When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up. @goodreads 

MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 

I don't know how to even begin with this book! It's a mystical story of love, scary myths, transgender, magical things I still don't understand. AND, it was bloody brilliant!



Miel and Sam have a special relationship. They have been best friends for years, but they also love one another. Like I said, I was confused during a lot of the book with all of the prose and trying to understand the meanings. But there were parts where the author explained more and it was just this crazy mystical ride with real issues.



Miel who grew roses out of her arm was afraid of the la llorona, the mythical spirit-woman who had drowned her children.


There is a lot to that story but I will let you read all of that for yourself. Miel lives with her sister who is said to be a witch because she can take certain things away from you to help you.

This book!

Sam who has so many things about himself that is so sad and so wonderful. I loved Sam and Miel, they were weird, they were different, but they were my kind of people if they weren't anyone else's.

The neighbor girls, I never did understand their story totally. There is some magical things going on there as well. Or maybe it's all just the way it's told in the prose, maybe none of it's magical at all, but I think you will find that the magic IS there.


A beautiful story written by the author and in reading the Author's Note, finding that some of the things have been a reality in her life. And that touched me even more so than the book.

*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1728226005

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/When-Moon-was-Ours-Novel/dp/125005866X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471739929&sr=1-1&keywords=when+the+moon+was+ours