Book Review: Plenilune by Jennifer Freitag

In many ways, this book is a gorgeous piece of art and skill. But there are several things from which younger readers should be warned and more mature readers might like to be aware of.

There is no doubt that this writing is spectacular. Jennifer's voice and story is all her own. She masters it, she immerses you right into the world she created. At the same time, the prose takes almost too much pride in itself as it will carry on and on through verbal sparring, court politics, and nightmarish exploring. What I hadn't realized is how big this book is. It requires a patient reader; I am not a patient reader.

When the story first began, I believed it would be a Beauty and the Beast tale, or more like Hades and Persephone. But as the tale progressed, I grew more and more uncomfortable with the idea that I was supposed to end up liking the beast (who purrs everything in the first few chapters). People can repent, yes, but the author was doing a mighty fine job of making me dislike him. Transforming that into admiration would be a mighty task indeed. At one point I could stand it no longer. This guy is awful, truly awful. (The author seems to have intended to still make him sympathetic, but that sympathy was lost on me). He couldn't be the true hero of the story.

He wasn't. No, the true hero doesn't even show until a good bite into the book. And WHAT a hero. I don't think I've encountered a hero so fey, so untame. He is noble, self-sacrificing, wonderful...but I beg of you, do NOT get on this boy's bad side. It gets ugly. For a hero he could be shockingly ruthless. Which was kind of cool to see evil really get what it deserve, but also a bit unsettling at points.

Violence: As a matter of fact, the ruthlessness of all the violence should make the reader pause. There is quite a bit of battle and confrontations, and the ease and near pleasure with which our hero and heroine dispatch foes is somewhat disturbing, especially the murder of an individual for whom I never worked up passionate hatred, as the author seemed to intend.

Sexual: The kidnapper of our heroine has a strange sense of honor that doesn't allow him to force her into his bed, but he has no problem forcibly kissing her, or abusing her in other physical and physiological ways. There is also a strong sexual comment, startling in its bluntness. A disgusting sexual war crime is discussed, which contributed nothing to the plot. Probably most bothersome of all, the heroine seduces a man in order to kill him.

Language: Foul mouths grow stronger and more frequent throughout the book. Ba----d, b---h, d--m, and more easily roll off character's tongues.

Magic: The magic gleamed unique and fascinating. There are spells, but if you don't have a problem with Tolkien or Lewis, I doubt you'll have a problem with this.

Spiritual: Jennifer Freitag is a Christian. This world is obviously connected to ours, with the same God. There is clearly a heaven and hell. Yet there is a surprising lack of faith. While the faultiness of our heroes is both realistic and compelling, the lack of remorse or conviction struck me odd.

A mature reader or writer seeking to expand their horizons in powerful writing, fantastic worlds, and original characters will find much to learn. And I did. I was also disappointed. I guess I expected better content from this author. I've read mature and grim books before, probably more mature than this at times. But they generally sent me soaring on the wings of inspiration. This one left me rather dull.