I’m reading this fabulous series of books called Daughters of the Moon by Lynne Ewing.
The series is a modern-day paranormal, taking place in Los Angeles, and chronicles the lives of five high-school aged girls: Vanessa, Serena, Jimena, Catty, and Tiana. Each of them has a special power, bestowed upon them as a “daughter of the moon.”
Young Adult is not usually my cup of tea, but I was looking for something different and the first book really caught my interest. The series is based on the Pandora myth, but each book includes some parts of Greek mythology.
I’ve always been a sucker for the Greek myths, so picking up the first book was a no-brainer for me.
(And yeah, I know I’m late coming to the table on this series, but I’ve already explained: YA is not my usual good-time read.)
But the writing just sucked me in.
And, now, a few short weeks later, I’m up to book 10. (That’s the great part about reaching a series late in the game: all the books are available at once. No waiting for the sequel!)
But I’m having a problem with this one, The Talisman. It’s about Penelope…not one of the original five girls, or even a peripheral character in any of the first nine books. It takes place in Athens, Greece in 431 B.C.
I’m halfway through the book and I can’t figure out how it relates to the others. The mythology is the same, and the “evil” the girls are fighting is the same…but Athens 431 B.C. is about as far away from present day L.A. as you can get.
I’m afraid the “aha” moment of how this is all connected is going to be revealed very close to the end of the book, if not on the final few pages.
“Disappointing” doesn’t even cover the range of emotions I’m feeling about this book. It just doesn’t belong in the series. I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that anything revealed in the final few pages of this book could just have well taken place in the first few pages of the next.
It’s a neat story, but I’d have published it as a “related” book, or even just offered it for free on my Web site.
So that leads me to my questions: has anyone else read the series? Or have you read a similar series where one book takes a sharp turn away from the main story line? How did you feel? Did it make you stop reading the series? Would you take another chance with the author?
Hit me up in the comments. An inquiring mind wants to know.
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