The Five Daughters of the Moon - (Waning Moon Duology) by Leena Likitalo (Paperback)

About the Book

"The Crescent Empire teeters on the edge of a revolution and the five daughters of the moon are the ones to determine its future."--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

Inspired by the 1917 Russian revolution and the last months of the Romanov sisters, The Five Daughters of the Moon by Leena Likitalo is a beautifully crafted historical fantasy with elements of technology fueled by evil magic.

The Crescent Empire teeters on the edge of a revolution, and the Five Daughters of the Moon are the ones to determine its future.

Alina, six, fears Gagargi Prataslav and his Great Thinking Machine. The gagargi claims that the machine can predict the future, but at a cost that no one seems to want to know.

Merile, eleven, cares only for her dogs, but she smells that something is afoul with the gagargi. By chance, she learns that the machine devours human souls for fuel, and yet no one believes her claim.

Sibilia, fifteen, has fallen in love for the first time in her life. She couldn't care less about the unrests spreading through the countryside. Or the rumors about the gagargi and his machine.

Elise, sixteen, follows the captain of her heart to orphanages and workhouses. But soon she realizes that the unhappiness amongst her people runs much deeper that anyone could have ever predicted.

And Celestia, twenty-two, who will be the empress one day. Lately, she's been drawn to the gagargi. But which one of them was the first to mention the idea of a coup?

Inspired by the 1917 Russian revolution and the last months of the Romanov sisters, The Five Daughters of the Moon is a beautifully crafted historical fantasy with elements of technology fuelled by evil magic.

Review Quotes

"The Five Daughters of the Moon is a lyrical elegy to the fall of an empire, a dreamscape of a tale unfolding through the prismatic view of its five ill-fated protagonists." -- Jacqueline Carey

"By turns rambunctious, lively, strange, and at times melancholy in the best ways, Leena Likitalo's wonderful novel marks the debut of a major new talent." --Jeff VanderMeer

"The Five Daughters of the Moon is lavish in its imagination, set in a magical and frightening world filled with palace intrigue and family drama." --Kevin J. Anderson

"Likitalo has crafted each character very distinctly and with a deft hand." --RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars (RT Top Pick)

"Likitalo has written a very promising debut, one that hopefully portends an interesting career." --Locus

"A fantasy landscape both familiar and otherworldly comes to life in this absorbing, imaginative tale." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

LEENA LIKITALO hails from Finland, the land of endless summer days and long, dark winter nights. She breaks computer games for a living and lives with her husband on an island at the outskirts of Helsinki, the capital. But regardless of her remote location, stories find their way to her and demand to be told. She is the author of The Five Daughters of the Moon.