Title: Under the Lavender Moon
Series: Nightingale Songs #1
Author: Christina Mai Fong
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Oak Tree Press, Acorn Publishing
Format: ebook
ISBN: B08VHK36RJ
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Rilla Marseas believes she has a calling to become a healer. Her soul yearns to help people and save lives. Why else would Heaven grant her a singing voice that can heal any ailment? But if the palace discovers her power, she’ll be selected for the annual Showcase, where the most beautiful and magically gifted girls in Seracedar Kingdom compete for the chance to enter the emperor’s harem. That’s the last thing Rilla wants.
To avoid such a fate, she hides her power. No matter how the other villagers ridicule her for being worthless and talentless, she suppresses the urge to reveal her powerful voice and prove them wrong. When a palace scout poisons Rilla’s auntie and coerces her into revealing her power, she’s thrown into the competition. The scout threatens to harm her family if she doesn’t win. But Rilla learns there really is no winning. The emperor and empress keep girls with magical powers as pets. In cages. With some help from a handsome, but brooding prince and his mysterious bodyguard, Rilla must outsmart the palace and escape.
If she fails, she’ll spend the rest of her life as the royal couple’s puppet, using her voice to grant them eternal youth.
ABOUT the AUTHOR
I was a Bio major, pre-med in college, but I couldn’t stand the sight of blood. I used to write poems and stories in the margins of my science notebooks. Well, after a reality check, I decided to pursue a career in Food Science because I like food, and everyone needs to eat. Meanwhile, I continued to write. My absolute FAVORITE books are YA Fantasy, so it’s no surprise that I chose to write it, too.
Having been raised in Southern California, where there’s a healthy blend of cultures, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t put an Asian American spin in my stories. And having always been the “quiet, shy girl,” who often felt like a wallflower even though I wanted desperately to be the heroine, I’m so glad I now get the opportunity to make the underestimated good girls my heroines. But of course, I’m forcing them out of their comfort zones so they have to embrace their dark side and kick some villainous butt.
Hey Valkyries, welcome back to Bookish Valhalla! We are pleased as peaches to be part of this epic tour for Under the Lavender Moon by Christina Mai Fong. Massive thanks to her and Xpresso Book Tours for the honor of reading this story and sharing our thoughts on it with all of you.
Please click the tour banner below to visit/follow all the stops and show Christina Mai Fong’s debut a little love!
Thoughts On Under The Lavender Moon
Content Warnings: Violence, gore, suicide, miscarriage, body mutilation and other highly sensitive mental health topics.
UNDER THE LAVENDER MOON is the first book of the Nightingale Series, set in a world in which magic is the norm & prized by the emperor above all else. I really liked how a diversity of perspective on the use of magic was included, and how those who chose not to use or couldn’t use magic were looked upon differently in society. This drew me in, namely, because we have Rilla, our main character, who possesses magic, but chooses not to use it. She does not want to be part of the emperor’s shenanigans.
If I’m being honest, Under the Lavender Moon addresses feminism through the world without being too obvious about it. For me, it’s hard to get into any feminist book that lacks subtly, but this is not an issue here. Yes, there is a hint of sexual autonomy, especially since one of the main plot threads is Rilla’s hope to avoid being forced into the Emperor’s Harem, but I think the story finds a way to focus on the struggle for identity through ownership of one’s body and mind.
Under the Lavender Moon manages to bring you into that conversation without it taking over the entire story. This allowed me the space to experience the world with Rilla, who I admired for trying to steer clear of a fate everyone else seemed bent on having. Even when her plan fails, she is resilient and steadfast to her convictions. She’s not the kind of character you get constant warm and fuzzy feelings over, but her rough edges were actually kind of endearing. I especially loved how she came to own her darkness, no matter how deep it ran.
I don’t want to get too detailed about the world-building. However, I will say I found it to be intriguing and well-thought out. The prevalence of magic, which is called Tin-Chai, is almost the opposite of what you currently get in YA (which is usually the majority don’t have magic & the minorities who do are treated differently). So I love this twist on a world trope.
Lastly, the inclusion of mental health in Under the Lavender Moon really hit home for me. The story is dark, twisted in ways I’m sure some people found uncomfortable, but for me…it was reassuring to see similar struggles to mine put to paper. It’s hard to find stories that don’t hold back or down play the impact our experiences in life have on mental health. So I especially loved this inclusion and how it was woven into the story.
My only gripe, overall, would be how devastatingly short the story is. I wished it was longer. There were times I wanted more of Rilla, of Carrick and Friend, and of the world itself. Certain details, I think, could have been elaborated on, but overall, I enjoyed Under the Lavender Moon. Sure, the ending was a cliff-hanger, which sent me cussing my head off, but I love to be teased and taunted. You can bet on your shiny Valkyrie wings I’ll be back to read book two.
