There are shining moments in When a Moth Loved a Bee that make me want to love it. But, unfortunately, these moments tend to be swallowed up by how unnecessarily long this book is.
I struggled to connect to the characters. Runa is naive and sweet and is so timid it’s painful. She lies poorly but still hides her truth, and so many obstacles could have been avoided if she just spoke up. Actually, most of everyone’s problems could’ve been avoided if they had used their words. Everyone – person, animal, and spirit alike – is so convinced they need to keep secrets that the drama it causes seems ridiculous. Hundreds of pages wasted, talking in circles and hiding things. But back to the characters – Darro is so possessive it’s almost impossible to like him. He has many other terrible characteristics, but his possessiveness is overwhelming and distasteful.