Book Review

Moon Reads: Fathomfolk

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


♪ Under the sea, under the sea ♫

But not fully under the sea, but rather, in Tiankawi, the beautiful towering city that exists on the top of the slum, trying to escape the flooded situation.

Fathomfolk comes at you with the punches in a political and contrasting story that gives us two heroines, Mira who is a half-siren that most definitely does not use her siren abilities for reasons (including that the fathomfolk, or those that are not fully human, are looked down on and end up in the slums of the city) and that has been doing her best to prove that fathomfolk are not bad and can coexist and be at the same level as humans; and Nami, who is a dragon fathomfolk princess on her “I know better than my elders and everyone else” phase who is here to solve everything perfectly.

They both have the same goal, tackling the inequality and issues of Tiankawi, but their approach is polar opposites. While Mira believes there are ways to work with the system and make the system better, Nami is a firm believer in dismantling it, explosions and chaos included because the approach others are taking is not bringing the results immediately. So when things start coming to a head, they also come to a head and have to figure out what they truly want and how to achieve, and maybe cooperate on it.

I gave this four foxes because for my normal reading tastes, this a a little more political than what I like (but that is a Moon issue, not a book issue) however I still enjoyed it. The world-building is fascinating and I could see myths, legends, and stories woven through it. It was fun to find this new world and yet find “familiar” concepts that you can take and go “oh yes, that makes sense”. The city and characters all have many layers of complexity and that was refreshing to see even if at times it meant having to keep track of things. The hardest part for me was to figure out the city and where everyone was, as I kept feeling lost in locations and places, and I do wish there was some kind of “map” or a better city idea I could’ve used as a visual.

The other thing is that we have a variety of approaches and ages in our characters and the points of view we get (there are actually more characters that have a point of view, which when I first encountered them it confused me but slowly I warmed up to it). So it isn’t just a teenager in her know-it-all phase (Nami), but we also get someone who is doing her best at trying to be an adult and making life work out (Mira) including taking care of her mother, and we also have other points of view with varying ages (to avoid spoilers for now). Overall, you get many views and flavours of the city and of how things affect those groups and ages.

Then we have the themes of the book. One that comes to mind that may not be the “obvious” one is family and the complexities of it. What we do for our families, how you get your chosen family and relationships can work, and the fragility of bonds but also the strength of them. Of course we have the impact of human choices and a view of specism/racism, and what power can do and how it can corrupt. We also encounter a lot about owning our choices and the consequences of that and sometimes we think we know best but we focus too much on our own viewpoint and sometimes it is worth looking out.

Overall the story captivated me so much that I overexcitedly wanted to scream about this book a month before I was meant to. Don’t miss out on this story!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Over My Dead Body

Over my dead body by Sweeney Boo

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.


I saw this book in a bookshop and it caught my eye. I normally try to browse the graphic novel section, as sometimes it contains gems, and honestly Over my dead body did not disappoint.

At Younwity’s Institute of Magic, they don’t talk much about a girl that went missing many years go, but when Abby notices that Noreen just seems to have vanished, she starts to wonder and investigate. The problem is that there is a forbidden forest a plenty where Noreen could have disappeared to and also preparations for Samhain festival which are also distracting.

And so the adventure starts of Abby trying to find what happened to Noreen and slowly finding out the potential things that make it much too similar to what happened before her time in this school.

The art is glorious and the use of colour was epic, alongside giving it a magical appearance to things and setting the moods of each character and their ways clearly. It is a fun and mysterious read, with a lot to go for it and I enjoyed it a lot.

Of course there are frustrating bits, various things at stake and obstacles to overcome, including adults that don’t seem to be doing their duty (I admit this part is probably my least favourite trope of “hey the adults are just there to be an obstacle” and probably my least favourite part of this, but it works out not too badly and with a little more plot as you go along, but on first impressions it wasn’t winning much.

Overall, a good witchy and mysterious read worth grabbing and reading in one sitting.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Lost War

The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


If you have read my review for The Bitter Crown which is the second book and kept wondering what I thought of the first, well, here we are!

The Lost War starts like a lot of fantasy settings, in a pub. And it takes a full ride form there. Starting with the fact that Aranok isn’t a young 16-25 year old but rather set in his years with war experience and more life under his belt than just that. And he isn’t perfect or the most handsome.

I loved reading about characters that were each their own world, that weren’t just kids or young adults saving the world. These are adults, struggling with life in a different way, trying to recover a life after a long and difficult war, technically some are heroes and yet they don’t fully feel like that.

To me it felt like an epic Dungeons and Dragons story where it starts in a pub and suddenly what you thought was a chest turns out to be a mimic (and no this does not happen in the book, but interesting stuff does happen). And I enjoyed this as it gave an epic but organic feeling to it. If you’ve ever had a D&D session or many of them, you know that sometimes chaos reigns and joining the story is a feat or the constraints become interesting. And this is all good and fine as friends and if you forget a bit here or there or something changes, you’re totally fine.

The Lost War is a polished refined version of that fun. A contained adventure with some critical ones rolled here and there and sometimes some natural 20s and overall more or less barely enough to make it rolls of the dice, and I love that. Not everything works out but also not everything goes to hell, it is well balanced, with twists and turns, and a very fine twist which I enjoyed a lot as it it was nice and chaotic and also explained some little things that at first you just can’t put your finger on but know something is up.

It was a mastery of storytelling and I enjoyed it a lot.

If you love D&D adventures, chaos, older adventures and badass ones too, a good mix of chaos and kingdom, come try this series out. I’ve really been enjoying it!

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Bitter Crown

The Bitter Crown by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


Welcome to a chaotic review and blog tour post for The Bitter Crown. I somehow managed to leave my review for The Lost War in draft instead of publishing it ahead of today, so you will get the review for book 2 in the series before the review for book one which will come in the next review.

I read both books back to back, in the span of a week or so. They’re slightly chonky and remind me of old 80’s and 90’s novels in the worldbuilding and the adventures, a good fantasy specimen is what I would say. This means that if you didn’t read them one after the other immediately there’s a lot you might forget about this world and story. This brings me to probably my favourite thing in this book, which was the fact you get a “recap” as a relatively seamless part of the story.

This made for some interesting “this sounds too familiar, wait, it is a summary, a previously on” and I loved that.

Now for the actual review, it is hard to do without spoiling too much. With the end of the Lost War, there is now a lot of stake and more than anything, the truth is at stake, and it is hard when so very few actually know what is true or not. And honestly this whole concept of truth was also some of my favourite themes in the book, alongside what do you do when you have to rebuild yourself, your relationships and everything in your life now that you know the truth. Hard work, let me tell you.

The adventures continue and I still have a soft spot for Aranok, Allandria and Samily more than for the rest, I am biased because they really grew on me as the lost war happened and then even more here, particularly given the interesting new challenges presented to Aranok and Allandria (not to spoil things, but this was also a fascinating thing to read).

Overall, The Bitter Crown is a good sequel, giving a lot of adventure, more views of this world, a pinch or two of chaos and a very real and human set of characters. They aren’t perfect, they mess up, make mistakes, act crazy, and have consequences.

If you enjoy epic fantasy, a feeling like you’re walking through a Dungeons and Dragons campaign played by a bunch of adults (for the most part the ages of the main cast are varied and it goes more to older characters rather than very wet behind the ears ones, which was also refreshing to read), pick up the Eidyn Saga, it is really fun and I can’t wait for what comes next.

Book Review

Moon Reads: A Super Scary Narwhalloween

A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Hunting Moon

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


The Luminaries left me wishing for me, as you can read from my previous review of it. Since I followed the Twitter polls that started this and that were quite fun, it was natural to keep wanting more.

The slightly disjointed feeling of comparing that thread on Twitter (now X) is less evident here, mostly because by now in The Hunting Moon, it has evolved into much more of Susan Dennard’s own story rather than a choose-your-own-adventure type of thing. So in some ways, this book is more fun, and feels like the plot is unique and just smoother and to me those are winning points.

We also have Winnie questioning so much, and I found it interesting to see those doubts show up and the fight to trust and to do your best. There is so much going on, and so many ways to try to find out things, but the main things are we have the Dianas to look into (and that’s a whole thing, which damn I thought we’d get *redacted* happen in the end and we didn’t and now I await the next book) but we also have Winnie’s feelings about what being part of the Lumaries really is and if she is up for it, she sees the cracks all of a sudden that she didn’t when she was so focused on redeeming her family back in. It’s almost like “I got my goal, now what?” followed by a “Maybe this isn’t actually what I wanted but I also don’t want to be a pariah”. Small town vibes for sure.

And finally, the other part of the book that we have is Jay, who is still a whole mystery and Winnie has so many complex feelings on this alongside so much to try to discover and learn.

Overall, it is a slow pick-up to a fast-paced second half of the book where things just click. However, the werewolf mystery I knew the answer to it from the very first book. Seeing Winnie finally put the pieces together was both frustrating (like come on girl, you’ve got this) and also rewarding because she does put it together and manages to make big decisions in her own time.

If you enjoyed the first book, this is well worth the read. And if you didn’t read the first but like stories with a small town vibe, urban fantasy notes, werewolves, a bit of romance, intrigue, treason and framing, alongside some family interesting drama, that is easy to read and you’ll just won’t want to put it down, then definitely pick both books up and then join me in waiting for the next one because there’s so much* to find out still.

*One thing I did like is that there is progress here on discovering mysteries like the Whisperer, and part of the Dianas and the werewolves, so you feel progress and we discover new mysteries, rather than just feel cheated by a second book without resolving most of the threads left hanging from the first, which is also a HUGE win for me in ay sequel/series.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Love Kills

Love Kills by Danilo Beyruth

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


This one is courtesy of Titan Comic, and I admit I thought at first it was a gamble because I may like it or maybe it really wasn’t for me. Horror is something I am picky with and therefore I know going in that it may not be for me.

Love Kills surprised me.

It follows Helena as an immortal lone vampire, and the series of events that unravel to bring Marcus (just a humanTM) together. The art is steady and cryptic but also detailed, trying to portray the life and bustle of Sao Paulo and the streets there, but also the contrast of the city with Helena’s life and world, which is noticeable.

Marcus is just trying to be a good person, move in the world, do better, when he gets involved in a fight that turns out to be about hunting territory, and then something even deeper that comes haunting from the past of Helena.

One of the things I liked was seeing all the relationships and how they interacted with our main character. Being immortal here isn’t shown as this wonderful thing but rather a burden and something heavy, with some goods and bads, and with the past following heavily behind.

Still, overall, the story had me hooked and I needed to know more and more and to figure out what exactly was the reason why they were chasing Helena so much, alongside what would happen to Marcus, and what Helena’s choices would be.

If you want a one volume vampire graphic novel with a decent amount of city life, fights, mystery, suspense and chaos, this is a good choice, with added creepy vibe and a bit of gore.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Accidental Witch – Unexpected Guests

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Unexpected Guests by Perdita and Honor Cargill. Illustrated by Katie Saunders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


If you are new here, I have reviewed other books in this series because I really really enjoy it! You can read my review of the first book (Diary of an Accidental Witch), second (Flying High) and third (Ghostly Getaway) in their respective links.

The hard part fo reviewing a book you like is that then you struggle to say coherent things that tell others why you like it without being too much of spoilers, so here’s my attempt at it.

As usual, Bea wants to become the bestest witch ever and prove she can catch up with her peers who have had a lifetime of magic, compared to her very limited and relatively new experience of magic. So when the school has suddenly unexpected guests, her plans may go a bit awry, and she realises her non magical expertise and skills are an asset too and can help a lot in this magical world!

Filled with lots of funky magic, and a bit more development in the relationship between Bea and her dad who is one of my favourite book dads (he’s so supportive and chaotic but in a good way and tries so hard and loves Bea so much and it shows in all the books), there’s shenanigans and more to come but also, maybe a bit more love to show around the magical school and what the students can do best!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Sixteen Souls

Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


Since it is Halloween and I finally managed to schedule posts for the blog without breaking it (fingers crossed honestly, so much woe and drama to be able to schedule stuff) why not post a good spooky book?

Sixteen souls is many things, for starters, it gives Wednesday and the Addams kinda vibes in some ways, but there is also angst and cuteness, and many ghosts, and a plot for evil, and romance and intrigue, and queerness. Honestly, there is a lot of goodness, but in a way, despite the fact I read this ages ago, it feels like it is also cosy in many ways.

It is weird to say a book is cosy when it deals with soukls, evil plots and all that, but the writing makes it in a way like a cosy spooky hug, and also, it makes me want to go back to York and just wander around it and enjoy the many quirky places.

I like that there’s a plethora of ghosts with personalities and Charlie isn’t the happiest about dealing with all the ghosts but he’s also accepted his lot in life and made friends, something about when life gives you lemons and all that I think but in ghost form. But it is one thing to complain about ghosts messing up things or causing drama and another to have your ghosts and what you are familiar with suddenly go weird and wrong.

Charlie felt like one of those reluctant heroes who will anyway do the right thing because he’s soft, but then also the twists in this book are good and I really enjoyed the vibes perfectly and the story , plus now there’s a sequel/tie in which I have yet to read but looking forward to as I own it.

Read this is you enjoyed watching Wednesday and the Addams, or if you like cosy mysteries with a dollop of queer (not the full cosy vibes), or if you want a York ghosts vibe too.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Spirits Abroad

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.


For some reason unknown to me, I haven’t reviewed any of Zen’s books, however I have read a few and really enjoyed them, so when Spirits Abroad came out it was a good idea. And sometimes you just are in the mood for some short stories rather than a more epic one, right?

And this book is full of them.

The one first thing I will say, if you come to it expecting perfectly manicured short stories with a happy enidng or a perfect end to them, this is not it. This is more like grabbing a book of lore, of stories told around a camp fire, or around the kitchen during a gathering/party. It is a book of voices and ideas and therefore, of stories. And to me that is what absolutely shines here.

The stories are short, some way more than others, and they have a variety of flavours with all of them having some kind fo spirit or interesting otherness to it, a glint of magic in the ordinary or a ghost of weirdness and spookiness. But they are all ndeed captivating and honestly for most fo them, particularly some of the shorter ones, I wanted to know more of the story.

My personal favourite one is probably one of the longer ones where we have our main character of the story living with a bunch of aunties and some paranormal going on, while trying to live a very normal life thank you very much! I liked the mix of the normality, of the mundane with the not so common and the interesting “ending” we had for it.

I did read through this book slowly, as I had set myself to read a story or two (and sometimes, when I got hooked on the vibe of them, a few more) before bed, trying to stick to only reading a little bit because they were meant to help me relax, and they did in their own way.

Now, they are very much not Western short stories, and if you haven’t read a book from Zen Cho, I do want to let new readers know that there is a lot of words you may have to infer, to learn and cultural expressions too. I had to check up a few of the more interesting ones, and dig and dust some up I ahdn’t really heard or read in a while, but it still had a lot of value, and honestly, it made it quite itneresting to go learn new things and deep dive and accidentally end up looking recipes for whatever was mentioned in teh story at the time.

I think everyone would enjoy this book and the many stories in it, there’s a bit for everyone and lots of flavours that make it a rich and wonderful read.


Don’t miss out on the rest of the tour!