Mom broken and bleeding on the floor, all tears and pain. I remember reaching down to brush glass from her face, and the look in her eyes said that she would never love me, never see me, again.

Calum is pretty much on autopilot, never feeling like hit fits in but trying hard to hold on to some semblance of normalcy. Kate comes into Calum’s life like a hurricane threatening serious destruction. Kate is the opposite of Calum, his antithesis. She’s brash and rude and pretty much tells Calum his time is limited. Say what? Who you talkin too, Willis? However, Calum is drawn to Kate, like some lush, evil magnetism that he cannot neutralize.

Both characters were so mysterious and hard to connect with up front. It was easy to feel for Calum’s personal struggles, but because he was so closed off to life, it was hard to connect with him. Kate was just a tornado in the beginning, and I was left wondering who the hell she thought she was! Halfway through the story, however, we get more insight and I started to feel more of a connection to them as they struggled with difficult choices. It was when we finally see Kate’s personal side that I finally calmed and became invested in her character. I also had a hard time believing their love for one another. I think it happened too fast. Not that this isn’t typical of teenagers, but I needed more of a foundation. However, by the end of the story, I was definitely rooting for the two of them as a team. Not only does the lore and history make their seemingly superficial connection make sense, I just plain like them together and I want them to succeed in their hellish mission. I love that there a Love Vs. Destiny theme. It’s one of my favorite bookish plot lines.

Other memorable characters: Tyler, Calum’s best friend, was truly a good guy, though some of his behavior didn’t always fit the typical popular jock.  Also, the author wrote some seriously creeptastic characters! The Bloodletter made my skin crawl and his scenes were super sinister. And this particular scene with a certain witch was so vivid and eerie. Did I mention creepy scenes with  creepy characters? Good stuff.

We slowly and painfully learn the lore of the Dreamer and Destroyer.

“You see, child, this is the story of an angel who fell in love with the Devil, and the forbidden love that destroyed them both; their child of shadow and light.”

I loved the twists with the lore and found it very creative. We get demons, witches and other equally sinister characters. Plus, lots of astrological references and some key players in the constellations are actually characters. WIN!

There was one scene with “The Doors of Judgement” that totally reminded me of the gate scenes in The Neverending Story! You know that scene, right? The scene where the statues shoot lasers out of their eyes? Making me think of that movie in any way wins big points!

{Flickr: By schoschie}

There was a crazy scene near the end that made me type WOAH in my Kindle and I still remember how I felt when that piece was revealed. It might not come as a surprise to some, but I loved that it smacked me across the face.

About David James

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David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer series, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH'S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. The sequel, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in late 2013. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Be sure to visit David’s blog and facebook to learn more about his various addictions and novels.

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