Book Review: Moonstone by Marilee Brothers

Title: Moonstone (Book 1 in the Unbidden Magic series)
Author: Marilee Brothers
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Release Date: 08/01/2008
ISBN: 0980245346





As a long time fan of YA fiction, I'm always ready to discover something new regardless of genre. I'll admit though that at heart I'll always be a fantasy & urban fantasy type of girl- there's just something about having a "Sweep" type series that just captures the audience's wish fulfillment needs.

Allie's never really known "the good life". The only life she's known has been one where she's lived in a trailer behind her uncle Sid's house with her mother, a woman trying to gain disability for an ailment she may or may not have. When a fall onto an electric fence jump starts her psychic abilities, Allie discovers that not only is she the proud owner of a slew of powers but also the inheritor of a moonstone necklace capable of great- or terrible- feats. Unfortunately there's more than one person interested in this necklace & their intentions aren't very good...

Brothers manages to create a very readable & enjoyable first entry into her "Unbidden Magic" series. Readers will love the spunky Allie & thrill as they see her stumble into her magic powers & use them for the first time. She's a great character & one that you just can't help but root for- especially when she starts noticing certain handsome young men that are close to her. Many will find this a nice short book that'll be great for a quick read inbetween other series.

The book isn't without its flaws, though. There's a lack of detail to the relationship between Allie & her mother Faye. It just takes a while to really see why Allie would put up with her mother's antics because there's not a lot of emotion (negative or positive) shown between the pair of them. Allie states her mother's actions with a sense of ennui that did show her well on the way to becoming world weary but without enough "oomph" behind it. This isn't the only relationship or element that could've been fleshed out a little more. Parts of the story stream by at an incredibly fast pace & while it did make for a nice fast read, many will wish that Brothers had taken just a little while longer to describe everything- especially Allie's strange otherworldly guide Trilby.

Overall though this is a great read & one that I'd recommend to a great many readers. It's just that I wish that there was a little more to it at times. I'm already planning to get the other two books in the series (both of which are already out), so hopefully the pacing & character info will improve as the series progresses.

(ARC provided by NetGalley)