The Constellation of Moon

Moon Hauls: Spellbound Book Box Club

Posted on May 30, 2022

Subscription box: Book Box Club

Theme/Month: Spellbound, December 2021

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. Sadly they have announced they are now on their last box so you can’t buy it anymore.

Book Box Club is a young adult subscription box, the unique thing is the Clubhouse where you can chat to the author a month (or so) after the box was shipped and ask questions and just chat around. It also includes several goodies and usually, the choice of book is one that is unique and not in other book boxes so very few chances of duplicate books and a lot of new reads discovery power.

I am still way behind on unboxings, woops, but this December box was a lovely one to have and I am sad that I am behind because there won’t be any more boxes but also glad I’ll have a few to talk about even once they have stopped. But I digress, let us talk about the context of this one starting at the bottom left and going clockwise:

Spellbound theme card
Crane pencil holder. I love these for fountain pens or for brushes, very useful and the roll up is kinda fun to do.
A Rush of Wings by Laura Weymouth. I love her books, what can I say?
Clubhouse invite
A little Reading Journal notebook to keep track of that reading goal if you do one every year.
Stickers for the reading journal which I thought was a fun approach to encourage you to use it and adorable extra.
A hanging wooden sign to say “This is where the magic happens” and its witchy and spooky but cool.
I forgot to mention but it obviously came with a cute pencil to put in the pencil roll up case.

Overall, a lovely little box with useful items preparing you for the new year and reading goals but also a little bit of magic and decoration.

Books, Discussion, Wrap-ups and Tags

Moon Shouts: Black Water Sister Giveaway

Posted on May 20, 2022

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.

Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke and moving back to Malaysia, a country she left when she was a toddler. So when Jess starts hearing voices, she chalks it up to stress. But there’s only one voice in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. In life Ah Ma was a spirit medium, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she’s determined to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god–and she’s decided Jess is going to help her do it.

Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny. If she fails, the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.

Can you believe this book came out last year and now it is out in paperback?! Crazy how time goes!

If you are curious about this book or Zen’s writing in general, I have a nice surprise for you. I am doing a giveaway sponsored by the publisher and Black Crow, so you can get a chance to win a copy.

But how do you win a copy? Just retweet the following tweet before the 22nd of May and you are in for the giveaway. Easy, right?

Who doesn’t love fantasy with mediumship, intriguing characters and lots of cultural lore that will keep you turning the page? Don’t miss out on this opportunity.

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: Witch for Hire

Posted on May 17, 2022

Witch for Hire by Ted Naifeh

Rating:

Read before: No

Ownership: Saw it in Forbidden Planet and it looked good so I bought it.

Witch for Hire is part high-school drama, part mystery thriller, part horror, and part fantasy. As such, it is a very odd combination that somehow works once you realise you are getting a little of everything. We have Faye who sits with the outcasts that somehow make it once good luck touches them except for Faye who wears her witch hat and doesn’t seem to care.

So when Cody who is the little sister of the popular girl finds herself shunned by her sister for not being cool enough, and into the rejects table with Faye, she thinks she’s found a good new friend.

Faye isn’t convinced of taking Cody under her arm or meddling in strange happenings that keep causing incidents and this weird series of pranks that are getting more and more dangerous until they seem to be entirely out of control. And even if Cody admits that she joined this odd challenge to become popular which is behind the pranks, it doesn’t fully explain what is going on.

Faye finds herself at odds with her way of doing things and wanting to help, but she fears the consequences and meddling despite her don’t care attitude.

It is a very interesting book and I just wish it was a little longer because the story is interesting even if quite twisted, but because of how twisted it is, it would have benefited from more back story in some places and just more context in others and tying a few loose ends that don’t detract from the story but that would make it a lot better.

As for the artwork, it is quite dark with an old school vibe and yet a twist of modern. In general, it seems to carry the effect of being a part of here and there and combining them in a way that works not just for the plot but for the artistic style and the way the story is told in pictures.

Overall a recommended not as well known witchy story to read.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Squire

Posted on May 12, 2022

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: A copy of this book was provided upon request from the publisher but I also bought a final copy, which is packed somewhere in a box currently.

I’ve been following Sara and her artwork for ages, and when I found out Squire was in the making, I was super excited about it.

Let me tell you, it did not disappoint and I can’t wait for more of it to come!

Squire follows Aiza, who dreams of becoming a Knight because it is a huge honour and also because it will probably mean people bully her less and she will be popular and a heroine. And finally, because she can then achieve Knighthood and have full citizenship. Initially, her parents are against it, reminding her of her heritage and why she is shunned, but in the end, they let her go.

At the training, she meets up with a few rivals and several other hopeful youngsters wanting to be knights. But as much as the training is hard, she is keeping her identity secret and this causes tensions.

To say much more would be to spoil the plot but I loved the many characters shown through it and their own unique stories and motivations, but not only that, the artwork is fun, the story has a lot to tell and it is, in general, a good read that I breezed through.

If you want new adventures of someone dreaming of becoming a Knight, of defending their country and the conundrum of their identity against what the values of this knighthood are, look no further, with fascinating and intricate artwork [some of those backgrounds are stunning] and a cast of characters that would provide you, someone to cheer for regardless of what your personal favourite type of character is, this I a book not to miss and read as soon as possible.

Discussion

Where has Moon been?

Posted on May 9, 2022

As you may have noticed, I’ve been a little absent from the blogging world and social media in general. In case you were asking where has Moon been? Here is your answer:

https://twitter.com/themoonkestrel/status/1519242891935330304

If you don’t do twitter or anything like that, the short version is that in December I had a health incident (I have a chronic condition and disability) and my housemate left me on the floor despite knowing my condition. This was a wake up call and I realised I was safer on my own and near friends than where I was currently. For various life reasons, making the move and changing my circumstances required a lot of planning that took over my life and then the move took over my life too.

However, I have finally moved house and I am now unpacking my books! This means that I will be back in full swing here very soon. For now, we will have a post or two a week and then slowly back to three a week. Hopefully you are all excited for the content here and to see what I’ve been reading!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Horizon Zero Dawn Liberation

Posted on March 25, 2022

Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation by Anne Toole, Elmer Damaso, Bryan Valenza and Jim Campbell

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: A friend requested it form the publisher for me because I love Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Frobidden West and the whole story and world.

If you have read the first main book on the Sunhawk and a little bit of a taster before Horizon Forbiddne West came out, I reviewed the volumes here. It was a good book delving on Tallanah and finding new beasts, which gave a good introduction to what the new game would bring.

Liberation is different in that it is instead giving us more backstory, the parts of Erend’s story and how his sister became the amazing person she was, how they ended up being part of the Oseram who helped Sun King Avad dethrone his father, and all that. The art as usual is amazing, and the story was interesting as we have Erend trying to tell his story while they track one of the relevant characters to the past of him and his sister. Aloy is being very much herself, which I liked because she definitely sometimes feels like she has bigger priorities and bigger things, and then it is her friends who love her who bring her down back tot he world and go “hey, you have things to worry about, but so do we, and we can help each other, no one is an island”.

It was just a very very nice comic for me to read, it added to the lore, explained the relationship and love Sun King Avad had for Ersa, and just how much everyone could admire her and why. It showed too why Erend has big shoes to fill and how unfit for it he is and yet how hard he tries. And of course, it shows us how different Aloy is to this and how much she tries to understand this part fo the story and world that she was never a part of because of how she was an Outcast and set aside and then suddenly had to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders without really choosing to. And yes, we know she could have said no, but that would not be true to herself. She ahs a big heart despite sometimes forgetting it.

Highly recommend adding this book to your comic collection and to your Aloy and her friend’s collection. It is as good or even better than the first one.

Book Review

Moon Reads: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Posted on March 21, 2022

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Rating:

Read before: No

Ownership: Copy provided by the publisher. They asked if anyone wanted one to review and I felt I had to given I am Mexican and I knew this would be a book I could talk about. I just didn’t realise how much I would understand this book.

I have just finished reading this book, and woah. I will start by saying that the whole fact that Julia’s mum expects her daughters to be perfect and to behave as if they were in Mexico and everything as she wanted to, is very much something I get. My own mum had her dreams of what my future should look like and it had incredibly intense consequences on the decisions I made around Julia and Olga’s age, and that in turn caused consequences I wish I could have avoided. Sometimes Mexican mums think they know best because they have imagined a full future and suddenly something clicks and they hold unto that.

But our story starts after Olga dies, the perfect daughter who is always helping her mum, who is studying to be a secretary and has a job but still lives at home, everything Julia is not. And without Olga to hold the high standards of their mother, Julia’s world quickly becomes suffocating and even harder to live in. And not only that but there are small hints that maybe Olga was not exactly who she said she was, that maybe she had carefully constructed a bunch of lies and there was more to what Julia considered a boring meek life as the perfect daughter.

Overall, the book is quite intense and paints a picture that I actually never felt was not Mexican enough or that was trying to romanticise it or anything. Instead it was factual, you can see how Julia judges some of it because she doesn’t understand the reasons, the culture, the traditions behind, or the hardships. And you can also see how the family does not get Julia and this American dream they hoped for either. The dream was not actually a dream, and in a way they are too afraid to make it be more. But you get all the little details that make it be true, be real, be genuine, and I liked that. I had no complaints on how Mexican this felt.

Overall, the one thing I have to say is that this book deals with a lot of intense topics and therefore it is worth coming to it prepared. Among them it deals with depression, death, attempted suicide, drugs, drug dealers, violence, pregnancy, abortion, affairs, parental abuse. There is a lot going on and it is an intense book, but it is also very nice to see Julia slowly find herself, and get out of the shadow of her perfect sister that was not actually that perfect or good and was trying just as Julia was, to live a life that would make their parents proud and make her happy, and that is a very hard balance and a lot of pressure to be under.

Writing

Moon Writes: smell the sea, smell the woods

Posted on March 17, 2022

standing near the edge,
a place where
water and sand converge,
waves of melancholy gently kiss my feet.

they come to shore full of vibrancy,
trying to take the earth whole,
yet as they retreat reluctantly,
one can hear the sea cry.

me and the waves,
blow kisses to the wind
that playfully catches
in between my hair.

a whiff of you in my curls,
a spell unlocked by nature,
magic that sings a blessing
with the whisper of a curse.

blessings that filter through
treetops, as sunshine glows
in the woods of memories
while the river of our story flows

it gently carries the weight
of you, i and us.
tears and fears, awe and hope
it takes it all in, it takes it all

and a curse that whispers,
“you are alone, all alone,
lost in the woods,
without a place to call home”.

pour salt in my wounds;
roots that go deep,
ground me in this world,
and are made to seek

make a poultice for my soul,
from the garden that grows
inside that heart of yours,
shade that keeps it cool

i smell the sea,
it’s a blessing
i smell the woods,
reject the curse

take a breath
catch your scent,
you hold me close,
and i am content…

I sometimes forget some of the things I wrote, this is one of those poems that has some lines I would like to work into something and then a lot of lines I am unsure about, but the pace is interesting and I love how it deals with blessings, magic and curses. Sometimes you know things before you know them. (This was written again in 2015/2016, old words)

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: On a Quest Tales by Mail

Posted on March 15, 2022

Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: On A Quest, December 2021

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing a Tales by Mail subscription, you can do it on their website.

Tales by Mail is a bi-monthly middle-grade book box that comes with two books, some activity pages you can collect, or copy or use in various ways, a pin and one or two items.

Who doesn’t like a good quest and adventure? So let us venture into this box and see what was inside, starting from the far left and going clockwise:

The Chime Seekers promotional bookmark
Sister of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange, an intriguing quest for a set of sisters
On A Quest review and activity pages, these are always fun to collect and I like the ideas they have or the puzzles or whatever the activity is.
The Chime Seekers by Ross Montgomery, a more magical quest than the sisters had but also intriguing.
Sisters of the Lost Marsh promotional bookmark.
Do not disturb wood sign to hand around the door or a wall or somewhere.
Walker Books Calendar for 2022, with lots of adorable illustrations
A Penguin sticket
And the collectible pin

Overall a good end of year box with even a surprise calendar and some very interesting stories.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Atlas Six

Posted on March 13, 2022

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: Review copy provided kindly by publisher. This does not influence my review, it just means I can read and review before it is published.

If you like Dark Academia, The Atlas Six is definitely a good one to add to your list! I am not someone that hangs out much in TikTok or booktok so this had flown under my radar, however, once the synopsis showed up, it sounded quite a good book.

We meet six chosen ones, each with a specific magical ability that raises them above and beyond the usual magical beings. Making them exceptional, but the Alexandrian Society, offers them an invitation to join, and only five will make it in. The point, in general, is to pit them against each other and yet ask them to work together and at the same time, they are there to learn and study and become better. Sounds like a tall order of the day for all the candidates!

And honestly, some of the plot twists were quite epic and thankfully not as utterly predictable. Most of the characters are not nice people, which is understandable because if you had that much power, you don’t win by being nice or rather it is harder to stay nice. For me, this was both a strength and a weakness of the book. Why? Because some of the characters I genuinely stopped caring or even really wanting to read about them from the first few pages. The only reason I read more was that they had a point of view of certain things others didn’t since obviously they were the ones that hung together or at least had similar things to show. However, it was also a strength as it gave me characters to consider interesting without fully rooting for them, and then there were a few characters that were mysterious or intriguing and some I liked almost instantly despite their flaws and prickly parts.

Overall the book was quite interesting, I very much want to read the next one and know what happens next and there was a lot of interesting pacing going on alongside some interesting takes on powers and magic that was refreshing to see. Recommended because it is a good magical dark academia vibe and we are here for it.