The Secret of the Moonshard

by Struan Murray

★★★★

Review 

As a huge fan of Struan Murray and his "other-worldly" books, I knew that The Secret of the Moonshard was an absolute must buy when browsing in a Daunt Bookshop in London. As well as being written by a fabulous author, I was captivated by the beautiful front cover and tempting blurb. 

The Secret of the Moonshard is an action-packed story that follows the escape of one extremely feisty female protagonist who has been imprisoned in the Scientarium for most of her life. Domino is a witty, brave and head-strong young lady who is nothing but trouble for her captors. I found Domino immediately likeable and found myself laughing out loud at some of the sneaky (and sometimes outright unforgiveable) tricks that she plays on her acquaintances. Domino continues to be extremely likeable throughout the whole book and was possibly my favourite thing about the entire story! 

The second thing that I loved about this book is the setting which just oozes with mystery, magic and science. The book begins in Domino's floating home, the Scientarium Celestis which is run by a group of old, wrinkly and rather boring Science Barons. However following her escape, Domino finds herself in the city of Abzalaymon which she has always dreamed of visiting. The city strikes a perfect balance between realism and fantasy; with buildings, transport and businesses as we know them combined with magically mobile buildings, roaming Thunder Lizards, magicians and intriguing spirits who are hidden in the depths of the city. Murray's excellent story-telling enables the reader to travel to an alternate universe packed full of wonder and curiosity while leaving scope for the imagination to embellish this new world. This is enhanced by some incredible illustrations that are littered throughout the book.

The storyline is also incredibly enjoyable, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. I found the main plot very unique and was hooked by the very first few chapters. I loved watching the various relationships develop over the course of the book (especially Domino and Calvin's) and felt that Murray had planted the seed for a few shockers from the early pages. Although I found the ending a little quick, I did appreciate how loose ends were tied up and was able to close the book with all of my questions addressed and answered.

I will be recommending this book to my children who love fantasy stories or  a strong-minded, trouble-making protagonist. Although on the longer side (480 pages in total), the language is accessible (besides a few names that can be a bit tricky to begin with) and could be enjoyed as a shared read or audiobook by less confident readers.

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Key information 

Author: Struan Murray

Illustrator: Tomislav Tomic

Release Date: 29th February 2024

Book type: Chapter, 480 pages

Reader level: Confident reader (9+)

Overview

Domino has lived her whole life believing that just one drop of magic could kill her.

Held in a floating laboratory by scheming Science Barons, she has never known a single day of freedom.

When Domino discovers that everything she's been told by the Barons is a lie, she escapes to Abzalaymon, a wondrous city filled with scientific marvels, hulking thunder lizards and hidden magic.

But the Barons are soon on Domino's trail. Because a war is brewing between science and magic. A war that could destroy the world. And Domino might just be the key to saving everyone . . .

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