An exciting new urban fantasy steeped in Torres Strait Islander culture.
Fetaure image credit: Allen & Unwin
Moonlight and Dust is a YA novel steeped in Torres Strait Islander culture. It is exciting to find an urban fantasy set in Australia, and the distinct voice of this story creates an immersive cultural environment.
When Zillah’s big sister Nik has an accident that leaves her in a coma, Zillah finds herself trying to navigate a new school without Nik’s guiding light. In an effort to fit in and be more like her sister, Zillah leaps into the school’s weekend party scene and discovers Moondust — vials of sparkling liquid that give the drinkers incredible abilities. Zillah’s quest to find out more about Nik’s accident leads to more secrets and danger than Zillah could have anticipated.
Zillah and her family are of Torres Strait Islander heritage, and the language of the book is full of cultural references, Torres Strait Islander language (specifically Kulkalgau Ya, as mentioned in the Author’s Note) and Creole. It is highly immersive, and while most of the time the meaning can be inferred from the context, there are a few times where I would have benefited from a translation of some of the longer phrases.
The value of family is a very strong theme throughout the book, from Zillah’s love and concern for her sister through to the wider family dynamics. Culturally, family is as important as breathing, and the book shows healthy and loving relationships, which is a nice contrast to the vast number of YA novels with dysfunctional or absent families.
In a similar vein to the family relationships, the friendship between Zillah and her group of friends is mostly mature and quick to forgive. However, while the family relationships feel authentic, like they are reflecting the author’s lived experience, I found that the friend dynamics didn’t always feel realistic, as in my experience teenagers often struggle to express how they really feel to others, and issues don’t always smooth themselves out as conveniently as they do in this book. Is it a good example of what a mature friendship can be? Absolutely! Does it feel authentic? No.
The story moves quickly in the way of YA fiction, but this story never falls into the hole of skipping over important plot points. The pacing is spot on for this genre.
This is well worth a read for any fan of YA urban fantasy, and is an exceptional story grounded in Torres Strait Islander culture — a voice that needs to be heard much more often.
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
Social media handles: StefanoffK
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Allen & Unwin
Released: July 2025
RRP: $24.99
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