Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence Narrator: Helen Duff
Series: Book of the Ice #3
Published by Ace, Penguin Audio on April 26, 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 416
Length: 20 hours, 46 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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On the planet Abeth, a narrow Corridor of green land is surrounded on all sides by ice plains where only the strong survive. Ice triber Yaz has completed a perilous journey and arrived at the Corridor, and it exceeds and overwhelms all of her expectations. Everything seems different but some constants remain: her old enemies are still two steps ahead, bent on her destruction. She makes her way to the Convent of Sweet Mercy, where nuns train young girls who show the old gifts, but like the Corridor itself the convent is packed with peril and opportunity. Yaz has much to learn from the nuns—if they don’t decide to execute her.
The fate of everyone squeezed between the Corridor’s vast walls, and ultimately the fate of those laboring to survive out on ice itself, hangs from the moon, and the battle to save the moon centers on the Ark of the Missing, buried beneath the emperor’s palace. Everyone wants Yaz to be the key that will open the Ark – the one the wise have sought for generations. But sometimes wanting isn’t enough.
Like Mark Lawrence does at the beginning, which I always appreciate as it is a year between books, I will reiterate a few things from previous books. My first experience with Mark Lawrence’s work was with Red Sister, from the Book of the Ancestor trilogy. The Book of the Ice series is set in the same world, earlier in time. I would read the series itself in order. I don’t think it is necessary to have read the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, but it does make it much easier to adjust to the world and know about the different groups of people and their skills. It was a much faster and more engaging read for me knowing more, and I had much less of the slow down I get with first book syndrome trying to understand the world.
I did not like Yaz in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy. In this trilogy, I appreciate her strength and commitment. Her life is far from easy. The ice is a harsh place. She is loyal, even at great personal peril. Everyone wants her as an ally or friend as she develops her talent with the stars. I liked Yaz but struggle to connect her with the “other” Yaz.
*** OK somehow a few years back when I started the Girl on the Ice series I thought it was the back story for a character in Book of the Ancestor trilogy. I didn’t have trouble with that in the first 2 books but it led me to a lot of confusion in this final of this trilogy. It turns out I have unknowingly changed Yisht into Yaz. No wonder I couldn’t connect things. I’ll need to update these reviews after a reread ***
The Girl and the Moon continues where we left off and it is a constant battle for our group. They are always fighting and working to bring certain things together, to get into the ARC and Yaz is working with the stars and ship hearts. Her friends and enemies both fight to keep her safe and give her a chance to use her talents with the stars and ship hearts. There are many, many battles.
Yaz uses the stars and hearts to access the path, to also travel in time. We see her and others doing time traveling and bending. I got a bit lost with some of the times travels and characters and battles. I thought, especially with the time travel, we would see more of the characters I knew from the Book of the Ancestor trilogy. It didn’t connect up as well as I had hoped. I am certain I would have benefited from reading all three books of this trilogy together, although it seems a lot more based on the Missing and their technology, than the other trilogy did.
Narration:
I read the ebook for the first in this trilogy, but Helen Duff narrated the entire Book of the Ancestor trilogy so I am comfortable with her. In both trilogies, the main characters are relatively young girls and young people. Her tone is a bit higher which feels right for it. Her male voices are also appropriate. I listened a little bit faster at 1.5- 1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence was born in Champagne-Urbana, Illinois, to British parents but moved to the UK at the age of one. He went back to the US after taking a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College to work on a variety of research projects including the ‘Star Wars’ missile defence programme. Returning to the UK, he has worked mainly on image processing and decision/reasoning theory. He says he never had any ambition to be a writer so was very surprised when a half-hearted attempt to find an agent turned into a global publishing deal overnight.
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say ‘this isn’t rocket science … oh wait, it actually is’.
Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
Excellent review, Anne💜 It’s helpful that you’ve included a summary of the first book essential elements.
Thank you Jonetta. I think I need to listen to all 3 straight through as I lost parts of this one. And then I’d like to listen to the other trilogy again too.
Sounds like a fun read. Time travel novels can get a bit confusing to me. Happy reading.
Thanks Maureen. I did have trouble with placing some people as they could show up in different times.
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, and it seems like the character Yaz has redeemed herself in this book.
Yes I can’t figure out how she is so evil to me in the other (future time) trilogy. Possibly her beliefs are old and she didn’t learn about future changes, as she is coming from the past into the future.
Great review. Thank you!
These are long and complex books which I have loved. This one left me slightly frazzled but I think I need to read them all together.
This one really flew for me because it darts here and there with the traveling. I ended up disconnecting the Book of the Ice Yaz from this one in my mind as two different people. I got into conversation with other readers and they had read all his series and saw connections that I didn’t even notice as such because I’ve only read the same ones as you. When I’m ready for re-read/listen, I think I’ll start with the older books and read right through to see if it makes a difference. Good spoiler free summation, Anne!
Thanks Sophia. I felt like I wasn’t saying anything. It’s a fine line between spoilers and saying too much. I couldn’t connect this Yaz with the one in the other Abeth series and I thought we would. What are the 2 earlier series I don’t seem to know?
Oh! The Broken Empire and The Red Queen’s War trilogy. Sorry, should have thought to mention them exactly.
Interesting. I own one of those on audio but haven’t read it. These books are long. It would take me a bit to read them all in a row again. It’s like 4 trilogies. Sounds like a Read-along.
This sounds good. I can definitely understand how reading all of the books together might make things come together a little better. I think I have his Red Sister book sitting on my TBR shelf. I really need to read that some day.
I loved every one of the Book of the Ancestor trilogy starting with Red Sister. Those are more first person POV and we follow Nona throughout and I loved her.
This is a series that I do want to try at some point. It sounds really good!
It is really good. I would start with the Book of the Ancestor trilogy first if you haven’t read it, though. And I liked that trilogy a bit more.
I’ve read the other trilogy and really need to pick up more. I have heard his series are all interconnected.
I love his work but I thought this one was more connected than it was. I had thought this trilogy was the back story of a character from the Book of the Ancestor trilogy named Yisht. So I need to reread this knowing Yaz is not the same. UGH. I can’t believe I thought that for 3-4 years.