Review of "Moon at Nine" by Deborah Ellis

Page Count: 224 Pages

Publish Date: April 1, 2014

Genre: YA/LGBT/Historical Fiction/Romance

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Farrin has many secrets. Although she goes to a school for gifted girls in Tehran, as the daughter of an aristocratic mother and wealthy father, Farrin must keep a low profile. It is 1988; ever since the Shah was overthrown, the deeply conservative and religious government controls every facet of life in Iran. If the Revolutionary Guard finds out about her mother's Bring Back the Shah activities, her family could be thrown in jail, or worse.

The day she meets Sadira, Farrin's life changes forever. Sadira is funny, wise, and outgoing; the two girls become inseparable. But as their friendship deepens into romance, the relationship takes a dangerous turn. It is against the law to be gay in Iran; the punishment is death. Despite their efforts to keep their love secret, the girls are discovered and arrested. Separated from Sadira, Farrin can only pray as she awaits execution. Will her family find a way to save them both?

Based on real-life events, multi-award winning author Deborah Ellis's new book is a tense and riveting story about a world where homosexuality is considered so abhorrent that it is punishable by death.

Review: My biggest problem with this book is how much the official summary gives away. Yes, it doesn't spoil the ending, but it gives away the majority of the book and I don't like that. A synopsis should be a teaser, not the entire novel. Other than that, I very much enjoyed Moon at Nine even if it was too short for my taste.




This book has a lot going for it. It's based on an incredibly shocking true story that I know is close to home for plenty of people, but seems like another world for me. Reading about a place where homosexuality can lead to people being sentenced to death is so scary for me especially since this is based on a true story.

Moon at Nine is also a beautiful and moving novel with a lovely romance between Sadira and Farrin. They are such a sweet and innocent couple. While there's no coming out angst - something I'm not a fan of in books - it's replaced by homosexuality being illegal and homophobia from both Sadira and Farrin's families. It's heartbreaking to imagine how both of the girls feel in this kind of society.

In fact, the whole second half of the book is heartbreaking.


The book really picks up speed in the second half and from there it seems to fly by. I finished the entire second half of the book in about an hour. I was totally hooked. Honestly, it ended too soon and too fast. I found myself reading the acknowledgements in hopes there would be more. I wanted to know what happened next and while the ending is not a true cliffhanger, it feels unsatisfying.



I did absolutely love this book I just wish there was more and that Farrin and Sadira had more time to develop as characters. Still, it was a beautiful novel that I highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5 STARS

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*