MMGM and #IMWAYR (8/3/2020): Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd

For MMGM and #IMWAYR, I am reviewing Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd.




          Over the Moon is Lloyd's third MG novel, following A Snicker of Magic and The Key to Extraordinary. Those two novels have a wonderful and unique formula, which combines a strong yet caring protagonist, a small, close-knit town, and plenty of magic. Over the Moon has all of those things, but it puts a new spin on them that makes for a very different novel.

          Over the Moon follows twelve-year-old Mallie Ramble, who lives in the mountaintop village of Coal Top. In Coal Top, boys and men (no matter how young) spend their lives digging in the mines, and girls and women (including Mallie) work as servants in the nearby valley. The mountains and valleys are filled with Dust (with a capital D), which covers up the sky and stars, fills the air, and has the ability to bring dread and fear to anyone who inhales or touches it. It's a stark contrast to how the region was years earlier, when people pulled starlight out of the sky and wove it into clothes, blankets, and other objects that brought joy and peace to those who held or wore them. Mallie's job as servant to the Tumbrel family provides barely enough money to keep her family afloat, so she jumps at the chance to earn money from one of the town's Guardians, Mortimer Good, by riding atop flying horses to collect gold powder from the mountain range. But Mallie soon discovers an ominous secret about Coal Top that forces her to rethink everything she thought she knew.

          What makes Over the Moon different from Lloyd's two previous MG novels is that, where those two novels had a joyous premise with some challenges mixed in, Over the Moon is built on a sorrowful, almost-dystopian foundation that I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, Lloyd has always had a knack for setting up a detailed world in her books, and she brings that talent to Over the Moon as well. Child labor, servitude, and literally-poisonous work underground all bring to mind a not-so-distant past in the real world, but the addition of the Dust acts both as an interesting metaphor for people's loss of hope and as an intriguing challenge to be overcome. On the other hand, I loved Lloyd's first two books precisely because they had such an infectious joy that ran through every word, every sentence, and every page. There are some happy parts in Over the Moon, such as Mallie riding her flying horse, Leo, through the sky, or Mallie's caring best friend Adam, but I found almost all of the good parts of this story to be lacking the extreme attention to detail that is present in Lloyd's other books. Characters like Adam, Granny Mab, and Ms. Marcia didn't get the character development that side characters in previous books got. (One particularly bothersome thing was that Adam and Mallie had drifted apart for some reason before the events of the book, but after their friendship was rekindled, it was never explained why they had drifted apart in the first place.) Sometimes, I think that the best books are the books that cram a ton of wonderful little details into a small space, and Over the Moon simply doesn't cram enough in.

          There are a number of things that I did like about this book. Mallie is an incredibly brave and mature character. In order to protect her beloved younger brother Denver from a life in the mines, Mallie pushes herself to work harder and harder to earn a living, even daring to ride atop a flying horse through clouds of Dust and terrifying weather. Mallie reminds me of a parent, doing as much as possible to keep the people she loves safe. Also, Lloyd has always depicted physically different characters in her novels (possibly inspired by Lloyd using a wheelchair and walker as a child, as is mentioned on her website), and she continues that trend in Over the Moon. Mallie has only one hand, a detail that strikes the right balance between influencing Mallie's life and fading into the background behind her other traits. In addition, Mallie's father is blind and mute, and another character in the story, Iggy, is quite short. I appreciate all of this representation in the story! I also liked the general importance of animals to the story; Mallie has a strong connection to her horse, Leo, as does Iggy, the aforementioned side character who serves as the horses' caretaker. Mallie's family also has a wonderful yellow bird named Honeysuckle, one of many Dustflights who essentially act as magical and literal canaries in the coal mine for the miners (although, instead of dying from danger, they can simply sense danger and alert their owners). One other random tidbit: my hardcover copy of this book has an excellent book design, with inspirational words printed on the endsheets and lovely pages to introduce each chapter, not to mention that each chapter has a title so you can actually find the parts of the book you loved once you finished the book! (Seriously, why doesn't every book have chapter titles?)

          This is normally the part of the review where I summarize how I feel about the book, but I honestly don't know how I feel about Over the Moon. I don't think Over the Moon is a bad book, but it doesn't live up to my expectations of a Natalie Lloyd novel either. You have to understand, just from her first two books, Lloyd is probably one of my top-five favorite MG authors (in fact, I will be re-reading and re-reviewing her book The Key to Extraordinary in two weeks, since my last review of it so utterly didn't do it any justice whatsoever). I love Lloyd's books so, so much, and I really wanted to love Over the Moon as well. However, there are so many excellent books in the world that I just can't tell you to spend time on Over the Moon unless you really want to; you'd be much better off reading The Key to Extraordinary or A Snicker of Magic instead!

Update (1/2/2021): My rating is: Pretty good!



Comments

  1. I appreciate the very honest review. Now I must investigate this author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Her other books are absolutely wonderful! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  2. I hadn't heard of this author before - thanks for the in-depth review!

    Sue

    2020 Big Book Summer Challenge

    ReplyDelete
  3. I enjoyed the authors previous books more than Over the Moon, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  4. I loved Snicker but never got around to reading Key, and it sounds from your review that I really need to remedy that and get a copy ASAP!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Key to Extraordinary is absolutely wonderful! I'm looking forward to putting up my re-review in two weeks! Thanks for reading my post!

      Delete
  5. Glad to hear about this new one & sad that you didn't think it is as good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a little sad, but it was also a great reminder for me of Lloyd's other, wonderful books! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  6. I had read SNICKER OF MAGIC and completely understand your misgivings about OVER THE MOON. The plot still pulls me in, and I'm hoping to read it this year. Thanks for sharing this one for MMGM and congrats on taking our coveted top spot in the lineup today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy Over the Moon when you decide to read it! And thanks so much for the spotlight on MMGM!

      Delete
  7. I have read Natalie's OVER THE MOON twice. Have given it as gifts. I absolutely loved the story and felt that it was very balanced and the plot exciting for readers. I've read and reviewed everything she's written. I think this book shines and I'm glad you gave it some more book love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad that you enjoyed Over the Moon! Lloyd is really an excellent author. Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  8. Congrats on being the leader of the MMGM parade this week! :0} I do not usually read in the fantasy genre, so I am not familiar with this author or these books. I appreciate your candor in this post. The cover art for 'Over the Moon' is simply awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The neat thing about Lloyd's books is that they (or at least, her two first ones) lean more toward realism with just a touch (or a "snicker") of magic mixed in. The covers on all of her books are great! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  9. I enjoyed Over the Moon but loved A Snicker of Magic better. I'm a huge fan of Natalie Lloyd and really have enjoyed all her books that I've read. Thanks for sharing your honest feelings about this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lloyd is definitely a great author! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  10. Different books work for different times; maybe this isn't a good time to be reading about dystopian worlds full of Dust

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point! That might be hitting a little too close to home. Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  11. I have read lots of MG over the last five or so years, but not this author, and I have no idea why. I have access to a few that I should get to. Thanks for the detailed review, have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you try some of Lloyd's books out! Have a great week as well!

      Delete
  12. Thank you for this in-depth review. I haven't read the novels you mention, but still have the ARC. Your review was so honest that I'm kind of curious now to read Over the Moon, but maybe I should start with A Snicker of Magic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't actually reviewed A Snicker of Magic, but I have read it, and it's a wonderful book! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  13. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and being candid. The premise of the story sounds intriguing. I’m not familar with her work. But from your description of her writing style, the author sounds like a wonderful storyteller. I‘ll definitely check her books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lloyd is definitely a wonderful storyteller! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  14. I agree that some books leave me not sure about the book. Did I like it? Did I not like it? I have yet to read The Key to Extraordinary or A Snicker of Magic. I really should check them out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't always figure out my feelings (although I must say, it makes writing the reviews much harder)! Both books you mention are excellent! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  15. Snicker of Magic is a book I just loved. The writing is so beautiful and the story- amazing. I also read and enjoyed Key to Extraordinary. I met Natalie Lloyd and heard her speak at a book fair in my state years ago. She is so sweet and funny. I have been putting off reading Over the Moon and I am not sure why (it could be because I read The Problim Children book 1 by her, and it was okay- but I didn't love it like Snicker and Key- but it was a very different style and type of story). I really appreciate your honest review. It was really helpful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How neat that you met Lloyd! I haven't tried her Problim Children series—I didn't know it was a noticeably different style. Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  16. Thanks for a very honest and thoughtful review. It's always hard when a beloved author disappoints. I had it happen recently and was befuddled writing my review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! I'm sorry you had that happen as well! Thanks for reading my review!

      Delete
  17. I have read all of Natalie's books and have enjoyed all of them at different levels. SNICKER is always going to be my favorite, I think. There are so many lines in that book that stuck out to me, that I still enjoy talking about! But I think I enjoyed this one even more so than KEY. I think the character stuck to me more. I'm so glad she has another book coming this Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please feel free to leave a comment—I always love reading them! ✨✨

Popular posts from this blog

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Saving Sunshine and 49 Days!

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Allergic, written by Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter