The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

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Synopsis

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest in hopes that it will keep their town safe. Every one fears the witch and believes her to be evil, but Xan, the witch, is very kind. She rescues the babies and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight for the journey. 

But one year, Xan accidentally feeds one baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise the child as her own. But when the child’s magic becomes a danger to herself and all around her, Xan must make a decision. 

Age Group? Umm…

Seeing as how this was a middle school read, I must say that I had mixed feelings on it. For one thing, I think it was a little complex and sometimes a little philosophical for a young reader to comprehend. By young reader I am referring to ages 10-14. I feel all the wisdom in this book would just go over any kid’s head. The story alone was not enticing to keep the average child entertained. 

Very In Between

As for me being an adult and all, I would say I enjoyed the book. It took me awhile to get through this one simply because I found the first 3 quarters of the book to be very slow. We only get to see a sliver of Luna’s genuine character towards the last several chapters of the book. 

Characters

The more compelling parts of the story for me was the sub plots pertaining to the situation in the Protectorate. I was more interested in Antain and Sister Ignatia. The only time the book had my attention back in the forest was when the narration focused on Fyrian. I would have to say Antain and Fyrian were my favorite characters because we actually see some character development in those two. I suppose we see a little in Glerk as well. We see his feelings shift when regarding Luna. We also see a glimpse of assertion towards the end. 

Writing Style

I will admit that I enjoyed Barnhill’s writing. It was luring and poetic. I really love how she describes things and I appreciate her ability to maintain each character’s personality and not have them clashing with one another. In my many years of reading and reviewing, it's hard to find an author who can execute that. You would think that it was easy but it’s definitely not common. It’s almost as if the sentences are laced with a bit of magic themselves. She just comes up with these comparisons that seem simply brilliant to me. Like, “He said the word as though it were the bitterest of pills.”

Quotes

• “The cat’s away. And the mice shall play. And there is much that a mouse can do, after all.” 
• “A story can tell the truth, she knew, but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed." 
• “Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying and living. Everything is in a state of change.”
• “Not all knowledge comes from the mind. Your body, your heart, your intuition.”