Bunny's Reviews: Moon Deeds Spotlight

Welcome to the book tour for the award-winning novel, Moon Deeds by Palmer Pickering! Read on for my review, more info, and check out all the stops because there will be opportunities to win a copy of your own!

Moon Deeds is the first book in Palmer Pickering’s Star Children Saga. For those who look for epic space operas to read, you’re not going to want to miss out on this novel. It is a must-read for all who enjoy science fiction novels. Packed with details from beginning to end, this book will submerge readers in a story that will leave you eager for the next book in this series.

Moon Deeds is the first book that I have read by this author, Palmer Pickering, and I’m already eager to read the next book of Cassidy’s and Torr’s story. This book is broken up into two parts and contains two prefaces. One gives readers an idea of who is waiting for the Star Children, and then the second gives readers a bit of history. The history details what is potentially to come – what is to be expected as the Shaman’s Shield begins to fade and the Tegs begin their march to claim the areas that have remained out of reach for so many years.

This book is told from the third person perspective. Jumping back and forth between Cassidy and her brother Torr we follow them as they brace for what is coming. With the failing of the Shaman’s Shield, life is taking an abrupt change. The author provides insights into Cassidy’s capabilities and skills. I loved seeing her development into who she is meant to be. She comes off as shy one minute, but she’s not so timid that she would allow someone to bully her. I appreciate her fortitude and it makes me really like her as a character. Torr is away from his family in the beginning and the author does a great job detailing his life as a soldier. You won’t be able to help but feel that he goes through the most in the beginning. He experiences more since he’s on the front lines of what is coming.

One thing that I love about this book is the amount of details that the author packs into this book. Sometimes authors try to pack in as much detail as possible and end up taking away from the overall storyline. Trust me, not in this case. Every detail included in this story has a purpose and shines. If you close your eyes you can almost imagine that you can feel the sea breeze on your face. You can almost believe that you can feel the gusts of wind whistling down the mountain, through the trees, and hear the squirrels chittering angrily at someone below them. The fear of the characters is almost palpable as they fear the unknown that is coming for them. The details immerse you in this book turning it into a page-turner that you will eagerly devour the deeper you go.

Page by page the author unfolds just what exactly is ahead for Torr and Cassidy. There are some heartbreaking moments for sure in this novel. You’ll honestly hope against hope that maybe...just maybe things will turn out a different way. That maybe it really isn’t goodbye for some, but that maybe they will meet again. But the question will linger – will they? Will they meet again? Will they survive?

I love how the author details the various situations that individuals find themselves in. It has a bit of a dystopian feel without going all the way dystopian. So you get a nice blending of science fiction/space opera with a bit of paranormal with the magic elements, and then the dystopian with how things quickly fall apart and are impacted by the various changes.

If I had to pick a favorite character in this book I think that I’d be hard pressed to do so. I like the twins equally. They both bring balance to each other and the story. That’s probably one really good reason as to why they are born as the “Star Children.” Torr is strong and level-headed, but he’s also a bit hard-headed. LOL! You’ll see what I mean when you read this book. Cassidy is gentle, but firm. I appreciate that she trusts her intuition even when her head is screaming at her to do the “sensible” thing. I have to say that I really appreciate how level-headed Cassidy is in certain situations. In some books the author would have had the main female character sass the individuals she was dealing with, but I appreciate that the author keeps Cassidy quiet and understanding the potential danger that she is in.

This book is one of those ones that once you start reading it you’re not going to want to put it down. Each page will draw you deeper into this book and the trials that face these characters. Each step and decision they make will determine what happens next. There will be times of where you and they will question – do they have what it takes to keep moving forward? Can they do what needs doing to become who and what they must become? Each turn of the page will give you that answer as they strive to become who they are meant to be.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book and continuing Cassidy and Torr’s story. I’m hopeful that there will reunions between characters, but I also understand what it is that each are facing when they are forced to part ways. If you love a good science fiction novel that immerses you in the storyline then this book is a must read. As you read this book you’ll come to appreciate just how much research and thought the author has put into this book, and appreciate it all the more. When it comes to top books for this year, this book definitely hits the mark.

I’m choosing to rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy science fiction novels or just know someone who does then I highly recommend this book for you and/or them. Settle in for an epic read, because this book is all that and more.

Thank you to the author, Palmer Pickering, and R&R Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Moon Deeds (Star Children Saga #1)

Publication Date: May 25th, 2019

Genre: Sci-Fi/ Space Opera

“The path to power is cloaked in shadows, so if you avoid all the shadows, you’ll never learn anything.”
It’s 2090: the last outpost of freedom is the moon, the best defense against technology is magic, and the only hope for humankind rests in the hands of the Star Children.

Twins Cassidy and Torr must save Earth from a ruthless enemy at a time when the only force more powerful than alien technology is magic. Moon Deeds launches the siblings’ journey across the galaxy, where they must learn their power as the Star Children, claim their shamanic heritage, and battle dark forces that threaten humankind.

The Star Children Saga follows Cassidy and Torr as they slowly awaken to their destiny as the twin Star Children, born every millennium to reconnect with the source of all life. They come to discover the sheer enormity of their task: to find our ancestors on a lost planet across the galaxy and save humanity from a spiraling descent into darkness. The powers they must wield to accomplish this task are truly frightening and put at risk everything they love.

Come along with twenty-year-old twins Cassidy and Torr, who inherited deeds to land parcels on the moon. They want to use their moon deeds to get off Earth and escape a brutal dictatorship. But first they must unlock their shaman powers.

A rollicking yet poignant adventure in the not too distant future, when we have colonized the moon and nearly lost Earth to a dictatorship. Only the shamans remain free, plus the lucky ones who escaped to the moon.

Join the adventure! An addictive space opera, science-fantasy series.

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Chapter 1 - Star Song

West San Jose, California, Western Free States, planet Earth

July 8, 2090

Cassidy stood in the backyard, staring up at the sky and listening to the music of the stars. The Shaman’s Shield of gray clouds loomed far overhead, covering the sky in a thick, impenetrable roof, and casting a gloomy pall over everything. Ever since the Shaman’s Shield had appeared three years ago, she had not seen the stars nor heard their music. But today the thin, ethereal strains wove through the neighborhood noise. The music was faint, but it was there.

It had been louder when she was a child, before Grandma Leann had shielded her. Cassidy had thought everyone could hear the music, a constant background noise of such poignant sweetness that sometimes it was painful to listen to. But she had realized over time that others did not hear it. Or perhaps they heard it subconsciously, or in their dreams, because sometimes she heard an echo of it when musicians played their instruments or choirs sang. Cassidy had tried to replicate the sound, studying violin as a child, then piano, but neither instrument captured the elusive tones.

The only one who understood was her twin brother, Torr. They had shared a room as children, and she used to sing to him.

“I recognize that song,” he had said one time in the middle of the night. She had been sitting up in bed humming the tune that was streaming through her head. Torr had awoken from a deep sleep and sat upright, staring at her. “I heard it in my dream.”

“You heard me humming,” she corrected him.

“No,” Torr said stubbornly. “The golden people were singing to me. Their song said you and I have to find them. We have to follow their voices.” Torr closed his eyes and sang the melody more truly than she ever had, picking out parts of the multi-layered harmony she had never captured before. And he added something resembling words that she did not understand, but which made her cry.

In the morning he had remembered the dream, but he could not remember the song. For days afterwards he had tried to get her to sing it back to him, but she could not get the melody quite right, and she did not know the strange language. Then when Grandma Leann laid the blanket of silence over her, the song stopped. As time passed, Cassidy forgot the tune she had always hummed. She could only recall hints of it, like wisps of clouds that slipped away as she tried to grab them.

Now the sky was singing to her again. The melody came to her, carried on the wind as though from a distant mountaintop. She was filled with joy to hear it, though the song was more mournful than she recalled. She still could not understand the words, but she remembered what Torr had told her that night in their attic bedroom, that the two of them had to follow the golden people’s voices and find them. She did not know who they were, or where they were, but they were still out there singing to her. Calling to her. Waiting.

Available on Amazon

Light Fighters (Star Children Sage #2) is Now Available

In Light Fighters, Cassidy and Torr are trying to survive on the moon while facing threats from all sides. As their shamanic heritage surfaces and they hone their magical skills, they are hunted for their power, escalating into a tension-filled game of cat and mouse.

Ridge is stuck between the sadistic Balty and the desire to control his own life. His magical gifts become entangled with those around him, pulling him between opposing forces. When his path crosses that of the Star Children, he must decide whose side he is on.

Meanwhile, we learn that while the twin Star Children are hoping to find the Star People, the Star People of Turya are desperately seeking the Star Children as well. Their stories interweave as the mythology of the Star Children unfolds.

A compelling expansion of the Star Children Saga.

Adult content: 18+

About the Author

Palmer has been writing fiction since she was eight. She received her BA in American Studies from Wesleyan University, with concentrations in Religion and Race Relations.

She currently works in Silicon Valley in the gaming industry and high tech. In addition, Palmer holds a certificate in Chinese Acupressure, is a certified solar panel installer, and studied Tibetan Buddhism with the 14th Dalai Lama.

She lives and writes in the magical redwood forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, California.

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