The Alchemy of Moonlight

March 1, 2023
This spin on the 18th-century Gothic classic The Mysteries of Udolpho centers gay romance amid an eerie, paranormal mystery. After Emile's aunt threatened to have him institutionalized for his attraction to men, he ran away and found work as a servant in Count Montoni's household. He plans to stay in hiding until he turns 18, when he can collect his inheritance. As Emile begins to realize there's something sinister about the Montoni family, he also deals with his growing attractions to both Bram, a doctor, and Henri, Montoni's nephew whom Emile had misgivings about at first. Just as Emile's true identity is revealed, Montoni whisks them all away to his other estate, Udolpho Castle. There, Emile learns the truth behind the mysterious affliction the whole family suffers from and realizes that if he ever wants to find love and happiness, he'll first have to make it out alive. The spooky atmosphere is alluring, and there are some thrillingly gruesome scenes. Paired with queer romance elements that take some unexpected twists, these aspects may be enough to captivate readers. However, exposition that tells rather than shows sometimes halts the momentum, and the characters' growth often feels unearned because they aren't portrayed with enough depth to have complex motivations. Overall, it winds up feeling like a story that had potential but remains unpolished. Emile and Henri are cued White; Bram is Black. A mixed bag of exciting horror and romance elements let down by subpar writing and character development. (Gothic horror. 13-18)

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March 6, 2023
Debut author Ferraro reimagines The Mysteries of Udolpho in this ominous supernatural romance. Following his father’s death in the summer of 1873, 17-year-old Emile St. Aubert’s aunt offers him a choice: marry a woman and continue the St. Aubert line, or be stripped of his inheritance and thrown into an asylum for his attraction to men. Emile instead runs away from home and finds work as a servant for the affluent Montoni household at Chateau le Blanc. As he settles into his new working-class responsibilities, Emile is both thrilled and terrified when he catches the attention of handsome visiting doctor Bram Valancourt. Emile’s growing feelings for Bram are complicated, however, when Emile starts developing an attraction to Montoni’s nephew, Count Henri Morano. Romance gives way to horror when, after a series of violently dismembered corpses are discovered on the chateau grounds, Emile realizes that something sinister is afoot. Emile’s sensitive and thoughtful first-person narration forms the core of this tale, which teems with heart-pounding moments both amorous and frightening. While the central mystery is predictable, Ferraro’s handling of coercive power dynamics and conflicting desires, coupled with the intensely raw queer relationships, is fresh and impressive. Emile and Henri cue as white; Bram is Black. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eva Scalzo, Speilburg Literary.

Starred review from May 1, 2023
Grades 10-12 *Starred Review* Set in France in 1873, Ferraro's mash-up of gothic romance and horror finds 17-year-old Marquis Emile St. Aubert masquerading as a servant to the wealthy Montoni family in order to hide from his evil aunt, Madame Cheron, who plots to have him institutionalized for loving men so that she can steal his inheritance. Emile plans to remain in hiding until his eighteenth birthday, when he will come into that inheritance. Before that, however, while still in disguise, he meets the apprentice doctor M. Valancourt and is immediately smitten. But to complicate matters, Emile is assigned duty as valet to the handsome young Count Morano, who, it turns out, also loves men and invites Emile to begin a relationship. While Emile still loves Valancourt, he nevertheless finds himself gradually falling in love with Morano, too. Complications ensue (boy, do they) as Emile finds himself transported, along with Morano, to the Montoni's haunted Castle Udolpho in Italy, where a shocking secret changes everything . . . and then some. Packed with compulsively readable, nonstop action, this is an affectionate homage to The Mysteries of Udolpho, eighteenth-century novelist Ann Radcliffe's pioneering horror novel. Ferraro expands upon the original to include a suspense-filled, double-barreled gay love story with a twist. Radcliffe would be pleased (probably).

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