Title | : | The Last Moonlight Dragon (The Moonlight Dragon Book 1) |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | - |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
Number of Pages | : | 356 |
Publication | : | Published March 5, 2024 |
There used to be dragons in the valley…but they’re gone now. And no one knows where they went.
A Queen’s Lady with a love of books…
Bookish Lady Celestina once was a favorite of the queen who enjoyed pampering her. The queen is now dead. The new queen’s favorite pastime is to hold court spectacles, where she violently maims or slays members of her court who has upset her. Celestina has managed to avoid becoming a spectacle by keeping out of the queen’s way. That is, until the battle.
The Beast of Fein…
General Soren Kitmun leads one of the most feared armies in the four kingdoms. It’s said the goddess of death can’t collect souls fast enough when he’s on the battlefield. When his king sends him to defend the neighboring Kingdom of Earst, he never expected to be rewarded with a Queen’s Lady turned slave.
A gift he never wanted…
After Celestina’s parents commit treason during the battle, Celestina is punished for their crimes and given as a slave to the Beast of Fein. She’s magically bound to obey his every whim. General Soren is as beautiful as he is terrifying. He’s a man who never breaks a promise, and he’s vowed to execute the slave…after he’s done playing with her.
As they travel to Soren’s homeland, Celestina falls for this complicated man who has both sworn to kill her and has killed to protect her. He’s hiding secrets that frighten her. And she’s discovering she’s not as powerless as the magical slave binding had led her to believe. Uncovering each other’s secrets may destroy not only their hearts but also leave an entire kingdom in ashes.
Finding the missing dragons may be their only hope.
TW provided on author website.
The Last Moonlight Dragon (The Moonlight Dragon Book 1) Reviews
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Not my cup of tea :/
I had very high hopes for this read, and while I enjoyed some aspects of it, it just wasn't the book for me. I received a physical ARC and beautiful PR box from the author.
I really enjoyed Raya and Patty, however, both our FMC, Celestina, and MMC, Soren, fell a bit flat for me. Celestina was too naive, but had a bit of redemption at the end, though! Soren just bugged me the entire time. The whole time he just gave me the ick (morally gray but not in a way I enjoyed).
The pacing of this just didn't work for me. The first and last 10% of the book were fast paced and a bit rushed. But the rest of the book was slow. The vast majority of the book is spent traveling with little world building.
Since this was an ARC I will not fault the author for typos. These need to be addressed, though.There were stylistic and word choices I also didn't vibe with.
I want to reiterate I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the last few chapters! The epilogue was fantastic. But this book and I weren't meant to be.
Thank you again Dorothy McFalls for the ARC and lovely PR box! -
The Last Moonlight Dragon by Dorothy McFalls
Book One of The Moonlight Dragon Series
4.8⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Epic Romantasy
Format: ebook ARC
Loved:
*Fast-paced
*Well-developed characters
*Magic
*Vampires
*Dragons
Loved Less:
*Have to wait for the next book (LOL)
*Celestina is too naive/gullible to the point that it can almost be unbelievable
Description:
I was a nobody, a Queen's Lady who was lucky to still be alive. Until the battle...Soren is known as the Beast of Fein. He's a warrior feared in all the four kingdoms. As a reward for saving the people of Earst, Queen Beatrice gifts me to the brutal general. I'm fitted with a magical collar that forces me to do his will. I'm bound for life, which according to the queen, won't be a long one in the Beast's care. My only hope is to find my beloved dragons that have gone missing in the valley. They have to save me...but in saving me, they might end up burning the four kingdoms to the ground.
My opinion:
Very fast-paced story with no extra frills. I love all the magical creatures with magical secrets too. The characters are all well developed, including the side characters. There is also lots of fun/interesting political intrigue. Wonderful story that I would highly recommend! -
3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4✨
The Last Moonlight Dragon follows Celestina a former queens lady as she is taken from her home with a hot green eyed warrior Soren.
Spice is UP on this one people and there’s some shocks and surprises along the way (although pretty sure our girl celestina is the last in on the know)
Really loved reading this one and seeing Celestina grow into herself to find her strength. I am HERE for a strong female lead people.
Thank you to Dorothy McFalls for the ARC✨ can’t wait for number two!! -
“The Last Moonlight Dragon” by Dorothy McFalls is book one in a series of the same name, and it is a wild ride of fantasy, lore, hidden information, mythical creatures, prophecy, court intrigue, forced proximity, witty banter, spice, magic, underhanded political games, mystery, and romance. Check the trigger warnings, as this story involves a magic item that causes pain to its wearer and there are scenes involving magical compulsion that may be triggering.
Celestina is a lady in the court of Queen Beatrice of Earst. Suddenly accused of treason because of betrayal to the crown by her noble parents, she is placed in a magical collar and lowered to the station of slave. She is given as a gift to a foreign army general with a ruthless reputation, and endures a long trek to the generals homeland. She has been raised to fear and abhor vampires, and that all mythical creatures besides them are mythical and not real. He travels begin to reveal that what she has been taught is a lie.
General Soren Kitmun, the legendary “Beast of Fein”, is a handsome, crafty, strategic warrior from a foreign kingdom, and finds himself gifted with a beautiful, beguiling woman. He believes down to his soul is not guilty of the things she is accused of. He tries to get close to her and learn more about her as they travel, growing more and more attracted to and possessive of her.
There is so much that I cannot tell you about this book without spoiling it. The way it unfolds is very believable, and the world building does not detract from the story. The side characters are realistic and the reader gets just enough information about the kingdom, the army, the mythology, and the twists and turns in the court politics to keep you turning pages feverishly wondering what will happen next.
The spice is good and very well woven into the attraction and blossoming romance. If you’re a fan of protective MMCs, you’ll love Soren. Celestine is sheltered but strong, kind and selfless, and you can clearly see her heart, and her will, and her courage.
The cliffhanger is fantastic and I need to know what happens! Book two coming soon! 5⭐️3🌶️ -
This fast-paced fantasy adventure is perfect for readers who enjoy dragons, paranormal romance, found family, and open door romance. 🌶️
I was hooked within the first few chapters and couldn't put this down! I loved Celestina and her romance with Soren is so sweet. 🥺♥️ -
The last moonlight dragon by Dorothy McFalls
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I cannot express how INVESTED i became in this story! I could not put it down and am immediately upset the second book is not out yet! This story follows Celestina and Soren’s story from strangers, to forced proximity to….read and you’ll see! If you are a lover of magical worlds, supernatural creatures (vampires, fae, seer’s, vampires and dragons!), forced proximity, single bed two people, and found family, this will be the book for you! I loved how all the supernatural elements tied into the story and their histories, or hidden truths, about them are displayed. The storyline was so enthralling it sucked you in and made it feel as if you were right there with them all! The story is presented in a single POV through Celestina. The twists and turns this story sprung on the reader had me on the edge of the seat and yelling at the book! -
Happy release day! Thank you Dorothy McFalls for having me be a part of your ARC team!
Physical copy has been ordered!
The Last Moonlight Dragon is first in its series!
Fast-paced fantasy adventure full of dragons, romance, and found family.
Celestina starts off as a pampered girl that enjoys watching over the young princes, keeping her out of the queens way. That is until the battle happens and she meets Soren, who she then falls into the hands of with a magical collar forcing her to obey his commands. Her only wish is to find the dragons that she hasn’t seen for some time, but she needs Soren’s help to do it.
This book was amazing and kept me on my toes. And who doesn’t love a man that will go to war for you? Super excited to read the next one! -
This book has everything a good fantasy book should have. Dragons, vampires, and magic. We follow Celestina as she goes from a lady of the court in her homeland to being disgraced by her queen and bestowed as a slave to a kingdom that came to her aide in a war. The story then follows as Celestina goes with the army back to their homeland of Fein. Celestina begins to fall in love with the general of the army. As they return to Fein. Celestina finds out that the horrible stories she was told about Vampires isn't all truth and her new love and the kingdom of Fein are mostly Vampires. Court politics come in to play as there is betrayal and rumors spreading around of the return of dragons that could be connected to Celestina. Highly recommend this book for all fantasy lovers out there!
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ARC review:
This book follows the journey of Celestina, former lady’s maid to a tyrannical queen, who was gifted to an allied general as a slave with a magical, unbreakable collar that forces her to follow commands. As the story unfolds, Celestina learns more about herself, General Soren Kitmun, and the world she’d never been allowed to see. We learn all the dragons have gone missing, and this book begins to answer the how & why of that mystery.
It took me about 100-120 pages to become invested in this story. It’s fast-paced, but I would like to have seen some stronger prose, a slower burn romance, and some rounder characters. That being said, once it hooked me, it really hooked me, and the last 40-50 pages changed my rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars. I really enjoyed the twists and the cliffhanger prologue, and I’ll likely pick up the sequel once it’s out just to find out WHAT IN TARNATION THAT ENDING MEANT.
(For the full review, as well as a short list of TWs, check out my blog, which is linked in my bio!) -
I absolutely loved the characters, setting, political intrigue, banter, humor, and dialogue in this story! I was quickly immersed into a world filled with magical creatures, vampire stories, dragons, eerie kingdoms with ruthless rulers, and some very serious political games.
I felt deeply connected to Celestina, and her unwavering kindness and selflessness for those she loves and cares for. She would give up her life to save those she loves and her love for small trinkets and treasures was something I found so endearing. Soren, Celestina’s main love interest, showed kindness and undying loyalty to those he loves, especially his family and kingdom. He loves and fiercely protects Celestina, but I fear all may not be what it seems with regard to their relationship.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but will be honest about the level of spice in this book. I knew from author’s social media posts and book details that spice would be a part of the romance and story, however, the spice scenes were extremely physically descriptive (and numerous.) These scenes were beyond my usual spice comfort level, however, I was so invested in the story of Celestina and Soren that I wanted to finish the story. The politics, magical creatures, and developing plot kept me on the edge of my seat.
I do think that this is a great open door fantasy romance for those who enjoy a little more spice in their character’s romantic relationship in the midst of a great fantasy story, but unfortunately I do not think I am the right reader for this book. For those who enjoy everything I detailed above plus a bit more spice, this fantasy romance may be the book for you!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but am leaving my thoughts and review voluntarily and happily. -
3.5 ⭐️ Rounded up
I enjoyed this book. It caught my attention in the first few chapters and kept me hooked.
The writing was accessible and the story flowed well. The story is a little predictable but the predictability is almost comforting. I would recommend this to someone who wanted a semi easy read with some adventure mythical creatures and spice.
I received this ARC in return for an honest review. -
This hit all the marks. Dragons, found family, lover betrayal. But the ending that epilogue what is with the books reading ripping me to shreds with the endings. I’m dying I need to know what happens next.
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eARC review ahead…
TW: SA attempt (FMC), graphic violence, graphic sex scenes, awkward consent themes (more info below). Author did not initially include a TW in the book, but has added it to her website and the buy pages. Skip Ch. 1 if you want to avoid the SA attempt - you’ll be okay to keep reading and enjoy the story. Your wellbeing comes first - approach with caution.
This is the first book in the series and follows Celestina, a young, naive member of Queen Beatrice’s court charged with caring for young princes, where she delights them with elaborate stories about war, vampires, and dragons. After an unfortunate mishap during a battle at the palace, Celestina, is enslaved and gifted to the Beast of Fein, General Soren Kitnum. The book follows Celestina’s journey to love and friendship and encounters with vampires, dragons and other magical creatures.
This book is a great read for fans of Twilight and not-quite-a-damsel-in-distress stories. Celestina is a little too naive in some moments, which pulled me out of the story, but it didn’t stop me from reading on. I can’t wait to read what happens in the next book and to learn more about our Sky Girl (and maybe those lizards) in the next book!
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Regarding the TW for awkward consent themes - consent is a full body, enthusiastic agreement to engage in sexual activities and can be revoked at any time. The story made me feel awkward in some moments because the initial consent to engage in sexual activity was there, but it was unclear whether compulsion and Soren’s desire for Celestina may have influenced Celestina’s ability to revoke consent once they started. There was no inclination that she would revoke consent, however, the emphasis on the effects of the collar and the compulsions pulled me away from the story and surfaced those awkward feelings. -
Twists and turns…. Really looking forward to the next book!!
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This book was amazing, if you want a fantasy book that keeps you in your toes, mythical creatures, spice, secrets, and a man who'd go to war for you get this! Omg, this is definitely going on my re-read list. I'm still replaying that last sentence in my head! I cannot wait for the next book!
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Wow! What a fun and interesting book! Dragons, vampires and magic, I couldn’t have asked for a for more… but alas I must wait for the next one to continue. This book had some action, some spice, a few twists and cliffhanger!
I enjoyed that the MFC was a sword wielding bada$$ of a woman, but someone who was easily relatable. -
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Overall Rating: (4.25/5 stars)
Spice Rating: (3/5 peppers)
Pace: Medium
Summary: Celestina is a Queen’s Lady in a kingdom with a magical queen, vampires, and dragons that have mysteriously appeared. Due to a surprising turn of events, Celestina’s status quickly turns from lady to slave as she becomes the property of the Beast of Fein. She then embarks on a journey to a foreign land filled with romance, friendship, and lots of magic.
What I loved:
-spicy romance scenes
-sharing background in a creative way
-magical creatures
-the epilogue (once you read it, you’ll understand!)
-Mary and her spoon
-FMC nickname
What I didn’t love:
-some of the characters, including the FMC seemed a bit naive for their aged
-I was confused about where the story was headed most of the time, but it did come together in the end which made a lot more scenes
-”instant” love connects between the FMC and MMC
Favorite quotes: **Spoilers**
-”You’re more than welcome to do anything you want to my bones whenever you wish”
-”No, Sky Girl. I want to keep you close because I think you and I might fit.”
-”Celestina, I need you more than I need air to breathe.”
-”If I wanted a different outcome, I was going to have to be a different person. I was going to have to become a person who forged her own future.”
-”You are a warrior in a siren’s body”
-”I won’t let anyone harm you. Even if I have to take on an entire kingdom, I’ll protect you.” -
Vampires. Dragons. Magic. This book goes into so many different mythical things but has a great tie in to all of them. Definitely looking forward to the next book to see where the story goes!
** Received an Advanced Readers Copy. -
WOW! That is what comes to mind with this book! This was an ARC ebook that dragged me in and held me in right from the start.
The FMC is Celestina, a quiet, keep-to-herself and always doing the right thing lady of the court in her kingdom.
The MMC is Soren, a fierce warrior referred to by many as “The Beast”.
When Celestina is punished by her Queen for an act of treason committed by her parents, she is given to Soren as a slave to “do as he wishes with her”, but ultimately being told to end her life after he’s finished with her.
An attraction forms between the two along their journey to Soren’s kingdom as they encounter and fight deadly mystical creatures.
I love how vividly we can picture the creatures and the kingdoms with the author’s descriptions. If you like vampires, dragons, mystical creatures, betrayal and more twists than you’ll ever see coming, this book is for you!
I thoroughly enjoyed every single page of this book! I am impatiently awaiting book two because WOW, this book left me hanging! Kudos!! -
DNF'd at 47%
I really wanted to like this because the premise is so interesting and unique! But the pacing was off, the characters one dimensional, and I got bored.
The pacing was all over the place. It felt super rushed in the first couple chapters to get Celestine out of the castle & with the army from Fein, but that should have been more fleshed out to provide us with some much needed exposition about Celestina & her role in the castle. I think that would've allowed the reader to get to know Celestina as a character, so we have more footing with her once the main conflict is introduced. It's introduced way too quickly & I had no attachment to her once she is carted off with the Fein. Then once she leaves the castle, the story slows way down and takes almost half the book to get us back to the Fein Kingdom. I'm not sure what happens next because this is where I DNF'd.
Soren & Celestina... we get no interactions of substance before Celestina is a wet mess and Soren is her big protector. I get it's supposed to be forced proximity, but they're together for all of 2 days before they're basically in love. It feels very surface level. Celestina is also super naive & kind of air headed.
I wanted to make it to the end and give this book a real chance but I just couldn't do it.
Thank you to the author and to Barking Dog Press for the eARC! -
The setup: Celestina is a lady in waiting for a ruthless queen. When her parents commit treason, the queen decides that Celestina will pay for their betrayal. She is bound by a magic collar that makes her obedient to her new master - Soren, the Beast of Fein and general of the Fein army. Celestina wishes that the dragons who disappeared from their world would come and save her. Thinking about the dragons keeps her hopeful, but she has no free will. Soren has promised to kill her. Every day takes her one step closer to death as they travel to the mysterious kingdom of Fein to go where no outsider has been in years.
My thoughts: This story moves so quickly! It is quickly obvious that the history of the world that Celestina knows is faulty. She has led an extremely sheltered life in the palace which makes her so beyond naive. She is young and too trusting and all softness, but there is still a part of her that is ultimately a survivor. Soren is such a mystery, and his revealed motivations and actions slowly give you insight to his character. I feel like we have barely touched on world-building. It’s very shallow, and we know next to nothing - which makes sense because that is also what Celestina knows. The end came out of nowhere, and I was shocked. I think there is a lot of room for growth in the series both in terms of character development and really understanding the world in which the story takes place. My feelings are very much based on the vibes - there were some parts that could have been tightened up in terms of the actual writing, but it was such a fast, fun, and entertaining read that it really didn’t bother me that it was more simplistic in writing style. I actually think that is part of the appeal - it is easily digestible for people who might be new to romantasy or fantasy reads.
I think the tone of the story as well as the banter between characters and the modern language used gives this book a similar feel to Fourth Wing. If you enjoyed that for the vibes and didn’t mind not having a super fleshed out world or deep character development, I think you would like this a lot. Soren and Celestina are both rather mysterious main characters, and the side characters make for an interesting cast. I’m looking forward to their development and the ways their relationships will change coming up.
One huge thing that I did feel was lacking was the actual dragons. In the blurb we are told they are missing, and it is kind of implied that Celestina and Soren will try to find them, but that doesn’t happen in this book. Felt a little bit like a bait and switch. I was extremely surprised (but happy) to find that a large portion of the folklore Celestina knows actually centers on vampires! She also references dragon lore, but I loved the vampire aspect. Hopefully there will be more dragons (and by that I mean any) in the next book. I also didn’t love how “instalove” the relationship between Celestina and Soren feels. There isn’t a ton of development, they just instantly have this connection that is so physically driven. It was a little difficult to see the emotional connection when they mainly focused on the physical. There is really so much that we don’t know. I’m left with way more questions than answers at the end, but that just makes me so excited for book 2!
If I’m rating based on vibes alone, this is a 4⭐️ book. When I take the actual quality of the work into account, it’s more like 3⭐️. Either way, it was enjoyable, and I definitely plan on reading the next book.
*I received this as an ARC, and my review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.* -
{4.25/5}
CW: spice, violence, some gore, reference to/attempted SA, some others
Thank you the author for allowing me to be a part of the ARC team!!
OH MY GOD THAT ENDING?!?!?! (This is the only thing I could type for a solid fifteen minutes after finishing this book)
In the kingdom of Earst, Queen Beatrice rules with a violent, bloody iron fist. As punishment for her parents’ betrayal, Queen’s Lady Celestina is given to the Beast of Fein, the fearsome general of a remote and secluded land. As she leaves her home, Celestina can only rely on the fact that the vampires and dragons of old have long since vanished from the land…right?
I’m going to start this review a little differently by directly addressing one of the CWs listed above. (I’ll do my best to word it so that it can be discussed without getting flagged) The book starts off with the attempted [harming] of the FMC (not by the MMC). This happens on page 1 and could be really jarring if you weren’t prepared. There are also some explicit references to the same type of harm potentially befalling our FMC several chapters later (still not involving our MMC). As the book progresses, these references drop to almost 0. The rest of the story is really good, but this felt like something a potential reader may want to know. Having covered this, I’ll move on to the rest of the review.
Let’s start with the characters. Our focus is Celestina, and she’s kind of adorable. She loves her books, she loves shiny things, and when she must be, she is incredibly fierce. Our whole story is through her POV, so we get a good look into what she’s thinking. While her actions can sometimes be a little face-palm-inducing, she’s on the whole a very likable character who’s easy to cheer on from the literary sidelines. The MMC is aggravatingly hot and cold, especially early on, but it ends up playing well in his overall character, and the spice between the two is delightful. Our side characters are fun and feel like they have their own personalities, and they add to the overall story in a way that helps pull the reader out of the FMC/MMC vortex that would otherwise risk bogging down the story.
The world itself is really interesting, though we don’t learn nearly as much about the state of affairs as I would personally have liked. To be fair, our FMC also doesn’t have a lot of outside information, so it makes sense that the reader’s left a bit in the dark. It’s a stylistic choice that ends up working well for this story, though early on it may make things a bit disorienting.
Of course, we can’t forget to discuss the plot. While some of the ‘big reveals’ felt predictable, I feel like this is mostly because fantasy is my favorite genre, and this story utilizes some popular tropes (they’re popular for a reason!). That being said, I really enjoyed the book. There were some unique elements and several twists that I didn’t see coming, and the dynamic between our FMC and the world, especially as she starts to view it outside of her original lens, is fun to see. Also, watching how those reveals actually came to pass and seeing how the author made the story their own was really interesting. The book was incredibly engaging, and I had to force myself to put it down so I could sleep.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s definitely one I could see myself re-reading, and I’m already itching to get a hold of book 2. Book 1 does end on a pretty epic cliffhanger, so be prepared to sit with those feelings for a while. If you like fantasy romance with a touch of magic, then this could be the book for you! “The Last Moonlight Dragon” is out now! -
Thank you author Dorothy McFalls for the ARC
2.5 stars round down to 2
Mixed feelings about this book. It had potential, but fell flat on execution. It seemed like the author put all these tropes in a bag, shook it, and just threw them on paper. We got our tall dark and handsome. We got our secret identities (which the author just kept prolonging the actual in-story reveal to string us along despite the truth flashing bright as day in front of us). We got our "touch her and die" (but Soren's actions after his return to Fein were so unreasonable and seemed to come out of nowhere). Then we threw in a possible betrayal at the end, sort of making a cliffhanger to entice us to keep reading.
The book opened with a sexual assault (btw I searched high and low and did not see a trigger warning). Celestina's interaction with the guard was completely unnecessary. Perhaps the author was trying for shock value?
The romance between Celestina and Soren progressed very fast especially after their arrival in Fein. I gave up trying to reason out why the characters acted the way they did and just went along for the ride.
Last but not least, the reason I now hesitate picking up ARCs. I understand this is (hopefully) not the version that would get published but this book had a good number of mispellings and grammatical errors. First, the author switched between "Fain" and "Fein" in the beginning (Thank God we decided on which spelling would stay for the rest of the book). I would hope the author would know how to spell the name of her fictional kingdom. Then there were words that were spelled correctly but not used correctly, making it appeared as if the manuscript was just run through a spellcheck and nothing more (e.g. saying someone is "descent" vs. "decent").
All in all, the storyline had potential but needed better execution.
Spice scale (as defined by
Mysterious Galaxy): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 [Grab a fan because it’s getting hot in here!] -
A new romantasy series surrounding a young lady who is on a journey of self-discovery. Imagine being a lady in waiting for a Queen who hates your guts simply because the former Queen favored you over her own daughter. Celestina is a lady in waiting to a tyrant of a queen who loathes her. Think of Cinderella and her evil stepsisters; that pretty much sums up Celestina's relationship with the queen as well as her so called best friends (they were trash).
In this story we embark on a journey with Celestina and General Kitmun aka the Beast who was gifted Celestina as his slave to be used as he pleased for his heroic endeavors in protecting the kingdom. Celestina's character was naive and always fantasized about the missing dragons. Danger followed Celestina no matter where she went. Her head was filled with so many fairytales at time she couldn't decipher truth from fiction.
A vast majority of this story focuses on Celestina and Soren (General Kitmun) journey back to the elusive Kingdom of Fein; his homeland that not only rebuff strangers but abhor slavery. The more time Celestina spends with Soren the more she finds herself questioning his true intentions. Soren is riddled with secrets that he isn't sharing with Celestina which leaves her open for numerous attempts on her life. Celestina later realizes that the greatest secret of all resides within herself, and it gives clarity as to exactly why she has a target on her back.
Expect to Find:
Violence
Slavery
Mythical Creatures/Monsters
Magic
Dragons/Lizards
Slow Burn Romance
Witty Banter
Secrets
Manipulation
Deceit
This was an easy read but didn't involve much character development or story depth but as a debut novel it started out fairly good. I can only hope that the next book in the series comes out full steam ahead. Especially after that Cliffhanger. -
Oh my days, I am reeling. As soon as I finished it was a “to the Bat Mobile!” moment to immediately write this review
A young woman is wrongfully accused of treason and given as a slave to the most fearsome and terrifying general in all the kingdoms. While navigating this new landscape and coming to terms that a life is no longer her own, she quickly learns that things are not as they seem
There’s magic, romance, lovable characters, mythical creatures, mystery, intrigue, and everything in between. And we wasted no time jumping into the action, which was so refreshing. We went zero to sixty and never looked back. I was immediately hooked, and now I’m desperate for more
I love when our female main makes me chuckle and say “same”, because she is so relatable. All of her little quirks and habits had my heart swelling. I love when the male main drops us a rakish wink at the most unlikely times, like when he’s about to turn around and engage in battle. It also doesn’t hurt that his description sounds a lot like my husband…
I really want to say more, but I want all of you to have the pleasure of discovering this book’s secrets for yourselves. Just know, Miss Dorothy has some tricks up her sleeve that had me screaming. I need the second book yesterday, because the ending has me questioning my very existence. I completely devoured this book and would willingly do it again
The author does include a TW for chapter 1 and starting with chapter 2 is no issue - make sure you do your research!
The Last Moonlight Dragon available March 5, 2024 -
The Moonlight Dragon by Dorothy McFalls is Book 1 in The Moonlight Series and it’s so good. If you like books about fantasy, magic, vampires, prophecy, forced proximity, mystery, romance, and dragons then you will love this book.
Celestina aka “Sky Girl” was a lady in Queen’s Beatrice of Earst’s court. Because of the betrayal of the crown by her parents she was charged and found guilty of treason. For her punishment she was forced to wear a magical collar, given to a ruthless foreign general, where she was to serve the rest of her life as a slave. Her entire life she was taught to hate vampires and to fear them. She soon learns everything she was taught was a lie. She also learns that she is more powerful than she knew.
General Soren Kitmun aka “Beast of Fein” is legendary warrior of this foreign kingdom. He falls in love with Celestina and does not believe that she is guilty of what she has been accused of. He is determined to learn more about Celestina, who she is and where she came from. He feels this connection to her that makes him feel possessive and protective of her, but doesn’t know why.
This book was so good and kept me entranced from the first page. I didn’t want to put this book down and if it wasn’t for work getting in the way of my reading time I wouldn’t have lol. The main and side characters were written well. I enjoyed this book so much and cannot wait for book 2. Thank you to Dorothy McFall for letting me read this ARC for my honest thoughts and opinions. -
The Last Moonlight Dragon was a beautiful romantasy with great characters and a well thought out plot. In a world where the dragons have all but disappeared and stories of vampires that drove them out abound, we find Lady Celstina (a lady of the court) caught on the wrong side (or so it appears)of a war. She is then offered as a slave to one of two separate kingdoms as punishment. Soren "wins" the opportunity to keep Celstina as his slave and we quickly find that the Beast of Fein is not so beastly in all areas. The found family that Celstina comes to know in Mary, Patty, Raya, and Gray is a breath of fresh air and I loved their dialogue and interactions throughout. There were several laugh out loud moments as I went through the story.
This was a well thought out book that revealed only what it needed to at any given time. This kept me reading well into the night and had me wondering where the story would take me often. I kept picking up on small masterfully laid clues throughout, but be warned... As this is book one of a series, it does end on a cliffhanger. However, the second cliffhanger at the end of the epilogue has me asking myself even more questions. December can't come soon enough for book 2!!