Review
Imagine it's New York City in the roaring twenties and you teach English in a night school for immigrants. Sounds pretty normal, but add in the fact that vampires and all sorts of "Others" are integrated into society alongside humans. Not sounding so typical anymore,  unless you're Zephyr Hollis. Zephyr, reformed "Defender", is a "blessed" blade wielding, social activist extraordinaire, feminist, and closet Jazz singer. The vampire suffragette, as she's affectionately and mockingly known, is sent into a tail spin when a series of events beginning with a half dead little boy she finds in an alley on her way to teach one evening. Zephyr's comings and goings include a charming cast of characters including her hypocritically prudish landlady Mrs. Brodsky, roommate with a sixth sense Aileen, socialite and journalist Lily, and the ever mysterious Amir. Amir is not only an "Other" unlike any Zephyr's ever encountered, but also he's flirtatious, sarcastic, and dangerous- a winning combination for an intense budding romance.

Alaya Johnson has written a fast-paced, engaging novel. Her no nonsense, sharp tongued characterizations of Zephyr and Amir make this an enchanting read. The notion of Moonshine being merely another vampire or paranormal fiction novel is taking it a bit too lightly. Though a quirky and supernatural tale, it's also a guise for a more grounded critique on race. Zephyr struggles daily to get humans to see that the "Others", who openly live, work, and play in mainstream society, are still deserving of humanity even if not human.


Giveaway
Now that you totally wanna read Moonshine, here's your chance to win a copy!
Please leave a comment for each entry completed and be sure to leave a valid email address so I can notify you if you win.

Main entry (this must be done to enter): If we lived in a society with sometimes dangerous, but often harmless "Others", would you be a Defender or Suffragette and why? You don't have to write more than a sentence.

Bonus entries:
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Giveaway will close on Thursday, June 3 and winner will be announce on Friday, June 4.

About the Author
ALAYA JOHNSON is a recent Columbia graduate, and denizen of New York City.

Book Synopsis
Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss. What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request—not to mention attempting to resist his dark, inhuman charm.

www.alayadawnjohnson.com

Moonshine Tour Stops

Monday, May 24       Books And... live chat
Tuesday, May 25      Parajunkee
Wednesday, May 26 Fang-tastic Books
Thursday, May 27     BrownGirl BookSpeak
Friday, May 28          Not Really Southern Vamp Chick

I received this book from the publisher via Books And... virtual book tours.

Challenges:
African Diaspora
Women Unbound
POC Reading