Kingdom of Moonlight
Grade : F

This book took me twenty-two days to read. It's a personal record that I hope never to equal. We're not talking twenty-two days while I read other books I was more interested in; we are talking twenty-two days while I trudged forward, page by painstaking page. Twenty-two days during which I found other, more worthy projects, like organizing my sock drawer, alphabetizing CDs, and cleaning the garage. Twenty-two boring days of falling asleep after managing to read a page or two at most.

Kingdom of Moonlight is set in the world of its predecessor, Dream Island. It's part Regency England, part made-up kingdom of Akora, a set-up that's not easy to pull off, but more on that later. This installment stars Kassandra, the sister of the half-English, half-Akoran Alex, who was the hero of the first book. The hero is the brother of Joanna, who was the heroine of Dream Island. Kassandra has come to England to visit her brother and his new bride, and to scope out the lay of the land. Tensions between England and Akora have been somewhat strained, and rumors of an upcoming attack by England have been floating about. Kassandra has seen some of it in visions, for her name is no accident. Her paranormal abilities enable her to see possible "futures," but she never knows which one will really take place.

Kassandra is attracted to Royce because he is handsome, and because he's there. The only apparent rival for her affections is Lord Byron (yes, the Byron) who shows up periodically so the other characters can laugh at how annoying he is. Royce likes Kassandra too, because the book requires him to do so.

Alex and Royce are both worried that Luddite rebels will harm Kassandra and Joanna, so the two of them flee to Akora with Royce in tow. There they encounter more problems as they deal with a political rebellion in Akora and even an assassination attempt on their leader, the Vanax. These plotlines poke along toward their inevitable conclusion while Royce and Kassandra engage in somewhat half-hearted sex and wish they could be together.

Early on, I could tell this book was just not working for me, but I had trouble pinpointing the problem. Was it the modern phraseology that had me looking around for the other cast members from Friends? ("Could you be more obvious?" quips Kassandra, channeling Chandler). Was it the silly Akoran title of Vanax, which I kept confusing with super-heroes, floor cleaners, and prescription drugs? Or maybe it was the lame villain, who says melodramatic stuff like, "Die, Englishman! Die for her and Akora! Writhe in Flames no one can extinguish!"?

After awhile it came to me: It's the conflict, stupid. I read romance because I love a good love story, but these people were terribly unexciting, and there was never any true impediment to their relationship. Political intrigues in made-up countries do not a romance novel make, at least not when the two main characters have about as much sexual tension between them as a couple of Teletubbies. I never saw any evidence that these two shared a bond, or really fell in love with each other. About half way through the book I started idly wondering if they'd have sex so their relationship could undergo some change. Before I knew it, there they were together in an underground temple, finally acting on their desires. What followed was one of the vaguest love scenes I have ever read - and I do mean vague, not subtle. I read the scene through about four times to see if I could figure out what happened, but I couldn't even tell if actual penetration had occurred. It was almost as if the author didn't really want to write a love scene, but made a half-hearted attempt anyway. While I don't think every book requires explicit Linda Howard style love scenes, I do think that any attempt ought to at least be coherent.

This book was a failure for me on every level. There wasn't a character I believed in or connected with. Part of the problem may have been the half reality/half fantasy setting. Perhaps it would have worked better if it had been either one or the other. I never could see Akora as anything but improbable and silly. It seemed to be loosely based on ancient Greece, but with advanced plumbing and lots of people running around half-clothed (come to think of it, they probably didn't wear a whole lot in ancient Greece either). There was a lot of talk about Akora's political system, and none of it interested me. We are introduced to character after character, healers, politicians, judges, athletes. None of them were interesting. The whole hidden, undiscovered island scenario never quite made sense to me, but then I haven't read the first book, and I'm sure it's explained in more detail there.

Unfortunately, I have no desire to read Dream Island or any other book by Litton. I'm sure I have read other books that bored me as much as this one did, but I'm hard pressed to think of any at the moment. Her first three books all received positive reviews here, so clearly her style works for some. I'd advise potential readers to try one of those rather than this one. Meanwhile, I'll dream of the other books I could read if only I had my twenty-two days back.

Reviewed by Blythe Smith
Grade : F

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : July 11, 2002

Publication Date: 2002

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Blythe Smith

I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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