Set in an alternate version of 1920s Chicago, this exciting, fantastical tale of a modern girl involves politicians, speakeasies, and faeries. In Ashland, a continent just recovering from volcanic devastation, MOONSHINE is forbidden. This is the term for mana, a blue liquid imbibed by addicts and magicians.

Miss Daisy Dell has graduated and wants to make use of her qualifications by working in Soot City. All that volcanic ash blowing around makes it hard to keep her dress and shoes clean, but how hard can a receptionist job be? She intends to get out and party and some of her fellow workers at Stripes Management are set to show her the city nightlife. One or two dress as the opposite gender, and nobody remarks. Somehow or other this leads minor magician Daisy to a life of crime and pursuit by a bounty hunter. She'd give up the job, but a girl's got to eat.

I found the setting highly unusual. This is a world of grey, where the outdoors is almost antithetical to life. To counter the ash constantly falling, almost everyone tries to dress brightly and arrange colourful décor. Survival is so challenging that most folks are only second generation Ashlanders, and they come in all colours and types. Remnants of an earlier population include the ogres who do much of the heavy lifting and truck driving. They also make good bouncers for speakeasies. Aside from them, it is possible for those in the know to reach to a world of faerie, maybe even draw one of the inhabitants out to enchant a trinket. The faerie don't speak the common language, so it's a matter of bargaining.

I love the detailed cover drawn by John Coulthart which picks up on many aspects of Daisy's tale. Author Jasmine Gower is from Portland, Oregon, and studied English literature, which she used along with various office jobs as inspiration for MOONSHINE. I don't know if any more books about Daisy or Ashland are planned, but I'd certainly be interested in reading them. This is an adult read with some violence and strong language. Jasmine Gower's third book is a lively creation with unique features and a hopeful heroine.