Shadows on the Moon [Paperback]

Suzume lived a happy life until the day the prince's soldiers turn up and accuse her father of treason. When her entire household is slaughtered Suzume barely escapes with her life but nothing will be the same for her again when she is forced to go and live with her mother and new step-father. As she finds out the depth of the betrayal against her family she is forced to go into hiding but she is determined that one day she will get her revenge.

Shadows on the Moon may be a retelling of Cinderella but in this story Suzume is no weak character who is waiting to be rescued by her prince. Instead she is fierce and determined not only to survive but also to get revenge for the wrongs done to her family and she will do whatever it takes to succeed. Suzume has very good reason to want to make sure the person responsible for her father's death is punished and I was caught up in her emotions alongside her desperate for her to succeed. You feel every moment of Suzume's grief, hurt and anger and you can't help but feel for her as she tries to find a way to deal with the unfamiliar emotion. With nobody to turn to for support she expresses her feelings by taking her internal pain and making it external. The relief she feels from cutting herself is never glorified but it is heartbreakingly realistic and added a powerful element to the story.

Suzume is a character I adored from the beginning but we are also introduced to some wonderful side characters that she was very lucky to have in her life. From the servant Youta to famous courtesan Akira and the absolutely swoonworthy Otieno I was drawn to them all and was glad that Suzume had such loyal and supportive friends. She desperately needed them considering the terrible relationship she had with her mother and the devious ways of her evil step-father. I don't want to go into too much detail about these other characters because I don't want to give spoilers but I have to say a little more about Otieno. He was the one person who saw through Suzume no matter what her disguise and who cared for who she was inside. An utterly adorable character who completely stole my heart, I want to find an Otieno of my own!

I haven't even touched on the setting for the story which is beautifully described and will take you back in time to feudal Japan. Zoe Marriott has masterfully woven history and fantasy together to create a world that you want to step into, if I could live inside this book I'd be packing my bags today! I loved finding out more about Japanese culture and was fascinated by life in the Gijo, the costumes and the practises of the courtesans. The feel of the story definitely took me back to the first time I read Memoirs of a Geisha and captured my imagination in the same way.

I really don't think I have the words to express just how beautiful Shadows on the Moon is, this story touched me in ways I can't even begin to describe and despite the fact that it is 460 pages long I read it in one sitting. I stayed up until 5am reading because nothing could have dragged me away from Suzume's world and I was desperate to see how things turned out for her. If Zoe Marriot wasn't already on my list of favourite authors this would have earned her a place there and I'll be shocked if this doesn't end up in my top 10 books of 2011 list. I can't recommend the story highly enough, it may be aimed at young adults but I think it is something that everyone should read and if you don't pick up a copy you'll be missing a real treat!

Shadows On The Moon is described as a retelling of Cinderella. I would say it was more of a fresh, modern and original approach to the life of a girl, who will no longer be downtrodden. Suzume is so much more gutsy and go getting that Cinderella ever was. She becomes a real tough cookie after suffering so much in a short space of time. Also, the fact that the story is set in a glorious magical version of Japan, where certain people had the power to be Shadow Weavers allowing them to create a mantle of darkness to hide them as well as changing their whole appearance to make them look more beautiful. Just stunning.

I loved Suzume from the first page. Her innocence abruptly brought to an end and left in a world where she instantly needs to grow up. Yet she is still a child who is crying out for help as her self harming eases her pain. Her mother is too blind to her daughter's needs and I felt no sympathy for her at all. My heart ached for Suzume and I felt passionate that revenge was the right thing for her to do. Her transformation from innocence to hard hitting was definitely needed.

Another of my favourite characters from the book has to be Akike. She was such a gorgeous character to read about and her instant love and gratitude towards Suzume made me love her even more. Akike is rather special and extremely magical and I felt that everyone should have an Akike in their lives to make it a little brighter. To be honest, most of the secondary characters within this book stand out so clearly that they stay with you after you have finished reading the book.

There is a touch of the supernatural within the book which really appeals to me. Certain elements of healing and outer body experiences that always pull me into a story. I also found the Gijo fascinating to learn about and elements of the story brought back memories of my love for Memoirs of a Geisha.

I love the way Zoë writes, her words just flow off the pages. There isn't a cliche to be found and her descriptions are just so fresh and original.

Here are a couple of my favourite lines from the book.

'The sun was setting now, and the water was gleaming bronze with crests of fire as it moved, deep and mysterious.'

'It is strange how grief turns happy memories to knives that pierce you'

The book was packed full of surprises, twists and turns that left me surprised and shocked. On nearing the end, I was actually panicking that the story would end on a cliff hanger, because I could not envisage how the author would be able to wrap up all the loose ends within in the last few pages. Zoë completely surprised me by doing it with expertise as she effortlessly finished off the story, leaving me satisfied by the last page. It wasn't rushed at all, as Zoë smoothly weaved the story together, showing how experienced an author she really is.

Shadows On The Moon has already won an award before publication and I can't say I am surprised. The book won the prestigious Sasakawa Prize, an award gifted for outstanding contributions to the promotion of understanding and co-operation between the citizens of Japan and Great Britain. I doubt that this will be the last award the book will win.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who has read and loved Memoirs of a Geisha. If you are looking for an Oriental magical experience, then look no further, I present you with Shadows On The Moon!

I should probably declare an interest here: I know the author (the alert reader will see I'm actually mentioned in the acknowledgements). Still, having done so, I will say that this is an excellent book. It is written for the YA market but I have no hesitation in recommending it to adult readers. Set in a fantasy kingdom, the Moonlit Land, which draws on ancient Japan and China, but is not any mundane country, it is a version of Cinderella, in which the heroine, Suzume, sees her family massacred on her fourteenth birthday, leaving her mother free to marry a rich, handsome - and sinister - nobleman who is soon revealed as a wicked step-father. She becomes the kitchen-drudge, Rin, and then, driven even from that refuge, the glamorous courtesan, Youe, with the help of a godmother-figure, the beautiful Akira, (who is more than she first appears) driven all the time by her desire to revenge her father's death, even if it means losing the love of her life - who is not the Moon Prince she schemes to meet at the Ball. Shadows on the Moon is full of rich and fascinating detail (though not so full that I would not have liked even more). There is magic too, as Suzume discovers that she is a shadow-weaver, an adept at magical illusions, and that she is not the only one...and there is tension. You may think you know the ending of Cinderella... well, there is a surprise in store here.
Zoe's best book so far and it looks as if things can only get better