Review: Faultless
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 25, 2013
Waning Moon is simply excellent, a rare book that I can't fault, and I really enjoyed it as well. It's set in the future in a small town outside of Albany after a virus has killed a large part of the earth's population. The cities are run by a Dystopian government. If you stay in the town, you get fed, clothed and have access to medical care, but you do what the governments wants. Those who live outside the cities choose freedom over security.Lily, her brother and her uncle, Sam, live well camouflaged in the forest. They have to stay away from the authorities because Lily and her little brother have genetic modifications that make them very useful to the authorities. Lily can heal and her brother can kill with a touch - or two, or three. Those living outside the cities have to occasionally travel to markets inside the city to trade for the things they can't provide for themselves and the story begins with Lily preparing to take such a trip. A few days before she is about to leave, she finds another teen fallen in one of their traps. Enter Will, the love interest and more. Despite a healthy dose of suspicion, Lily  takes a liking to Will and he rides with her into town, where he is supposedly looking for his father. Needless to say, things don't quite go to plan and a series of events take place that I could not have predicted. There is nothing formulaic in this story; it stands out in a crowded YA market as delightfully unique.P.J Sharon is a skilled writer. Her prose flows beautifully and is never labored or passive. It engages us in every action and brings us close to characters that are real, well drawn and totally believable. Even the characters with walk on roles seem to leap off the page.Lily cares deeply about the people around her, and I cared about her from the beginning. Will is a complex character that leaves the reader, and Lily, wondering just whose side he's really on. Either way, the chemistry between them provides great tension and Ms Sharon handles their developing relationship extremely well.The plot is engaging, the pacing perfect and the editing spotless. The ending closes this book well while setting the scene for the next without resorting to a cliff hanger. We are simply left with Lily preparing for her next challenge. Had I not had a whole lot of other novels waiting in my priority list, I would have read straight onto the next one.Ms Sharon is an author of the highest caliber, and if you're looking for deeper themes, the story raises questions about the morality of the choices the characters make. How far would you go to keep someone you loved safe?This novel will appeal to anyone who enjoys fantasy, be they adult, young adult or new adult. I highly recommend it. 5 stars.I received this book free of charge from the author in return for an honest review.