Children of Sun and Moon (Skyfall Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

Matt Larkin (Author)

Book Description

The Lunar King bargained his daughter away in marriage to end generations of war between the two dynasties of the Skyfall Isles. The King sends his niece Chandi along as handmaid to his daughter. Chandi has two tasks: watch over her cousin, and spy on the Solars. The Solars cost her everything she cares about, and now she wants nothing more than proof of their treachery so she can go home.

She knows little of spying, but the blood of the Moon God running through her veins gives her powers mortals can’t match, powers that let her slip into places she’s not supposed to be. Of course, the more she uses her powers, the faster she becomes a lunatic.

When she discovers a Solar soldier, Naresh, watching her, she decides to return the favor and stick close to him. But as he shows her the wonders of the domed underwater city, she begins to realize the Solars are not what she thought. Soon, she’ll have to choose between loyalty to her people and her own heart.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt is a fantasy novelist and enthusiast for all things speculative fiction. He has degrees in Philosophy and Web Design, and attended the University of Denver Publishing Institute. In 2011 he married the wonderful Tarannum “Juhi” Larkin who supports all his crazy obsessions, including writing. Find out more at mattlarkin.net Sign up for the mailing list to hear about new releases here: http://tinyurl.com/9gadcyc.

Product Details

• File Size: 918 KB
• Print Length: 358 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 147833214X
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Incandescent Phoenix Books; 2 edition (January 31, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00749W3XW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,123 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book gets 5 suns/moons, and it deserves every last one of them. March 21, 2012

By Pure Textuality

Format:Kindle Edition

This book unceremoniously ripped my heart of my chest, took a bit out of it, stomped on it, ran it through a blender, set it on fire, and then spit on the ashes... and I loved every second of it.

So can someone please tell me how this book has no reads/reviews/comments/love ANYWHERE? I got out my "independent authors are worth reading" soap box, and freshened up the paint, and added glitter, and hot glued some of those plastic gem things to it, but I didn't want this review to involve any ranting, this book deserves more than that. I've put my soap box away... for now...

Now, where do I begin with a review of "Children of Sun and Moon?" Well, let me give you some facts. On March 1st Jena sent out an e-mail asking for reviewers. I read the blurb and replied "I'm in." On March 3rd she sent me the file. On March 19th I started reading. It took me 16 days to open the file. Once the file was opened, it took me less than 12 hours to read the entire thing. By 4% (the first time you see a Macan Gadungan in action, in case you were wondering) I was hopelessly hooked.

In the beginning there's some foundation laying going on. As a result you get a piece of the story, and then two months go by off screen. A little more and a year goes by off screen. Finally another piece and then two years go by. At this point I was like "NO! YOU HAVE TO STOP; I JUST KNOW THINGS ARE HAPPENING THAT I'M MISSING!" I'm still convinced that awesome things did happen while I wasn't looking, but the story goes from foundation to epic so quickly that I'd have forgotten all about my early qualms if I hadn't made a status update about them.

"Children of Sun and Moon" is one of those epic fantasy tales that I normally avoid. It's the kind where things go so horribly tragically wrong all because of a few secrets and lies. It's the kind where so much pain could've been avoided if people just sat down and came clean. Of course, in the setting, no one can just do this. There's too much hurt on all sides of this war, and no one is willing to just let go and allow there to be peace. They're too eager to grab and keep power, to destroy their enemies, and to propagate a war that's been going on so long no one can really remember why it all started.

It should have been a real downer, and it was. It actually exacerbated my blahs yesterday something fierce. At the same time, it was also a deeply human tale that showed that even in tragedy, even in war, and even when people just plain old screw up, there is still good in the world. (I originally typed food there, which would have also fit, but wouldn't have been as important.)

I feel like I can't really talk about the characters without giving too much away, but even the characters I didn't like (I'm looking at you Ratna) were extremely well written. I literally typed a follow up about loving certain characters like 8 times, and it always ended up giving something away. What I can tell you is that even when the characters are doing something annoying and you're like "I am so sick of this plot device" it all sorts itself out in the end. It's not just a convenient plot device. You're just going to have to trust me on this.

While the book doesn't end with a cliffhanger, it defiantly left me wanting more. Just another thing to praise Mr. Larkin for.

This book gets 5 suns/moons, and it deserves every last one of them. Ok, now someone else has to read this so I have someone to talk to about it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why haven't more people read this yet? March 21, 2012

By Ginny Lurcock

Format:Kindle Edition

This book unceremoniously ripped my heart of my chest, took a bit out of it, stomped on it, ran it through a blender, set it on fire, and then spit on the ashes... and I loved every second of it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Really great start... June 18, 2012

By Amber Lynn Natusch

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was introduced to Matt by a fellow author via email a few months ago. In getting to know him, I decided to read his novel even though it's a bit outside my normal genre picks. I'm really glad I did.
I look for many things when reading: interesting/intriguing story line, character depth, quality story telling, and quality editing. If there are major holes in any of those areas, I tend to have a harder time really getting into the book. The story was very interesting and well told. Matt created a beautiful and vibrant world that I really enjoyed visiting. The characters were well thought out and delivered, though I found myself really connecting with a few of the side characters more so than the leads. I don't know that this is a reflection of the writing...I think I just enjoyed the darkness that they possessed! Malin really spoke to me. I loved his gruff, animalistic ways, but he was not without a tender side that he sparingly showed and I found myself desperate to see more of him. In the beginning of the book, I did find myself feeling a dose of culture shock with names and terms that were outside what I was used to seeing, but once I found myself in a rhythm with them rather than fighting them, it all fell into place. There were some minor editing issues (but nothing overt), and some word echoing that stuck out to me (but it's one of those things that REALLY sticks out to me, so it may not bother others at all).
Overall, I'm looking forward to see what Matt brings to the table this summer with his follow up novel...or maybe I just REALLY want to see a little more Malin.

More About the Author

Matt is a fantasy novelist and enthusiast for all things speculative fiction. He writes epic fantasy inspired by real-world mythology and history.

Matt graduated from the College of William & Mary, and went on to study editing at the University of Denver Publishing Institute. After that, he backpacked around India, where everything changed. There, he met his future wife, Tarannum "Juhi," and from that moment on, his life revolved around trying to get her over to America with him. In 2011 they were married, and now she supports his crazy obsessions, like writing fantasy novels.

He's been telling stories since he was a child, most of them fantasy. He's a voracious reader; he devours epic fantasies, and lately urban ones as well. He reads some science fiction and a handful of other genres. His Kindle has to be one of the best gifts he ever bought himself, because now he can read just about anything instantly. He wishes it had a better selection of non-fiction.

Find out more at http://mattlarkin.net