In a city of magical things, of buses, and plastic, and concrete, and trains, there lived a young man called Tom Argent.

Joanne Harris is a writer that always brings a little magic in the way that she weaves the written word. Her stories, of which there are many, never disappoint. I have been enjoying her novels for many years now, the first of which was of course Chocolat, one of my favourites and one that I often return to. She has a wonderful ability to create characters that feel incredibly real, dealing with situations that, no matter the genre, feel true to life and are highly relatable. She is one of the only authors that I know of who can write so convincingly and expertly across different genres. Just take a look at her website and you will find fantasy/mythpunk, folklore/fairytale, psychological thrillers, gothic fiction and of course her wonderful series of French novels in addition to the Chocolat series. There is truly something for everyone here.

The Moonlight Market

This you will find under the ‘folklore/fairytale’ header. A story that brings the magic of a fairytale to the streets of modern London. Tom is one of many lost souls living there. He is very much alone and spends his days quietly running a second-hand camera shop. His passion is photography and his camera is his treasure. But Tom has been taught not to believe in fairytales, to only believe what was before his eyes and to never look for the magic or beauty.

“he saw litter, and traffic and smoke; and people on their mobile phones who suddenly stopped in the street when he was walking behind them; and angry cab drivers, and riotous drunks, and cyclists who never looked where they were going.”

How succinctly Joanne sums up life in that one sentence. How easy it is to lose the ability to see the magic in the world today, how easy we miss what is really going on around us. The everyday magic that is all around us.

But Tom’s life is about to change beyond all recognition, because Tom is about to fall completely and desperately in love. Vanessa enters his quiet, little shop and his whole belief system implodes with what happens next.

With fairy stories there is both darkness and light. Of course, there must be. For centuries a war has been raging around the streets of London, a war that the everyday folk, or the ‘Sightless Folk’, can not see or hear. The war between a Moth King and Butterfly Queen torn apart by the loss of their prince, blaming each other and vowing to never again allow a Butterfly to fall in love with a Moth.

“Lost, in exile, they found their way to a city of stone and bridges and tunnels and underground vaults, built on a great winding river. And there they held court; each to their own, alongside the people of that world, who, being sightless, could not see the events unfolding around them… And still they endure, after centuries of war, still grieving for their vanished son, too proud for reconciliation; taking their nectar wherever they can, within that city of ancient stones, and gleaming glass towers, and asphalt, and roads, and plastic, and concrete, and tunnels, and trains.

Tom will soon be thrown in to the midst of this war. Consumed by love and obsession he will risk everything just to be with Vanessa. But she and the shine of new love is not all that it seems and will put him in grave danger. There is much at stake and it will only be the truest of love that can save him and, perhaps, even stop the war.

The Moonlight Market is a wonderful read, an exhilarating, thought provoking tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. In a world where there is much despair, cruelty and where too much is watched rather than lived – this novel reminded me that there is still wonderfully creative people, there is light amongst the darkness, and there is and will always be the healing power of love. Do read it, if only for the beautiful way that Joanne puts words down. She will make you think and most importantly of all, she will make you open your eyes and look around at the magic that surrounds us if we only choose to see it.

The blurb from the book…

‘Fairy stories matter. they’re how we understand what’s true.’

Orphaned, lonely, and lost in his photography work, Tom has no intention of falling in love. And yet, love finds him in the shape of beautiful Vanessa, who lives a dangerous double life in the heart of London’s King’s Cross.

Tom’s pursuit of Vanessa leads him to discover an alternate world, hidden amongst the streets and rooftops of London – and inhabited by strange and colourful beings. In this mysterious realm, two ancient factions – one of night, one of day – have waged war for centuries over a forbidden love and a long-lost prince of sun and starlight.

But when Tom finds a secret market that appears only in moonlight, where charms and spells are bought with memories, he starts to wonder whether he’s been here before…

A spellbinding modern fairytale of forbidden love, magical wars, lost princes, and a secret world hidden just out of sight – perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and V.E. Schwab.

www.gollancz.co.uk

Discover more about the author by visiting her website: www.joanne-harris.co.uk

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