Was very excited about this book but something fell flat overall. Enjoyed the writing, cared about the characters but something about it did not get me excited.

Thank you to Page Street Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw "gothic" and I saw "queer" and that was all I needed to see to request this book. I enjoyed the book -- I think it was an adorable YA gothic fantasy romance book, but at the same time I felt it lacked in a way. Maybe I was expecting more from it, but it wasn't as darkly gothic as I was expecting. I definitely saw homage to gothic literature in this book, and it used tropes and themes in other gothic literature as well. (I see Carmilla).

I thought it was a well-written book, however the pacing wasn't working for me. Some parts I felt went too slowly (a lot of description that I thought served no purpose, and didn't add to the atmosphere of the book) and others were rushed. The first 40% was slow paced and then it really picks up from there with the reveal.

There weren't really any high stakes in this book I felt, I wasn't worried for the characters, and I didn't have chills while I was reading it.

Another aspect I enjoyed about this book was the romance, and honestly, I think that was the main focus of the book, plot aside. Emile, Bram and Henri were relatable characters, and I liked Annette and Blanche as well. I felt that the cast was well-rounded and I certainly enjoyed the character interactions in this book.

The supernatural was another element that I thought was well done in this book.

All of this with the caveat that I feel either the book needed to be longer because the ending felt rushed, or the beginning shorter with more time given to the action parts. The plot could have been strong, but it felt weaker because of the rush.

And the ending of this book was sublime, and I was VERY happy with how it ended and Emile's choices! In the end I would definitely recommend this book to people who like spooky, romantic books and less scary ones!

I think this was a great example of my expectations were way too high. A young man is on the run from his aunt and gets tied into they mystery of a wealthy family. Caught between the affection of a young lord and the apprentice to the local doctor.
I absolutely adored the setting in this gothic tale. The way the author crafted beautifully haunting images was truly something to behold. I think this could've benefited from some more POV's cause the characters were all so complicated and intriguing.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

The cover? Amazing. The premise? Had me hooked immediately. The actual book? A bit disappointing at times. I really liked the idea of Emile being in hiding because his aunt found out his secret, only for him to become a servant to Montoni’s family. I loved the idea of werewolves in this story, and I kept waiting for them to be introduced. And waiting. And waiting. It honestly felt like the plot was never really going to start because the focus was on Emile and his love interests. A fourth of the way through the book it didn’t seem like anything of note had truly happened and I was starting to get annoyed that we were getting all this minutia but no hard plot. I also felt uncomfortable with the romance between Henri and Emile, given the way Henri keeps pressuring Emile, and I was convinced that Henri was going to turn up as an antagonist. When he didn’t, I was honestly shocked. Overall an okay read, especially if you like the supernatural, but a very slow start that left me feeling like there could have been more.

A queer gothic romance? Say less right now! An earnest doctor and a marquis is literally everything I want in a romance novel, and the mystery at the core of the novel only adds to the joy in reading it.

David Ferraro's The Alchemy of Moonlight is a queer Gothic romance novel based on Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. This is the story of a young marquis who is fighting for his freedom, and for his heritage.

Emile is working undercover as a servant for the intimidating Count Motoni and his niece and nephew, Blanche and Henri. Emile's plans to lay low are blown when he discovers a mangled corpse in the courtyard. As Emile becomes more entangled in the mystery surrounding the family, he becomes closer to Henri and also the town's handsome doctor Bram. But how can Emile keep his secrets while figuring out the truth behind the bodies?

Trigger Warning: Homophobia, Gore, Sucide, & Death

Firstly I think the cover of this book is beautiful. It reminds me a bit of Interview With A Vampire. I won't lie and say that the cover isn't the reason why I picked up this book in the first place.

I think the first thing I need to talk about in this review is the love story. We have Bram and Henri who are both in love with Emile. Bram's and Emile's relationship felt a bit rushed and there was no chemistry at all. I felt like at times the writer was pushing this narrative that we had to like Bram. Bram is kind-hearted, but I'll be honest, a bit boring. Meanwhile we have Henri, who our main character spends the majority of the book with. Henri at first is a walking red flag. He is possive, jealous, and even forces Henri away from certain people. That being said, I really loved Henri character! As the book progresses on we come to understand why Henri acts the way he does, and the trauma he has suffered while growing up with his uncle. I will say that I did get a bit annoyed when Emile would talk about missing Bram but then would be being romantic with Henri. I feel as if we had more scenes with Bram, then maybe I wouldn't feel this way.

I didn't feel like the book got interesting until halfway through, when the action really started to pick up. I really didn't fully grasp Emile's plans when it came to working under Count Motoni. What would have happened if he had been successful in his original plans? Would he have betrayed Henri just like that? In addition, we never quite knew what would happen to the main characters at the end of the book.

I think what saved this novel for me were the side characters especially Blanche! Blanche was hilarious and fabulous and someone who I would want to be friends with. Plus Annette, who was always ready to put Emile in his place and anyone else. I would love to see another story focused on Blanche and Annette. Whenever they were in the scene I couldn't help but laugh hard.

Throughout this story, I laughed, I screamed, I gasped, and more importantly, I only threw my kindle once.

3.5/5

Book Review for: "The Alchemy of Moonlight" by David Ferraro
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Score: 4.5/5 stars

The book "The Alchemy of Moonlight" follows Emile as he runs away from his family to live a life as a servant for Count Montoni and his family.

The book is engrossing, well-written, and there is plenty of mystery.

Plot:
The book follows Emile after having run away from his family to escape his aunt and her intentions of locking up Emile in an asylum for his sexual orientation. He has been hired as a servant for Count Montoni and his family. Throughout the book, Emile tries to uncover the secrets of this family.

The book also focuses on Emile and his relationships. It is an honest look at sexuality and not feeling ashamed of being queer.

Overall, there was a lot to uncover throughout the book.

Writing:
The book is really well written. The pacing is more or less balanced and the storyline moves along quite smoothly. Each chapter is focused and develops a different part of the story quite well.

The mystery behind Montoni and his secrets is suspenseful and the writing constantly kept you questioning the intentions of each character and what was going to happen next.

There are some parts to the book that feel slow but it didn't bog down the overall pace of the book.

Characters:
There are quite a few characters introduced throughout the book, but each one is memorable and their personalities are recognizable throughout the entirety of the book.

The book is written from the perspective of Emile so we mostly learn about his character. It would be nice to have learned more about other characters such as Count Montoni.

Overall, the characters were memorable and consistent throughout the story.

Finale:
Overall, it was good to see a m/m romance centered around mystery. The book does a great job of keeping the reader engaged and constantly guessing what is going to happen next.

I wanted to love this book so badly. A gay gothic horror werewolf story?? That’s everything I love in a book. However, parts of this book just… didn’t measure up. I literally got to the last 70 pages and said “oh there must be a sequel because there is so much plot to resolve in the last 70 pages”, but it did. It felt a little too slow in the beginning and the ending felt like a whirlwind of plot resolution.

The setting was wonderful. I especially loved Udolpho and all the elements there that fully put it into gothic horror. I wish the book had spent more time in this location since this is where so much of the plot is resolved. But spooky isolated castle? Gothic architecture? Spooky secret tunnels? All my favorite things!

The other thing that I had a hard time with was the relationships. Emilie and Bram have such a healthy relationship but you don’t get to see it develop for long. And Henri is downright abusive. I legitimately thought he was the antagonist for a lot of this book, plus Emelie knows he is lying, and Emilie goes back to him every time. I am sorry but their relationship is toxic at best. And the resolution for Emilie not being able to choose? That was a very under-negotiated and unsatisfying ending. If there had been less abuse between Henri and all the other parties involved I would have been less surprised, but it feels so inorganic and strained. I want to love this ending for them, but the set up wasn’t there for a healthy relationship. I would have rather it end up in a sequel or something where it had time to develop.

Things I did like: I liked Henri and Blanche and their relationship. It was fun and felt like a good sibling relationship. I loved the actual villain. I like when villains are revealed to be more and more evil as the book progresses. Montoni is perfectly unsettling in the best way. I also liked the other servants, especially Annette and Ludovico, and I love that we got to know them (uncommon in period pieces) and that they were funny! I also liked that there was representation of what happened in the past to those who were convicted of “deviancy” for being gay or who were a threat to someone else’s power. Emilie’s struggle really pulls at your heart.

This book is a fun read, especially if you can get past the first 100 pages, and is a fun spooky book.

Parent’s guide:
Sex & Nudity: mild (mentions of sexual relations in planning future, mentions of duty to provide an heir)
Violence & Gore: moderate (fighting, murder, decapitation, torture, kidnapping, medical experiments, dismemberment)
Profanity: mild
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: mild (they have to take a medication by syringe that causes a lot of pain)
Frightening & Intense Scenes: moderate (kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, brutal murdering)

*Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing, Page Street Kids for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was a really interesting book. Sometimes the plot felt a little flat but the world building was really good. I really loved Emile, he was really a sweetheart. Sometimes his actions felt a little juvenile for his age but it was really good nevertheless.

I loved this. I highly recommend it.

This was an interesting read, I didn’t get the reference that people are referring to so this was kind of refreshing because I didn’t know what to expect. I love threesomes and wolves, so I of course enjoyed this one and the ending was good, the boys were happy and together.

"The Alchemy of Moonlight" is loosely based on "The Mysteries of Udolpho", but it has influences all over the gothic novel spectrum, and is a largely enjoyable YA take on the genre. Emile is in hiding as a servant at a large, dark mansion due to refusing to marry and deny his homosexuality. However, something horrible is stalking the manor at night. - something leaving body parts in its wake - and Emile is thrust into a supernatural mystery as well as a romantic one: which boy will he choose?

Werewolves are fun, and so was this YA novel. Horror-phobes need not worry; this is more spooky than actively scary, and most of the focus is on Emile's romantic life rather than on anything too frightening. The writing was simple and easy to follow and the main character was charming in his complete inability to keep a secret. While I wasn't actively riveted to the screen (the love "triangle" largely left me indifferent), I did think this was a cute option for someone wanting a romance with gothic undertones!

I absolutely adored the setting in this gothic tale. The way the author crafted beautifully haunting images was truly something to behold. All of the areas were described impeccably, giving the novel a unique feel- it felt very historical but still fresh and new, which is very impressive.

The story as a whole was definitely a slow burner, but I appreciated the time we got to spend with Emile, truly getting to know the ins and outs of his deepest feelings and desires. I really felt his discomfort and need to escape from the societal pressures of the time.

Henri was an incredibly complex character and there were many things to unpack with him. I really would have loved the opportunity to read from his POV, and first hand witness some of the scenes from his perspective. The same stands for Bran, I would have loved the opportunity to understand his character on a deeper level. The way the romance plot line was wrapped up was really great! I’m always for more representation when it comes to diverse relationships and characters. It was refreshing in the best way.

I would say the novels greatest downfall was unfortunately, the pacing. I found that the scenes I wanted more time with felt like they sped by too fast, and then there were some scenes that felt a little too slow for me. I definitely see a lot of inspiration from period dramas, historical romance novels ect. And I do often feel that way about those too, so it could entirely be a personal preference.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒂𝒚—𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊’𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕’𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒏𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒘, 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒊

Initially, I thought this is just a straight up gay rep book set in the 1800s France, well it was until the plot progressed and then there's the twist of supernatural involved and concept of polyamory too. While all of these are interesting turn of events, I just wished there was more if it.

1. Considering the age group of the cast (MCs are between 17 to 19 years old), the volatile emotional aspect is definitely there. I mean, can't really sustain my annoyance when I think about Emile forgiving Henri right away and then feeling bad for Bram the next. Typical representation of a teenage emotional dilemma

2. The supernatural mystery added a positive effect on the overall story. Though some attributes were predictable it still was a pleasant experience to see families reunited

3. Twists weren't really prevalent all throughout. I read more descriptives of what they wore and where they were as compared to the actions done. The ending for me was a bit rushed and the catharsis I was waiting for wasn't met all the way.

Overall, it was a nice read.

This book was a surprise in many ways, a lot of the plot took me by surprise, yet all of the twists were pretty well foreshadowed. Emile runs away from home after his aunt gives him an ultimatum: get married or be disowned. He finds himself laying low as a servant in the home of Count Montoni, whose whole family seems to suffer from a strange disease. originally, Emile was just going to wait until he turned 18 and collect his inheritance, but the strange things surrounding the mansion pull him into a mystery he wasn't expecting to be a part of. There's also a sort-of love triangle that also gets resolved by the end. The romance was definitely the weakest link for me, it wasn't really developed outside of Emile not being able to choose, and the end, while good, did not enough set up to actually seem feasible given how the three interact with each other. While I found the end of the book exciting and interesting, the early parts often dragged and I felt like too much time was spent on spinning out a mystery that was then rushed to a conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love the cover for this book and I loved the gothic atmosphere this story had with it. This story focuses on Emile, a 17-year-old marquis who has run away from his homophobic aunt. She wants to pressure him into marriage to make sure their family name lives on. She also wants to commit him to an asylum for being gay if he disagrees with her. Emile is only 6 months shy of being 18, and he wants to hide away until he is of age to take his inheritance. He pretends to be a servant to the Montoni family, even though he’s never had to do anything for himself in his entire life.

In the beginning I really liked Emile. He was dedicated to his mission and wanted to be free to be his own person. He knew what he needed to do and was willing to do anything for his freedom. When the romance was introduced, my like for him was done. Bram is the first man that Emile is interested in. He is an apprentice doctor and comes to the Montoni home to help with ailments. I liked the chemistry with Bram and Emile. He was sweet and caring and wanted to take him out on dates and show him around town. But then…came Henri. GOD I hated Henri! He was literally the worst from beginning to end. He is so manipulative and mean to Emile. There are scenes were I was shocked by just how petty and jealous he was and Emile just forgives him a few minutes later. I was sure Henri was supposed to be seen as a villain or antagonist but no. He’s actually supposed to be a love interest. And the end!!! The poly relationship?! What! Emile has this grand idea for all three of them to be together because Henri says that Bram was his first crush? And this was never discussed but everyone is like oh yeah sure why not.

Putting aside the romance, it took way too long for the werewolves to be introduced. It’s obvious something is weird and wrong but they just don’t say anything and take forever to get to the action.

I wanted to like this book. It was a little slow getting my attention but after a while I kept trying not to rage quit with Henri’s shenanigans. I don’t think this one was for me.

Thank you Page Street Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I've been pretty excited about this book for awhile! Emile, running away from his aunt, takes a job as a servant for Count Montoni, while trying to keep who his secret he meets Bram the beautiful doctor. He falls for him the problem is when the Count's niece and nephew arrive he is also drawn to Henri the Count's nephew. There's also mysterious things happening can Emile figure it out? Will he be able to choose between these two men? I loved the gothic and dark settings of the book. Plus I am a huge fan of werewolves so it was great to read a book with werewolf lore! I enjoyed many of the characters and feel like many of the supporting characters really stood out! I also was interested in the end, different than I would have expected but satisfying for me! Can't wait to read it again!

The Alchemy of Moonlight has been on my TBR since I saw the cover reveal. Beautiful covers aside, I am a sucker for anything to do with werewolves, so y’all know I was excited to read this book.

The first thing I loved about this book was the dark, gothic atmosphere. It reminded me of books I read last year like My Dear Henry. The Alchemy of Moonlight has such a gloomy vibe to the story. The cold, dimly lit castles and houses were such joys to explore with Emile. Udolpho castle was a highlight. I wish the entire book had been set there.

The werewolf lore was interesting. Some of the features of the wolves reminded me of how vampirism has worked in other books and shows I’ve devoured. I don’t recall every reading a book where werewolves could be revived from the dead, which was incredibly engaging. I think there was a hint at immortality, or perhaps wolves living a longer lifespan than humans, but it wasn’t completely clear.

Count Montoni was a brilliant villain, but for a character often described as a monster, I wish I got to see more of his monstrous actions. Montoni was cold. Unforgiving. Vicious and cunning. Yet, I’ve known worse men, which is worrying if you think about it.

Emile was torn between two men. When he was with one, he longed for the other. I wanted to feel Emile’s yearning in my chest. I was constantly being told how the characters felt, but never really feeling it. The romance felt a little underdeveloped. I struggled to follow Emile’s journey with Bram and Henri. The majority of the book closely followed the long triangle trope which made the ending a little confusing. I didn’t feel like any groundwork had been set to create a satisfying conclusion. I think I would have enjoyed the romance more if Henri was the only love interest. Maybe I just love a brooding man. Who knows.

I think I would have loved this more if it were 100 pages shorter. I think the werewolf reveal came far too late. It was obvious that they were werewolves, and I felt like the inevitable was dragged on a bit too long. I would have loved to get inside the heads of the other characters.

Henri was the most complex, and there were a lot of confrontations he has with his uncle that the reader only hears about through Emile. I’d love to have seen those scenes, and perhaps more personal exchanges between the siblings. I think the reveal happening earlier would have also helped strengthen the werewolf lore, as the reader would get more time to explore and learn about the wolves. These may be more personal desires, as I enjoyed the book a lot more when the werewolf action was unravelling.

The story did feel a little repetitive towards the end. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable slice of queer gothic horror. If you love spooky stories, this one is for you!

Thank you to the author & Page Street Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was okay. The characters were okay but not very compelling and I didn't really care about them even as I got to the end of the book. I also thought the twists and turns were a bit predictable, but that's not a terrible thing. I had a pleasant time reading this, but I wish the plot was a bit tighter and more thought-out. As it stands, I noticed a few minor plot holes that took me out of the story a bit (if you've read The Mysteries of Udolpho, you'll know what I'm talking about). Overall, this book felt....a bit unfinished? It felt sort of like I was reading the outline rather than a fleshed out book. Perhaps more edits will be made/are planned before this books release? I can see where people will probably enjoy this, I just wanted more out of this read. 2.5 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars.

This had an interesting storyline and I can see why some would enjoy this book, but it was not for me. I finished it without caring about the characters or wanting more books in the world. Some twists were expected and others were not. The few unexpected ones were not a surprise though.

Than you, Pagestreet, for allowing me to read The Alchemy of Moonlight early.

That cover! It's so awesome. And the story was great too. The only thing I liked a little less was the ending. It felt a little rushed.