Around the time of the Hugo award nominations earlier this year, I remember the internet suddenly rising up in an outraged fervor. One of the nominees, it seems, is pretty darn racist/sexist/homophobic/all of the above, and had previously made horrendously racist comments towards a fantasy author who also happened to be black and female. 
 That author was NK Jemisin, so although you are a horrible individual, racist guy whose name escapes me and is not worth the effort it would take to google, I must thank you because without your ugly hate-filled comments, I would not have discovered NK Jemisin and her books until later on in life, which would be a shame since her writing is pretty great. 
 When talking about The Killing Moon to friends and family, I would generally describe it as "so you know how most fantasies are based in medieval Europe? Well THIS book is the same kind of fantasy you've grown used to but draws its inspiration from Egypt and some other African countries and is AWESOME!" In hindsight, this might not have been the best selling pitch, as it says nothing about the story or the characters but for me this was a major selling point. As someone who very frequently reads fantasy novels, I get so weary of reading the same medieval based setting with the same cultural roles over and over again. Oh look! Another fantasy novel with the caste feudal system where Lords and Noblemen have political power and the peasant/farmhand/lower born soldier/lady of any kind is trying to beat societal norms through swords/magic because ONLY THEY CAN SAVE THE KINGDOM. It gets tiring after a while. By changing the setting that the world is based in, The Killing Moon creates a new and exciting world for this story to dwell in and everything feels fresh. 
 The plot itself is fairly basic. Our main characters, Nijiri and Ehiru are followers of the Goddess Hananja and are basically the equivalent of magical monks. Hananja is the Goddess of the Dreaming Moon (basically the full moon) and gain magic healing powers through gathering people's dreams and ushering the souls of those about to pass into a peaceful sleep. However, as with most magic, it can be abused and there is someone with the powers of one of the Gatherers of Hananja is killing people within the city and causing people to mistrust the Gatherers. When Ehiru is sent out to gather the soul of an ambassador from a neighboring city, something goes wrong and Nijiri and Ehiru struggle with their faith and the apparent corruption within both the city and their religious following. 
 The struggle of those devoted to a specific religion facing corruption worming itself within their supposedly sacred community is not necessarily a new one, but there's a reason the plot device has remained timeless. One only needs to have a conversation with a devout Catholic to understand the internal and sometimes external struggles facing religious institutions and their followers today. However, I'm unsure if The Killing Moon has any strong statements to make on the subject. Ms. Jemisin was certainly not obligated to use her novel as a means to comment on corruption in religious institutions, but I found myself slightly saddened by the lack thereof given the subject matter found in the book itself. However, it might also be that her lack of a defining statement is in and of itself a statement. That the issue is far more complex to warrant a simple response, that each individual has to come to terms with this struggle on their own merits, just as Ehiru and Nijiri do. 
 Above all else, I found myself engaged in the plot and caring deeply for our two main charcters, Nijiri and Ehiru. The love between them as mentor and apprentice is beautiful and incredibly heartfelt and their bond is what drives most of the story. Ehiru is far older and has lived in the Hetawa (temple of Hananja) all his life and is brother of the High Prince, making him a fought over pawn in the political fight between the Prince and the Hetawa. Nijiri has been studying with Ehiru since he was 6, but is still only just a man by society's standards. He is much more impulsive and questioning than Ehiru is but loves and respects his mentor deeply and will do anything to protect him. They are wonderful characters and when placed in the rich environment, create a story well worth exploring. 
 One last thing that I feel I must mention. The names. I've seen a good amount of people put off by the idea of learning names like "Nijiri" "Ehiru" "Sunandi" etc. As someone who struggles with names, I did lose track sometimes of who was who and what different words meant. But fear not!! Included in the book is a nifty glossary of common terms in case you forget! And honestly, I only found myself looking at it for the first fourth of the book or so, and after that the mythology and lore of the world was in my head and I pretty much understood what everything was. Could I properly spell it for this review without looking it up? Nope, but that says more of my spelling skills than the book. 
 If any of the aforementioned elements sounds intriguing to you, I highly recommend The Killing Moon. It's a tad short for my liking (or maybe I'm just used to reading Martin and Sanderson length epic fantasies) but what we're given left me thirsty for more stories in this world. I shall most definitely be checking out Ms. Jemisin's other novels in the future.