‘Dragons once led our people across the wastelands, away from storms, and toward hunting grounds.’
That’s what the elders say, but eleven-year-old Akrist has squinted at empty skies his whole life. The dragons have abandoned them, and it’s Akrist’s fault. He’s cursed. Like every other firstborn son, he has inherited the sins of his ancestors. In his camp, he’s the only eldest boy left. Something happened to the others.
Something terrible.
When Akrist befriends Tanar, an eldest boy from another tribe, he discovers the awful truth: they’re being raised as sacrifices to appease the Goddess and win back her dragons. The ritual happens when the dual moons eclipse. Escape is the only option, but Akrist was never taught to hunt or survive the wastelands alone. Time is running out, and he has to do something before the moons touch.
Under the Lesser Moon by Shelly Campbell is a gritty Stone Age fantasy.
While it is not a perfect book, it was gripping enough that I devoured it in just a few days. One of the things I enjoyed most was the setting. There are no knights or swords here, just a travelling tribe that hunts and gathers everything it needs to survive. That alone made the story feel fresh and distinct.
I absolutely adored the giant birds. Their presence, and the care they require, is woven into every aspect of daily life, which made the world feel lived-in and believable. I usually do not enjoy anthropomorphised animals, but even though these birds can talk and are far more intelligent than real ones, they still felt like animals rather than people in feathers. The everyday life and the setting are definite strengths of the story.
I mostly liked the tone and narrative voice of the main character, who is an outcast destined to be sacrificed. There is a romance element which dedicated romance readers will probably find fairly understated. For me, someone who usually dislikes romance, it worked surprisingly well. It is straightforward and matter-of-fact, shaped more by circumstance than by drawn-out emotional back and forth. It is important to the character, but it never takes over the story.
There are quite a few twists and turns along the way, though if you read a lot, most of them are not hard to see coming.
This book does not quite register as grimdark for me, as I read a lot of very dark fantasy, but there are some gory scenes worth mentioning. If you are sensitive to that, it is something to be aware of. Outside of those moments, I think this could work well for younger readers, as in 16+, or for people who are newer to the genre.
Overall, Under the Lesser Moon stood out for its setting, its sense of everyday survival, and the quiet confidence of its storytelling. It may not surprise at every turn, but it offers a vivid, grounded world that is easy to sink into and hard to forget once you leave it.
