Welcome to DEAD MAG, the official monthly magazine of the Dead Poet's Society.
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Monsters, monsters, monsters. How we loathe them. How we got scared by them. One way or another, we must have grown to tales of them hiding beneath our creaking beds and waiting for us by the shadows. Yet, there are monsters that walk with us and look like us. Some monsters, we never move on from.
I encountered lehualani when she offered to pair with me for personal read-for-read arrangement. It took me some time before I finally got into her story. Boy, I am glad to have finally reach it in my extensive reading list.
Cleansing the Soul: Moth takes us to the world of supernatural creatures that have been living in harmony years after the end of humankind. The story is narrated by Lorelei, a teenage fae whose expectations about her abilities turned her world upside down when she was recognized as an Earth fae by Mother Earth herself. In a family of Fire faes, that leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth. As she struggles to accept herself and move past the trauma of her childhood, a war brews on the horizon, and the next battle is just around the corner.
What I find most enjoyable about Cleansing the Soul: Moth is how Lehualani has been brave enough in letting Lorelei confront her monsters. Whether it be her past, her family, or the impending battle of forces beyond the main character, she fleshes it out piece by piece. You will agonize with her as she introspects. You will see her dealing with her monsters, whether in the flesh or in memory. Sensitive and mature themes will be tackled as well—in particular of mental illness and abuse—which I find to contribute more to the horror of Lorelei’s story beyond the creatures that threaten their race.
What appealed to me is the pacing of the story and the intricacies of her character building. I have been very particular with how she presented each of them, as you would see in my comments. Personally, it has been satisfying dissecting her characters and the flow of events in the story.
In our conversations, I have been very frank about how I perceived the story to be, both in plot and in technicalities. The story gives us scenes that are worth pondering about. It leaves you haunted, the same way Lorelei's past did her. While Lehualani weaves emotions effortlessly in her words, there are bumps that have to be improved on. The story will benefit from editing to improve sentence construction and avoid redundancy in the narrative. Despite these rooms for improvement, I think she did a splendid job in creating Lorelei, her world, and her conflict.
So, what are you waiting for? Come join me as I dive deeper into this elemental fantasy story.
