Moon Chosen by P.C. Cast Series: Tales Of A New World #1
Published by Pan Macmillan Australia on October 25th 2016
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 600
Source: Publisher
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, P.C. Cast, brings us a new epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…
Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…
Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all.
Welcome to the Moon Chosen blog tour! Scroll down to enter to win a copy of Moon Chosen, thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia.
Mari lives with her mother in a burrow, deep in the forest with the rest of their Earth Walker clan. Every three nights, the tribe must be washed with the Moon’s power to cleanse them of a madness that would otherwise destroy them. But Mari feels she does not belong with the Earth Walkers.
Nik’s tribe of Companions lives in the trees. They absorb the power of the Sun and have an empathetic bond with their companion Canine, but Nik, the son of the clan’s Sun Priest, has yet to be chosen by a canine pup. When the pup he hoped would choose him escapes into the forest, Nik launches a search party right away, further than they have hunted before.
Then there are the People who live in the ruins of the abandoned city. Poisoned and twisted, they have a much less peaceful way of life.
The gently-paced world building for each of the three tribes means that the first hundred pages of Moon Chosen were slightly confusing. This post-apocalyptic world is described in intricate detail, with the society and customs of each tribe explored before much action happens. But as the stories weave together, the characters are free to develop and interact in their fully-realised world, and develop they do – especially Mari, who grows into her powers and on into a strong young woman. There is a lovely, gentle romance in this story. In fact, I enjoyed reading about the relationships between all of the characters, even if the dialogue is a little awkwardly phrased at times.
There are some beautiful magical moments in Moon Chosen, but also some grisly and upsetting moments. This is fantasy at its best – pulling no punches, but delivering some awe-inspiring visuals as well. Mari and Nik’s story encourages us to challenge the pre-conceived beliefs that we have been taught, and to learn about and respect other cultures.
Moon Chosen is the first in a new series, and I’ll be interested to see what happens to the tribes after this cliff-hanger ending.
Read this book if you love epic fantasy with a post-apocalyptic twist, well-developed societies and beautiful Moon and Sun magic. Plus canine companions!
About the author: PC Cast
PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses.
(Bio and photo from www.pccastauthor.com.)
P.C. Cast was kind enough to answer a few questions for this blog tour:
1. The characters in Moon Chosen have quite unique names. Was there a specific inspiration behind naming the characters?
PC: Sometimes I name characters after real people/pets (like Isabel and Cammy) and sometimes it’s just about the sound of the name and the connotation it holds (Mari, Sol, Thaddeus). And then sometimes I just let my imagination go wild (Dead Eye & Dove)!
2. If you could choose to have one book character from any of your series live with you in our world, which character would you choose?
PC: ClanFintan from DIVINE BY MISTAKE. I’m completely in love with him.
Giveaway
Thanks to Pan Macmillan, I am very pleased to give away a copy of Moon Chosen! If you’re a resident or Australia or New Zealand, you can enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below.
The prize will be sent out directly from Pan Macmillan in Sydney. Good luck!
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