Welcome to my stop on TBR & Beyond Book Tours' release celebration tour for The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro! For my stop I will be sharing my review of the book, but be sure to head over to the tour schedule (link in bio) or more content from the other hosts!

QOTD: Have you listened to any audiobooks recently?

While reading my physical copy, I also listened to the audiobook version of The Alchemy of Moonlight, which I strongly recommend if you’re an audiobook person! The story is made even spookier by this format! The suspense was heightened for me, and I really couldn’t stop listening!

The story itself was a very unique blend of queer historical fiction and horror, which was unlike anything I’ve read in a long time! The gothic castle setting and the “monster terrorizing the woods” elements were both fantastic, and convinced me that I need to read more books with gothic settings!

My Recommendation:
If you love a good spooky novel, and are pining away for Halloween even in June, you should grab a copy of The Alchemy of Moonlight!

Content warnings: Mentions of dead bodies, gore, homophobia

Rating: 4 stars

1- Characters

I enjoyed the characters in this story. I loved how much they cared about each other, and each of them had their own distinct personality. All the characters in this story were fighters, and they would fight for what they wanted. Each of the characters in this story was bold and went after what they wanted which I loved.

2- Story

The Alchemy of Moonlight had an interesting story. I loved how many aspects this story had, and how many perspectives were in the story. I don’t read a lot of stories like this one, but I loved the new experience. The Alchemy of Moonlight has me wanting to read more Vampire and Werewolf stories.

3- Writing

The writing in this story was good. I thought it worked well for the story. Writing, especially when it comes to fantasy, is one of the things that bring me into the world, and enhances world-building for me. The writing in The Alchemy of Moonlight helped enhance the story and the world for me.

4-Romance

I don’t read a lot of romance with multiple partners. This one was done well, because I was interested in the story, and was curious to which partner the MC was going to do with, The end of this story was really sweet, and I loved it.

5- Setting

I love a historical setting, and this one was great. I wanted to know more about the world-building, and the setting of the story, but I enjoyed what was there for us. I felt the setting, especially the mansion, was great, and I felt like I was there with the characters.

I hate to say it, but this book did not land for me. There are a lot of good things here - mystery, fantasy (werewolves), Gothic setting, queer romance. Some things I struggled with: the pacing (it felt like things were dragging along and then suddenly everything happened at the end and then it was over), the poor way that Henri treats Emile for much of the novel, and the way murders and highly suspicious activity got forgotten/ignored. I didn't really buy into any of the romance. And I felt like I didn't connect to any of the characters/had a difficult time caring about them. In the end, I felt like there was a lot of potential and elements that I liked, but they never came together in a way that I really enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Emile is on the run, hiding as a servant in a prominent house until he comes of age. The family he serves, however, seems to have dark secrets of their own.

I enjoyed this supernatural slow-burn romance. The tension and drama were intriguing, and the setting was darkly gothic. I did feel that the first half dragged a little, but the action picked up in the second half. The second half had more of the supernatural element, too, but it could have been slightly better developed. The characters were endearing, and I even liked the love triangle aspect. Overall, it wasn’t as polished as I would have liked, but it was entertaining and atmospheric.

Well what can I say about The Alchemy of Moonlight it started slow the setting in the French Chateau gave me an inclination of what is about to come and it was just enough to keep me reading. But then when the story moves to the castle in Italy David throws in so much action it actually made me say a naughty word not once but a couple of times. I even stayed up into the early hours when I was coming to the end as I did not want to go to sleep until I finished it.

I did love the characters of Emile and Bram but Henri at first kind of annoyed me but eventually he made me change my mind and that is thanks to David's writing.

Finally I just have to mention trigger warnings as I would hate for someone to start reading and be triggered. There is Homophobia and Dead Bodies. Wait did I not mention the Dead Bodies earlier all I can say oops my bad.

For all the above reasons Alchemy of moonlight gets 4 stars and I can't wait to see what David comes out with next.

Thank you NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Tours for the chance to read and review this book.

I love that for Pride month my first review will be that of a queer gothic romance!

And when the book starts off with a severed hand, you know it'll be intense because our main literally finds a severed hand just lying there.

And, shockingly, there are werewolves.

So here's the deal with The Alchemy of Moonlight. It's a YA fantasy, with some wonderful gothic elements and a queer love triangle. It's published by Page Street Publishing, which is distributed by Macmillan and focuses on being environmentally friendly. The book is also David Ferraro's debut novel.

That cover made me feel like the book was going to be absolutely perfect!

The romance was not done well. I was supposed to believe that there was intense chemistry, and while I love Bram as a character, I hated hated hated Henri. I get that he's supposed to be a spoilt count and improving, but man he was horrible to Emile. Like basically trying to coerce him into sleeping with him and trying to stop him from meeting someone he actually likes.

Emile is 17, and he really does feel 17 in how he behaves with Bram and Henri, which can be really annoying. Bram is a decent person, and Henri is horrible; how can this be complicated? However, I do give him credit for having the courage to run away the way he did, with what's happening with his aunt. As a whole, he doesn't take the easy way out in any of these situations; he won't marry Blanche and have them live in misery, cheating on the other partner forever. In comparison, Henri is okay with that.

As a whole the story was fairly interesting, especially after they get to the castle of Udolpho in Italy, which is meant to be a nod towards The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. At this point every one of the characters is so desperate to help them escape that it's just the most insane set of schemes, which eventually work.

Some authors cannot write romance, but the Bram and Emile thing worked, which is why I don't get the Henri thing or the most randomly introduced start of a polyamorous relationship, with Blanche now okay with being married to a dude because she can then be with a chick thing.

This author does have a lot of potential though. For better or worse so many of us seem to have stuck around and read the whole of this book, even if it was to give it a 3 star review.

The buildup is good, the different characters are good (I would have loved more of the female characters, like Annette and Blanche) and the plot is also good. But there are so many things happening at the same time that none of them can be fleshed out properly. Any news on the leeches? Why did that one servant hate Emile so much?

Book Review
Title: The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, LGBT
Rating: 5 Stars
I was intrigued by the description and cover of The Alchemy of Moonlight so I was delighted to be chosen for the blog tour. We are introduced to Emile St. Aubert, a young man who has run away from home as he was being forced to marry despite being gay in a time when it wasn’t acceptable. He has left his family home, La Vallee, and gotten a job under the assumed name Dupont and Chateau le Blanc. The novel actually opens with Emile finding a severed hand on the property and calling a doctor to examine it, this doctor is Bram Valancourt who Emile is immediately smitten with. Bram also knows that Emile is hiding his identity since he introduces himself by his old name not Dupont.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we learns that Emile doesn’t have much to do with the Lord of the house but frequently interacts with his niece and nephew, Blanche and Henri Morano. As he is new to being a servant, Emile often makes mistakes and Henri takes some delight in teasing the young man as he is well aware of Emile’s attraction to him. However, one night Emile hears the siblings plotting something to do with their uncle in the hedge maze and also meets mysterious woman who was supposed to meeting the man he replaced. There seems to be something strange going on here and Emile is aware that if he learns what it is he might be able to blackmail the family which would help him because he needs to stay hidden until he comes of age in six months. Despite this things aren’t going well as Henri gets Emile a promotion to his valet and confesses that he is also gay and wants a secret relationship with Emile. Emile understands that while it is rare to meet someone with the same preferences as him, the job is more important to him since he won’t be able to get another and this enrages Henri, further complicating Emile’s life at the manor.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Emile is very aware that something strange is going on in the manor. The woman he encountered in the maze comes back and when the Count learns about it he strikes Emile. However, right now the mystery takes a back seat to Emile's romance as he begins a romantic relationship with Bram, only for Henri to ban him from seeing Emile. During this time Henri definitely come across as the stubborn and slightly childish young man he is but it soon becomes clear how much its hurting Emile since he, Bram and Emile are all in the same boat even if they don't know it.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Emile is trying his best to deal with Henri's jealousy but it's hard. He is eventually tasked with taking care of Henri as the family strikes them down for one night a month which instantly makes me think werewolf which makes sense. Emile overhears a conversation between the Count and his doctor which makes Emile think that they killed the man he replaced. After that night Emile is confused about his feelings for Bram and Henri but another body turns up and it's the woman who Emile meet in the maze and the same woman who tried to break into Blanche's room. Both Emile and Bram know something is going on but Emile's aunt has tracked him down and exposed him and it seems like everything is falling apart. Henri is pleased to interact with Emile without too much stigma but when he and Blanche learn what Emile's aunt plans to do it him they promise to protect him. Brans also gives him the idea of giving his aunt what she wants while getting what he wants. I immediately thought he could marry Blanche since she is eligible and maintain his relationship with Bram or Henri since Blanche knows about them and doesn't really care since she wants her own freedom.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, things are only getting stranger now that Emile's aunt has arrived. One night Emile finds two dead bodies in the maze and is chased by some kind of animal. Upon returning he seeks out Henri who upon investigating finds nothing in the maze but when he sees Emile's sheets shredded he knows it was a threat from someone. Within days Count Montoni and Emile’s aunt announce their engagement and they are married within days. Due to creditors arriving, the extent of Moroni’s debts are revealed due to his gambling habit, this is most likely the reason he marries Emile’s aunt for the money. However, he is disappointed to learn she doesn’t have that much so they turn to Emile’s money. Montoni arranges a trip to Udolpho Castle and places Emile in the red room, the same room in which Henri’s father killed himself which is disturbing enough. It is soon announced that Montoni wants Blanche and Emile to marry since he has been trying to marry off his niece and Emile needs to marry to inherit his money but both refuse. It seems like there is much more going on under the surface here and while it would be practical for Emile to marry Blanche and continue seeing Henri or Bram, he knows it wouldn’t be fair to Blanche to make her live in a loveless marriage and sneak around with others that she can’t be seen with normally.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, things get both darker and stranger as Emile begins to explore the castle. With him and Blanche being forced together and Henri encouraging the marriage because it does give them some semblance of happiness even though it isn’t the kind they want. However, after learning the Montoni is planning to do away with him and his aunt after getting his aunt to sign the inheritance over to him, Emile begins planning his escape. During his exploration, Emile comes across many hidden passageways that led to various points in the castle but none seem to lead outside. One night he learns that Annette has a master key which might unlock one of the doors in the passageways and there they find the lab where the family medicine is made and it seems to be made from the blood of prisoners kept in the dungeon. After witnessing this, Annette helps Emile escape from the castle by drugging the guards but things don’t go to plan when Montoni exposes himself as a werewolf to stop Emile from escaping. During this Henri also shifts to protect Emile and the family secret is exposed for good but Montoni warns Emile not to try and escape again or he will be killed. Now the question is how is Emile going to escape from Montoni and gets his happy ending with the reveal of him being a supernatural creature and I am wondering if Bram might play a role in this or whether Emile will use the weakness to silver to his advantage.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, it turns into something extremely action packed and I loved it. The way everything comes together and how everyone including a character I wasn’t expecting come together to take Montoni down was amazing. Seeing the relationship between Emile and his aunt change was amazing as well as seeing how Emile, Bram and Henri become a throuple while Blanche is free to see Carmilla was absolutely divine and I just wish we had more time to see this relationship develop. Honestly if the author turns this into a series I will devour it and I will be reading anything he comes out with in the future. Honestly, completely deserves the 5 star rating and I highly recommend it to all.

I was given a free epub copy of the Alchemy of Moonlight in exchange for a honest review.

The beautiful cover art of The Alchemy of Moonlight immediately drew me in. Once I started reading, I loved the gloomy, gothic atmosphere. Once we got to know the characters more, I especially loved the main character Emile, even though he was not the brightest (although I would argue it's not his fault, for not being familiar with the tropes of the gothic horror genre). The lore around the werewolf was especially captivating and felt unique. I will say though, I wish the book was faster paced. A few scenes especially dragged and I found myself skimming to find more action. Despite this hiccup, I really enjoyed! I would definitely recommend this to fans of Kellen Graves.
4 Stars

The Alchemy of Moonlight is a perfect combination of regency gothic setting with fantasy. Ferraro details a rich setting of inheritances and dangerous gardens. In order to gain his inheritance and be free of his aunt's homophobia, Emile goes undercover as a servant hoping to wait out the six months until his birthday. The foundation of the story is Emile's desire to be seen and loved for who he is. To live a life where he's free to choose and not forced to marry in name only.

From the beginning, I loved Emile's character as he struggles to be a proficient servant all while fighting for the hope for love. Emile's situation is incredibly precarious and dangerous risking losing his fortune, but also institutionalization. My heart was in my chest for Emile. The Alchemy of Moonlight is a story which creeps up on you. Ferraro sprinkles in elements of the supernatural, clues, and disbelief. With love triangle vibes - albeit with some pretty complicated mistakes - Emile's story forces him to find people who can see him.

This book just wasn't for me. From the description, I thought I'd enjoy the story more. The atmospheric elements were there, but the writing wasn't the quality I'd hoped. The dialogue also felt very modern considering the time period.

Thanks to NetGalley, Page Street Publishing, and David Ferraro for providing this ARC.

2.5 Stars rounded up

I <i>really</i> wanted to like this book. I’m late getting this review up because I kept putting the book down and had to make myself pick it up again. For the gothic horror genre, it’s got a decent story, even though I felt things were drawn out at times and there was filler instead of actual plot development in some places. Some seriously creepy scenes made my skin crawl, and the author’s werewolf plot was fairly unique and entertaining once I finally got to it.

But the romance part? I hated it. I don’t like giving bad reviews, and I haven’t read <i>The Mysteries of Udolpho</i>, which this is apparently a nod to, but the “romance” plot drove me insane. * Very slight spoiler ahead * Emile is this young man who has run away from his home to try to avoid being institutionalized (because he is gay) and be able to return to collect his inheritance when he comes of age. He meets a nice man he is highly attracted to, then meets the man he is going to be forced to work for that basically commands him to be in a relationship with him. Cue the internal struggle of how can I feel this for him when I’m with the other, and Emile’s wishy-washy mentality just made this a hard pill to swallow.

I started enjoying the plot more once they moved to Udolpho Castle, as more supernatural and ghastly bits were introduced. It definitely picked up the pace, and while the lead-up to the end had some grisly and cruel scenes, I was glad the book ended the way it did. I really liked Bram and Blanche, and even Henri grew on me toward the end. But I just could not get past our protagonist's internal dialogue and fickle attitudes, and with him as the narrator, that made this an extremely difficult book for me to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street YA for an arc of this one.

Emile poses as a servant to escape his aunt trying to disown him for being gay, but when he is found out he must unravel the secrets of a family--and contend with his own romance.

This book was a little slow at first, but once I got into it I was really enjoying it. Once they leave the manor and head to the castle is when it really picks up in pace, and a lot of the mysteries and werewolfiness are revealed!

The romance was a little odd for me at first. For instance, Henri is not a nice person and I was like...why is Emile into him? But it did grow on me after a while and I think that Henri at least tried to change for the better.

I will say that what really saved this book for me was not just the werewolfiness, but the the resolution to the love triangle at the end! I am always down for some polyamory in my books!

CW: blood, death, abandonment, kidnapping/captivity, torture, homophobia

y’all i had SO MUCH FUN with ‘The Alchemy of Moonlight’. it def reads like a cheesy period romance novel, which i get won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re looking for drama, cute boys, gothic castles, monsters, murder, and ofc, romance, you’ll enjoy this. i don’t want to spoil any major plot points so i’m not going to get into this much beyond that, but i can’t wait for this to come out (tomorrow!) so i can hear more people’s thoughts and discuss That Ending with more people, too!! plz lmk if/when you read— i think if the premise of a gay gothic romance appeals to you, you should check it out for sure. 4.5/5 stars, going on my classroom library wishlist 🤗 ty @netgalley for the eARC!

DNF at 20%, I did enjoy the elements of intrigue at the beginning of the book and Emile's duality but I could not stay engaged with the story and found myself putting the book down often.

The word kerchief lost all meaning before we ever left the first chapter and that was the most interesting thing that happened the entire story. Absolutely wasn't for me.

I got a free e-ARC through Netgalley, this in no way affected my review.

I really thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did. The synopsis sounded really amazing, like who doesn’t love a queer fantasy book??

The pacing was just so slow. This book really didn’t kick off or get exciting until maybe like 80% into the book. The first part is all build up and while I understand that’s necessary, it could have been way shorter.

The big ‘plot twist’ that happened was really predictable and I wish it happened way sooner, so we could explore the fact more. Now it was just thrown in near the end just to make the ending of the book more dramatic and exciting.

I also didn’t quite like how the love triangle was so easily resolved. A big part of this book is our main character trying to decide between the two of them and it felt a bit anticlimactic and easy to solve it this way.

I did in fact enjoy the writing style and the base of the story was definitely there, so I’d like to see how the author will grow with later books.

This is a perfectly paced story that slowly builds and takes you back to a time when appearances mean everything, even if you must deny who you are. Emile finds himself in this situation when his aunt gives him a choice—he can marry and produce an heir or be committed and stripped of his inheritance. The problem is Emile is gay and that is simply not acceptable in society. Emile flees and finds solace by tending to the Montoni family. The family has a handsome young count, Henri that is quite taken by Emile. The dashing town doctor Bram has also taken an interest in him. Emile begins to notice many unsettling things about the Montoni’s and becomes frightened. Heated conversations, body parts and spiders to name a few! Everything starts to unravel when his aunt shows up and throws a wrench in his plans.

This is well written and demonstrates that the author has the gift of creating an atmospheric tale of horror and suspense that is captivating. The love triangle, the suspense and those stupid spiders kept me on the edge of my seat, what a fantastic debut!!


5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheAlchemyofMoonlight #DavidFerraro

First off, this cover is absolutely everything! Secondly, I really really enjoyed The Alchemy of Moonlight! Sometimes, I expected a theme to be continued later on or lead to a plot twist and was somewhat disappointed when I was done and it didn't happen. That's probably good old Chekov's Gun that was drilled into my head in university! Nevertheless an enjoyable story :)

I love werewolves and really any mythical creature, so I was very excited about this one. A good ole historical fiction with mythical creatures.

Unfortunately, the plot and story felt really flat. There were a lot of details about spiders but the spiders didn’t really add anything to the story? Then when bigger events happened those tended to get glossed over. A little bit too much focus on the wrong things.

The plot was all over. I genuinely had no idea the direction the story is going in. All I really knew was Emile was written as a damsel in distress. Was not a huge fan of that aspect. Emile’s relationship with Henri and Bram felt very lackluster. I did like the throuple ending, I just would’ve liked the relationships developed better.

Overall, there were just a lot of aspects that could’ve been done better that would’ve helped the story move along. I did like the werewolves backstories but would’ve enjoyed them being more in the story earlier on.

I could not get into this story at all and ended up not finishing it. The writing just felt all over the place. There quite a few scenes that didn't really make sense and felt like they did nothing to progress the plot or add to the characters development. The relationship also felt weird. Overall this one was not for me.