The Moth Keeper – Review

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Moth Keeper Blog Tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours.

Check out my post below! 

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About the Book

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Graphic Novel
Publishing date: March 7th, 2023

Synopsis:

Being a Moth Keeper is a huge responsibility and a great honor, but what happens when the new Moth Keeper decides to take a break from the moon and see the sun for the first time? A middle-grade fantasy graphic novel about passion, duty, and found family.

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving and Anya is excited to prove her worth and show her thanks to her friends with her actions, but what happens when being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what Anya thought it would be?

The nights are cold in the desert and the lunar moths live far from the village. Anya finds herself isolated and lonely. Despite Anya’s dedication, she wonders what it would be like to live in the sun. Her thoughts turn into an obsession, and when Anya takes a chance to stay up during the day to feel the sun’s warmth, her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.

K. O’Neill brings to life a beautifully illustrated fantasy world about responsibility to yourself and your community. The Moth Keeper is filled with magic, hope, and friendship.

Content Warning: depression, trauma, burn out themes, abandonment (historical, shown on page through flashback), ableism (historical, minor).

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

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Review

This was beautiful. The artwork was stunning and really helped to portray the appropriate emotions as the story unfolded. I don’t read a lot of graphic novels but seem to gravitate towards beautiful color schemes when I do. This one did not disappoint and I found myself just taking every frame in.

I thought the story itself was beautiful. We always wonder if the grass is greener on the other side and when we decide to take a leap to discover the answer to that question we often learn a lot about ourselves and those that live with or around us. Anya lives under the moon and dreams of what it’s like to live under the sun. When she decides to take an opportunity to find out she soon finds that although being a Moth Keeper is a lonely task, the community as a whole relies on her to keep them safe and abundant. She realizes that she may spend a lot of time alone but her community is always with her as she walks the moonlit desert.

I read this to my daughter for bedtime and it was so fun seeing her reaction to the pictures, even if she didn’t fully understand the story. I definitely recommend this to any graphic novel lover. It’s a sweet story of finding yourself and where you belong.

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Author Bio

I am a self-taught writer and illustrator based in New Zealand. I’m interested in nature and all kinds of creatures, mindfulness and mental health, and the magic of every day life. To date I have published three books, which have won Eisner, Harvey and Dwayne McDuffie awards for children’s comics, as well as being Cybils Award finalists and featured on the ALA Rainbow List.

Outside of work I love tea and food, plants, transitional seasons, reading, walking and listening to podcasts.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Follow the Tour

March 6th
Jenerally Reading – Review
And On She Reads – Review
Twirling Book Princess – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Moth Keeper

March 7th
Kait Plus Books – Journal Spread
The Momma Spot – Review
Kerri McBookNerd – Review

March 8th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Rampant Reading Reviews – Review
The Someday Librarian – Review

March 9th
Kappa Reads Books – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Moth Keeper
dinipandareads – Review
Lemmi Bookmark That! – Review, Favorite Quotes

March 10th
laura’s bookish life – Review
Paigesofnovels – Review

March 11th
The Human Curveball – Promotional Post
The Clever Reader – Review
Forever In A Story – Review

March 12th
The Nutty Bookworm Reads Alot – Review
This Soul’s Devouring Words – Review
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review

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Instagram Tour

March 6th
bookdemonio – Promotional Post
dhirviepages – Mood Board
booknotes_athina – Promotional Post
justa.gal.andherbooks – Review
melaniereadsbooks – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Moth Keeper

March 7th
morningstarlitpages – Review
froggyreadteach – Review, Little Free Library Drop
hoardingbooks.herdingcats – Review, Favorite Quotes
bookdragonstbr – Content Creator’s Choice
kerri_mcbooknerd – Content Creator’s Choice

March 8th
writingrosereads – Promotional Post
kathytrihardt – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Moth Keeper
kathreadsall – Review
rampant_reads – Content Creator’s Choice
thesomedaylibrarian – Content Creator’s Choice

March 9th
bookish__paws – Review
wellreadwyvern – Review
dinipandapreads – Content Creator’s Choice
lemmibookmarkthat – Content Creator’s Choice

March 10th
ninebookishlives – Promotional Post
silveryquills – Review, Favorite Quotes
castella.and.novellas – Review, Mood Board
laurasbookishlife1 – Content Creator’s Choice
paiges_of_novels – Content Creator’s Choice

March 11th
quirkylitlover – Promotional Post
betweenhogwartsandvelaris – Review
luna_reads – Journal Spread
thecleverreader – Content Creator’s Choice
foreverinastory – Content Creator’s Choice

March 12th
tbrandbeyond – Promotional Post
yellow_moon_reads – Review, Journal Spread
hodophile_z – Review, Favorite Quotes
brittyoreads – Review
popthebutterfly – Content Creator’s Choice