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.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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