I received this book from the authors and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. So while the novella didn’t hit all the right buttons for me personally (not a big fan of magic schools or Harry Potter-esque tales), I look forward to seeing where Gelineau and King take this tale, because it holds immense potential. And the conclusion here opens up endless possibilities for the story of Roan and Kay going forward.

The School of Faith plays a central role in the narrative and definitely has a Harry Potter and Hogwarts feel to it with its magical schools, competing houses, and student rivalries, which I’m sure fans of that beloved series lovers will find immensely interesting, lovingly familiar, and ultimately comfortable. Without a doubt, Faith and Moonlight is an entertaining story, full of character interactions and deeply emotional introspection, where the central theme of two friends holding on to one another in an ever changing world is very compelling. And she cannot let that happen no matter what she has to do! His dreams of becoming a Razor not as important to him as his desire to remain with her and protect her from the harsh life he knows awaits outside the school’s gates. Her every attempt to “pierce the veil” and touch the magical force which grants Razors their near god-like powers ending in abject failure.īut Kay is determined her perseverance pushing her past her limits, not only to secure the home she has always longed for but also not to deprive Roan of one as all, for she knows that if she is asked to leave the Razor School of Faith he will follow her. Only one lingering problem lies before the two friends: Kay’s lack of aptitude. All of these experiences reinforcing to the orphans that they desperately desire to pass their test and become a part of this place - make it their home forever. Quickly, the two fall in among a group of other students who show them around, introduce them to the tranquil yet violent world of the Razors their steady hands helping Roan and Kay form both friendships and rivalries.

If they fail, they will immediately be expelled, never to return. Granted entry into the Razor School of Faith upon recommendation of another, Roan and Kay are given thirty days to prove their worth. And, like those former companions, these two youths have been driven out into the world after the destruction of their orphanage, determined to find greatness: their goal to become Razors, the mightiest warriors of their society. This novella focusing in on Roan and Kay two orphans who were childhood friends of Elinor from A Reaper of Stone series and Ferran from the Rend the Dark series. Faith and Moonlight is yet another entry into Gelineau and King’s ever expanding An Echo of the Ascended fantasy world.

Faith and Moonlight by Mark Gelineau