What an interesting novella from Megan Derr. I enjoying the story even it feels way too short and not enough to reveals some important part that seems to be 'neglected' due to the shortness of the story, but the writing was good and yes, I love the surprise twist!

A sad and slightly predictable story with a prince in a tower. A scarred curse breaker, two star crossed lovers. Will they get their happy ending? As I mentioned, predictable..so yes, and the ending really fizzled a but..I felt "meh" regarding the story.

Just not one for me.

Book – The Prince of the Moon
Author – Megan Derr
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
No. of Pages – 81
Cover – Okay.
POV – 3rd person, dual POV
Would I read it again – Probably not.
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Fairytale


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **



This story was a little different and a little familiar, all at the same time. It had hints of Snow White, Rapunzel and other fairytale characters to it, while also being about a witch who had cursed an entire kingdom to winter. Not a new concept, but the way it was handled certainly was.

I enjoyed the plot and how it unravelled, finding that Solae was charming, relateable and sweet. He was a great character to have the POV of, while Millio didn't get to tell his side as often, but had an impact as the witch who broke rules and did what was best, regardless of the consequences.

It began with 'once upon a time' and a retelling of the entire back plot of the story as if it was a book Solae was reading, yet it knew too much, predicted what was about to happen and Solae acted as if he didn't know half the information in the story that he had been, apparently, reading. That part, for me, was a little cheesy and predictable.

I also really didn't get the why of why Solae had been punished for his mother's apparent crimes, while being progressively ill treated and ignored by a family who were thought to be beautiful and bright, but were nothing more than stupid egoists. It didn't make much sense to me, how not even the servants or the commoners noticed that the only decent member of the family was being hidden away, while the others were nothing more than tyrants. Not one person, until Millio arrived, saw Solae for the human being he was, innocent of any wrongdoing, and ever thought that it was wrong the way he was being treated? All because he was a witch? There isn't enough claims/backstory to suggest that witches were always considered evil to validate this intense fear people had of him. Just one witch making one King fall in love with her – even if that's what happened, which isn't clear from the ending – it not enough to explain why no one will even look at Solae. It makes no sense, to me.

There were few editing issues, though the repetition was almost identical between the storytelling portion of the first few pages to the following few pages, as Solae basically acted out what was in the 'story'.

I liked that we got a dual POV, because it showed us things about Solae that we wouldn't have known otherwise and I found the chemistry between him and Millio quite believable. However, I in no way believed the insta-lust that hit them the moment they clapped eyes on each other and I never felt that they ever progressed into a deep emotional connection with each other until the very end, which was a little late. The fact that the entire story took place over just a few days made it harder to believe. I think it could have worked if it had been a few weeks or months, but a few days just didn't over the credibility to the 'romance' aspect that I needed.

Overall, it was a decent story, but there were issues, for me. I needed a little more in terms of romance and characterisation, particularly in exploring Solae, who remained a mystery throughout most of the book. I would have liked a more concise ending, because the one I read was a little too neat and wrapped up in a bow to sit well with me. I wanted to know the truth about Solae's mother, even if it was in some sort of long lost letter that he found in an old magic book of hers, in the epilogue. Something would have been nice. Because, without that, I'm left asking questions, and I'm seriously beginning to question why his father never threw the accusation at Solae that he'd bewitched Millio the same way his mother had bewitched the King. It would have suited his purposes, but he never brought it up and I find myself wondering why.

Left with too many questions and too many niggles in the story, it was just good but not as great as it could have been, with a little more attention to detail.

~

Favourite Quote

“You are the only sunlight I will ever see.”

“Should I die tomorrow on a pyre, I will think it worth it to have spent three days with you.”

The Prince of the Moon Kindle Edition
by Megan Derr 
A new fairy-tale is born.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
With the impact of Beauty and the Beast, this LGBTQIA romance does what I thought was not possible. Megan Derr created an entirely new fairy-tale. The story of Solae is beautiful, giving to young men and boys their own Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Snow White. Her writing is pure bliss, although perhaps her feminization of Solae's appearance might have been a little over the top, possibly playing into some of the stereotypes that many people try to avoid. She does it so deftly though, and so thoughtfully that I can't fault her. And at times he does come over as much younger than he actually is and titch whiny. But, his past is so horrible and painful, I can see what she was aiming for.
As the A it the acronym, my experience is limited to what young men need in a fairy-tale.
Her writing is pure, clean and sweet, and her attention to detail and description is luscious. At times, I could feel the texture of the fabrics of their costumes!
This story ranks up there in my heart and mind with Cloak and Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon in its heart. Her characters are well drawn, both heroes with strengths and damage. Millios reminds me in a way of Marris of C&S and the other League novels. Millios does steal the show.
While it probably will never be a Disney movie, complete with dancing cups and dishes, it should probably be.
If I could I would definitely give it more stars than five.
5 stars out of 5
A beautiful read for anyone with a heart, soul and a love of a HEA.

A really good M/M romantic fairy tale
4 stars
At first I thought that the writing style was too simplistic, but I continued reading and I began to like it. I still wish that some of the dialogue flowed better.
Solae and Millio are likeable characters. Prince Solae is lonely and has been shunned all of his life by his family and by the entire kingdom. It was not his fault that his mother was an evil witch who married the king and then cursed the kingdom with eternal winter when she was being executed. Solae has been studying and secretly using his magic (outlawed by his father) to try to save the kingdom. Solae is about 20 years old and inexperienced in love. Millio is an older man around 40 who has had a lot of life experience. He is a good man, honest in his speech, and he sees Solae as an equal - an attractive equal. The interaction between these two was very sweet and respectful, which is one thing that I look for in a good romance.
I really like the few twists this fairytale had to offer. The plot had some good surprises.
One of the two brief love scenes was somewhat graphic. I would call it moderately steamy but brief.
Somehow, this novella pleasantly remind me of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. I suppose the similarities are the following: a low-tech kingdom, a gay good-hearted magic wielder, and the complicated type of magic going on. Fans of the Valdemar series might want to try this book if they like male/male love scenes.
This is the first time I had tried a book by Megan Derr and I was pleasantly surprised. This book did entertain me quite enough to be 5 stars, but I think I will try more books by Megan Derr in the future.
I received a free advanced reading copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

What a sad story. I felt so bad for Solea. Shunned by his family for being the son of a witch, who cursed the land when her husband, The King, sentenced her do death by fire. He stays all alone in his tower watching the world pass him by and helping his kingdom in the cloak of night.

One day a stranger shows up and changes Solea's course.

This story starts out super strong. Love the concept, even though it broke my heart. I wish it could have been a little longer to make it a little more slow of a burn to feel more chemistry between the two. It was also a little rushed when the King goes a little mad and sentences them to death for really no reason but his own pride.

I'm also a little disappointed that there was zero reconciliation between the family. Even after the curse is broken, The brother was just super cold at the end and there were no goodbyes, so that in itself was still really sad. I don't see how he could have been a Golden Prince, the way he was acting.

I give it 3*. I loved the writing and the story starts so strong, I just wish there would have been more.

A fairly traditional fantasy that was made utterly charming by the very sweet two main characters. Granted, their 'insta-romance' was perhaps not entirely believable, but I found myself not minding, because of the very stereotypical "fairytale feel" of the entire novella - most of those have rather instant romances as well. That this was a M/M romance just changed the parameters around a bit.

Short and enjoyable. I liked both main characters, and appreciated how we got to hear the story from both sides. I would have liked a bit more resolution near the end, but accept that the comeuppance was never to come and that Solae's best revenge was to live well and be happy.

This was short and enjoyable.

I liked both MCs a lot. The progression into a relationship was a bit rushed for me but I guess it has more to do with the length of the book than anything else. The writing was good as usual with this author with an engaging pace.

However, I would've liked more retribution given to Solae's despicable family for they way they treated him. They were just awful. I'm not saying Solae should've done the "revenging" himself but I felt that AT LEAST they must have been dealt with for their evil someway,somewhow.

Anywhoo! Aside from that , I really really liked it. If you're looking for a very short,"insta-relationshipy" PNR book. Check this one out. It might just be your jam.

It’s no secret I’m a Megan Derr fan so when I saw this one was coming out, I was excited to read it. I’m not very big into reading stories in anthologies or the like so it finally gave me a chance to read this one. In this one, I loved that there was a curse on the kingdom. It was sad to see that everyone blamed Solae for that curse even though he didn’t have anything to do with it. However, I did adore the fact that Solae didn’t grow up bitter or evil. Instead, he was sweet and always thought of the kingdom first. While I enjoyed Solae as a character, though, I couldn’t really get into Millio as a character. We get his POV but I felt like we didn’t know much about him. I did love the two of them together, they were so cute and sweet!

While I enjoyed the story, I was a little disappointed in the ending. I LOVED the Solae and Million part because it was just sooooo sweet. It put a huge smile on my face BUT I was expecting things to be resolved with the bad guys in a different way. As it was, they aren’t dealt with in any way and I felt like that wasn’t right. I liked how the curse was broken but the way it was done, the people who REALLY should have realized they were the cause of the curse should have been affected in some way and they weren’t.

All in all, though, I really enjoyed this story. I loved Solae and Millio together and while I wasn’t very satisfied on how the bad guys were handled, I did love seeing everything play out and the ending between Solae and Millio was such a sweet moment, I loved it.

I love Megan Derr books I'm never bored and I love how she weaves magic through her books.
Solae and Millio are two wonderful characters.
Solae is the prince of a kingdom cursed by a witch burned and thought to have enchanted the king. He is ignored and left without affection or love and writes to a witch he knows who has helped to break other curses.
Enter Millio a man who brings light and affection to his life and a man who can see how the curse has come about.
It's a wonderful read with some heat but it's not erotica it's love and affection throughout.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

a-melaniem-review-the-prince-of-the-moon-by-megan-derrAll Solae wants is to be accepted and loved by the family that has always rejected him. But given it was his late mother who cursed the kingdom to eternal winter, the chances of that happening are minimal. If he can find a way to break the curse, however, surely that would be enough to change their minds regarding him.

But Solae is forbidden to practice magic because of his mother, which limits his ability to pursue solutions. Desperate for advice and new ideas, he contacts a famous curse breaker—and has no idea what to do when the unexpectedly shows up, handsome and friendly and dangerously intriguing.

Megan Derr give us another M/M fairy tale in The Prince of the Moon. Here its a frozen prince in a cursed kingdom. The one that turned the kingdom into ice? His mother burned for witchcraft and for being a false second Queen. Solae is the cursed son of the witch, he's the son the golden King wants to forget as he has his golden sons from his beloved first Queen.

The setting is ripe for love. The lonely, gorgeous prince in his tower and the mysterious stranger who comes to town to break the evil curse.

Of course, nothing is ever quite so simple in a Megan Derr story. There's the curse itself and its interpretation. Derr has a lovely twist in store for her readers here. I wanted more on Solae's mother's history, of course. She's an intriguing character even by the hole she makes in the story and Solae's life. I wanted to know more about such a powerful figure. There the interaction between Solae and Millio which feels so natural despite being rushed. There's a deadline, and you can feel the pressure each is under to break the curse. Is it love or the knowledge that it will lead to something deeper if given the chance...either way, I believed in them together.

The ending left me a little frustrated. I don't feel that those who did ill to our heroes had anything happen to them. Instead, they were rewarded in a way. I can't go into specifics here because of spoilers but I feel that certain characters should have had repercussions for their actions past and present. That didn't occur. That lead to the rating above.

But did I love this couple and most of the story? Absolutely. The world building and fantasy surrounding them was marvelous. Solae was a prince I'm so happy I got to meet.

Cover art by Aisha Akeju is beautiful and perfect for the story.

I love these stories of opposites from Megan Derr. Her fantasy and world-building is always strong and interesting.

In this world, our young prince Solae has been rejected and treated poorly because of his mother, and his life isolation has left him with little self-esteem. Contacting the master magician Millio to ask for help to break his mother's curse over the kingdom drags him out of darkness and in the spotlight.

Their attraction and meet up comprises much of the first part of the story, and trying to work out how to break the curse concludes it. I liked the twist at the end, and although it was a gentle (non-violent) resolution, I was satisfied. Perhaps Solae's family could have been held to account for their dreadful behaviour, but I didn't begrudge Solae's desire to just leave.

It's short but there's a strong narrative and well developed characters. If you enjoy this author's other work, you should like this one too.

Copy provided by Publisher via Netgalley. Read with thanks. Released Jan 25.

🌜 Look at that gorgeous cover! Okay... This is a short novella that very loosely combines The Snow Queen, Rapunzel and a m/m romance, keeping the very fairy-tale feel throughout.

🤴 I liked the characters, especially Solae, who is adorable, and sweet, and underappreciated by just about everyone. The world-building was nice and the author had some clever ideas for the ice-covered kingdom, such as magical greenhouses - although how this fits with the Kings hatred of magic, I'm not sure. Overall I thought it was all developed well in such a short space. The romance between Solae and Millio does seem to happen almost instantly - within three days they're madly in love and running off together - but the characters do at least acknowledge how fast things are moving, and considering how lonely both are, especially Solae, it doesn't feel impossible.

❄ On the downside, at times, I felt the dialogue was a little awkward -- at some points it felt too Ye Olde Worlde, or a little too modern in places, and sometime just a little stilted. Plot-wise the ending bothered me, Solae and Millio break the kingdoms curse and leave, okay, but my vindictive nature kind of wanted the King to suffer more for the horrible treatment of his son. It kind of felt like he got what he wanted - a flourishing kingdom and Solae out of the way - this just kind of fizzled in my vengeful little heart.

This review will be posted on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on January 2017.

Very sweet, the short novel. Fantasy is of a key interest to me and so the elements in this were engaging. The story kept me interested and I enjoyed the two MC's. In general, A 3* kinda novel.

Another romantic, fairy tale like story from Megan Derr. I love reading her stories. Even though this wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed the story of the mistreated son, who only wishes for his father's attention and love. I still enjoyed the story of the traveling wizard, who wanted nothing more than to help rid a town of a cold, endless winter as well as the young man who was sending him letters. The two work to break the curse, but can it really be done.

The Prince of the Moon is a fairytale-like story of princes, queens and curses, along with true love, a pure heart, and other such trappings of the genre. The difference being that the witch burning may not be entirely justified -- certainly there are at least two good witches in the story -- and the people who have been cursed may just deserve it somewhat. Oh, and the romantic couple are both men, but that's becoming more common lately and honestly didn't feel like the point of the story. Which is kind of exciting, actually! M/M fairytales which aren't just about changing genders, but also about interrogating other aspects of the story, like the wicked witch and her son.

It's pretty short and mostly sweet, and the romance feels a little bit rushed... but on the other hand, of course it does: this is coming out of fairytales, after all. The only thing I honestly don't get is why Solae keeps trying to help his family, when it's fairly clear no one has ever stretched out a hand to him. He's a good person, and yet he's learned that goodness all out of nowhere.

Then again: it's a fairytale. Who taught Rapunzel to be good?

The sex scenes are, well, not terrible or laughable or awkward, but neither were they necessary to the story. I just skipped past them, given lack of interest. But there is sex in this book, if that matters to you.

[Review live on my blog 13/02/2017.]

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. My review is now live on my blog and on Goodreads and I will also link to the review on social media later today. Here is the full transcript:

The Prince of the Moon is an enchanting short read. (I finished it in about 90 mins.) I enjoyed both the portrayal of the principal characters and the story idea. If anything, I would have liked to have seen the tale fleshed out a little into a longer work, especially the ending, which arrived fairly abruptly after a slower build. However, if you are looking for a quick fantasy MM read with a fairytale feel that you can finish in a single sitting, The Prince of the Moon would be a good choice.

When the kingdom was cursed by a witch just before she died on a pyre for her alleged crimes, cold, clouds and snow blanketed the kingdom in eternal winter. The witch's son, Prince Solae, was therefore ostracized by his family, forced by their disdain to live alone in a high tower with only his books and spells for company. Then Solae writes a famous curse breaker for help and instead of writing back, Millio comes for a visit. Suddenly the entire castle is in disarray and Solae knows he and Millio might lose their lives and the curse will remain in place forever.

I read this story years ago when it was first released as part of a fairy tale anthology. I remember enjoying the story then, but being content to move on to the next story in the anthology. That was still true now. Overall I did like the story. It's short and sweet with just the right touch of romance. Solae is a troubled young man and Millio's visit helps to alleviate some of the pain Solae's family's hatred has caused. It wasn't just the kingdom blanketed in snow, but Solae's life as well. I liked watching him thaw and grow.

The king and the king's other two sons, the prince of the sun and the prince of the stars, were less well written. They were caricatures instead of characters. The king's anger felt irrational. While it's explained away as the king trying to hide his embarrassment, to me it just felt overwhelmingly silly. Yet, on the same token this was a fairy tale and irrational actions leading to severe consequences is generally a central theme. When The Prince of the Moon was released as part of a fairy tale anthology, I could ignore the king's behavior. As a stand alone story--even though it's still technically set up as a fairy tale--the strange behavior is slightly more difficult for me to accept.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

I enjoy Megan Derr's fairy-tale stories but this one fell short. I adored both Solae and Millio. My heart went out for kind and sweet Solae. I thought their relationship was lovely. The ending most particularly, put a huge smile to my face. They were so cute together! I also loved the twist on how the curse was broken...

Unfortunately, I didn't like how the 'bad guys' didn't exactly get what they deserved, especially the king. After the way he treated Solae, plus the fact that apparently there might not even an enchanting spell in the first place?? I guess I was disappointed knowing that the curse was broken, and the kingdom was saved, but it drove Solae away from it.

Oh, I know, I know, Solae was happy, he was loved, he could travel with Millio while learning his magic and have an adventure ... Yes, maybe it was the better future for him rather than staying at the kingdom, but still I wasn't completely satisfied with how it turned out for the king. Where is the justice? *pout*

FYI, this story was originally published in Fairytales Slashed 4; I haven't read that one so I don't know if there is something essentially changed from the first edition.