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Rate: 7/10

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Medium: Audiobook

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Overview (No Spoilers):

In a world where religion and superstition permeate every aspect of life, a brutal sacrifice involving a daeson, the oldest born son, is held every twelve years to appease the god Nasheria. This horrifying sacrifice is shrouded in mystery, leaving Daeson Akrist with no clue what the ceremony will entail. Whatever happens, it is clear that there are almost no Daeson older than twelve in any of the camps Akrist has encountered. As the ceremony draws closer, the suspense thickens and grows to horror as more details are revealed. Can Akrist somehow find a way out of this nightmare, before the unimaginable happens?

I will in no way sugarcoat Under the Lesser Moon. It is a dark, grim, and quite frankly a difficult book to read due to the detailed and violent sacrifices exacted upon children, even young babies. Being quite pregnant with a little boy while I was reading Under the Lesser Moon, I struggled and cried at one especially graphic, heartbreaking, and helpless sequence. Additionally, there is violence against women in this male-dominated culture. 

Due to the violence, I debated on whether to pick this novel as my SPFBO semifinalist, but in the end chose Under the Lesser Moon due to Campbell’s gripping storytelling that kept me hooked and guessing throughout. Sans the sacrifices, which adds an undercurrent of looming dread in every interaction, I was drawn into the isolated social dynamics of the camps, often wondering where Campbell would navigate the story next. The brilliant ending will have readers questioning and revisiting so many aspects of the established lore. It is so delightfully unexpected, turning everything we know about this religion and its superstitions upside down.

Campbell crafts a world with deep religious foundations rooted in the mythical creatures, dragons and wurms, that inhabit this realm. These two creatures are quite rare but are interwoven into this culture’s language and superstitions. Wurms have evil connotations and are linked to the murderous god Pau. Dragons Guides are omens of good luck, but more importantly, they actively choose the leaders or Speakers of the semi-nomadic camps. The details that Campbell wove into the story build a literary world rich in depth, albeit one that is brutal, unforgiving, and violent.

I spent most of this read wanting to give poor Akrist a hug. Due to his birth order, he is ostracized by everyone in his community, especially his mother, through no fault of his own. Seriously, so many of his interactions left me equally frustrated, heartbroken, and furious for him. It didn’t matter what good he did for the community, some people never could overlook him being born first regardless of any blessings he might encounter.

I love when talking animals make an impact in stories and Vax is definitely one of my favorite parts of this novel. Akrist has a special bond with the camp’s vaiyas, which are large talking birds that are used for a variety of purposes and he is especially linked to Vax, their leader. The interactions with Vax adds the levity and companionship that is lacking for Akrist throughout Under the Lesser Moon. 

Overall, Under the Lesser Moon is an unapologetically brutal story that will leave the reader in shocked horror, with a story and rich worldbuilding that will keep the reader hooked through every twist and turn. 

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Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

• The revelation that dragons come from wurms throws the whole ‘religious system’ in Under the Lesser Moon into question. What will the people do when they find out that the wurms they associate with the evil god are actually one and the same with their precious guides? Perhaps there are less guides because the camps kill the wurms?
• Seriously, the scene where the young boys and babies are cut and then left for dead was unimaginably horrifying. Especially the aftermath in the morning. It was positively terrible to read. The rest of the book was spent with Akrist healing and making the discovery of the connection to wurms. I was shocked when the book was going to end with a slow, drawn out pace of him healing until the big reveal. The surprise at the end was almost worth it, but the crawling pace as a whole following the just awful ceremony was rather painful to get through compared to the fast pacing of the rest of the book. 
• I just can’t get over the mom’s having to cut their son’s and leave them for dead, or the fact the father’s have to raise the son. Seriously, so hard to read. 
• Will Akrist find Yara again?
• Tanar’s betrayal hurt so badly. What would have happened had they stuck to the plan? Him showing up at the end, arguably out of his mind, was another surprise. What all had he been through? 
• What was special about Akrist that he has visions?

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