Moth dark by Kika Hatzopoulou

Hatzopoulou’s romantic fantasy is a very timely novel, with its strong arguments for peace and kindness instead of war. The world is threatened by strange Dark creatures emerging from underground through sewer manholes and cracks in the Earth, but for Sascia, a girl who has always been fascinated by the Dark, this inspires an insatiable curiosity, not fear. She and her cousin Danny nurture the Darkmoths and Darkplants they discover, and work for the Umbra program for Young Researchers similarly exploring the mysteries of the Darkworld. But for most people, the Dark presents a threat, and the government rushes to develop stronger weapons to defeat their perceived enemy.

Moth dark is an unusual mix of myth and time travel. Sascia is like an Ariadne of Greek myth determined to find a way through a labyrinth of danger and confusion, whilst Nugau the princet, the gender fluid being she falls in love with, appears sometimes from the future, sometimes from the past, their two interweaving timelines knotted together as ‘ymneen’. It’s a story of crossing timelines rather than time travel as such, but the novel retains the emotional flavour of Niffenegger’s The time traveler’s wife.

Sascia’s close friendship with her ever loyal and supportive wheelchair bound cousin Danny and the loving embrace of her hardworking Greek family provides a grounding element to an otherwise fantastical story; a brush of realism over a magical tale, adding warmth and humour.

The pages turn quickly as Hatzopoulou keeps the tension level high. I’m sure YA readers will be easily drawn into this latest romantasy with its determined and fearless female protagonist and the strong moral messages of kindness and caring for others different from ourselves.

Themes: Romantasy, Myth, LGBTQIA+, Diversity, War.

Helen Eddy