"Daughters of the Moon" is a novel series written by Lynne Ewing. The main characters are mortal goddesses who battle an ancient evil known as The Atrox. Each character has unique powers, personal destinies, and hidden challenges, and all wear moon amulets. At age 17, the characters must decide whether to embrace a greater destiny or remain ordinary humans, losing their powers and memories of their roles as Daughters of the Moon. All the characters live in Los Angeles, where they fight against The Atrox and its dark followers. "Sons of the Dark" is a related series.

Series description

Vanessa, Catty, Serena, Tianna, and Jimena appear to be regular girls living in Los Angeles. However, each of them has a hidden ability. Vanessa can become invisible, Catty can travel back in time, Serena can read minds, Jimena can see the future, and Tianna can move objects with her mind. Even though they are different, their special powers unite them as a group called the Daughters of the Moon.

Second description after Book #6, The Lost One

Vanessa, Serena, Jimena, Catty, and Tianna are five girls who live in Los Angeles. They appear normal, but they are not ordinary. Each of them has a special ability that makes them unique. These abilities connect them to a group known as the Daughters of the Moon.

Characters

In the series, Vanessa is a blonde Daughter of the Moon and Daughter of Pandora. She appears in Goddess of the Night (Book #1), Moon Demon (Book #7), and The Final Eclipse (Book #13). As a Daughter of the Moon, she can make herself invisible by spreading out her molecules. After helping defeat the Atrox, she must choose between becoming a guardian spirit or losing her memories and powers. She chooses to lose her memories and powers. Vanessa is a good student and enjoys music, singing, and writing songs. She sometimes sings with her boyfriend’s band.

Serena begins the series with dark hair and red tips, which later becomes her natural dark brown. She has green eyes and three piercings: one in her tongue, one in her nose, and one in her belly button. Early in the series, Morgan calls her the "Queen of Weird" because of her unusual style and her side job reading tarot cards. She is a Daughter of Selene and Hekate, making her a goddess of the moon and a goddess of the dark. After helping defeat the Atrox, Serena must choose between becoming a guardian spirit, losing her memories and powers, or becoming the goddess of the dark. Stanton asks her to rule by his side as the goddess of the dark, and she accepts. She stays in Nefandus with Stanton to make it a world of light.

Jimena Castillo is a Daughter of the Moon and a former member of an LA gang. She appears in Night Shade (Book #3) and The Choice (Book #9). She is Mexican and has the power of premonition, which allows her to see the future. She lives with her grandmother in an apartment. Jimena was once a tough gang member from her neighborhood, Ninth Street, or el Nueve, until she learned about her destiny.

Catty Turner is a Daughter of the Moon and heir to the Secret Scroll. She appears in The Secret Scroll (Book #4) and The Prophecy (Book #11). She has the power to travel through time, called chronokinesis. Catty was abandoned by her birth mother, Zoe Reese, who was a Daughter of the Moon with the power of telekinesis. She was found by Kendra Turner on the side of a road in the Arizona desert. Kendra believed Catty was an alien and adopted her to protect her.

Tianna Moore is a girl with the power of telekinesis, which she can use to travel between dimensions. She first appears in The Lost One (Book #6) and The Becoming (Book #12). She becomes a Daughter of the Moon after helping Catty escape Nefandus, the realm of the Atrox. When she first appears in The Lost One, she has no memory of her past. Later, she learns she grew up in foster homes across Los Angeles after her parents and younger sister, Jamie, were killed by Followers when she was a child.

Stanton is a LA Follower who becomes the Prince of the Night. He appears in The Sacrifice (Book #5). He was originally an invitus, meaning someone forced to join the Atrox, in the 13th century. His father, a prince, was hunting the Atrox and left Stanton at home. While the prince was away, the Atrox took Stanton to scare his father from destroying it. In Goddess of the Night (Book #1), Stanton shows Vanessa a memory of his kidnapping. She tries to free him, and for this act, he can never hurt her. He loves Serena, though their love is forbidden.

Maggie Craven was the Daughters’ mentor and taught them to control their powers. In The Talisman (Book #10), her past is revealed. Maggie was born in Athens, Greece, as Penelope, the illegitimate child of Zeus. She grew up with her adoptive father and sister, Taemestra. As Penelope became devoted to Selene, her sister became a follower of the Atrox. She fell in love with a soldier named Hector, who was later captured by the Atrox and became the moon demon who tried to marry Vanessa in Moon Demon (Book #7). Maggie was the first to bind the Atrox to its shadow form, with Tianna being the second. Near the end of The Talisman, Maggie discovers she is pregnant with Hector’s child.

The Atrox is the enemy of the Daughters of the Moon. It wants to unleash diseases, terror, and other terrible things. To do this, it must destroy the Daughters of the Moon. It created Tianna Moore and protected Vanessa Cleveland. It took

Minor characters

In the series, Morgan is introduced in Goddess of the Night (Book #1) as a rich, not open-minded, and proud socialite friend of Vanessa's and a student at La Brea High. Catty, Jimena, and Serena dislike her because she focuses mostly on boys and clothes. However, Vanessa notices that Morgan tries to act carefree to hide her own insecurities. Morgan is rude and criticizes Serena Killingsworth for her unique fashion style, even though Serena once saw inside Morgan's mind and discovered that Morgan is jealous of Serena's talent on the cello. Morgan meets Stanton at Planet Bang and starts dating him, not knowing he is a Follower. Stanton and other Followers take away Morgan's hope, so Vanessa takes her to Maggie Craven, the mentor of the Daughters, who helps restore Morgan's hope. Morgan has on-and-off relationships with Followers throughout the series.

In the series, Collin is introduced in Goddess of the Night (Book #1). He is Serena's older brother and a love interest to Jimena. His favorite activity is surfing, but later in the series, he becomes interested in mythology after learning about the Daughters and their mission.

In the series, Wally is Serena's pet raccoon, found during a camping trip. He is introduced in Goddess of the Night (Book #1). His mother abandoned him, and Serena was allowed to keep him because her mother also left her.

In the series, Michael is introduced in Goddess of the Night (Book #1). He is a student at La Brea High and a romantic interest to Vanessa. He is popular, plays water polo, and enjoys music. He is in a band that plays bass guitar and performs at Planet Bang or other parties.

In the series, Kendra is Catty's adoptive mother. She found Catty wandering near a highway in the Arizona desert when Catty was six years old. Kendra owns a New-Age-style store called The Darma Bookstore and sometimes teaches at UCLA because she is a Latin scholar who can translate old languages and manuscripts. Her interest in space and aliens leads her to believe Catty is an alien. Kendra feels it is her duty to protect Catty from government labs and experiments. Until she learns the truth, Kendra believes Catty's alien family will rescue her and let Kendra visit their planet.

In the series, Chris is Catty's boyfriend and the Keeper of the Secret Scroll. His real name is Chryssipus, and he is from Ancient Greece. He met Maggie on her way to destroy the Atrox and helped her bind it to its shadow (Book #10). For centuries, he was the Keeper of the Secret Scroll, which he later gives to Catty, who becomes the next rightful heir. He falls in love with Catty in The Secret Scroll (Book #4). He disappears but returns to help Jimena in The Choice (Book #9). In The Prophecy (Book #11), he is held prisoner by Catty's father. He tells Catty that his life is tied to the scroll, so if Catty destroys it, he will also be destroyed.

In the series, Cassandra is a Follower who was once deeply in love with Stanton. She has long maroon hair and icy blue eyes. She carved the letters S-T-A into her chest with a razor blade at Planet Bang, trying to carve Stanton's name, but Vanessa stopped her. In Night Shade (Book #3), she is given a chance to destroy the Daughters and joins the Atrox's Inner Circle for a short time. She fails the Atrox and becomes an Outcast. She appears on and off throughout the series, with a major role in The Sacrifice (Book #5), where she causes trouble to win Stanton's attention.

In the series, Kyle is Catty's boyfriend in The Prophecy (Book #11) and The Becoming (Book #12). He is first described as a handsome high school boy who attracts girls despite his reputation for causing trouble. Later, it is revealed that he is a servus, a slave in Nefandus. As a servus, Kyle can read minds. He is cursed to kill anyone who is not from Nefandus if he tries to kiss them, absorbing their power in the process.

In the series, Justin and Mason are two Followers who killed Tianna's parents and sister. They traveled back in time to kill Tianna, not knowing she was created by the Atrox. In The Becoming (Book #12), they become Outcasts and want Tianna to ask the Atrox to let them return to its favor.

In the series, Hector is an Ancient Greece soldier and Maggie's former lover. He loved Maggie and wanted to marry her, but she could not accept because she promised herself to Selene until the Atrox was destroyed. To fulfill Maggie's promise and win her hand, he challenged the Atrox, but it tricked him and turned him into a moon demon. In Moon Demon (Book #7), the Atrox summons Hector to destroy the Daughters, but he falls for Vanessa. He tries to marry her and rule with her, but Vanessa frees him, and he peacefully dies. His ashes are given to Maggie.

In the series, Lambert Malmaris is a member of the Atrox's Inner Circle and wears the Phoenix Crest, making him very powerful. He is from the 13th Century and was assigned to be young Stanton's guardian knight because he was Stanton's father's bravest and most courageous knight. Lambert first appears in The Sacrifice (Book #5), where he teams up with Cassandra to destroy the Atrox and take over. At the end of the book, his body is destroyed, but since he is immortal, his spirit lives on as a sphere of blue light and can possess others. He reappears in Possession (Book #8). Stanton imprisoned Lambert in his memories of the Atrox, but Aura, Lambert's lover, possessed Serena to get close to Stanton and used Serena's powers to free Lambert from Stanton's mind. Lambert is also known as Darius.

In the series, Aura Triton is Lambert's lover. She first appears in Possession (Book #8). She was born in A.D. 1223 to a peasant father who held a jewel that later disappeared. Her fate was sealed: she would lose everything she gained. Aura, known then as Ursula, became famous for her beauty, even attracting the Atrox, who offered her father riches if she would marry it. She has the ability to switch bodies using a potion, leaving her victims with memory gaps until their souls are forced into Aura's

International titles

• United Kingdom and Canada: Same as in the United States
• France: Les Filles de la Lune
• Germany: Magic Friends
• Sweden: Måndöttrar

Series, in Order

Daughters of the Moon & Sons of the Dark*:

• Goddess of the Night (2000)
• Into the Cold Fire (2000)
• Night Shade (2001)
• The Secret Scroll (2001)
• The Sacrifice (2001)
• The Lost One (2001)
• Moon Demon (2002)
• Possession (2002)
• The Choice (2003)
• The Talisman (2003)
• The Prophecy (2004)
• Barbarian* (2004)
• Escape* (2004)
• The Becoming (2004)
• Outcast* (2005)
• Night Sun* (2005)
• The Final Eclipse (2007)

• Daughters of the Moon: Volume One: Books 1 – 3 (omnibus) (2010)
• Daughters of the Moon: Volume Two: Books 4 – 6 (omnibus) (2011)

Quotes

• "Tu es dea, filia lunae." – Maggie Craven (Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing, Book #1)

• "O Mater Luna, Regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc." (Daughters of the Moon Books #1-13 by Lynne Ewing)

• "Did your electricity go out?" Serena asked, but she already knew the answer. "No, I prefer the dark. You could say the dark is sacred to me." (Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing, Book #2)

• Serena looked through the violently rotating flames and saw Vanessa, Jimena, and Catty running toward her. They looked like goddesses; Vanessa dressed in shimmering blue, Jimena in lightning-strike silver, and Catty in wild strawberry pink, their hair bouncing in silky soft swirls with each step. (Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing, Book #2)

• She looked down at the amulet that hung around her neck. She rarely removed it, but she unclasped it now and studied the face of the moon etched in the metal. Sparkling in the sunlight, it wasn’t pure silver but reflected pinks, blues, and greens. (Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing, Book #1)

• Afterward, the two teams went out for pizza. She and Catty shared a double-cheese pepperoni with pineapple and anchovies. They had been best friends ever since. (Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing, Book #1)

• In the moon’s glow, her molecules became restless, urging her to give in, become invisible, and float over the city. (Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing, Book #1)

• She hadn’t understood her power when she was little. She only knew then that she was different from everyone else. Sometimes, in the excitement of playing, she’d forget her friends weren’t speaking and she’d answer their thoughts. Even now, if she became too happy or excited, she’d answer people’s thoughts as if they had said them out loud. (Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing, Book #2)

• That was Jimena’s gift. She had premonitions about the future. She was almost always forewarned if one of them was going to have a serious run-in with the Followers. (Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing, Book #2)

• When Catty had first tried time traveling, it had only been in short bursts. Then she learned that if she concentrated, she could make hops in time up to 24 hours into the past or the future. (Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing, Book #1)

• "You move objects with your mind and go into other dimensions, but you don’t believe in magic. You are magic." (The Lost One by Lynne Ewing, Book #6)

• Morning mist was still clinging to the Hollywood Hills when Vanessa stood under the wind chimes on Catty’s porch, knocking on the front door. A hummingbird darted around her, then flew to the pink oleander blossoms swaying near the redwood fence. (Moon Demon by Lynne Ewing, Book #7)

• On the street outside Maggie’s apartment, Vanessa stared up at the night sky while she waited for her friends to gather around Jimena’s car. The clouds seemed to be dissolving, as if getting ready for the moon to appear. (Moon Demon by Lynne Ewing, Book #7)

• Faded moonlight and lingering smoke filled the streets with a twilight gloom, and the hazy gray darkness made her uneasy. She glanced up. Normally, the acropolis could be seen from anyplace in Athens, but the overhanging haze now eclipsed it, and its invisibility frightened her. She quickened her pace, her lungs burning, and studied the shadows for any unnatural movement. (The Talisman by Lynne Ewing, Book #10)

• Twisted gold and silver bands remained on the delicately carved surface where the gleaming moonstone had once shot out light. Penelope traced her fingers over the gold, wondering who had dared desecrate the temple the week before and steal the stone. (The Talisman by Lynne Ewing, Book #10)

• She started across the agora, her thin leather sandals slapping against her heels. The temporary stalls were empty, but the smells of turnips, roses, olives, and myrtle berries still lingered from the day. Huge administrative buildings surrounded the market on all four sides, but now the distant columns and corridors were silent and filled with dangerous shadows where something evil could have hidden. (The Talisman by Lynne Ewing, Book #10)

• Catty, Serena, Vanessa, and Tianna stood together, their moon amulets blazing, eyes dilated as energy rose inside them. When they locked their arms to combine their powers, a gold aura shimmered around them. (The Choice by Lynne Ewing, Book #9)

• A palpable change filled the air as an evil vibration pulsed through the audience. Hands that had been waving glow sticks stopped. Everyone became still, looking at the phantom silhouette looming above them, their faces filled with fear. (The Choice by Lynne Ewing, Book #9)

• A manuscript sat on the kitchen table. She leaned over and studied the artwork around the borders of the old parchment. Exotic birds and animals were hidden in the rich patterns of gold, red, and blue. She recognized the miniature of the goddess locking the jaws of hell. This was the Secret Scroll. (The Choice by Lynne Ewing, Book #9)

• Stanton released his force with deadly accuracy and speed, sending swift bolts of light in all directions. Sparks flew into the air, giving the illusion of stars crowding the universe. (Possession by Lynne Ewing, Book #8)

• Immediately, Followers dove after him, dropping their torches and changing as they fell into phantom forms. Their sinister shapes stretched and soared out across the night until the sky was shrouded with strange ghostly figures. (Possession by Lynne Ewing, Book #8)

• Serena was the key, the goddess who had the power to alter the balance between good and evil. (The Sacrifice by Lynne Ewing, Book #5)

• The Daughters locked arms again. Their power shot out with a blinding light,