Moonchild by Kate L. Mary (Review)

Moonchild by Kate L. Mary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 

In a world fueled by greed and corruption, where airships rule the skies and coal mines have been turned into prisons, Scarlett Moon has one goal: Survive. Being tough and looking out for herself is the only way to stay alive, but when her best friend, Rory, is arrested and returned to the mines, all of Scarlett’s carefully built walls threaten to crumble.

After being rescued by an airship full of pirates, led by the sexy and irresistible Asher Kimura, Scarlett finds herself surrounded by cons and fugitives, and thrust into the middle of a coal-smuggling business. When they take her to Columbus, the one place she never wanted to set foot in again, she wants nothing more than to get away. And her discomfort only grows as she becomes increasingly drawn to Asher.

But everything changes when she discovers there may be a way to rescue Rory. Enlisting the pirates' help, Scarlett sets out on a mission to save her friend, praying that her overwhelming attraction to Asher doesn’t mean the end to her freedom—in more ways than one.


A futuristic steampunk?! Who knew?

Just think of a world so far in the future, that it has reverted back to the dark ages of steam and coal. A place where there is only certain technology left, and any other is considered evil. People living on the streets in poverty where any minor violation can land you in the coal mines which could mean certain death! But what captured my attention the most was the word.. "Pirates"! Steampunk, drool worthy Pirates, and a dark dystopic time? YES! Yes! and YES!

This was a heart pounding, thrilling read full of strong, beautiful but broken characters. I am not sure if Mary planned it this way, but when I got to know Scarlett a little, it reminded me of another Scarlett from a time when women were considered fragile...but she was strong, independent and stubborn. I loved this Scarlett from the first page, and even more as she grew. Oh and Asher! Did I not say there were some tasty pirates? Yes, this frustrating yet dashing Asher could save me in an airship any day!! The angst and tension between him and Scarlett was enough to drive me to bang my head against the wall.

The secondary characters were just as entertaining and well developed. I can see so many other stories of these diverse characters progressing in other books to come (well, I hope so anyway)! I look forward to see what becomes of each one of them.

I gave it 4 stars for great writing, exciting story, and characters I couldn't get enough of!

I need more Scarlett and Asher!!


Thanks to YA Book Tours for the chance to review this great read!