Rating: 
Summary: A smart horror novel that will keep you awake at night
Review: Convincing characters, original use of old horror themes, sharp social commentary and the smooth integration of research makes Elizabeth Hand's "Waking the Moon" a novel worth any reader's time. Hand makes the characters practically live and breathe on the page; readers will relate to main character Sweeney's longing for the "Beautiful Ones," and cheer on her unlikely May-December romance with Dylan. Hand avoids making anyone in the novel the "bad guy," as so many horror novels do. Even as the reader is terrified of Angelica, they can empathize with her sadness over killing those she loves. Also, Hand rises above the cliched horror plot of friends reunited to confront an evil from their past, by making each friend unique. The novel enthralls as well as educates the reader. It's well-researched, and Hand skillfully mixes this information in along with the plot. Lastly, with Angelica's cult, Hand comments on today's society and women's role in it, and takes today's "goddess" movements one horrifying step further. A wonderful novel in every way
Rating: 
Summary: Trite and unconvincing
Review: I was quite aggravated that I spent a couple of days of my life reading this novel. At first, the style of the book was quite gripping but after part 1 this pseudo- literary attempt flounders. The characters are described effectively but one never gets to the heart of their personalities. Frankly, several elements of the story are laughable: the Benandanti, the romance of Sweeney and Dylan being just two. As a Goddess worshipper I was not delighted with the overall hostile tone of the novel towards Goddess spirituality; don't fool yourself into thinking this is is a feminist take on Goddess craft. Plus, some of her 'facts' about particular Goddesses are wrong. I would have liked this book more if Hand had not described everyone's outfits and faces in such mind-numbing ways. Many pages of this book leave you bored, bored, bored! Read this if you go more for style over substance.
Rating: 
Summary: Rich, textured, depth, realism, emotion.
Review: Despite a few clumsy transitions from description to action here and there, and despite an awkward timesharing between super-magical and super-real, this book is excellent. The characters are vivid, real enough to touch. The historical magic is handled intelligently and with a sense of high drama (if even well-done melodrama turns you off, beware). The book has style and strength. The prose is evocative, richly texturely, deeply involving. The topics range from practical love and human conflict to cultural issues spanning time and country. There's enough romance - of people, of place - to fill your head until you're breathless. I highly recommend it. Highly.
Rating:
Summary: Ranks right up there with one of my best reads
Review: This book held me enthralled from the moment I picked it up, and as soon as I finished it I proclaimed to my husband that it was one of the best books I'd ever read. Ms. Hand's use of imagery is amazingly articulate, and I had complete pictures in my mind of each character as they were introduced. And the story itself... one of the best right up until the very end. My only single complaint, like someone else mentioned, would have to be the author's use of a number of old English or historical words and phrases that I found myself looking up in a dictionary sometimes to fully grasp the meaning of a particular passage. (Often after reading through a few paragraphs, I could often get a general idea of what a particular word meant, but sometimes, the meaning was totally lost on me without looking it up.) That said, I *am* an educated individual, just not very strong in historical subjects. But in a way, I felt I got a neat little history lesson review in that regard. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but awkward
Review: The awakening of an ancient, fiendish goddess in a new age is witnessed by a young college freshman named Sweeney Cassidy. As if an ancient, fiendish goddess awakening weren't bad enough, Sweeney's two best friends happen to be predestined pawns in the plans of the goddess and the Benandanti, a pseudo-religious sect of protectors. In fact, Sweeney's best friend, Angelica, becomes a sort of avatar for this goddess. The book spans Sweeney's 20 year ordeal to stop her best friend from unleashing a power bent on controlling the world. This is the first book I've read by the author and I found the writing to be ornate; it bombards the reader's senses with rich descriptions of people, places, and things. Some readers are turned off by this type of writing (my wife says she just skims that stuff) but I find that sensory prose illuminates the story and Elizabeth Hand does this flourishingly. There are also a handful of very tasty surprises that continued to prod me curiously and expectantly forward. My major complaints about the book include the mixture of first-person and third-person perspectives. Certainly, this is not a fundamental no-no that writers must avoid at all costs. However, by the end of the book I found Sweeney's narrative to be the only thing I really cared to hear about. The secondary characters, though interesting, simply didn't hold up against the profoundly mundane Sweeney struggling to cope with a twenty-year-old legacy of the bizarre, and her lover Dylan who is inextricably woven into it all. Sweeney's scenes were just so much more emotionally genuine that the others were buried by her. I would've enjoyed the book even more if it had been written entirely in first-person. In addition, I found the dialogue stilted in some spots, with a great number of "Hmms..." and "Well, thens..." And finally, Sweeney's affair with Dylan never seems to falter. Dylan is THE perfect man and he and Sweeney have THE perfect relationship. Given Dylan's heritage and age, I doubt their interactions could have been so sugary. Ultimately, this is a good book and a fun read. I'd recommend it on the basis of the writing and the rather jarring surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Hand's best book by far
Review: Elizabeth Hand is a truly wicked author. If you learn about the ancient cults worshipping Attis and Adonis, your interpretation of what happened at the end may be reversed 180 degrees ... this happened to me. I wonder whether she intended for the book to have a different meaning for the cognoscenti, or whether she thought she was leaving enough clues for everyone? But even if you don't quite figure out exactly what happened at the end, it's still a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Hand's writing is mesmerizing.
Review: Although I first read this book years ago, I find myself compelled to reread parts of it from time to time. It is a powerful book, and vivid in my memory. I have read several of Ms. Hand's other works, but feel this is the most stirring. It has elements of a coming of age story, but is not at all a typical rite of passage novel. Recommended for those who like something unusual.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books and a new favorite author
Review: I love this novel. Read it! I discovered it by accident in a supermarket a few years ago and haven't forgotten it. Elizabeth Hand is a dazzling writer of unique vision, who transcends limitations of genre through her virtuosity with language. "Waking the Moon" remains my favorite of the Hand books that I've read. I eagerly await her next one.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: A great Read! Blood sacrifice, Feminine cults, moon worship--whooee! Ms Hand has done her homework--the book is VERY convincing, and a sexy, thrilling ride. And I loved what she tries to do at the end--nothing less than a modern, feminist take on a full Lovecraft meltdown. I've gone back to this book a couple of times. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: Worst thing I have picked up in years
Review: I dont know what I was expecting when I purchased this book, but I did not get it. The writing itself was passable, however there was no story. I waded through this unnecessarily lengthy novel, only to find that nothing ever happened and feeling as if I were sitting in the dentist office waiting a root canal the entire time. It took me about six months to pick my way through this, and I usually read novels of this length in a weekend, less if they are extraordinary. The characters are not memorable, the only thing that is memorable is the setting, a few times when the school is first described made me want to go there and see it. Just a few fleeting moments. The subject matter is very intriguing, but the author did not delve into it a fraction of what could have been done. There is so much potential and a great idea for a book. Too bad it was not written better. A big waste of time.
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