Elisabeth Anne Leonard

If Jane Austen wrote high-fantasy she might have penned MOTH AND SPARK.

Honestly, this book was so well written, I simply love it. It is, however, a Romance. So if you aren't in the mood for a romance, don't pick it up.

There are brilliant characters, wonderful world-building, and sophisticated politicking... not to mention, dragons and magic. But ultimately what is at heart of Anne Leonard's novel is a wonderful romance between a prince and a commoner.

I love the use of language in this book. show more I love the intelligence of the plotting and the twists and turns. There's also, I thought, a certain steampunk feel to the tale.

If you are sick and tired of YA book with the same old 'special little snowflakes' and insta-lurve, read this book. It is NOT YA. It is for Adults. And the heroine is richly portrayed, brave and a lover of science and reason. Can't wait for Leonard's next book. She's brill.

--a review copy show less

Moth and Spark was one of my top anticipated novels of 2014. My gut instinct told me it was going to be a good one, and while my gut might not be the best guide for a lot of things, it has hardly ever steered me wrong when it comes to books. And I was pleased to see to that it was right once again. If anything, Moth and Spark gave me even more than I bargained for.

To understand why I liked it so much, you also have to understand that I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. show more While I was reading Moth and Spark, a Goodreads friend of mine commented on one of my status updates, "Fantasy with a romance sub-plot is rare." Indeed it is! Everyone who knows me knows I enjoy a good love story. And I would be reading a lot more romance, except I prefer it combined with other elements, especially from speculative fiction.

What I've always wanted to read was a meaningful and actively engaging romance in a high fantasy, but typically, most of the adult fantasy novels I enjoy merely scratch at the surface of romantic relationships. It's pretty much made me resign myself to the fact that I can only have one without the other. That is until this book came along and filled that void.

Moth and Spark is also different from a lot of romances. The love between the two main characters may feature heavily in this book, but it never lets you forget that both Corin and Tam are organically part of a much bigger story unfolding around them. Their relationship, as suddenly and swiftly as it occurred, is not the central focus with just the fantasy setting tacked on; it is part and parcel of the overall plot which involves a rich tapestry of courtly intrigue, back alley conspiracies and impending war, all culminating into a nation hanging in the balance. Together, the crown prince of Caithen and the commoner daughter of a renowned doctor must work together to save their homeland, combining their powers to free the dragons from their bondage to a mad emperor.

That's right, there are dragons. Just when you think things can't get any better, eh?

I think most of all, I loved this book for the wonderful characters that Anne Leonard has created. Call me a softie, but I like it when I see strong, inherently decent people find each other and fall in love. I like it when I see lovers like Tam and Corin sacrifice for each other, care for each other, respect each other. That's a biggie, because nothing drives me up the wall like characters who fall for jerks that treat them like crap. That just doesn't do it for me as a reader. I much, much prefer relationships like the one here in Moth and Spark, where the chemistry is natural and mutual.

The author is also very adept at world building. She has a way of inserting very detailed information about the environment without encumbering the prose. For instance, I only noticed afterwards that there is actually a lot of description in the text, but as I was reading I hardly felt overwhelmed by them at all. As well, this was accomplished without laying the background of the world out all at once; there are parts of the Empire's history or magical lore which aren't explained right away, for example, and we only gradually learn about them as the story progresses.

I could go on and on about a lot of other things: the magic, the dragons and their riders, the king's wizard-assassins (I really liked Joce, who was probably my favorite character after Tam and Corin), the court politics, the sword fighting scenes and so on, but I should leave some of the more enchanting parts for readers to find out for themselves. I will say, though, that the ending involves a duel on dragonback. Oh yes, this book gets my heart pounding in more ways than one.

Suffice to say I was very impressed with Moth and Spark, which is a debut for Anne Leonard. The novel's story of love and adventure struck the right chord with me, and it's going straight onto my shelf of favorites. I'll definitely be watching this author in the future for more. show less

The dragons have chosen the heir to the throne, Prince Corin, to free them from their enslavement to the mad emperor Hadon. Tam is a commoner, invited to the court at Caithenor to keep her sister-in-law company while Cina’s husband – Tam’s brother – is away. While at the court, she witnesses a man’s death and discovers that she is a Seer. Setting tongues wagging with their whirlwind romance, Corin and Tam are separated when hostile armies invade Caithenor, and both must first show more survive the war against the Empire and its allied forces and, once reunited, are faced with an impossible choice.

I read some very favourable reviews of this debut novel, but I have to confess to being more than slightly underwhelmed by it. I think the story has potential, but unfortunately the author has decided to let the romance between Corin and Tam take centre stage, rather than focusing on the more interesting and rewarding thread involving the dragons, how they came to be enslaved and how Corin must overcome several obstacles if he intends to free them. The result is a romance with dragons as minor players, and a very unevenly paced one at that: Tam and Corin take up so much space in the novel that the war and the final confrontation with Hadon felt unduly rushed, and I was convinced until very nearly the end of the book that the story would end on a cliff hanger, with a second book describing how Corin frees the dragons and providing the answers to some of the unresolved questions and unexplored avenues in terms of plot development and imagery; sadly, this is not the case. I admit that I enjoy a romantic sub-plot now and then, but here I felt that the romantic angle was shoved unnecessarily into readers’ faces, and in my opinion at least did lack the essential ingredient for a love story: palpable chemistry between the two lovers; just because the author tells us that Corin and Tam are falling in love and can’t keep their hands off each other, doesn’t mean that the spark transmits to the reader, and I feel less would definitively have been more in this case. Corin and Tam are likeable and I did feel for them, particularly towards the end when the romance took a back step to allow for more character development, but I took to Corin more as Tam is just too perfect to be entirely believable, apart from a mischievous streak, which felt slightly contrived at times.

I also did not get on with the author’s style of prose at all: her sentences are on the whole quite short, giving the overall impression of being abrupt and devoid of atmosphere and eloquence. The author moreover claims to have borrowed extensively from the language of Jane Austen in her writing, but to me this felt preposterous and I nearly laughed out loud when I read it, as there is no evidence of it that I could detect: missing is the fluency and sparkling wit, the clever pacing of the story line; a case of I wishful thinking, methinks. I think part of the problem is that the novel can’t decide whether it is a fairy tale or not; it has certain hallmarks of fairy-tale stories (love at first sight and against the odds, dragons, an evil adversary, destiny), even making reference to the stories of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (with an intriguing role reversal), and yet in my opinion the prose was completely at odds with the events described; for an example of economic yet poetic prose that enhances the setting turn to Kate Danley’s The Woodcutter to see how it’s done right.

You might enjoy this if you put more emphasis on romance than plot and character development in your choice of reading, but this was not for me.

(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.) show less

5 Stars
*I received this uncorrected proof from Penguin First to Read*
Prince Corin has been given the task of freeing the dragons from the Empire’s hold along with being entrusted with some of their magic. Tam, a commoner and daughter of a respected doctor, has the gift of visions. Falling in love at a time of war wasn’t expected, especially by two people who were not allowed to be together but their feelings are too strong to be denied. Like their love, the war will lead them to lean on show more each other and while they learn their own places in the bigger picture. With help from wizards and dragon riders Corin and Tam might discover more than they thought possible.
This is one of those stories that I am heartbroken that I finished reading. There are so many positive things to point out that I will never do it justice. Dragons are always a plus for me so I was really excited about their presence and the way they are depicted. Action wasn’t abundant early on but there’s plenty later on. That fact is one I appreciated in this story because there are so many other great elements like the dragons and magic that some of the story might have been jeopardized if it had been. It ended up coming together very fluidly making the pace feel flawless. There’s also a beautiful love story and a touching focus on family that a lot of readers’ can relate to.
I would recommend this to anyone. There really is something for everyone. This one is perfect for readers’ who may be intimidated by fantasy novels with numerous characters or abundant page numbers too. This novels is definitely on my favorites list. show less