The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake


Fiction - Supernatural
333 Pages
Reviewed on 04/21/2021
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Grace Masso for Readers' Favorite

The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake: A Novel by Reina Lisa Menasche is a paranormal story with wonderfully developed characters and plot twists. With her new husband, Charlie, and her son, Jonah, there couldn’t be a better place for Jess McCortney to start her new life than the beautiful cottage on the shore of the peaceful Shy Moon Lake. But Jess is a troubled woman, a woman haunted by her past and her photographic memory makes things even worse. The lake has its own secrets and the townsfolk know they cannot talk about those secrets. They also know that what goes down into the lake is swallowed up forever. But the lake seems to beckon to Jess and she finds it irresistible.

Reina Lisa Menasche has crafted a tale filled with suspense and mystery. I was pulled in from the very beginning and immediately loved the author’s gift for writing multidimensional and believable characters. The protagonist is a woman who has suffered a lot and things do not seem to get any better because she forgets nothing — the moments of rejection, her father dying in a freak accident involving a ladder, a window, a bucket of spackle, and a psychotic cat; her husband abandoning her with a colicky baby and a dying mother only to send a message later saying he had to leave to concentrate on himself, and many other unpleasant memories. The author’s descriptions are vivid, and she paints a tapestry that readers will want to contemplate. The lake is part of the setting but it is written like a character in the story. The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake: A Novel is written by a real wordsmith who knows the value of every single word she uses, a story that held me on the edge of my seat as I read. You’ll love the characters; you’ll adore the setting; you’ll be seduced by the charm of the writing and the wonderful dialogues.

Shrabastee Chakraborty

In the serene water and bottomless depths of Shy Moon Lake lies an age-old secret. A series of misfortunes has always plagued the townspeople, who seem afraid of the lake. A wall dotted with ‘No Swimming’ signs separates the lakeside cottages from the rest of the town. When Jess and Charlie McCortney move to their summer home in such a cottage, they are unaware of the dangers lurking ahead. Very soon, they experience some mysterious phenomena that make them question their sanity. When it takes a toll on their marriage and finally threatens their lives, they yearn to go back. However, the lake has never allowed the inhabitants to escape. Trapped in a nightmarish reality, will the duo survive the lake’s wrath? Reina Lisa Menasche’s novel, The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake, can answer this.

Reina Lisa Menasche introduces her readers to an unusual and isolated community, whose superstitious rituals send a shiver down our spines. The freak storms and the unexplainable accidents indicate that something sinister lurks in the very soul of Shy Moon Lake. The ancient stories of the native Indians come alive in chilling moments, with readers breathlessly awaiting the next catastrophe. Menasche raises a pertinent question regarding karmic retribution - who decides what justice is? While generations of people have meekly accepted their terrible fate at the hand of a restless and vengeful spirit, our protagonists dare to question its fairness. The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake thus transcends from an ordinary horror story to a thought-provoking one.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake by Reina Lisa Menasche is a spine-tingling supernatural tale. Jess McCortney needs to start again, just her, her son, and her new husband. They find what seems to be the perfect place, a cottage on the shores of Shy Moon Lake. But the past won't go away. Jess has a photographic memory and she cannot forget the rejections, abandonment, and scars the past wreaked on her life. Shy Moon Lake is rumored to be bottomless, a lake where the birds won't swim. A lake that won’t give up its victims. Rumors of lost lovers, blood rituals, and strange islands abound and the locals will do everything in their power to protect the secrets of the lake – the last thing anyone wants is to make the lake angry. But the mysteries and Jess’s past are now headed for a collision. Jess is burdened by guilt and the lake will not forgive or forget the guilty. Is this where Jess can finally come to terms with the past or will she give in to the lure of the lake?

The Spirit of Shy Moon Lake by Reina Lisa Menasche is a supernatural tale you won't forget about too easily. It has just the right amount of spine-tingling terror, and plenty of action to keep you interested. The story hooks you right from the first page and once you start reading, you won't want to stop. It is written in the kind of seductive manner that gradually tightens its hold on you, much like Shy Moon Lake does. The characters are wonderful people, entirely likable and relatable, and you will find yourself rooting for Jess and her family all the way through. The plot is steady, twisting and turning to keep you guessing and I guarantee you will want to stay away from quiet, lonely lakes for a while after you finish reading it.