Lunatic Fringe (Allison Moon, 2011) @TalesofthePack

Allison Moon's first novel, Lunatic Fringe is released today [link] in paperback and eBook formats. I did a Premature Book Review on it a few weeks back, and have since finished the book, so I thought I'd do a post mortem review as well.

First, the part that often concerns readers; the ending. We have quite a nice build to, and bitter-sweet ending here. It does not give you the impression that the author thought oh, shit. I'd better wrap this up. There is a natural progression to the finale, and despite Moon's statement that there is a sequel in the works, it does not end on a cliffhanger.

A bit more about the eroticism. It does get heavier, particularly in one scene, but is far from trashy. It is a more noticeably lesbian sex scene than those previous, but still has an intimate feeling for the reader, in my opinion. There is one bit that is perhaps outside the norm, depending on where you sit.

Now, in my previous review I mentioned Twilight and how there are some similarities and some differences. The main difference, in the end, is that Lexie Clarion (our protagonist) is not hopelessly in love with the werewolf. Well, she is and is not. The werewolf is Lexie's first love in many ways, so there is that first love component, but she is not blinded by it. Where Bella Swan cares little for the harm that threatens her, Lexie knows there are risks, and does not particularly like certain aspects of her lover's necessary character. In Twilight the conflict is "I want to be a vampire with you" versus "I don't want you to be a vampire," the conflict in Lunatic Fringe is more complicated. Part of this likely comes from not writing for teenage girls.

In all, it is a nicely written story. The plot is solid, and for a self publisher there are remarkably few typos (tip o'the hat to Allison's proofreader(s)). You can pick it up today from TalesofthePack.com as a trade-size paperback ($11.99) or an eBook ($6.99, sent via email) in Mobi, ePub, and/or PDF formats, so if you like digital (like I do) you have options.