History Literature / DaughtersOfTheMoon

''Daughters of the Moon'' is a series of early 2000's novels by Lynne Ewing. It's about four girls -- later five -- who find out they're Goddesses. Or, more specifically, daughters of the moon goddess Selene who are destined to fight an ancient evil called the Atrox and its followers, who aim to devour all hope from the world. Each girl has her own Goddess powers as well: Vanessa, {{invisibility}}; Catty, {{time travel}}; Serena, {{telepathy}}; Jimena, premonition, and later Tianna, {{telekinesis}}. They must choose when they turn 17 whether to disappear and become a guardian spirit or stay on Earth and lose their powers and memories of everything that happened.

Although it probably wasn't intended as such, the series is notable for being a well-done example of a western [[MagicalGirl Magical Girl]] series, with [[ThePowerOfFriendship a team of girls]] having powers, [[MagicalAccessory magical trinkets]], [[InTheNameOfTheMoon a catchphase-esce prayer mantra]], [[MentorArchetype a mentor figure]], a love interest who's a [[BefriendingTheEnemy former bad guy]]-turned-[[MysteriousProtector mysterious protector]], an ancient evil and [[MonsterOfTheWeek its minions]], [[LoveInterests relationship drama]], etc. The only thing they're lacking is a transformation sequence, but they do get [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery dolled up in order to fight baddies]]. Not to mention it has an ''amazingly'' [[TurnOfTHeMillennium early 2000s aesthetic]].

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Vanessa and Stanton in ''Goddess of the Night'', though [[NoRomanticResolution it's over]] by the next book, ''Into the Cold Fire'', where Serena and Stanton now become this trope. [[TheyDo It's resolved by the end]].

* BittersweetSeventeen: The Daughters' seventeenth birthday is when they must make their choice.

* CoolPet: Wally the raccoon for Serena.

* IllBoy: Todd, Tianna's foster brother.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The series' POV revolves around seven characters, but then you add in all their relatives, enemies, allies, acquaintances, and then there's usually new characters introduced in each book...

Although it probably wasn't intended as such, the series is notable for being a well-done example of a western [[MagicalGirl Magical Girl]] series, with [[ThePowerOfFriendship a team of girls]] having [[ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl powers]], [[MagicalAccessory magical trinkets]], [[InTheNameOfTheMoon a catchphase-esce prayer mantra]], [[MentorArchetype a mentor figure]], a love interest who's a [[BefriendingTheEnemy former bad guy]]-turned-[[MysteriousProtector mysterious protector]], an ancient evil and [[MonsterOfTheWeek its minions]], [[LoveInterests relationship drama]], etc. The only thing they're lacking is a transformation sequence, but they do get [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery dolled up in order to fight baddies]]. Not to mention it has an ''amazingly'' [[TurnOfTHeMillennium early 2000s aesthetic]].

* HappilyAdopted: Shannon (Tianna's foster sister) by Kendra (Catty's adoptive mother) after the events of ''The Becoming''.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Tianna dies destroying the Atrox's human form. Catty dies destroying the Atrox ''permanently''.]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Kyle and the rest of the ''Literature/SonsOfTheDark'' main cast, who sacrificed themselves in ''The Final Eclipse'' so that Catty could infiltrate the Inner Circle and destroy the Atrox]].

** Ethan to Tianna in ''The Becoming''.

''Daughters of the Moon'' is a series of early 2000's novels by Lynne Ewing. It's about four girls — later five — who find out they're Goddesses. Or, more specifically, daughters of the moon goddess Selene who are destined to fight an ancient evil called the Atrox and its followers, who aim to devour all hope from the world. Each girl has her own Goddess powers as well: Vanessa, {{invisibility}}; Catty, {{time travel}}; Serena, {{telepathy}}; Jimena, premonition, and later Tianna, {{telekinesis}}. They must choose when they turn 17 whether to disappear and become a guardian spirit or stay on Earth and lose their powers and memories of everything that happened.

* DarkerAndEdgier: From the end of ''The Choice'' onward, the books take a more serious turn. [[spoiler: Jimena gives up her memories and powers, the girls lose Maggie, there's a more rushed attitude towards solving the secret scroll, there's more sexual innuendo, Tianna's death and the coming of the final eclipse ]]

* ImmortalitySeeker: Brought up by Jimena, when Maggie tells the Daughters about the Cold Fire and it's ability to bestow immortality:

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Sorry Maggie... [[spoiler: She tries to use the incantation from the Secret Scroll to destroy the Atrox; however, as it was not her destiny, the spell backfires and destroys ''her'' body instead.]]

* PastLifeMemories: Jimena starts gaining these which helps her learn that she is Pandia's reincarnation.

** A smaller example is Murray, a follower introduced in ''The Sacrifice''. He was turned during the 1950's, and still dresses like a greaser in the present day.

* AgeWithoutYouth: When the Atrox grant's Maggie's wish for immortality, it tricks her by not giving her eternal youth. Thankfully, Selene gives her a potion that can temporarily reverse the aging process.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys}}: When Serena falls for Stanton, who is a follower of the Atrox and later becomes Prince of Darkness.

* AnotherDimension: Nefandus.

* ArtifactOfDoom: The Secret Scroll .

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: When the daughters turn seventeen, they either give up their memories and powers, or vanish, possibly becoming guardian spirits.

** Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: Tianna]]. Because they were created by the Atrox, they were supposed to be evil, and even remembers having trouble feeling any sort of emotion to tragic situations when they were very young. However, since they were rescued by Selene as an infant, raised by a former daughter, and fed moon nectar to gain a soul, they have [[UpbringingMakesTheHero become a good person due to their upbringing]].

** [[spoiler: MARY]]

* TheChosenOne: Catty is this in regards to the Secret Scroll.

* ChildhoodFriend: Vanessa and Catty.

* HappilyAdopted: Shannon by Kendra.

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Kyle and the rest of the ''Literature/SonsOfTheDark'' main cast]].

* LoveRedeems: Stanton because his love for Serena keeps him from being totally evil when he's promoted to Prince of Darkness.

* MagicalIncantation: “O mater Luna, regina nocia, adiuvo me nunc.” is the most common one, but there's usually a phrase in each book and is meaningful to the conflict:

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Sorry Maggie...

* NewAgeRetroHippie: Kendra.

** Books 1, 7 and 13: ''Goddess of the Night'', ''Moon Demon'', ''The Final Eclipse'' follow Vanessa.

# ''Night Shade'' (2001):Jimena was once the toughest chola in East L.A. No longer in a gang, she is still feared by many. Nothing scares Jimena. Nothing, that is, except the reappearance of Veto, who was once the love of her life. That terrifies her, because Veto was killed a year ago by a rival gang. Or was he? Jimena discovers that he has made a devil's bargain, which could cost both of them their lives.
# ''The Secret Scroll'' (2001):Catty has always wanted to find out who her birth mother was, and amazingly enough,she has the power to allow herself to do that. When Catty goes back in time,she not only manages to meet her mother,but she also inherits a secret scroll that is the key to destroying the Atrox once and for all. Catty will have to go head-to-head with the most ancient evil of all time-if she can live that long.
# ''The Sacrifice'' (2001):Stanton is in love with Serena. But it is a relationship that can never be. Stanton is committed to the Atrox, an ancient evil that has been around since the beginning of time. And Serena is a Daughter of the Moon, a force of good whose mission is to stop Stanton and his kind. Stanton has been trying to stay away from Serena, but now their secret is out. He will have to choose between the life he has always known and a love that could end up destroying the person he cares about most.
# ''The Lost One'' (2001):When Tianna wakes up one day, she doesn’t know where she is. And more important, she doesn’t know who she is. All she has is a note she found in her handwriting, warning the police that someone is trying to kill her. Soon Tianna realizes that she is not like other people. She has the power to move things with her mind. Then she notices Vanessa, Serena, and Jimena watching her. What is her connection to the Daughters of the Moon?
# ''Moon Demon'' (2002):Vanessa's sixteenth birthday is coming up. While most girls would be thrilled at the prospect, Vanessa dreads being one year closer to making the most important decision of her life. Now she is beginning to doubt everything she holds true—her friends, her relationship with Michael, and even her identity. Then she meets Hector, who is more exciting and dangerous than anyone else she knows. Through him, she learns about a side of herself that she never knew existed...
# ''Possesion'' (2002):Serena hasn't been herself lately. She has been having sudden lapses of memory and acting like a completely different person — one she doesn't like very much. To add to her confusion, she knows that someone has been following her. It all started the night an elderly woman helped her. Now Serena is beginning to wonder, who was that woman? And what has she done to Serena?
# ''The Choice'' (2003):In a reckless attempt to change the future, Catty drops Jimena into her troubled past -- and into dangerous territory for the ex-gang member. As Jimena runs for her life, she is caught by the police and put in jail. There she is further threatened by a new type of Follower with a shape-changing power she is unable to resist. Her only choice is to break out of jail and hide out with a most unlikely ally—her old gang rival, Payasa. Together they have to save the other Daughters of the Moon before Jimena’s most terrifying premonition comes true.?
# ''The Tailsman'' (2003):Maggie is running out of time on this earth. And before she can name her successor, she reflects on the incredible, age-old journey that brought her to where she is. As a girl in ancient Athens, her father was a great warrior and leader of men. However, it was Maggie, known then as Penelope, who chose to battle the greatest enemy of all-the Atrox. After seeing an innocent man succumb to the Atrox and his shadowy followers, she takes a vow to help cleanse the world of its evil. But in doing so, she may have to forego the love of the great soldier, Hector, and lose her sister to the dark side.
# ''The Prophecy'' (2004):Catty almost has her hands on the Scroll and its power to destroy the Atrox, but time is running out. Anyone who sets foot near the cursed parchment will die, and it's about to go on display at the local art museum. Before Catty can steal it, the Scroll is hand delivered to her by a surprising messenger ...but this gift has strings. In return she must travel to the dark world of Nefandus to finally meet her father, a member of the Atrox's inner circle. There, he awaits her with a tempting proposal. Will Catty succumb to her dark heritage?
# ''The Becoming'' (2004):Lately, Tianna has been feeling unsettled, and she can't understand why -- she has a great boyfriend, good friends, and, for once, a loving foster home. But still, she can't shake the thought that something, or someone, is after her. At a skateboarding competition she runs into two of her most feared enemies, Justin and Mason. Only now, they claim they've come to help Tianna -- to warn her of her becoming. She has no idea what they mean, but deep down, Tianna senses herself changing. She knows that every Daughter has a dark side, but is hers threatening to overtake?
# ''The Final Eclipse'' (2007):Vanessa and Serena are prisoners in Nefandus, where the Atrox plans to capture their souls and make them Followers. Vanessa escapes just in time, but without Serena. Back in L.A., Jimena recalls an ancient prophecy that could spell disaster for Vanessa on her seventeenth birthday. Now Vanessa is faced with a crucial choice: save herself, or save Serena. In the thrilling conclusion to the Daughters of the Moon series, Vanessa, Catty, Serena, and Jimena face their final battle against the evil Atrox. But in protecting the world will the Daughters end up losing one another?

* {{All Girls Want Bad Boys}} - When Serena falls for Stanton, who is a follower of the Atrox and later becomes Prince of Darkness.

* {{Another Dimension}}: Nefandus.

** Downplayed with the Followers. Most of them are described as being inhumanly atrractive, but their features have a harshness to them.

* {{Beast and Beauty}}: Serena, a Goddess, being with Stanton, a messenger of evil.
* {{Belligerent Sexual Tension}}: Jimena and Collin until the third book.

* {{Bittersweet Ending}}: [[spoiler: The Atrox is defeated, Vanessa lives to make her final decision, and Jimena will go on to lead the next generation of Daughters of the Moon. On the other hand, Tianna dies at the end of book twelve when she destroys the Atrox's human form, Catty is killed destroying the Atrox, Serena decides to stay with Stanton in Nefandus after the portal shuts permanently without any way to return back, Vanessa no longer remembers her time as a daughter due to her decision, and Adamantis's spirit is now loose on earth.]]

* BreakingOutTheBoss: The Infidi's plan during ''Possesion''. An interesting play on the trope seeing as Lambert is imprisoned in Stanton's mind.

* CoolestClubEver: Planet Bang is the girl's go-to spot throughout the series. The followers tend to hang out at another club called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Dungeon]]
* CoolPet: Wally the raccoon for Serena

** Although she was unnamed in ''The Sacrifice'', the SonsOfTheDark book ''Escape'' implies that Maddie was the girl Stanton encountered in the graveyard.
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Justified with Serena's crush on Zahi. She usually avoids romantic relationships because she [[{{Telepathy}} sometimes starts mentally responding to their thoughts whenever she gets too happy or excited]]. One of the reasons she likes Zahi is because all his thoughts are in French or Arabic so she can't understand them.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The reason given as to why Followers can't harm someone who performed an act of kindness towards them.
%%* EvilFormerFriend: Morgan once she becomes a follower.

* {{Gratuitous Spanish}} - Jimena does this constantly.

** HeroicSacrifice

* IntimateMarks: When Vanessa finishes the purification ritual in ''Moon Demon'', she then discovers that the interconecting heart pattern she drew on the ground with chalk has now become a protective tattoo located over her heart. It stays on her until the last book, when it is removed by The Fates.

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Kyle and the rest of the SonsOfTheDark main cast]].

* LethalChef: Tianna avoids Mary's cooking since it's described as tasting like either rotten fish or cat food. [[spoiler:[[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink Turns out that it was a smart decision to not eat any of it ...]]]]
* LipstickAndLoadMontage: At least in the first two books, the heroines have a detailed sequence of putting on beautiful clothes and makeup before going to the showdown with the Atrox. Justified, as it works like battle paint - the psychological preparation is ''very'' important in a battle.

** Id quod factum est, infectum esse potest - What has been done can be undone (''Into the Cold Fire'')
** Quae tibi nocere possunt, etiam te adiuvare possunt - What can harm you, can also help you (''Night Shade'')
** Demere peronam tuam atque ad dominum tuum se referre - Take off your mask and return to your master (''The Secret Scroll'')
** Protegas et Deleas - Protect and Destroy (''The Sacrifice'')
** Leva velamen - Lift the Veil (''The Possession'')
** Si sine misercordia oppugnabis, tenebrae fies - If I attack without compassion, I’ll become the darkness (''The Choice'')
** Cum oculus daemonis coniveat, ini in terram vetitam - When the demon eye blinks, enter the forbidden land (''The Prophecy'')

** Mary, Tianna's foster mother, is a human who is aware but supportive of the girls' activities. [[spoiler: Subverted as she turns out to be a higher-up follower who was assigned to secretly guide Tianna into the role of the Becoming ]].

* {{The Power of Love}}: Where the Daughters get their powers from.
* PyrrhicVictory: In ''The Final Eclipse'', Vanessa's in absolutely no mood for Jimena's cheery congratulations after the Atrox is defeated, [[SoleSurvivor considering what it cost her]].
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Maggie was mortal back in Athens a couple millenia ago.

** Chris's origin is revealed in ''The Tailsman'' where he was originally a disgraced Spartan Soldier who teams up with Maggie to fight the Atrox.

** The Atrox does this too, with most of the followers shown in-series being [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld physically teens as well]]

** Books 1,7 and 13: ''Goddess of the Night'', ''Moon Demon'', ''The Final Eclipse'' follow Vanessa
** Books 2 and 8: ''Into the Cold Fire'' and ''Possession'' follow Serena
** Books 3 and 9: ''Night Shade'' and ''The Choice'' follow Jimena
** Books 4 and 11: ''The Secret Scroll'' and ''The Prophecy'' follow Catty
** Books 6 and 12: ''The Lost One'' and ''The Becoming'' follow Tiana
** Book 5: ''The Sacrifice'' follows Stanton
** Book 10: ''The Talisman'' follows Maggie
* RuleOfSymbolism: When Vanessa tells [[spoiler: Hector]] that she will take and wear the shackles that bind him to the Atrox, he gets down on one knee to offer them to her, as if he were proposing.
* RummageSaleReject: Morgan negatively describes Serena's fashion style as this. Catty and Vanessa like it.

* SecretKeeper: Collin and Derek discover that the girls are goddesses at separate points, but both promise to never tell anyone

* SixthRanger: Tianna joined the group latest after they established themselves as one.

* StalkerWithACrush}: Stanton to Serena during ''Into the Cold Fire'' and ''The Sacrifice'', and to Vanessa in ''Goddess of the Night''.

* SpotOfTea: Maggie almost always serves tea to the Daughters during their meetings.
* SueDonym: Maggie named herself that after Magna Mater, for "Guardian Mother".
%%* SurferDude: Collin

* TheNotLoveInterest: Chris comes off as this to Maggie in ''The Tailsman''.

** Serena in ''The Possesion'' when she begins having memory lapses and phases where acts completely out of character but is unable to control herself.

* UrbanFantasy
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Vanessa and Stanton in ''Goddess of the Night'', though [[NoRomanticResolution it's over]] by the next book, ''Into the Cold fire'', where Serena and Stanton now become this trope. [[TheyDo It's resolved by the end]].

* WeirdnessCensor: Often used to explain why the normal world can't recognize the evil around them. Maggie explains that it's easier for a person to think of a passerby's glowing eyes as a trick of the light rather then noticing that said passerby's eyes are fluorescent.

** ''Into the Cold Fire'': While Catty time travels solo to the previous night, Vanessa, Serena, and Jimena wait at a crowded, outdoor restaurant for her. All of a sudden Catty appears by falling above them, soaking wet and covered with seaweed. She's able to pass this off to everyone around them by claiming to be a promotion for an upcoming film called 'Ocean Deep'.

* YouHaveFailedMe: When Cassandra's plan in ''Night Shade'' fails, the Atrox punishes her taking away her status as a follower and turning her into a normal human.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: ''The Tailsman'' takes place in ancient Greece when Maggie was a teenager.

->“O mater Luna, regina nocia, adiuvo me nunc.”
->“O Mother Moon, Queen of the Night, help me now!”

->"Yeah. 'Cause we are the party!."

* UncannyValleyGirl: [[EnthrallingSiren Azera, Zonda, and Lizelle]] from ''The Choice''.

* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld

* EvilFormerFriend: Morgan once she becomes a follower.
* [[TheSixthRanger The Fifth Ranger]]: Tianna joined the group latest after they established themselves as one.
* {{Five Man Band}}:
** {{Badass Bookworm}}: Vanessa
** {{The Lancer}}: Catty
** {{The Ace}}: Serena
** {{The Big Guy}}: Jimena
** {{The Sixth Ranger}}: Tianna

* {{Love Redeems}} - Stanton because his love for Serena keeps him from being totally evil when he's promoted to Prince of Darkness.

* {{The Reveal}}:

* {{Stalker with a crush}} - Stanton to Serena during ''Into the Cold Fire'' and ''The Sacrifice'', and to Vanessa in ''Goddess of the Night''.

* SurferDude: Collin

* BittersweetSeventeen: The Daughters' seventeenth birthday is when they must [[MoralDilemma make their choice.]]

-->Jimena Castillo walked down the rain-drenched street as if she owned the night. And she did.

* SecretKeeper: Colin and Derek discover that the girls are goddesses at separate points, but both promise to never tell anyone

* ForegoneConclusion: In ''The Tailsman'' Maggie and Hector fall in love with each other. Since we've already seen [[spoiler: Hector as the villain of ''Moon Demon'']], we already know that things will end poorly.

** In ''Into the Cold Fire'', Jimena mentions that she wants a guy like Collin, which shocks Serena. When reminded that she hates him, Jimena clarifies that she wants someone who has a straightforward path with no big swerves ahead because that's all she sees in his future. The two get together in the next book.

** In ''The Choice'' it's mentioned that Maggie is out of town because she's preparing for an important ceremony that the Daughters don't know about. The next book, after her backstory, ends with [[MentorOccupationalHazard her finally dying after 2000 years]] and [[ObiWanMoment trying to take the Atrox down with her]].

Although it probably wasn't intended as such, the series is notable for being a well-done example of a western [[MagicalGirl Magical Girl]] series, with [[ThePowerOfFriendship a team of girls]] having [[ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl powers]], [[MagicalAccessory magical trinkets]], [[InTheNameOfTheMoon a catchphase-esce prayer mantra]], [[MentorArchetype a mentor figure]], a love interest who's a [[BefriendingTheEnemy former bad guy]]-turned-[[MysteriousProtector mysterious protector]], [[CompleteMonster an ancient evil ]]and [[MonsterOfTheWeek it's minions]], [[LoveInterests relationship drama]], etc. The only thing they're lacking is a transformation sequence, but they do get [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery dolled up in order to fight baddies]]. Not to mention it has an ''amazingly'' [[TurnOfTHeMillennium early 2000s aesthetic]].