Nicole's Reviews > The New Moon With the Old

3.5 stars.

I actually really did enjoy this novel on growing up in various forms, and confronting one's dreams and reflecting on how one's dreams really float amongst painstaken reality.

I docked a couple of stars because a lot of things that happened were too easy and fictional and idyll for what I said before, a novel on growing up. Also, ironically, while I really enjoyed it, I wouldn't read it again. And those books I reserve for 4 or 5 stars (which I do with little generosity).

But what I did like outweighed the dislikes and while the beginning was the slowest and toughest part to get through, the last 4 books (or at least the 2nd and 3rd books about Merry and Drew) are worth reading the book. Clare's book gave me the impression of a historical romance novel, while Richard's book was just an 'eh' ending for an already unbelievable story. Would these things happen in real life? Not at all.

That being said, the characterization of the major and even the minor characters is superb. I really got a taste of different kinds of people and personalities. I particularly loved Drew and Merry of the main cast and the minor characters in those in Drew's and Clare's books. I'm a sucker for a large cast in novels and this delivers excellently.

I'm trying to get out of reading slump and I didn't have any fantasy (which I really wanted since I've been reading mainly historical fiction), so I started this a little unenthusiastic and doubtful of my liking. So the fact I can say that I really enjoyed this counts for something.