The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris
The Moonlight Market
by Joanne Harris
Fantasy | Magical Realism
336 Pages
Released June 2024
Rating: ★★ (DNF @ 25%)
Goodreads
Content Warnings
Alas, this review will be brief. I ended up DNFing this book at 25% in. This was my first novel by Joanne Harris and as of right now, it’s likely to be my last.
This book follows Tom Argent, who has a passion for photography. One unexpected day, Tom falls in love with Vanessa and his life is forever changed. Soon after meeting the mysterious Vanessa, Tom realizes his film negatives expose a secret world, including a mysterious Moonlight Market. Tom feels inexplicably drawn to this market, and when he goes, he realizes it may not be his first time - for the market doesn’t trade in money, but in memories.
This book is told in dual parts: through the unfolding of a fairy tale and through the main character’s unfolding experience. The fairy tale portions were okay, if somewhat trope-y (the whole opposite attracts thing). It’s the main character that I really struggled with. You see, we quickly learn that Tom has lost memories of his past but instead of coming off as lost, he comes off as completely flat and incompetent. This book reads painfully juvenile, not at all atmospheric as I was hoping. The Moonlight Market felt initially intriguing but it was brief and unfortunately not at all immersive.
Basically put: I couldn’t feel even the tiniest sliver interest in what happens to Tom. I strongly suspect the direction the book was going in but ultimately, there wasn’t enough world building or character building for me to stick around and find out.
Fans of low-stakes, ya fantasy (especially with fae) may enjoy this but unfortunately it was not for me.