Welcome to the
Moonshine
Blog Tour. Today Parajunkee's View is featuring an urban fantasy novel by author Alaya Johnson,
Moonshine. Stay awhile, get introduced to Alaya Johnson, and read my review. Also, leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of
Moonshine.
Book Synopsis:
Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss. What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request—not to mention attempting to resist his dark, inhuman charm.
About the Author:
ALAYA JOHNSON is a recent Columbia graduate, and denizen of New York City.
Tour hosting:
BooksAnd
Visit the next stops...
Wednesday, May 26
Fang-tastic Books
Thursday, May 27
BrownGirl BookSpeak
Friday, May 28
Not Really Southern Vamp Chick
Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Johnson
Review copy provided by BooksAnd Virtual Book Tour Coordinator
. Released May 11, 2010
I glanced at the band and finished my triumphant high note just as they cut out. Smiling, (seductively and serenely, not like a giddy five-year-old), I turned back to the audience.
And there he was, lounging in the front row in a fashionably ostentatious tuxedo with knee-length tails, a patterned red handkerchief and patent-leather shoes, smiling up at me as thought I hadn't last seen him with a blood-mad child vampire slung over his shoulder. And though I'd been looking for him all day, I realized that the sight of him lounging so casually made my latent stage fright roar like a cronered lion. He nodded at me.
Oh, blood stakes.
The next few numbers had a bit more bite.
PJVs QUICKIE POV: Sucked in from the onset, I fell instantly in awe of the singing vampire suffragette, Zephyr Hollis and her world of out of the coffin, vamps that have inalienable rights just like any other person. I find my fascination didn't end with the character of Ms. Hollis though, it also extended to her dashing counterpart Amir and her charming friends, Lily, Iris and Aileen. Johnson definitely has a knack for character creation. Paired with the strong 3 dimensional characters was also a very staccato and fun tone that was reminiscent of the Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series.
Moonshine is a keeper, and I hope to revisit the world Johnson created over and over again.
REVIEW: Zephyr Hollis has had quite an interesting couple of days. First she finds a dead child in an alley and hides him away before the authorities can stake him and cut off his head. Then she finds herself in the employ of one very mysterious and gloriously sexy Amir. It is not just a casual endeavor either, she has to track down the notorious Rinaldo, vampire and mob boss, so Amir can do, God knows what to him. With a crazy new drug on the street, marketed to vamps only, and human and vamp relations hanging by a tenuous thread, Zephyr must track down Rinaldo and still try to keep her head at the same time.
Charming and engrossing,
Moonshine is a must read. Unlike most historicals,
Moonshine puts you within the moment, engages in witty and dated dialogue without you even realizing and gives you a small history lesson at the same time, without of course, being too obtrusive. I think I learned 10 new ways to say drunk. Fun. I'd like to call this the historical that isn't all stuffy and swarthy like most historicals.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Adult novel, for mature readers. Fans of Carriger's
The Parasol Protectorate will enjoy.
Enter to win a copy of Moonshine by Alaya Johnson
Giveaway Deets:
- Giveaway is not international, sorry, US & Canada only
- You must be 18 or older
- Leave a comment to enter
- You must follow this blog through Feedburner, Google or RSS feed, please state how you follow
- Giveaway ends June 7th, 2010
- Question for comments: If vampires existed would you fight for their rights as "people" or do you think they should be discriminated against?
