The Star and the Strange Moon

A few years ago, I absolutely loved Constance Sayers’s debut novel, A Witch in Time. Now she’s back with her third release, The Star and the Strange Moon. Like her previous work, this one combines fantasy and horror seamlessly. It’s about a 1960s actress who goes missing, the cult horror film left behind and the clues it may hold, and a young man who’s desperate to learn the truth… and how it connects to his own mother. With dual timelines, this novel is a mystery that goes in exciting, fantastical directions. 

Special thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

In 1968, Gemma Turner is a young actress trying to save her career, so she takes a starring role in a French horror film called L’Étrange Lune. But she goes missing during filming and is never seen again… except for in rare showings of L’Étrange Lune that show up every ten years, always with new, impossible scenes. 

Since he was 10 years old, Christopher Kent has been obsessed with Gemma Turner. His mother, mentally ill and struggling with addictions, destroyed a photo of the famous actress immediately before going into an episode from which she never fully recovered. Christopher spends the next few decades learning all he can about Gemma Turner, her strange disappearance, and what possible connection she could have to his late mother. 

Review

From the very beginning, The Star and the Strange Moon is utterly enthralling. I generally love horror and fantasy, and this one blends the two genres perfectly, set against the backdrop of the 1960s movie scenes and the lifestyles of the rich and creative. This book follows two timelines as they close in on each other. In the first, Gemma Turner is a 22-year-old actress who’s trying to save her floundering career. She accepts a starring role in a French horror film, L’Étrange Lune, directed by an eccentric director, Thierry Valdon. But despite his initial invitation for her to share her notes on his script, he demands complete control over the film. The two don’t get along at all. Things go from bad to worse when, in the middle of shooting an evening scene, Gemma disappears right on camera. She’s never seen again. 

Gemma’s parts in the book are so captivating. I love how much grit and ambition she has, not just as an actress, but also as an aspiring screenwriter. She leaves behind a problematic musician boyfriend before relocating to France for the horror film shoot. There are many different theories as to what happened to Gemma or who might have wanted to harm her. However, I love the direction Constance Sayers instead takes it. The reveal is earlier than I’d expected, but there’s a lot more story to be told about it!

The other main narrative of the novel follows Christopher Kent. His single mother trashes a poster of Gemma Turner and never recovers mentally, dying two years later. Only 10 at the time, it was a pivotal moment for Christopher, and to him, Gemma Turner was like a key to unraveling the mystery of his own mother. What was the connection between them? Why was there so much mystery surrounding Gemma Turner and her unusual disappearance? From the time he’s a teenager and into his 30s, Christopher does what he can to learn more about Gemma Turner and try to figure out what really happened to her. There’s also the creepy, secretive showings of her last film, L’Étrange Lune, that crop up every ten years, always with new and impossible footage. There’s so much secrecy surrounding this film…. Not to mention melancholy and death. Is this film cursed? Is it coming straight from Hell?

There are so many fascinating directions The Star and the Strange Moon goes in, but most of them are major spoilers, so I shall refrain from anything specific. I love how it’s built around a horror film (my favorite movie genre!), complete with an eerie chateau and a cast including vampires. Gemma is a woman very ahead of her times in 1968, and she’s a captivating protagonist to follow. The setting in France is as beautiful as it is haunting, with its fog and strange history. I also love how this book dives into the arts—specifically, movies and a bit of the rock music scene following the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. 

This book is also largely about family trauma and the tenuous connections we can draw to the seemingly irrelevant. Not everyone would fixate on such a specific detail the way Christopher Kent does, but he’s tenacious and determined. He might grow up to be emotionally unavailable or living in a dream world, but I felt for him. So much in his life is ripped away and all he has is a mystery to solve. 

Final Thoughts

The Star and the Strange Moon is a beautiful, haunting novel centered on a mystery that only grows weirder as you learn more. The characters are compelling, with thoughtful themes and connections, and I love how the horror and fantasy balance each other out. I’ve really enjoyed both of the Constance Sayers books I’ve read so far, and I look forward to reading The Ladies of the Secret Circus and anything else she puts out in the future. She’s becoming a favorite author, with just the right vibe for this time of year, especially.

Get the Book

You can buy The Star and the Strange Moon here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
Audience	Adult
Genre	Fantasy; Horror; Historical Fiction
Setting	France; England; Italy; USA
Number of Pages	480
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	November 14, 2023

Official Summary

From the author of A Witch in Time comes a haunting tale of ambition, obsession, and the eternal mystery and magic of film.  

A vanished star. A haunted film. A mystery only love can unravel…

1968: Gemma Turner once dreamed of stardom. Now the actress is on the cusp of obscurity. When she’s offered the lead in a radical new horror film, Gemma believes her luck has changed—but her dream is about to turn into a nightmare. One night, between the shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is alive. She’s been pulled into the film. And the script—and the monsters within it—are coming to life. Gemma must play her role perfectly if she hopes to survive.

2007: Gemma Turner’s disappearance is one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries—one that’s captivated film student Christopher Kent ever since he saw L’Étrange Lune for the first time. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there is new, impossible footage of Gemma that shouldn’t exist. Curiosity drives Christopher to unravel the truth. But answers to the film’s mystery may leave him trapped by it forever.

“A sweeping tale of dark magic, artistic obsession, and a love unbound from the limits of time, The Star and the Strange Moon captivates with lush prose and moments of poignant, heartbreaking beauty.” —Paulette Kennedy, author of The Witch of Tin Mountain 

For more from Constance Sayers, check out:
A Witch in Time
The Ladies of the Secret Circus