“Beyond the Moonlit Sea” by Julianne MacLean

“Beyond the Moonlit Sea” was an irritating thorn. A novel I wished dearly I’d enjoy, and yet some wasted potential in a faded overview. It was a mix of contrasting tastes for an unfortunate recipe.

Title: “Beyond the Moonlit Sea”

Author: Julianne MacLean

Genre: Thriller

Age Rating: +16

Page Count: 352

Star Rating: 0/5 ⭐

“Beyond the Moonlit Sea” is narrated subjectively from three different points of view, by three elementary characters for the action of the novel. The readers get later to understand the actual way in which the characters’ lives are linked to each other’s. There is also an exciting time parallel in narration, which, if you ask me, could’ve been shaped so beautifully.

A promising incipit

One particular detail which I admired sincerely was Olivia’s perspective. Her love for Dean was profound and poetical, which gave the incipit a delicate note of melancholy, hope and loneliness. I precisely loved the beginning of the novel, which later on raised my expectations. Unfortunately they fell off from the ceiling in short time.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭.”

“Beyond the Moonlit Sea”, Julianne MacLean

Dust in the eyes

The first 200 pages got me wondering why would the author include so much fade information in so many pages, for more than half of the book. There was no “literary link” between the events, just the time of action.

I’ve learnt about the male protagonist’s past, a given context to some of his actions and traumas… and then what? I think the greatest flaw of this novel was that each introduction of a new character, or the way a new framework was highlighted, gave the impression of something greater.

I needed Melanie’s thesis to have a greater importance in the overview, in Dean’s disappearance. Sorry to say this, but Olivia’s overthink and fake scenarios about this aspect was far more meaningful and right for a thriller than the actual situation. I can’t even get close to understanding how it’s possible to introduce a moment in a so thrilling and wondering way, get deeper in it and simply destroy it at its very end! It was so annoying sensing all that wasted potential!

They had under discussion the BERMUDA TRIANGLE and left it totally suspended. I was not really the biggest fan of the subject, but let it flow. It felt too common… too basic linking a plane disappearance to this place. Even though it was too predictable for me to actually like it, it was better than the actual ending of the book. All this novel made me think about a great number of situations and details the author wanted so much to link that the relevance of the matter got lost in between chapters.

The details which could’ve been the center of the intrigue, as Melanie’s thesis, were left out. They were treated as basic passing moments, when they should’ve been the whole center of focus. I think this book didn’t quite have the right main goals, focusing on pointless aspects and creating a basic and faded link of events.

There were, as well, numerous filler chapters that were irrelevant in the big scheme of the plot. I liked the scene of Gabriel taking care of Olivia’s daughter, but it didn’t actually come to an end. As it seems to me, the author tried to give the readers a tiny taste of everything, but forgot mixing all the tastes might turn out to be an unfortunate recipe.

filler chapters = extra chapters which were written only with the purpose of extending the action of a book, most of the time being pointless

The intrigue

Linking the intrigue to the family genealogy website was an inspired idea, of which even I thought highly. The mysterious atmosphere and clueless characters involved in the scene seemed to get my star rating for this book a little higher… at first. The explanation of the disappearance was shapeless and made the whole turn of events seem exaggerated: all those nights of overthinking and sufferance. Nice cover, terrible containing. Great beginnings for faded endings.

Star rating explained

Beside the great negative opinion upon the book, I also mentioned a few aspects which I liked. They were not developed properly and totally wasted, but they were still positive features for the narration. Even though here’s a balance between the two sides of my review, I had to give this book 0 stars. I simply can’t stand the fact that there was so much potential for how this story could’ve turned to be, and it was completely wasted.

I think it matters way more the way you’re ending a moment than the way you’re starting it. The authors need to get the readers’ attention from the very beginning, so they try their best for it. Therefore, most of the time the ending gets neglected, because it’s thought that the readers’ appreciation had already been won with that powerful beginning. Absolutely not! That attention and appreciation needs to be maintained.

Only a few authors I’ve read offer their book endings the proper attention, maintaining the quality of their novels ’till the very end. Personally, I’ve always thought higher of a book with symmetrical incipit and denouement than of one with an ending treated insignificantly.

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Additional information

You can read the synopsis of “Beyond the Moonlit Sea” here, on Goodreads.

! Spoilers !

For those of you wondering what happened to Dean, he disappeared for decades in a so thought plane crash. Olivia and their daughter discover he’s alive and living in Australia, finding out about the play he put on to make his “exit”.

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