In the Light of a Broken Moon: Episode One by Bri Spicer
This is the first part of a longer book which is being released in “episodes” over time. It follows Demya, protector of Selena, who is a Librarian tasked with preserving knowledge of distant times. Together they just hide from the Empire and its megacorporations, preserving Selena’s knowledge, as she is the last Librarian.
Genres
Queer, fantasy, science fiction
Description
The Great Library – famed for protecting the powerless, preserving all knowledge, and waging war against corrupt Great Houses across the stars – lies in ruins. The Librarian homeworld has been destroyed, broken by an Imperial starfire bombardment that left no survivors. The Caedes Empire, with their megacorp allies and the shadowy crime syndicates that support them among the periphery worlds, rules unchallenged.
Selena Vernosti, once destined to become a Librarian, cloaked in crimson and revered by the thousand worlds of the long-dead Sacristae Republic, and gifted with incredibly powerful magic, now lives as a fugitive, hunted across the stars.
Demya Tzemina, once destined to take holy oaths as Selena’s knight, now spends her days earning the coin they need to survive in underground fighting rings. Every broken bone and every drop of blood pays for supplies that keep her and Selena one step ahead of their enemies.
But when Demya receives a message from Aleksan Rusrukh—the boy she and Selena both loved, who would have served as Selena’s second knight, who was reported among the dead in the final siege of their homeworld—everything changes.
Not only is he alive, Aleksan claims to have information that could radically change their future.
When Selena and Demya arrive at the rendezvous—a broken moon at the edge of charted space— to reunite with him, their triad will unravel terrible secrets, face the ghosts of their pasts, test the limits of their love, and learn the cost of creating a better world.
Review
I really enjoyed this, but I felt that it would have worked better had it been released as one book. The episodes are short enough to easily be combined. This didn’t feel like a novella, but like the beginning chunk of a novel that was removed and isolated from the rest. I started to connect to the characters and world, but I never fully got engrossed because it ended before I could. It’s like a sample of the story, not something that holds up on its own.
That said, the bit I did read had me intrigued. I liked the world and the concept of Librarians, and I wanted more information. I was interested in Demya and Selena’s relationship, as well as their history with the other Librarian who was lost to them. I want to know more about this world. The first episode only gave a small taste of it, but I can tell it is more complex and interesting than shown in this section. I am definitely invested enough to desire more information and more time with the characters, especially after that cliffhanger. It’s excellent; I just wish it was all one book.