Customer Reviews

The Chronicles of Faerie: The Hunter's Moon

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed O.R. Melling's novel. It's a fun coming-of-age adventure in which the main character, Gwen, develops her own strength and learns how to outwit the fairies. At first she is overshadowed by her beautiful cousin Findabhair. But when her cousin is kidnapped, Gwen must go on a quest throughout Ireland to recue her. Melling does an excellent job weaving in traditional fairy myth with beautiful descriptions of modern-day Ireland. Though the plot is thin in places I found the novel as a whole to be entertaining and enjoyable.

I first read this book reluctantly for a novel study in grade 7. After finishing it I immediately went out and bought my own copy, as well as other titles by O. R. Melling. Gwen's quest in search of her cousin is a fascinating read as Melling sweeps the reader across Ireland giving a tale nothing short of epic in the eyes of a 13 year old. Now in university and studying the classics, this book is still incredible to me. I have recommended it to friends not of Irish descent who have loved it just as much as I have. It is a universal story of struggle and the right of passage for young girls in the modern world. I absolutely loved this book, and anyone who feels it is beneath them because of its target audience is robbing themselves of an excellent read. I have re-read this book countless times and still find it a joy, using it and others as a bridge between the books I have to study. Anyone looking to get teenagers interested in reading or in need of a good book to escape into should definitely give this a try.

While I enjoyed some of the moments of the book, the flow seemed awkward and there were times when I felt the characters were a little too one dimensional and contrived.

Once I was finished reading the book, I gifted it to a girl who attends the same ballet school as my daughter. She later said she absolutely loved the book. Perhaps the teenage girls in the book were more "realistic" to a twelve-year-old than a thirty-something-year-old. Or maybe free books just read better than $8 books do.

Overall, good brain candy for a quicky read and an interesting and fun look into the world of the fae, but nothing that drove me to wanting to read more of the Chronicles of Faerie books.

'The Hunter's Moon' has an interesting enough plot-an Irish girl is stolen by the faeries, and her visiting cousin must save her. This book is somewhat educational, providing the reader with interesting info on Ireland. O.R. Melling, according to the 'About the Author' thingy on the flap, was born in Ireland and studied Irish history.
Anyway, back to the story. I especially like the characters...the heroine, Gwen, is by no means perfect. She's short, slightly overweight, and has an *interesting* personality. The faerie king is the kind of person you're unsure about, not knowing whether he's good or evil.
One thing I didn't like about this book was the plot itself was extremely predictable. I won't say much, so not to reveal the ending, but let me just say you know exactly who's going to fall in love with who(the summary on the front flap gave most of that away...), and you pretty much know how it's going to end, or at least close to it. This book occasionally got boring, but I noticed after I read it that the only times it was boring was when the faeries weren't around, heh heh.
All in all I think this is a wonderful choice for fantasy lovers, or people who are interested in Ireland. Although it's a predictable sort of fairy tale, it serves as an enjoyable read.

Two cousins from two different parts of the world who share the same name and a passionate belief that faery exists, set out on a summer vacation in Ireland. Gwen, the US cousin, is tentative and dreamy. Findabhair, the Irish native, is passionate, beautiful and impulsive.

At Tara, they dare to spend the night in a Faery mound. Finn answers the call of the Faery King. Gwen is left behind to rescue her.

Time is running out--Hunter's Moon approaches and if Gwen can't get her cousin back, Finn will become the annual sacrifice to the Great Wyrm.

"The Hunter's Moon" is an amazing fantasy adventure told by someone who really KNOWS Irish folklore. Melling's education qualifies her to write non-fiction, yet she's choosing instead to educate us with enchanting tales of Irish folklore.

I highly recommend "The Hunter's Moon" for fantasy lovers of all ages. The story itself is delightful. The guides included relating to Gaelic language and Irish folklore are amazing.

This story is like a breath of fresh air. It's pure delightful whimsy. I had no trouble at all following the plot and, yes, the characters aren't very deep and insightful. But somehow I don't think they're supposed to be. The story reads like an old-time fairy tale, full of ideas and events that are cliche but no less true and valuable. You might get tired of seeing the shy character that pulls out of her shell through the course of a quest or journey, but that doesn't diminish the power of such a transformation. If you read this story with no preconceptions then you end up feeling like a kid again, in awe of the power of the hidden world. This book made me tremendously happy, and I didn't even set out to feel that way! It didn't matter that it was illogical in places or simple or unrealistic. It was magic! Magic doesn't have to make sense.

This book won't give you any profound existential insight, but it does have the potential to give you the joyful suspicion that maybe, just maybe, there really are fairies in the hills and the chance that you might one day go adventuring with them. Call me flighty, and I probably am, but that idea makes me happy. Thank you for a great story Ms. Melling.

I love the Chronicles of Faerie's series. All the books are great and the plots and chracters just keep getting better. The Hunter's Moon is a fun, freaky read. The writing is very vivid. Highly recommended.

two young teenage cousins....
dear lovers of faerie lore,
... one visiting the other from Canada, explore modern Ireland in search of the Sidhe, the faerie folk, and find them, and quite a bit more than they bargained for. One girl goes off with the Sidhe and the other goes in search of her and discovers much more than she expected. Similar to Charles DeLint's young adult novels, although not quite as good in our opinion. nonetheless, we enjoyed this first book in the Chronicles of Faerie and will soon order the next one. Check it out.
kyela,
the silver elves

I've just finished this first book in Melling's series. Loved it, and I'm supposedly all grown up! Really a number of excellent things happening in this book. On a personal level, it was a magical memory tour of Ireland for me, as it's been a couple of decades since I've been there, and it brought back so much, but it also gave me a feel for contemporary Ireland. Like the character Gwen, I was pleased to find the fae folk weaving in and out of the everyday lives of the characters. Good depictions of the fae, she caught their mutability beautifully, something that is quite difficult to do.

One reviewer disliked the "sugary" ending -- well, maybe I'm a sap, but I'll stand by my opinion that the ending was just right, and quite plausible within the way the rules of the Otherworld work. Overall, I found this quite delightful, and would recommend it to readers (of any age) who are interesting in Ireland, and faery lore.

Dawn Killen-Courtney, author of
The Trollton Chronicles

The Hunter's Moon is an adventurous story about a 16 year old girl named Gwen Woods who has always shared a love for fantasy with her Irish cousin Findabhair(Fin-a-veer). When the two adolescent girls decide to travel around Ireland expecting to have a normal time, Findabhair gets kidnapped by the most beautiful, deadly, magical creatures a few humans have ever seen. Fairies. Now Gwen must venture out to save her cousin and even the fairies themselves. This jaw-dropping story with poetic language will have you at the edge of your seat. This is the first book to The Chronicles Of Faerie.