Moonlight and Dust by Jasmin McGaughey

Title: Moonlight and Dust

Author: Jasmin McGaughey

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Allen and Un win

Published: 1^st July 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: An intriguing, fast-paced debut YA fantasy novel, featuring sixteen-year-old Torres Strait Islander Zillah, who is caught up in the world of exclusive high school parties after her sister has a mysterious accident. For fans of kick-arse girls, enigmatic boys, true friendships, family secrets and illicit magic.

There’s something dangerous in the air. It shimmers in the night, wrapped in the warm, humid breeze. I stand on the kerb outside my cousin’s house waiting for my sister.

Zillah has always been a good girl – nothing like her rebellious big sister Nik. After Nik has an accident that leaves her comatose, Zillah has to find a way to navigate life and high school in Cairns without Nik’s guiding light.

Determined to fit in, Zillah seeks out the secrets of her school’s after-hours party scene and discovers Moondust – a sparkling elixir with magical properties. Could this have something to do with Nik’s accident? To find out, she must plunge further into a world of moonlit parties and take out-of-character risks.

As Zillah unravels what might be going on at Craigmont High, she forges friendships with other Island students and starts falling for a boy who might know more about Nik than he lets on. But Zillah is not entirely sure who she can trust. And she has no idea of the danger they’re all in.

A wonderful new voice in YA fantasy with a unique story about family and friendship, mysterious parties and unknowable secrets.

An impressive debut that covers themes of family, culture and friendship, and invites readers to acknowledge the varied cultural experiences of Torres Strait Islander people.

With Kulkalgau Ya – a Torres Strait dialect – seamlessly incorporated into the dialogue, Jasmin has created a fantasy thrill with meaning, readers would love to learn more about.

~*~

Zillah has returned to Cairns to go to the local high school, rather than finishing up boarding school in Brisbane. She hoped that she would he going to school with her sister Nik, but an accident on New Year’s Eve left Nik in a coma, and everyone has questions. Nik’s mysterious accident has encouraged Zillah to find out what really happened. She meets Artie, Lilli, Casey and a bunch of other kids who are part of BEW – Black Eco Warriors. But they do more than advocate for the community and environment. They take a drink called Moondust that gives them powers for 24 hours. Except, nobody can tell Zillah where it came from, nor what it did to her sister.

So, Zillah gets Artie onside to help her find out what it really does, and as she investigates, hoping to find a cure for Nik. Yet, everything is shrouded in secrecy. Nobody is telling her though, and in their tight Torres Strait Islander community with a fabulous extended family, Zillah still feels alone at times. There are things she can’t tell her mum or her aunts and uncles. Things she should tell them, but she’s been sworn to secrecy by Luke and everyone else involved. Zillah’s first taste of Moondust sparks something – something she’s never felt before. Like any magical spell or potion, it comes with risks and a price. As this First Nations driven fantasy novel set in the contemporary world moves along, we see Zillah caught between two worlds. Her Torres Strait Islander family and community, and the Moondust parties and school. Throughout the novel, Zillah and her friends code-switch, using creole with their community, and using English at school or with Artie and the others in the group. Jasmin explains this in an author’s note at the beginning and through Zillah, who is caught between two worlds. It’s a good way to seamlessly include culture and felt very natural for the story and characters.

At times, I got the sense that Zillah wasn’t always sure where she fitted in. Just like any teen, but being caught between two cultures can make things trickier, especially if you haven’t been around one culture whilst off at boarding school like Zillah. The integration and inclusion of culture and language brought this book to life for me, giving me a chance to learn a little bit about Torres Strait Islander culture and families, and I was starting to understand some of the creole about halfway through. I think it really makes the novel and gives it that authentic cultural aspect that I love seeing and learning about from #OwnVoices books. In doing so, these books enrich reading experiences and show that there are many ways to be Australian. Many stories in every cultural group living here. It’s empowering and intriguing, and I loved the sense of community and family they all had.

The fantasy aspect was done well too, with the potions slotting into things well. I haven’t read too many novels set in contemporary times that didn’t have some kind of portal or shift to the magical world. Because of that, I always enjoy seeing how authors integrate it into a world with technology and everything we know with ease. The lack of explanation about where Moondust came from for the majority of the novel contributed to the mystery Zillah was following. Her story pulled me along as she uncovered the secrets and people behind Moondust, and what it could make people do. What it did to her as well.

Everything in this book worked seamlessly. School, friends, the cultural discussions, the diversity, and the potions or magic – I was never quite sure what to call it. Potion or drink is probably the best word I can use without delving into spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that. This is one that is a fast-paced read, and deserves to be read the whole way through. Young adult fantasy is having a moment right now, and YA books in general. I am seeing so many good ones, so many diverse ones. They’re showing the power of diverse voices and stories, and showing that there are many ways to tell these stories so Indigenous kids can see themselves in writing, and everyone else can see part of these cultures as well. Books like this are great to open up discussions and understandings, and I think it is a great book for all readers from young adult upwards. I certainly enjoyed it as an adult reader! It’s a fabulous debut and will be watching Jasmin to see what she comes up with for us next.