Leena Likitalo Books In Order

Publication Order of The Waning Moon Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Leena Likitalo is a writer from Finland who enjoys finding new adventures in both fiction and reality. As a winner of the ‘Writers of the Future’ award, Leena is set to be a writer to watch. She lives on the outskirts of Helsinki with her husband and has found herself in a few surreal situations, for instance, she once had to hitchhike home aboard a garbage truck. When it comes to exploration, Likitalo roams fearlessly within her fiction and urban fantasies. It is perhaps her fearless nature that inspires her to create such captivating characters, especially within her Waning Moon Duology. Both books have been known to drive her readers to keep reading on as Leena lures them in with ultimate mystery and thrilling suspense.

The Work of Leena Likitalo: ‘The Five Daughters of the Moon’

‘The Five Daughters of the Moon’ is the first novel out of the Waning Moon collection. Published in July 2017, this fantasy fiction book delves into the realm of the Russian Revolution and the infamous Romanov sisters. It can be classified as a fantasy thriller as well as a compelling mystery. As the Romanov reign crumbles, the five royal sisters are left to fend for themselves in the frightful second-world. Likitalo injects moments of magic and elements of manipulation to have you trailing towards the next page.

What sets this book apart from most is the way each chapter is written from the viewpoint of each sister who is afraid of the character named Gagargi Prataslav. The reason they are all so wary of Gagargi is due to his ‘Great Thinking Machine’. Unfortunately for the sisters, this machine has been purposefully powered by stolen souls from both animals and humans. Such a machine has the capability of wiping clean the world and replacing it with lifeless beings, a creative machine that only Prataslav has access to. This leaves the five sisters in a tricky situation as they desperately need to find a way to escape the villain’s rule. Yet, you may actually find that each sister has their own opinion of breaking away and individual tactics on how to go about their getaway.

There is eleven-year old Merile who dotes on her two canine pals. Aware of the power that Prataslav has over Russian society, she keeps a close eye on her beloved dogs. However, the machine is ruthless and keeps every animal in the Romanov’s world anxious. Alongside Merile is six-year old Alina, her younger sister who can see into the world of shadows. Each of the five sisters (Merile, Alina, Elisa, Celestia and Sibilia) are incredibly intuitive but it is Sibilia who steals the narrator’s spotlight. Sibilia is caught within that middle age when you’re not quite yet an adult but may still be perceived as a naive child. She is an excellent observer (hence her natural talents for narration) and plays light to the desire of feeling no fear and overcoming potential weaknesses. Sibilia is a character many women may be able to relate to, beautifully crafted by Leena Likitalo, Sibilia radiates strength. On the verge of making her debut within society, she can feel the watchful eyes of others, such as her nurse who expects her to still behave like a child. Nonetheless, Sibilia is prepared to overcome whatever mischief and chaos comes her way. ‘The Five Daughters of the Moon’ is a superb starter to introduce you to each of the sisters and their individual personalities and entices you into reading the next novel of the duology.

The Work of Leena Likitalo: ‘The Sisters of the Crescent Empress’

The second novel which follows on from the first is named ‘The Sisters of the Crescent Empress’. Released in the same year as the Daughters of the Moon, readers could not believe their luck as Likitalo gifted a sequel onto their shelves.

Without revealing too much to the patient reader, ruthless Gagargi is still on his hunt for innocent souls. As the sisters age, so does the story and its thickening plot. Unfortunately, the civil war has created a dismal society and the sisters are trapped far north in an isolated location. Each sister appears to be focused on their own unique path of freedom, yet Sibilia is still fixated on her upcoming debut. Perhaps Sibilia views it as a way of clinging onto familiarity within a world where her reality has been turned upside down? It is clear that the author has a gift of giving each of the sisters a fair share of the limelight as they each claim their take on the civil war and Gagargi’s rule.

Following on from the first adventure of the ‘Five Daughters of the Moon’, the character of Celestia makes it known that she is well aware of what might happen to the relatives of the Crescent Empress. Reluctant to wait, she warns the sisters about Gagargi’s threats to capture them all and steal the Romanov’s souls. By taking lead of the situation, Celestia formulates a cunning plan to keep her family safe and away from evil. Conversely, her sister Elise has her sights set on other matters rather than safety. In the second installation of Likitalo’s story, a certain Captain Janlav remains on the scene. Caught up in the romance of Janlav, Elise captures those fleeting moments of adoration which may mirror the reader’s own experience of past love. Sadly for Elise, her lost love has turned into a traitor and follows the rules of Gagargi. Will she win him back and enrol his assistance for the sister’s escape? It is difficult to tell when the ruthless villain has enlisted Janlav as a guard of the house.

Cleverly, each sister shares the same motive of breaking away. Their opinions overlap and provide the reader with many interesting angles, with such individual traits, perhaps a clash is ahead…

Likitalo: ‘One to watch’

When it comes to the lavish work of Leena Likitalo, her genius character development and firm grip on historical fantasy makes this duology captivating and encapsulating. Just like her character Sibilia, Likitalo is making a debut of her own into society. In 2017 she released both novels, which so far have been of great success and public approval. It is not hard to see why she was granted the Writers of the Future award and why she is one to watch. Likitalo allows each of the five Romanov sisters a chance to share their story and to convey their diverse characteristics. It is the ability and complexity of Leena’s authorship that makes her writing distinctive.