Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Blood and Moonlight" by Erin Beaty is an intriguing and enchanting magical tale. The protagonist, Cat, works under the master architect in her town. Born a foundling, Cat has never felt at place in her world. Until she meets charming Detective Simon, investigating the recent murdered women in their town. Cat finds herself embroiled into the case, working alongside the detective, and discovering more about herself and her place in the world than she could have imagined.

The author skillfully weaves together elements of romance, fantasy, and moon magic, creating a captivating and emotional narrative. It is easy to find yourself drawn in to the world of moon magic, and root for Cat and Simon.
The big reveal of the murderer in the end did feel a bit convoluted - however I was ultimately satisfied with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a YA fantasy meets murder mystery, set in a city terrorised by a Jack The Ripper-esque serial killer. I really enjoyed both the fantasy elements and the investigation of the murders - it was sort of like crossing Stalking Jack The Ripper with something like Vespertine, especially with all the religious iconography and the Sanctum, a cathedral-like structure at the heart of the story.

Our FMC Cat fits the standard for a YA fantasy heroine, an foundling girl raised in an abbey, discovering powers she never knew she had and searching for the secrets to her past. I enjoyed her as a main character, even when she made choices that frustrated me. Detective of sorts Simon was an interesting MMC, and he really doesn't fit the standard mould of a fantasy love interest. He's bookish, a little reserved and at times awkward, extremely clever and also... blond. I promise you'll love him immediately though.

There's plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep you turning the pages, with a slight dip towards the middle of the book which then picks up the pace big time for the last big action scene. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a whodunnit with some fantasy elements.

TW: descriptions of injury, murder, mentions of s*xual assault, representation of serious mental illness. An author's note at the end of the book touches on that mental health rep too.

A unique fantasy murder mystery that had me double and triple guessing who our sinister serial killer was the whole time - and you bet I got it wrong! I loved how this book kept me on my toes and had me certain I’d worked out the culprit only to surprise me at the end. Mixing in the secrets of Cat’s past to all the danger and intrigue of the investigation made this an even more interesting read. There’s an interesting cast of characters, and found family and new friendships play a strong part in this story and although I felt like some of the characters behaved a little more cruel to their friends than I’d be comfortable with, they’re certainly brave and clever and really brought the mystery to life.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

What a wonderfully surprising book, i thoroughly enjoyed it!
A muder mystery with a serial killer on the loose. Variety of characters involved all with their own mysteries set in a city diveded by two types of people, those that worshop the sun and those who worship the moon.

The first couple chapters are slow and at one point i contemplated putting the book down. The author falls into the same trap thst other fantasy authors face and thats with introducing too many new things, names, terms all at the beggining and overwhelming the reader with lots of information its hard to understand what is actually happening.

But get passed that and this is a hard book to put down. So many complex characters you're constantly wondering who the killer is and what the motiv is. At the same time we're introduced to magick and delved into the city divided by the sun and moon.

Its really wonderful story line and I felt like I was in the world with them. I was really rooting for the main character and pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Will definitely be checking out this author again!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Summary:
When Catrin an orphan girl witnessed a murder she she is drawn into a perilous chain of events. As the killer continues killing she gets closer to the enigmatic detective, Simon and together they investigate. But Catrin is keeping a secret, one that could save her and loved ones from becoming the next victims.
What stood out to me:
The world, the mystery, the red herrings and the depiction of mental illness.
My thoughts:
This book had great potential. I loved lots of it but not all of it. The whodunnit part of this book was great and had me guessing who the killer was until the last moment, the magic and romance were lacking for me. The romance felt like a bit of an afterthought. And the magic or should I say magick was so cool I would have loved to see more of it. Overall however this book and especially Simon made me think of criminal minds which is my favourite series so would definitely recommend to fans of it.