Ghost Moon Night
Jewel Allen
Published: October 20, 2014
Genre: YA Paranormal
A Secret to Save Them All . . .It was whispered years ago that when a pirate cursed a Philippine village with langbuan, or flying undead, a boy received a secret that would protect him from certain death. But even armed with a secret, can anyone survive the undead for long?Seventeen-year-old Antonio Pulido has never known a time when the langbuan didn’t roam the streets every Ghost Moon Night, killing anyone in their path. He works hard to protect his family and the girl he loves from the deadly attacks, but he wants them stopped once and for all. Can Antonio uncover the decades-old secret and will it help him defeat the langbuan? Or will Ghost Moon Night come again and take someone he truly cares about? It falls on Antonio to save his village, but time is running out. The next Ghost Moon Night is nearly here and Antonio knows this is his last chance to destroy the undead and end their reign of terror -- or die trying.
ARC provided by http://www.ebooksforreview.com/ in exchange for an honest review
A huge part of my decision to read this book is because it is set in the Philippines. Second reason is Halloween was just days away when I read this book and, yes, I'm a huge sucker for ghost stories.
Philippine folklore is every bit as rich and full of otherworldly creatures as those of more popular fare. We have nuno sa punso, tiyanak, manananggal, kapre, tikbalang and other beings that I'm not as familiar as the ones mentioned. Pair those creatures with the traditions and superstitions of an island nation that successfully melded together Christian and folk beliefs and you've got Ghost Moon Night.
Looking at my notes, I should point out that there was, uhm, a bit a of too much exposition of otherworldly creatures in the first few chapters of the book. For those who are not familiar with such maybe scratching their heads to what these creatures are. Maybe a glossary of Philippine otherworldlies would've helped.
Then again, we are not concerned about the tiyanak nor the nuno sa punso. They were a great device though for showing that the sleepy town of Dasalin is still deep in tradition despite the "modernization" and "progress" of that time. We are more concerned with the langbuan, a creature I could not put my finger on while I mentally scanned my bestiary. It turned out that they were made for the book. Great lore addition though.
The great thing about Ghost Moon Night was that it progressed at a fast pace while fleshing out characters without sacrificing the plot. The transition from one scene to the next was seamless and every gesture and nuance had something to do with the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.
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