"This skillfully crafted YA mystery novel revolves around a past event that continues to haunt its protagonist. Oleksiw offers a realistic portrait of a suburban town in the 1980s and of the ties that bind individuals to the place of their origins.
Oleksiw works in a clear, lyrical prose that effectively conveys the unfolding events, while kneading at the more elusive aspects of the story, as filtered through time, tightly held secrets, and memory.
Oleksiw deftly blends a coming-of-age story with elements of a mystery, resulting in an insightful and refreshing YA novel with crossover appeal to an older audience.
While the protagonist remains somewhat of an enigma throughout the novel, readers will come to know him through his relationships with other characters. The circumstances of the mystery will keep readers fully engaged, as will Kiran's quest to rediscover, or perhaps reclaim, his soul." -The Booklife Prize 2018
"THE BOYS WHO DANCED WITH THE MOON is poignant, bittersweet, and rich with the joys and sorrows of adolescent friendships. The characters are by no means dull - cynical, playful, defiant Marius, dreamy, eccentric, frequently wise Moony, and Kiran himself, full to the brim of words and poetry and young love. This is not the book for a lover of rapid action - it starts slowly, and for the first few chapters, it's easy enough to wonder where it's going. But hang on - once Marius is introduced, and he and Kiran become fast friends, the tale gains energy and heart in spades.
The memories unfold themselves gradually and deliberately, but powerfully. The author deftly immerses readers in the intensity of adolescent emotion, seen through the rosily wistful haze of adult recollection, and these boys are easy to love.
THE BOYS WHO DANCED WITH THE MOON is a tender and poetic look at adolescent boyhood, and its currents will draw the reader along almost as powerfully as those of the river at its heart." -Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader
