GHBT- Review- Before the Full Moon Rises

Book Info-
Title- Before the Full Moon Rises
Series- Chronicles of the Secret Prince Book # 1
By- M.J. Bell
Blurb-
Deston Lespérance grew up believing faeries and monsters are just stories told to children at bedtime. However, when his mother mysteriously vanishes and he stumbles into the mystical realm of Tir na-nÓg, he discovers the shocking truth that these beings are not only real, they hold the key to his future. With a new friend, Margaux, and Excalibur’s twin brother sword, Caluvier, at his side, Deston races against time to find his mother and the Light Crystal before the full moon rises on the autumnal equinox. The odds are stacked against them and the obstacles they run into push the limit of what two teenagers can handle: an attack by gremlin-like creatures; captured by 6 foot tall vampire bats; hunted by a giant wolf, and almost lost forever in the mist of Avalon. Yet Deston doesn't give up, for he vowed to do whatever it takes to get his mother back—even if that means fighting the devil himself. The thing is … when he made that pledge he had no idea how close he would have to come to doing just that!

Before the Full Moon Rises is the first book in the Chronicles of the Secret Prince series by M.J. Bell. The novel is written from the third-person and focuses on our hero, Deston Lespérance. Now, I am not going to bore you with details (my god, read the book if you want to know what it's about) so I am going to jump straight into the gushing part of the review.

Anyone who reads this blog knows I am the single pickiest person in the world when it comes to books about the fae. In my opinion they are never done justice and I am usually left disappointed and mostly irritated that yet another author spit on the genre. However, Bell is up there with Maggie Stiefvater and Kaye Thornbrugh when it comes to hitting right on the head with how one should handle the world of faery. Not only is the story realistic (by my standards, at least), the writing is absolutely magical. From the very first page you are transported into this world and you feel like you're standing right there with Deston. You feel the anxiety, the tension, the fear, the excitement, all of it. You are right there in the story from the very first page all the way to the end. 

Beautifully done! I highly recommend this to anyone, from ages 7 to 107, everyone can find themselves at home in these pages.

My Rating:

MJ Bell's love of reading and everything magical is what motived her to jump head first into a writing career. Her first novel was honored with a Gold medal in the Mom's Choice Awards' Fantasy category in 2009. From there she has gone on to write the first two books of a new fantasy trilogy, Chronicles of the Secret Prince, and is currently working on the final chapter of Deston's adventure.

MJ grew up in Iowa, but now considers Colorado her home and lives there with her husband, Tim and her dog, Tasha. Her growing family has always been her pride and joy and provides her with a great source of inspiration to write and bring a little more magic into the world. She loves to hear from readers through her FB page at MJ Bell Author. Or visit her website at mj-bell.com.

  

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