Book Review – Page 49 – The Constellation of Moon

Clean Review

Posted on June 29, 2018

Clean by Juno Dawson

I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter … it’s liquid gold.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she’s hit rock bottom.

She’s wrong. Rock bottom is when she’s forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all …

It’s a dirty business getting clean …

Rating:

Don’t judge me, I don’t have syringes lying around the house (and the ones I have, are used for ink which wouldn’t look nice in a picture). And yes, the rose gold of the cover is stunning but also very difficult to photograph *cries*

This book has a LOT of cursing and a lot of drugs and addiction in general (to many different things). It was very very hard to connect with Lexi, because I have never had a life like hers and she just felt like a “poor rich girl”. There was some confusion as to when exactly this is set as there are references to pop culture but then it makes it look like it is happening a bit in the future, so unsure.

However, it was interesting to read on her “progress” through rehab and how she dealt with it and also it was interesting to see the rest of the characters in it. It did have more than a few cliches which were a bit meh, but it was okay.

I have to say, I hoped Lexi would do more with her life than what it seems she is doing when the book ends, so that was a bit disappointing. But it wasn’t a bad ending either.

Moon recommends

You don’t do drugs, it’s not good for you. But you can read Clean. (I don’t really read books about addicts going to rehab so it is hard to think of what else to recommend that matches this book…)

Book Review

White Rabbit, Red Wolf Review

Posted on June 27, 2018

Yes, I got some intrigued looks from my boyfriend when I came back into the room holding the knife, but in all fairness it was him that gifted one to me. (He was wondering how I’d use it a prop, not a concerned look, he’s used to my prop searches). Also, there are some Easter eggs in this picture if you’ve read the book…

White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock

Peter Blankman is afraid of everything and must confront unimaginable terror when his mother is attacked. Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a maths prodigy. He also suffers from severe panic attacks. Afraid of everything, he finds solace in the orderly and logical world of mathematics and in the love of his family: his scientist mum and his tough twin sister Bel, as well as Ingrid, his only friend. However, when his mother is found stabbed before an award ceremony and his sister is nowhere to be found, Pete is dragged into a world of espionage and violence where state and family secrets intertwine. Armed only with his extraordinary analytical skills, Peter may just discover that his biggest weakness is his greatest strength.

Rating:

I absolutely loved this book. I struggled to put it down to eat, to work, to sleep. I wanted to keep reading more and more.

It was full of maths and interesting problems and my mind was having a party as Peter counted numbers in his head, but not just 1, 2, 3… but square roots of each number, or maybe fibonacci series, or anything else of the kind. I loved every piece of numerical refernece that was there, the Cesar coding was such a fun thing to see there and the codes behind the pages, the greyed out number, it was like having a book written just for my pleasure.

The loop and loop and lie over lie, and loop and lie, was amazing and I absolutely loved it all, the plot twists kept coming and I loved each one and they left me with questions but more of the kind that says “hey, I want to know more, I need more, give me more books” rather than “what the heck happened” or “why?”. Marvelous indeed, and this is quickly rushing to be my book fo the year (unless the Girls find a way to surprise me again and wreck my heart like they did last year with After The Fire).

It is also a very difficult book to review without spoiling something because layers and loops and maths and I just can’t say how good this was. Read, go, read…

Moon recommends

Go read White Rabbit, Red Wolf. Then maybe go read After The Fire. And if you like maths why not read Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension?

Book Review

Half Bad Review

Posted on June 25, 2018

I’ve been trying to speed through my YALC list as the date approaches and thankfully I am not the only one so this was a buddy read and I didn’t do a full “Moon” on it (I usually work well with buddy reads up to the third day then I somehow end up finishing the book way before, this time I only read until the next part so not the end).

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Half Bad by Sally Green

Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?

Half Bad is an international sensation and the start of a brilliant trilogy: a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive.

Rating:

The book starts quite childish and it was a quick start and easy to read (remember this was a buddy read so I ahd to stick to a number of pages per day). It didn’t feel like a chore to catch up with the pages of the day which is always a good sign and I enjoyed how the writing/ the voice of the book changed as NMathan gerw and learned more, as he discovered more and more about the world and who he is.

I absolutely abhorred the Council and was so annoyed at their practices which is a good thing because the villain is something you can well dislike.

I really enjoyed Rose and Mercury, and wasn’t too sure about Gabriel, but now I have so many questions that I hope get answered in the next books (it is a trilogy and thankfully I have all 3 already!), plus Smoke Thieves).

Funnily and sadly enough, this book was quite relevant to what is happening in the world around us and it was sad that it matches a lot of things that aren’t going well.

Moon Recommends

Try The Apprentice Witch because it reminded me of it as I read Half Bad. Maigc in many forms indeed!

Book Review

Words in Deep Blue Review

Posted on June 23, 2018

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Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.

Rating:

This is a book about grief, and about the power of words. And as such it was a beautiful read. It took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I did, I kept wanting to read, and I wished for a Letter Library close by.

As I read it, I was reminded of all the times I’ve found little gems in library books or second-hand ones, one of them contained a dollar bill, another had a letter, some have had receipts or train tickets, and there have been beautiful dedications or author signatures on them. The joys of used books indeed.

But it isn’t just about books, it is about processing grief (not just the kind of loosing someone but also of dreams broken and lost) and living as best as you can, a bit like connecting the dots between the you before the event and the you that exists now, and it was beautiful.

It definitely shows the power and beauty of words in it. Even if I wanted to smack Henry with a book at times, and Rachel too. But it was cute, romantic and sweet. A light read despite the heavy topics.

Moon recommends

After I finished Words in Deep Blue I couldn’t help but think of Letters to the Lost, so that is my recommendation this time around.

Book Review

Heathen Volume 1 Review

Posted on June 21, 2018

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This will be a less formal review because it is a graphic novel. The artwork is a bit messy but that is the style it is going for and that is interesting in itself (also, it is seriously NSFW).

I don’t know exactly how I came by Heathen, but I do know that I enjoyed reaing it and that there’s a second volume coming out soon so I really want it because it is about a girl viking and there is also gods and mythology, and there’s a lot of sexy stuff going on too.

But it is also about breaking the norm and what is expected of you and going against the current and just trying to figure who you are and want you want and if you are able to go and be yourself and live with the consequences of that. It is about love and family and friendship.

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And there are wolves waiting for the end of the world in it (well one isn’t, it is napping) but I like the fact that it isn’t just one bit of the story but several and this was one of my favourite scenes because it made me smile and laugh a little. (I don’t know, maybe I have a weird sense of humour, who knows?)

All in all I recommend you read this but be aware there it is definitely NSFW.

Book Review

Spare & Found Parts Review

Posted on June 17, 2018

Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin

Nell Crane has always been an outsider. In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts—an arm, a leg, an eye—her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs everyone now uses. But Nell is the only one whose mechanical piece is on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. As her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society’s good . . . but how can Nell live up to her father’s revolutionary idea when she has none of her own?

Then she finds a mannequin hand while salvaging on the beach—the first boy’s hand she’s ever held—and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city—and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.

Rating:

This is kind of a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, and it has a slight dystopian vibe so it was very interesting. It also has an asexual main character, which made it refreshing (yes, there is romance in the book but it is not the purpose and there is so much going on).

Nell is an outsider and it is hard for her to relate to people, but there is a lot of pressure on her for being the child of those with revolutionary ideas and with a ticking heart that gives away your emotions and your changes of breath. It is interesting to see all of this as I lived some of a similar pressure (not to the dregreee Nell does).

Without spoilers, I absolutely loved the twists and turns and they surprised me a little (maybe not there and then because in the back of my head I had some slight suspicions but I thought “nah, this isn’t it”) and it is great.

All in all I was pleased with it despite a few complications but where I lost some of the interest at times but still good and interesting.

Moon recommends

Reading Spare and Found Parts, and if you liek a bit of steampunk why not give Lady Mechanika a try? And if you like odd interesting stories, I’d recommend also The Girl With Ghost Eyes.

Book Review

Mad or just utterly confusing?

Posted on June 13, 2018

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The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Alice has been living a shattered life, always on the road, and seemingly always on the run – although her mother Ella has always been vague about from what. Used to overstay their welcome, shifting schools and (in the best of cases) apartments almost as often as clothes, Alice is therefore somewhat surprised when Ella after a very short romance decides to settle down and marry, and Alice gains an extra sister, Audrey, that’s she’s actually starting to get some kind of relationship with. But after just a few weeks, Ella is suddenly missing, and Alice’s got a feeling that what’s always been hunting them is starting to catch up.

From that on, everything unravels quite quickly, as Ella’s disappearance is somehow connected to Alice’s mystical grandmother whom been writing creepy fairy tales, before recently passing away in her (very fairytaly) mansion located inside the Hazel Wood. Ignoring her mothers only instruction; STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD, Alice is fastly and spinningly knee-deep in this mad and mystical forest, where nothing is what it first appears to be.

Rating: 🐖 🐖 🐖 🐖

When writing this review, I realize that I’ve got remarkably few notes written down from my reading of The Hazel Wood. One reason for that is that I’ve got a very vague idea of what I’ve actually read. I tend to like books that are unpredictable in the sense that I’ve got no idea what’s going to happen in the next chapter. The Hazel Wood has however taken this to a new level; throughout this whole read, I had absolutely no idea what was going to take place in the next sentence.

Language wise, this book is an easy read. Plot wise, it’s a nightmare. But maybe that’s the thing with Alice in Wonderland, of which this is a retelling (that sometimes feels quite far-fetched). It’s what I like about this book, but at the same time it annoys me. It’s first when I give up on the track keeping of things that I start to enjoy this story. And then, I really enjoy it.

I also reflect a lot around the original Alice in Wonderland story while reading. Maybe it’s just as confusing, but over the years and due to the literary canon, we’ve all kind of accepted it. When retold in a new format, I once again have to struggle with figuring everything out. Perhaps it’s just the non-classic retellingness that throws me off? ‘Cause part of me really like what I’m reading. It’s exciting, and sometimes creepy as hell. The Hinterland, as the Hazel Wood universe is called, is both uncanny and deeply fascinating. And it’s told in a very convincing way. Even though it’s “completely bonkers” as Cheshire would’ve put it, I buy it all. Maybe not the clichés at first, but then, what is a fairy tale without them?

What really bothers me though is that everything is so very real on the Hinterside, like obviously existing even to the people outside of the craziness. Part of why I like the whole Alice-dilemma is that it’s sometimes vague what happens in her mind, and what actually happens. Removing that thin line is removing something from the heart of the story. But by all means, The Hazel Wood is it’s own book. And, as Dumbledore would’ve said:

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Dr. Bea approves

For those of you wishing for more Wonderland-related nightmares, and are up for an even creepier Alice-retelling, Alice by Christina Henry might be something for you.

Book Review

The Tea Dragon Society Review

Posted on June 11, 2018

Tea and Dragons, seriously? This book was one of those that I just had to have and I treated myself to it for this payday.

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

Rating:

Let’s start by saying that the illustrations are gorgeous and the characters are interesting (some human some not, very aesthetic either way and so cute). The story starts with Greta learning her mum’s trade, blacksmithing and doing her best to keep it and learn it so it isn’t forgotten (because people have quicker better ways to do things now).

Also the dragons are really cute, I want one of every kind (plus, tea is awesome and I’d love to have tea dragon tea). There’s a little appendix at the end which explains how to take care of a tea dragon and the different varieties.

All in all highly recommended cute graphic novel with a sweet look and lovely artwork. Plus, yes, I love tea!

Moon Recommends

The Tea Dragon Society or The Princess and The Pony are super cute graphic novels.

Book Review

Written in the Stars Review

Posted on June 7, 2018

This year I’ve been reading a lot more Own Voices books and trying to preorder more of those. So here is one. I have to say this review requires some Content Warning:

TW/CW: The book touches on forced marriage and the difficulties that happen around it. So it is brutal but good.

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Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?

Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

Rating:

This is a difficult book, you know how some fantasy authors justify the violence in their fantasy made up world by saying it was like this in medieval ages and shenanigangs like that? Well, in this particular book, it is not making it up, this is the reality for some women in the world.

Naila’s story is an extreme one, where a trip to pay for being found to have a boyfriend against her parents wishes, turns into a never ending nightmare that translates into loosing her college entrance times and having ehr trip prolonged over and over. The reason being a forced marriage that she doesn’t want.

But the story doesn’t end when she marries, but rather it follows her and it was sad, cringey and brutal but also powerful and full of wonderful quotes that I kept wanting to frame somewhere (check out Goodreads, they have some good ones there).

I do have to say, it was difficult to read for me, but it was also kinda therapeutic and it was good.

Moon recommends

If you can, to give this book a chance and maybe check my previous reviews since I have been reviewing books that touch on hard topics like Making Faces or Always Forever Maybe.

Book Review

A Pocketful of Crows Review

Posted on June 3, 2018

A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M. Harris

Rating:

Several years ago, I read Runelight and companion books and enjoyed them a lot. But forgot about ti and then this book passed me by until recently.

It is a very poetic read, with a lot of lore, and some fairy tale/old tale feeling to it that is hard to tell. It also makes good use of English phrases and words and “cultural nuances” which made this even more enjoyable (I do not know if everyone would catch unto them but I did and loved it for it).

It is also very interesting when most of the book the main character doesn’t have a name, and it is very well written. Deifnitely a mmodern fairytale.