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    Shadows on the Moon
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    Shadows on the Moon
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    Shadows on the Moon
    Audiobook11 hours

    Shadows on the Moon

    Written by Zoë Marriott

    Narrated by Amy Rubinate

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Sixteen-year-old Suzume is a shadow weaver, trained in the magical art of illusion. She can be anyone she wants to be-except herself. Is she the girl of noble birth, trapped by the tyranny of her mother's new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama's kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Land? Even Suzume is no longer sure of her true identity. But she is determined to steal the heart of the Moon Prince and exact revenge on her stepfather for the death of her family. And nothing will stop her. Not even her love for fellow shadow weaver Otieno, the one man who can see through her illusions.

    Set in a fairy-tale version of ancient Japan, Shadows on the Moon shakes up the Cinderella story with its brave, resourceful, and passionate heroine.

    "Shadows on the Moon weaves a spell as deft as any by its main character. Beautiful and cruel; a mesmerizing read with an intoxicating love story."? -L. A. Weatherly, author of Angel Burn and Angel Fire

    "Beautifully written, with diverse and fascinating characters, an intriguing plot, and a romance that will steal your heart. One of the most innovative fairy-tale retellings I've read in years."? -?R. J. Anderson, author of Spell Hunter and Ultraviolet

    "The lyrical prose of Shadows on the Moon captures the essence of the fairy tale, while the love story will capture readers' hearts." -?Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Magic Under Glass and Between the Sea and Sky

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateApr 24, 2012
    ISBN9781455852383
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Shadows on the Moon

    4/5

    69 ratings14 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      I'm SO mixed on this. It's a truly beautiful story with awesome characters and a great new take on the Cinderella innocent persecuted-heroine story-type. That being said, it's very problematic for me to have a white British woman creating a fairy-tale based on Japanese culture and tradition, creating literary commentary on transgenderism and blacks on the silk road. It feels so wrong on so many levels.
    • 5/5
      The opening of this novel definitely grabbed my attention. I mean, her family is attacked, most of them killed, and there are the first signs of her power. Um, awesome and tragic? I think so. On top of some of her family members dying, Suzume also has to deal with the fact that since her dad was marked a traitor, if anyone finds the remaining members, they too will be killed, as will anyone who helps them. Yikes, right?

      This is a thing that happens a lot in history and probably now too. People get judged based on the actions of a single family member. For example, in Escape from Camp 14, which I read a few weeks ago, if a family member is found guilty of treason, the whole family is condemned to a camp...for generations. Families are raised in the camps; they have schools, because even the kids born after the incident are guilty of whatever their parents or grandparents did, so they can't leave. Argh! This makes no freaking sense, so how about we stop doing it! People can't help their families!

      Oh, also inspired by this book is a rant about being a woman. Basically, it can be summed up into the following: it sucks to be a woman! Certainly, it sucked hardcore to be a woman in the past. While this book is definitely not straight historical fiction, I don't doubt the accuracy of every single female being completely at mercy of male society. Argh! Whoever it was that originally decided women should be second class citizens, I hope he never got any and I hope he's in the special hell.

      Anyway, done ranting now and going back to the book. I loved it, even if it did make me ranty. Most historical fiction does that to me, because the way people were treated just makes me so mad. The storytelling is completely beautiful. I spent much of the book trying to figure out if it was history with a small fantasy element or a history based on Japan. It seems to be a combination of both, a retelling set in a fairy tale Japan. Whatever that means. Definitely not 'History,' because I'm pretty sure Onieto's country does not really exist, and that, even if it does exist somewhere in Africa, there was no trade with Japan. Marriott openly says at the end that this not intended to be history at all.

      Speaking of Onieto, my goodness does Marriott know how to write a scene to make the reader swoon. He's amazing. I love how he accepts Suzume with any name and any face. I love that he can sense her. I love how sweet he is to her, and how much respect he has for her. Which, of course, meant that every time Suzume breaks his heart because she feels as though she is unworthy of love, I wanted to smack her upside the head and tell her to lock it down. If someone amazing is willing to love you, accept that miracle, don't push them away to create a self-fulfilling prophecy about your not deserving love!

      I mentioned that this is a retelling of a fairy tale. Apparently, the fairy tale in question is Cinderella. I would never have figured that out, had I not read reviews by other bloggers. While I totally sensed the fairy tale-ish quality too it, the story definitely didn't bring a particular tale to mind, nor, thinking of Cinderella, am I especially convinced. Only very loosely does it fit my conceptions of Cinderella at all. Some liberal changes have been made. I approve of what Marriott has done, but it just came out feeling more like her own story than a retelling, if that makes any sense. Actually, the more I think on it, the more impressed I am about the skews she put on the original fairy tale, like how her evil step-mother is a combination of her step-father and her jealous mother. Ouch.

      Suzume can be hard to like sometimes. She makes a lot of bad decisions, blinded by her pain and her hurt. Rather than dealing with her admittedly awful life in healthy ways, she cuts herself and throws herself at vengeance. She's much colder and more calculating than a lot of YA heroines, a lot less interested in love or her own well-being. Still, I could not help but root for her, both because she was a mess for a reason and because I love Onieto.

      Shadows on the Moon is haunting and beautiful. Though I was not previously familiar with Marriott's work, you had better believe I'll be hunting more of it down!
    • 4/5
      Interesting retelling of Cinderella set in a fantasy kingdom similar to feudal Japan. Suzume is a shadow weaver, able to create illusions to hide and disguise. She has needed these skills ever since her father was executed for treason and her cousin who was closer than a sister was killed. Suzume's stepfather betrayed her father to marry her mother, who rejected his offer of marriage years ago. Now Suzume is fascinating her stepfather, and that can only bring death, so now she must hide as a drudge in the kitchen, using her shadow weaving skills, in order to survive. But she wants more that to survive, she wants vengeance!
    • 4/5
      Something of a Cinderella Story. It can stand on it's own, but I think a fan of fairy tales will appreciate the little nods to Cinderella here and there.
    • 5/5
      This year I discovered Zoe Marriott and I believe I have discovered an author I truly enjoy. I look forward to each one and sometimes use them as a bribe to get through others that are proving a bit of a slog. Though I must admit I have approached some of them with trepidation. What if this one won't be as good, what if I'm disappointed with this one?And each one has surprised me by sucking me in and engaging me fully. This one more than some others. I could almost feel the heavy robes and it almost felt like blasphemy to sit down with a coffee instead of sitting down to a proper tea. Though reading while going through a tea ceremony would have been impolite too!This is not to say that this is a perfect book and that there aren't moments where it lurched a bit or where I could see what the author was doing with the character, but it was damned close for me.This is the story of Suzume and her three lives. The first is where she witnesses her family being massacred. Then her mother marries a man who has wanted her for many years and doesn't necessarily want her daughter as well. During this time Suzume finds that she can work with shadows and finds that this skill helps her cover up the fact that she is cutting herself to make herself feel better.Her second life is as Rin, a lowly kitchen servant. I saw someone say that this was improbable but a lot of people don't notice servants. Many people don't notice the people who serve them in shops either (I know this from experience). When someone is somewhere you don't expect them to be, behaving in a way different from the normal you're used to with them, you can gloss over them quite easily. No-one expects the daughter of a noble house to be a drudge in a kitchen, combine this with her ability to shadow-weave and you've got a very good disguise.Her third life is as Yue starts when she runs away, thinking she's killed her mother, and saves Akira, who is also a shadow weaver, and offers her help with a plan to get her revenge on her wicked step-father. Throughout all of this is woven Otieno who comes from a land where people use shadow-weaving and who loves Suzume, no matter what mask she's wearing. It turns out that Akira is an Oyama, or man who played the role of a woman in theatre and was good enough to become the Shadow bride of a prince. Bishounen are a part of Japanese culture and this was an intersesting use of that concept. It was interesting to have someone in the story for whom this was normal and apart from the moment of dissonance when Suzume realises the truth, is accepted as just part of Akira's character. As she presents as female, female pronouns are used, which is how I would address a friend in a similar situation.The training, the work, the characters all made this a great story for me, other people's mileages may vary but it's one of my favourite reads of 2012.
    • 5/5
      While not the most well-written retelling of Cinderella that I've read, Shadows on the Moon is by far the most interesting take on the traditional story. It's set in some previous time in Japan, but this Japan comes with shadow weavers and strange foreigners from the land of Athazie. There is no traditional fairy godmother, and Suzume is no traditional Cinderella. Out for revenge, she is strong-willed and determined to do anything necessary to seek vengeance on those who killed her family. Yet Suzume has her own flaws unique for fairytale retellings: she resorts to cutting and burning herself to release anger and other emotions, and her actions are not always above moral scrutiny. Suzume's story in Shadows on the Moon will hold readers attention for its not inconsiderable 450+ pages. The action is fairly constant, and between the author's writing style and the formatting of the book, the novel is actually a quick read for its page count. Better yet, the novel is so different from "Cinderella" that you eventually forget it's a retelling and stop looking for and expecting the events of the traditional tale; Shadows on the Moon is good enough to hold its own as an epic story without the added bonus of being a retelling. While I found that I could foresee some of the consequences of Suzume's actions and the ultimate conclusion to the novel, this did not mean that I knew how the end of the novel would be reached, and that, coupled with the unique characterizations of the Cinderella, prince, and godmother characters, made this a totally worthwhile read. My one complaint with the book is, as I hinted in the first sentence of my review, that Marriott's writing is almost, but not quite, equal to the story she tells. I'm not really sure what the problem is - was it that the plot moves too fast, or that there's not enough explanations for some things? - but the writing and the story never completely clicked together. Still, they come close enough to make Shadows on the Moon a great read for just about every variety of reader.
    • 5/5
      This book came highly recommended, but I started it with great wariness. I have now read three books by Zoe Marriott. The first I loathed, the second was okay then there was "Shadows on the Moon" - it was brilliant! Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!Set in an imaginary land, reminiscent of fuedal Japan, the author has created a fabulously believable country with descriptions so beautifully and vividly detailed that the reader can't help but wish they were actually there.Suzume is a wonderful protagonist, feisty and determined, but with flaws. She is also a shadow weaver able to influence what people see and I found her someone I could easily empathise with as she moves from an innocent child to a deeply troubled young woman. Akita is also another fascinating character, as is Otieno. The romance that develops between Susume and Otieno is sweet and extremely touching.I also love the front cover of this book and the trailer promotes the book perfectly - check it out! Overall, this is an amazing story loosely based on the fairytale "Cinderella" and deals with betrayal, revenge, loss and grief. From the first page I was enthralled, and the action and danger that surrounds Suzume from the start made it impossible to put this book down until it was finished. "Shadows on the Moon" would also make a stunning movie if done properly.
    • 4/5
      Shadows on the Moon is a retelling of Cinderella set in a Japanese based setting. I found it to be a very good retelling, partly because it is different enough from the original tale that I didn’t know where it was going. Seriously, if I was making a list of best Cinderella retellings in YA, Shadows on the Moon would be listed just after Ella Enchanted.Shadows on the Moon begins with the destruction of Suzume’s family and home. Out of nowhere, her father is accused of treason and killed along with any household members the armed men can find. Afterwards, Suzume goes to live with her mother, who was away at the time of the attack, and the sinister man who will shortly become her stepfather.Suzume’s got a lot of problems, not just in terms of her situation but in terms of how she deals with her emotions. To keep herself calm, she takes to cutting herself, or sometimes burning herself. This occurs through the vast majority of the book. Suzume… she’s a mess but ultimately sympathetic. I love how she’s allowed to be morally grey and not completely perfect.I thought there were some weird things going on with the love interest. What’s so annoying is that it’d be very easy to cut out a few lines and make him less creepy. There’s one part where Suzume asks what he would have done if she wouldn’t go with him, and he said that he brought rope to tie her up with. And this is treated as romantic! Seriously, why do authors keep doing this sort of thing? It makes him sound like a serial killer!The setting of Shadows on the Moon is clearly based on Japan, despite the author’s note trying to claim that it’s not meant to represent anywhere in particular. I’m not the best person to be discussing how Marriott handled Japanese culture, but I didn’t notice anything horribly wrong. I suggest this review from a Japanese reviewer if you want to know more.Even setting aside the Japanese based setting, there was more diversity than you might expect. The love interest comes from an African based culture, and one of the important mentor figures is a transwoman (and she doesn’t die).Besides the creep factor going on with the love interest, my main complaint is that the book ended very suddenly. The main decisions were made within a few pages and then everything stopped. I would have liked a bit more time spent on the ending.I would recommend Shadows on the Moon. I found it gripping and engaging, one of the most refreshing Cinderella retellings I have come across.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 4/5
      The lead is continuously learning about life and herself. She's been wronged by people close to her and lost people she loved in unnatural ways. She has to cope with her feelings of anger at herself and others throughout. She also has to learn to control newfound powers. I wasn't crazy about the story right from the start, but I continued to get more into it as it went along.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book I have read by Zoe Marriot and while I want to love them I just don't. So I don't think I'll try again. I am constantly looking for authors similar to "Juliet Marillier" who I love and ZM is a common suggestion. But I root for and care about JM's characters and I just don't get that response in this book. I like that it does some unusual things particularly with the main character and the self harm but I just didn't care about her as a character. Ah well - keep looking.
    • 3/5
      Setting, story, and characters were multi-faceted and compelling. I kept getting incredibly frustrated with the main character--GET OVER IT, ALREADY!!--but that's what made it feel more real. However, I was kept from a higher rating because of one lie told by an otherwise trustworthy person, upon which much action depends. I found it unbelievable and it kind of lessened the impact of some of later events.
    • 5/5
      Set in a fantasy version of Japan, Shadows on the Moon is about a young girl, Suzume, who suffers a horrible injustice and becomes obsessed with getting revenge, even if cost her everything: her identity, love and even her freedom.Suzume is the Cinderella-like character in this fairytale retelling but she is like no other Cinderella you have ever met. She is flawed and vulnerable yet so incredibly strong. I am a very character driven reader and I absolutely loved Suzume, even when she was making awful decisions based on her need for vengence. Zoe Marriott writes Suzume’s tumultuous emotions so well, I felt like I was experiencing them with her. I so wanted her to get revenge on her oppressors! I know it was wrong but Suzume’s pain was so real and the injustice so great, I wanted them to pay for what they did.I am an escapist reader and tend to avoid issues books and Shadows on the Moon has some serious issues. Suzume has a lot of anger and is depressed. Her mother, a cold and uncaring woman, won’t let her talk about her pain so Suzume starts cutting herself to release her pent up emotions. We are not talking a onetime thing here guys, she cuts repeatedly throughout the book. Normally, heavy issues like this would be a turn-off for me but Marriott’s writing is so good and the entire plot is so well done, I could not stop reading this book! The secondary characters are also very well written and I was most surprised by Suzume’s love interest, Otieno. He was strong, handsome and totally unexpected! I love that Marriott does not focus on the romance in this book. It’s something that sustains Suzume but it’s her need for revenge that drives her and the story.I have not even touched on the magical, shadow weaving aspects of this story or the breathtaking setting (while it’s fantasy, looks a lot like feudal Japan) – they are awesome and not to be missed!Overall, Shadows on the Moon is a fantastic fantasy novel with very realistic contemporary issues. It’s dark, it’s sad, I could not put it down and the ending is completely satisfying. This is my first book by Zoe Marriott but it will not be my last. I already got one of her earlier books, Daughter of the Flames, from my library and I can’t wait to dig in! Content: Implied sex, kissing and violence. There are some mature themes that you may want to discuss with your teens before they read this book including the cutting/self-harm (that I mentioned before) and contemplated suicide. There is also a transgender character who has a long term relationship with a married man and characters discuss prostitution. This book is recommended for older/more mature teens and adults.
    • 4/5
      Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A beautiful tale about love, family, and revenge set in mythological Japan.Opening Sentence: On my fourteenth birthday, when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us.The Review:Suzume’s life completely changes after she witnesses the death of her father and cousin, and only narrowly escapes through magical means. The book is set in a fictional feudal Japan-esque country called the Moonlit Land. Marriott went into great detail about the culture and customs, which was fascinating to read. There is a type of shadow-weaving magic that allows those skilled at it to create glamours over themselves to change their appearance or even disappear altogether. Suzume learns that she has a skill for shadow-weaving, and uses it to her advantage.Suzume and her mother are taken in by her father’s friend, Terayama-san. He soon proposes to her mother and the two are married. Suzume is going through a difficult time in her life, and no one seems to notice her pain. One thing I really liked about this novel is how real Suzume’s feelings felt, and the hidden pain of her depression. Her only confidante is the older cinder sweeper, Youta. He also becomes her teacher in the art of shadow-weaving. She uses her shadow-weaving to hide her real feelings from her family.Suzume overhears that Terayama-san had set up her father’s murder, and decides to run away. She doesn’t get very far, and changes her identity to hide in her own house’s kitchen. Suzume believes it is her duty to avenge her father and cousin’s deaths. The book is separated into three sections based on what Suzume calls herself. After she leaves her parent’s home, she creates a new identity with the help of her new friend Akira. Her goal is to still get revenge on her step-father, but changes her tactics.Throughout the book, Suzume has interactions with Otieno, a handsome stranger from a foreign land. Through her changes, he still finds her and shows his love for her. It was all very romantic, but it was a bit surprising because they don’t have many encounters before Suzume becomes Yue. One thing I did like about their relationship was how Suzume was not afraid of the foreigners like everyone around her, and always saw them, especially Otieno, as beautiful.The underlying story is based on the tale of Cinderella, but Suzume is no helpless princess. Certain details are similar to the traditional story, but this is definitely not a retelling. I really loved how the story progresses, and how the characters are depicted. The writing style is formal, but it reflects the ceremonial traditions of Asian culture. The ending seemed a little rushed, but Suzume’s final decision is what I would have chosen. I would recommend this novel for anyone interested in fantasy, romance, and traditional Asian culture.Notable Scene:I could hardly wait to be alone that night, hardly wait for the dinner to be over, so Mother and Terayama-san would climb into their flower-hung palanquin and be borne off on their tout of Terayama-san’s lands. When the chattering guests finally departed, Mai accompanied me to my room. It was not thought proper for a maiden to be unattended at night, but while Terayama-san and Mother were off on their wedding trip, I had the power to ban Mai from my room, and I did, sharply.That night one cut was not enough. I broke open the scabs of other cuts, old wounds that I had made over the past three months, and made new ones, slashing again and again with the curved silver blade I had stolen from Mother’s manicure tools. I felt no relief. I heard nothing but the shrill cries inside me.The blade slipped from my fingers and rolled across the tatami mat, leaving a wet trail behind it. I stared, panting. My throat was dry and sore, and my lungs were tight, as if I had been screaming, but the only screaming had been inside, I was sure of that.Head swimming, I reached for the blade. There was soft plopping noises as I extended my hand. Fat, dark drops spattered the mats. I stared for a long moment before I realized I was looking at blood. My blood.FTC Advisory: Candlewick Press provided me with a copy of Shadows on the Moon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Her real name is Suzume (sparrow), but she is also Rin (cold) and Yue (moon). That’s because Suzume’s world ended the day her family was murdered. Living with her mother and her new stepfather, Lord Terayama, Suzume inadvertently practices her shadow-weaving: the art of creating illusions out of thin air. Her talent comes in handy as it becomes clearer to her that has life is in grave danger. As Suzume shuffles through her many identities, what happens when her one goal of avenging her father’s death is slowly but surely replaced by another more tender?YOU GUYS, do you know how long I have waited to read this book? Since Zoe Marriott first revealed the gorgeous UK cover for SHADOWS ON THE MOON, over a year ago. I simply can’t resist a beautiful Asian face on a YA cover, and I have enjoyed Zoe’s previous books. I am so, so happy to say that SHADOWS ON THE MOON was one of those rare books that I didn’t want to end.There is something great to be said about every element of this book. According to the author’s note, SHADOWS ON THE MOON is not set in feudal Japan, but rather a society similar to it. And Marriott has certainly done her research. Things such as the vocabulary for different kinds of clothing and the exact procedure for a tea ceremony may not add directly to the plot, but they certainly help immerse readers into Suzume’s lush, simultaneously foreign yet familiar, world.Suzume masterfully treads the thin line between her mask of feigned placidness and actually being a placid character. After all, at what point does the person you pretend to be actually become a part of you? However, Suzume’s soothing narration helps ground what could be melodramatic events, so that they never go beyond the point of credibility. Her reactions to the events happening to her are natural and relatable. We sympathize with Suzume, and also hope that, if we are ever in a similar situation (which hopefully we won’t be!), we can endure in a way as strongly as she does.SHADOWS ON THE MOON is a big book, but it never feels too long. It is a fantasy of epic worth and length that will nevertheless fly by, appealing even to readers who don’t often read fantasy. Suzume is a heroine for the modern-day reader, and Zoe Marriott’s unique take on the Cinderella tale will have you soaring through its pages.