Ruby Moon, by Jenny Knipfer, is book one in the Light of the Moon series. The story takes place in 1893 to 1894 in Webaashi Bay, Canada, along the shore of Lake Superior. This is the story of a very strong 16 year, Jenay, who lost her mother as a very young child and was raised by her father and aunts. After losing her father at 16, she has to learn his business and learn about his uncertain business dealing. She also marries at a very young age. The story bounces back and forth between the two years as Jenay struggles to overcome the nightmares and regain her memory after a tragic accident.
This is a well written story that has many good messages within it. The story shows of the blending of the French and Ojibwe culture and how Jenay was able to learn great lessons from both. One of the themes that stands out to me in this story is when her Ojibwe aunt tells her that a hard things in life have a way of deepening her routes to help her become stronger to go through storms in life. I enjoyed the teaching of the use of herbs from the Obijwe culture and the warning that they must be used carefully and not to harm others. This is a multi time line story. The chapters are marked with the date so it is easy to keep the times separated.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review ( )

It was easy to be intrigued by this story with an opening of Jenay holding a knife in her hand trying to remember what happened. That sent shivers down my spine. It did take me a bit to catch on that details matter in this book. I learned that I needed to be alert to dates that are at the beginning of each chapter. The author cleverly takes us back and forth in time and slowly unravels who Jenay is. Oh how I cried about the mother she never knew. She sometimes wondered if her mother would be proud of her as she realizes she is a bit different than others around her.

I loved her free spirit and how comfortable she was with her heritage. It was just the right combination to make her unique but very in tune with nature. Her thirst for knowledge is witnessed throughout the story. I loved the faith element and how the author used it to compliment the story with biblical principles. Her father is a blessing with his wisdom of God.

Jenay is learning new things everyday about her heritage and I was very interested in learning about her culture. As she experiences new things she embraces the thought that God has a plan for her life. I loved reading how Jenay became more confident and allowed her heart to open up to new adventures. I was unprepared for the darkness that overcame Jenay after a traumatic event happens. The story takes a turn as we discover what the beginning of the book was about.

The author depicts a young woman who becomes a fixation for someone. This person is angry that her affection is bestowed upon someone else. Even though I thought the character was despicable I liked how the author used him to show us what greed and jealousy can do to someone. There are moments that I wanted Jenay to realize that the enemy was slithering into her life and tempting her to betray someone. Her memories of a certain event will cause an avalanche of guilt as she relives an unthinkable encounter. Through everything she faces, her faith grows as she is surrounded by family and friends. The ending is good but leaves readers with a bit of a cliffhanger. I know I will be reading the next books available in this series so I can see where the author takes us next on our journey.

God measures a person not from outward appearance, like mankind does, but looks at the heart of an individual to truly see what is there.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

Ruby Moon by Jenny Knipfer stands as the first novel in the By the Light of the Moon series. This unique literary fiction novel features multiple character POVs, but the main character is young Jenay Follett. Her tale is truly a coming-of-age journey involving joy, heartache, trauma, and family. I felt that the author captured the experience and essence of trauma with Jenay’s thoughts and actions. Jenay’s pain felt terribly authentic, but wise statements, often from Maang-ikwe, pepper the story with hope for healing.

As I mentioned, there are multiple POVs in Ruby Moon. Additionally, part of the novel is written as split-time with both timelines containing flashbacks. This complicated story structure forced me to read very slowly. Though the book is a little over 400 pages, it took me over three weeks to read. Without carefully reading, the narrative jumps are potentially confusing.

I recommend Ruby Moon to readers who enjoy literary/women’s fiction. The novel can be challenging both in content and reading experience; however, it will likely appeal to fans of coming-of-age stories.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. ( )