Synopsis
“I don’t think I can justify it any longer. I’m going to quit my job.”
August has never been good with change and isn’t sure who she is beyond her job of reading memories in the sand. When she comes to the conclusion that she has to quit her job, she’s left with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. What follows is the quiet chaos of a girl regaining control over her life on a small desert moon.
Deciding to take a job in the hanging gardens of the Spire, August discovers more to life as she meets new friends, forms a different connection with her home, and faces an unexpected visitor from her past.
Rich in relatable emotions and experiences, inspiring in message, and written in prose that will hook you from page one, Moon Soul is a science fantasy novella unlike any you’ve read before. It will leave you feeling seen and understood.
Review
I had this book sitting on my Kindle for a little bit, and I felt like I needed a change from my usual fantasy reading. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this novella, but I fell in love from the first few pages. Moon Soul is a cozy, sci-fi slice of life that touches on topics I feel like every person experiences at some point and wraps it up in a warm, vibrant story.
This story resonated so much with how the last year of my life had felt like, so immediately I felt connected to this book. Like August, I had also gone through work burnout, feeling the emotional and physical effects of being in a job that was becoming a burden and needing a change. The free-fall of deciding to quit and not knowing the next step felt like the author was writing this story for me. The first-person POV made the story even more real, and the anxiety-ridden main character was very well written. It was so easy to put myself in the story, and it flowed smoothly like the sands on the moon. Even though there is the alien element of a sci-fi world, the emotional themes were something anyone can relate to. At its core, the story has the growth of discovering who you are outside of your job, coming to terms with yourself, and how to find joy in the everyday. Luscombe’s prose is really good, and I highlight so many lines that hit me hard.
Although we don’t see a lot of the Spyrens in the story, I loved how memories were tied to the sands–that the world remembers what we leave behind. I really enjoyed how August’s ability also leads to emotional and empathetic burnout, which reflects how a lot of people take on people’s emotions and have no outlet for them. Stored memories are always fascinating to me, and I loved how it was done in this novella.
The reunion with August and her mom toward the end felt especially impactful because it brings up a lot of the main character’s past hurts and how to reconcile. Even though I felt like it would have been great if her father had been in the book, I see the author’s intention behind leaving him out. Much like life, there isn’t always a nicely wrapped-up conclusion, and many things are left unanswered and unfinished. There is still a sense of sweetness in the unansweredness of August’s story.
This is a really great novella for the burned-out and those who need to look at the world a little differently to reignite joy again.
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