The Constellation of Moon

Moon Reads: Red River Seven

Posted on October 4, 2024

Red River Seven by A. J. Ryan

Rating:

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.

So, you like Resident Evil? It doesn’t matter if it is the games, or the films or both. This book fits right in with that type of story about a mystery, about experiments, and the feeling of the story makes you think that you may be in a similar world to it.

However, outside of the similar feeling of the story, everything else is different. When they wake up in a ship with no memories and a mission that is slowly revealed to them in parts as they achieve each new part, our characters have to try to figure out who they are, what is actually happening and why were they selected to join this unnerving mission.

The mist is out to get them, and they will have to fight it.

Our story focuses mostly on a man, who thinks he may be a type of detective. At least, it seems the people who make this odd group have their skillset intact, but their identity is a mystery. And they have to work together to achieve getting through what is coming for them, but also, puzzle out who is giving them their instructions, why they won’t tell them anything more but the bare minimum and sometimes in very cryptic ways. And why the mist is heavy and seems to carry screams and maybe hide something more beyond it.

It was interesting to try to puzzle together the mystery as we learn more about each character and what they slowly piece together of their past and identity, but the cost of finding out about themselves is high. There is always a feeling of urgency, like maybe if you stand still and try to keep digging at the many mysteries (the mist, why they specifically where chosen, why are their memories erased, what are the sounds and screams they hear, and the dreams?) the many secrets kept will come charging at you and destroy you or cause something worse to happen.

It was an intense read I did not want to stop reading and I ended up staying awake late to finish it because I needed to know all the whys and whats, and I also, I wanted them to get to their destination, to complete their mission, and to figure things out.

The ending is good even if maybe I wish for more, more story, but still, very worthwhile and it felt to me like a relatively quick read. I can see a videogame set for it, or a film and both would be pretty good.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Long Live Evil

Posted on October 1, 2024

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Rating:

I tend to be very cautious with hyped books. Still, the concept of Long Live Evil sounded interesting, an “isekai” type of book where the main character is transported to another world, in this case to her favourite book series, for which she hasn’t read the first book. She comes in as the main villain of the story.

The easiest way to describe this is that it is an anti-trope trope book. It will grab as many tropes as possible and turn them on their head, with my favourite being the main spoiler and therefore one I cannot say. But all I can say is that it was such a wonderful twist and I cannot wait to read the next book!

The characters are amusing, starting with Rae who is tired of living a life of being sick and walked over. Well, she might as well make the most of being the evil villain in this story to her benefit because then she can make the most out of the dreamy king who will be the emperor. We also have her cast of minions, Key who is as evil as evil can be and in for the money and the promises made to him from Rae. But then there is also Emer the maid who does not care to be evil but somehow ends up being made to, Cobra (who has his interesting secrets and chaos to bring in). And finally Lia, who is the heroine, the perfect pearl who can do no wrong.

It kept me laughing a lot, but at the same time it holds a lot of moments of heavy thoughts, starting with the fact that Rae has cancer and this is partly why she ends up in the world of her favourite series. There is also a lot of chaos particularly because she is toying with the book, she doesn’t think there are any consequences since it’s “not real” and this approach makes for questionable decisions on her part that may bite her back later on, but at the same time, she is trying to save herself, and find a better life as she feels like there is little hope for herself and hates seeing her life the way it is.

Overall, the chaos is good and a refreshing change from many other books recently published. It turns things around and yes, it may not be for everyone, but if you like chaotic funny books that deal with heavy topics in a relatively “light handed” way (none of it felt badly done but rather more of the type of humour of someone who has seen hell and can only laugh now about it).

One final thought is that it made an interesting point on what exactly defines a strong female character, by the many female characters in it and how each shows their reasons and work.

I highly recommend you read this book because it is worth the journey!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Service Model

Posted on June 7, 2024

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Rating:

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Service Model. If you know nothing of me, I work in tech as an engineer, so this was right up my street.

I am sure by now you know a little about the plot. But if not, stay with me, we follow Charles as he accidentally (?) kills his master due to a fault, in a world that has made the most of robots and has them everywhere possible, even where you didn’t think it might be possible. What comes next is his journey as he tries to understand why he made that mistake and as he encounters different personalities and robots who start to show him a side of him that he didn’t expect to find.

Even before you start to read the story, the dedication and thanks had me ready for it. Including the fact it talks about the book “You look like a thing and I love you” by Janelle Shane which if you want to understand robotics and AI better, is a worthy read with an amusing way to learn.

But as soon as I saw that, I knew this was a book that would be a delight and obviously a mastery in worldbuilding and in philosophically trying to understand what makes us human (which is to me part of the core of what Adrian does through his writing by exploring everything that is NOT human). And the book did not disappoint.

I could tell you all about Charles adventures, but the thing that stuck to me from the beginning is that this is about about identity, about routine and classifying things into flows and boxes, and also about grief. It is an incredibly human book in topic even if it doesn’t seem to be as you read the story and encounter mostly non human characters. And yet… Charles is trying to understand why he is feeling the way he is feeling about his master, and about the world overall. But there is also the fact that there are things he is struggling to compute, and what do you do when you can’t easily “compute” something? When things don’t fit in a box or a neat process or flow? And how Charles approaches these challenges is utterly fascinating, including the fact that he talks about efficiency and resources, and again, shines a light on how we feel and make decisions as humans, but also about what we expect from robots and the limitations machine learning and AI have and how the unexpected can wreak havoc and chaos.

It is, as usual a masterpiece in thought, but it is also incredibly amusing and it made me laugh a few times. References to things we do or culture are there, and it pokes fun at things we may consider normal but that aren’t for a robot. And funnily enough it made me think of the books “A Psalm for the Wild Built” and it’s companion, because it hits on those questions of humanity and non humanity.

A must read for anyone who grapples with the idea of AI going too fast or taking over jobs, and also if you want a different sci-fi than the utopia of living in space and robots being perfect.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Accidental Witch – Stage Fright

Posted on March 21, 2024

Diary of an Accidental Witch – Stage Fright by Perdita and Honor Cargill. Illustrated by Katie Saunders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

I love this series so much and every time a new book comes out I immediately need it.

In Stage Fright, the school year is putting up a play with magical displays and a lot going on. so Bea is hoping maybe she can help with all the effects and use her magic for it, but when it gets a little chaotic and the play becomes more than they thought it’d be, Be’s nerves get in the way.

Thankfully she still manages to make the most fo the play, be the best character she’s meant to be and perform.

As usual, a hilarious book that feels exactly like Bea’s diary with a lot of froggy madness, nerves, questions and trying to fit in and do it all, including performing perfectly.

There is a lot of laughs to be had, the artwork makes it even better, and you will definitely not forget this play put on by Bea and her friends. Don’t miss out on this and the full series which is now a few books ahead!

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: The Winternight Trilogy

Posted on March 18, 2024

Back when Book Box Club existed they did “The Bear and the Nightingale” and “The Girl in the Tower” as one of their monthly books, and I absolutely fell in love with them.

Then there was an author visit and signing in a library and turns out there were only like 3 of us there, so we sat in barefeet on the floor and chatted with Katherine about books, the story and more to come. No lies here, it was one of my favourite book events ever, we had Pom Bears and Capri suns, and just enjoyed the time in the library.

And of course, my original paperback of back then, has one a great dedication:

So of course I had to get this edition from Illumicrate (I did not totally deviate from the original content intended, at all, promise).

It came with the stunning version of the book, a print, a necklace a bookmark (it’s so dainty, so perfect) and a spinning tealight holder (I find these so fun to watch). It was such a big win and just fit perfectly with my love for this series.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Skull

Posted on March 15, 2024

The Skull by Jon Klassen

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

I stumbled upon this book while browsing Waterstones and it just looked like an interesting creepy book that would match some other favourites I have read on a similar style (reviews coming).

Let’s start with the artwork which is absolutely perfectly matched to the book, it is creepy, it is artsy and feels a bit folkloric and just right.

Then we have the story, which has a story of how it came to be. The author had a vague idea of reading a story that matched this story, but when he went back to read it, it was nothing like what he remembered, so he made the one he remembered. I think that is so cool and comes to show that sometimes stories grip you and you end up being inspired or making your own interpretation of them.

But, now to the main story, The Skull is about a big old abandoned house where a skull lives. And when Otilla escapes from danger and ends up taking refuge in the house, she finds her host, the skull, not too bad a companion. But skull is scared of something too and therefore they may be able to help each other!

This was a work of art and I found it perfectly creepy, mysterious and folkloric, with a nice twist of a decision on where the plot goes and it was very satisfying to read.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Fathomfolk

Posted on March 12, 2024

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Rating:

♪ 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

Posted on December 30, 2023

Over my dead body by Sweeney Boo

Rating:

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

Posted on December 26, 2023

The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

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

Posted on December 23, 2023

The Bitter Crown by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating:

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.