**** - I liked the way this remained true to the traditional mythological characterization of faeries as otherworldly, mercurial, and devoid of compassion. But at the same time, Melling showed how their lives could be devastatingly attractive as well. It seemed very true to the story's Irish roots.American teenager Gwen hoped to spend her summer with her Irish cousin Findabhair seeking out places famous for their faerie connection. She never expected to be on a wild hunt around Ireland hoping to rescue Finn before the next Hunter's Moon from a Faerie king desperate to make her his bride. Caught between the human world and Faerie, Gwen has to use all of her wit and all of her willpower to resist the charms of Faerie - or lose her cousin forever.
I loved the depiction of faeries in Melling's The Hunter's Moon - they're beautiful, charming, and dangerous; whimsical and pitiless. They're always up for another trick, another game, another dance. They're easy to anger, yet quick to be mollified - if they're in the right mood. They're the stuff of legends brought to life in a way that emphasizes their otherworldliness, their lack of humanity but while still making their attraction obvious. And that's a tough thing to do.
I was less impressed with the rest of the characters. At times the girls were frustrating, particularly Finn. It seemed like Gwen was just surrounded by allies - but it was still terrifying for me to watch her hitchhike alone along a lonely stretch of road. Sure, she ended up being picked up by someone friendly, but... eep! To be fair to Gwen, though, she really came into her own and learned to fend for herself in this novel. She was far from a damsel in distress (and nor were her female allies), instead she had a great reserve of determination. I was charmed by Dara's sweet strength, though I'm not sure I bought the romance angle. Plus I thought his grandmother was rather charmingly straight out of a fairy tale - the ubiquitous Wise Woman. This might seem cliche to some, but I was swept up in the truly shimmery magic of Melling's tale, so it was fine with me.
The descriptions of modern-day Ireland and mythical Eire flashing back and forth was an intriguing way to capture the very real sense that under all that progress there's still a vibrant magical other world - and one that is best never forgotten lest it sneak up on you. It certainly lit the wanderlust in me. I'd love to go see some of the sites mentioned in this novel.
I particularly liked the inclusion of bits and pieces of Irish (including poetry), but I really thank whoever was responsible for the pronunciation guide in the back. That was a great touch.
Did it blow-me-away? Not really, but I did think it was a great way to introduce readers to Irish mythology in a non-pedantic way. And I enjoyed every page enough to recommend it further, and to pick up the sequels!
Interested in other opinions?
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