The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
on August 9th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Goodreads

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.

The acclaimed author of The Witch’s Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic.

This book was provided for review from the publisher, this does not influence my thoughts on the book or this review.

When I heard about The Girl Who Drank the Moon, I knew I had to read it. The Girl Who Drank the Moon definitely exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it to all readers.

Once a year, the people of Protectorate leave a baby in the woods as sacrifice to the Witch. Every year, the witch saves the babies and feeds them starlight. Until one year, she accidentally falls in love with the baby and feeds her the Moon. Naming the baby Luna, she raises the girl as her granddaughter. As Luna grows older and learns more about herself, the people of Protectorate are getting restless about the Witch. When a loving father goes to the woods in hopes of killing the Witch to save his baby, Luna’s past and future collide and she must save herself and what she holds dear.

I loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The concept is unique and imbedded in magic realism which I love. While it’s clearly fantasy, there are elements that still blur the line between real and fiction that I loved.

There were so many characters, each worthy of their own paragraphs. I loved how well-rounded the characters are, and how unique the plot is. Seriously, I can’t recommend this book enough. While it is 400 pages, it flies by and the chapters are short, making it easier to flip through the book. I loved reading about Luna’s journey to growing up, not only how it influenced her but the people around her as well. A truly wonderful coming of age story.

Overall, I highly recommend The Girl Who Drank the Moon for those looking for a wonderful unique and new story. It’s perfect for readers new and old, and for those who want to see the magic in the simple things.