Review: Raven Stole the Moon

Raven Stole the Moon
Author: Garth Stein
Publisher: Harper
ISBN: 9780061806384
Audience: Adult
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from publisher):

When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to visit Wrangell, Alaska, it's a wrenching return to her past. Long ago the home of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay resort, where Jenna's young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death.

But the spectacular town provides little comfort beyond the steady and tender affections of Eddie, a local fisherman. And then whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby's fate. Soon, Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit--who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness.

The beliefs are shared by Dr. David Livingstone, a Tlingit shaman, who warns Jenna about the danger of disturbing the legendary kushtaka--soul stealing predators that stalk a netherworld between land and sea, the living and the dead. But Jenna is desperate for answers, and she appeals to both Livingstone and Eddie to help her sort fact from myth, and face the unthinkable possibilities head-on.

Armed with nothing but a mother's ferocious protective instincts, Jenna's quest for the truth about her son--and the strength of her beliefs--is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss....

My Comments:

I had heard about a lot of good things about Garth Stein's work, and was excited to be able to review one of his novels. With all the great things I've heard, I had created some high expectations I was really hoping this book would live up to. It not only lived up to them, but exceeded them!

From the first page, I found myself under the spell of this highly emotional story. There was just no way, after starting it, that I was able to put it down. The characters were extremely well crafted and realistic. The storyline was beautifully and masterfully told. I was very impressed with the way that Stein wove Tlingit folklore throughout the story, making it real and almost believable.

My heart broke for the main character, Jenna, and the loss of her son. I understood her need for closure and was aching right along with her. Not many characters will get to me the way that hers did.

"Raven Stole the Moon" has made my favorites list for this year. It's powerful, thrilling, suspenseful, gripping, and will scare the pants off you! Make sure you add it to your reading list if you haven't already. This is a new updated version of the original novel that was released in 1998. Mr. Stein made a few changes and cut out a lot of the vulgarity.


The reason for Adult Audience rating: This book has some descriptive sex, language, and other adult themes that would make it questionable for older teens. Please read before deciding if you should or should not give it to your older teen. It's a great story, but the content is sometimes harsh.

If you would like to know more about Garth Stein, please visit his web page at: www.garthstein.com


I received this book from Terra Communications to review and to give my honest opinion about it. This has not influenced my review in any way.