Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Whimsical Worlds Tales by Mail

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Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: Whimsical Worlds for December 2020

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.

Today I am showing you what the Whimsical Worlds box had inside and what I think about the contents, starting from the theme card/activity pages in the bottom left and going clockwise:

  • Whimsical Worlds activity pages, as per usual there’s space for a short review of each book and a few other activities.
  • The Marvellous Land of Snergs which claims to be the story that inspired the Hobbit so I am curious to find out more about it and also it is setting me for high expectations…
  • “A bookworm lives here” sticker, I have a soft spot for awesome stickers so this is a great item.
  • Small & Wild tea, it came with two bags and I was extra excited to see one is called Snoozy Fox! They’re both delicious and kid-friendly.
  • A Christmas wooden ornament, which promptly went on my tree.
  • Three promotional bookmarks for other middle-grade books.
  • The House at the Edge of Magic, this one has a different vibe, more like a Narnia feel to it and I am intrigued by it.

This book brought me great joy between the foxy tea, the Christmas ornament and just the interesting reads that came inside. So far, I can highly recommend the box for anyone with children, teachers or those like me that enjoy reading middle-grade books even if there are no children around to share them with.

I also really like that it packs two books and non clutter items in it. The tea was promptly brewed and enjoyed, the ornament went on the tree, the sticker will be put on a surface soon and the books read and enjoyed. No complaints there at all. And a lot to say for packing a punch in the contents.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Marvellous Moon Map

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The Marvellous Moon Map by Teresa Heapy and David Litchfield

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Gifted by a friend from my wishlist.

Spoiler free review: No.

Mouse is excited to set off and find the moon following the Marvellous Moon Map, but his friend Bear worries about how he will manage and if he is well prepared. Mouse starts the adventure in high spirits but as the time goes by, the woods get darker, the weather gets worse and suddenly a map isn’t enough to get by and find the moon.

Thankfully Bear was worried and so prepared a way to save Mouse. They do make it to the moon and Mouse realises how valuable true friendship is and how having friends makes discoveries and things more fun and better, plus easier to deal with.

This is one of those books that are good for read aloud or just letting a young reader go through. The pictures tell most of the story but it has dialogue so also quite fun either way. The artwork is stunning and I was happy to read it and pause to see all the details of what is happening to Mouse, and Bear once he joins the adventure.

Recommended for those wanting a book about friendship for children, a nice read as an adult, something about the moon or cute artwork of animals, it is very soft in colours and feeling.

Gaming

Moon Hauls: 2K UK Switch Kit

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What is this? The promised gaming content suddenly appearing in 2021?! What?!

Yes! After promising gaming content when I launched the rename of the blog to The Constellation of Moon, here we are. And what better way to start than to show you the awesome kit I won from 2K UK when they did their 12 days of Christmas giveaways on Twitter?

The box was banking on three of their gaming franchises: Bioshock, XCOM and Borderlands. Now, I have never played XCOM, and I am still not hooked on Borderlands, but Bioshock is one of those pillar games for me, so I was eager to open the box and see what was inside.

The big box had three smaller boxes inside, each one with a symbol to represent the game and then content that tied in with the game in some way, so lets see what the big haul was:

  • At the very top and inside the Bioshock box, a switch case with the Big Daddy logo. It is a nice sturdy case and I have a similar one so this is like a level up of tHe design of my usual one.
  • Underneath we also have a cleaning cloth with the lighthouse design (Bioshock). The only thing that would have made it better was if it had the quote on it.
  • A Memory Infusion to mimic the Plasmids, but is actually an SD memory card (Bioshock).
  • Little Sister socks, we all know I love getting socks with cool motifs and this one definitely is great. (Bioshock)
  • Coasters with all the games symbols.
  • A Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, which is really good and after using a non branded one for almost a year, this is definitely worth the price, it feels more sturdy and is a lot more comfortable. (Bioshock)
  • Bath Salts in a “test tube” for XCOM.
  • Decals based on Borderlands for the Switch. This is probably the one item I was the least excited about but it is mostly because I am not brave enough for them.
  • A Borderlands beanie.
  • XCOM neck warmer with lavender, it is quite perfumed and made the whole box smell of relaxation or like being in a spa.
  • ATOM headset, it is very customisable which is awesome and came in the Borderlands box as it has a slightly industrial feel that fits that game best.
  • A waffle fabric bathrobe for XCOM.
  • And finally a tote bag with the XCOM symbol too.

Overall, the boxes had a theme for them. Bioshock was about empowering your gaming and protecting your switch with the case, cloth, SD card and controller. XCOM was all about relaxing and papmering yourself with bath salts, neckwarmer, bathrobe, tote bag, it was only missing some slippers and it wouldve been the pack you get at a spa. And finally Borderlands box was about levelling up and customising the gaming experience. I have to say the items are pretty good and it made me want to try XCOM after opening it all and to replay Bioshock for the nth time… (I have lost count of the replays by now).

Pretty good early Christmas box win that made the whole being in Tier 4 and having to spend it home more bearable. Bonus points to 2K.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by 2K, this was just something I won on a competition randomly, so I thought to share the cool things it had inside.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Happy Narwhalidays

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Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Preordered as I love this series.

Spoiler free review: No

Before the year ends and the holiday season is behind us, I had to share my review for the fourth Narwhal and Jelly book, which is all about their version of the holidays. There is a magical mermaid unicorn that brings gifts just for giggles to the sea creatures and as per usual Jelly is skeptical but ends up wanting to give a gift to Narwhal, and Narwhal is the cheerful bundle of joy as usual.

I had a lot of fun reading this just before setitng the Christmas tree up and while trying to finally get a feel for the Christmas spirit which I wasnt feeling very much this year due to circumstances *points at world and situation*. But Narwhal is so chirpy and so hopeful that you just can’t resist it and suddenly you feel a little bit more cheerful, a little bit more into the holiday spirit and maybe even wishing a magical mermaid unicorn had brought you a gift or something to spread the holiday cheer.

The artwork is simple but it doesnt take away anyting from it, as it is very expressive and fits well the story, there are still waffles and a lot of sea creature friends alongside Jelly and Narwhal and I can recommend it as a feel good cheer up read where you need all the books from this series because one is just not enough, in a good way.

Recommended for those who love sea facts, narwhals, jellyfish, friendship and cute cartoons. It is a read on your own, or just look at the pictures or share a giggle with someone kind of book.

Announcements

Happy Holidays

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Wishing you happy holidays! I celebrate Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone.

This year has been a crazy one so my wishes for you all, is that you received books and the items you wanted the most, and that you managed to have good holidays despite the limitations and restrictions and changes. I also hope that as the year ends and the world wraps up, better things come and you can rest!

Sending my best,

Moon (wiht Vixy and Finn)

*Artwork by myself, background is also photograph taken by myself*

Book Review

Moon Reads: Horizon Zero Dawn The Sunhawk

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Horizon Zero Dawn – The Sunhawk by Anne Toole, Ann Maulina, Bryan Valenza and Jim Campbell

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

Ok, when I found out that there was a Horizon Zero Dawn comic, I preordered the hell out of it. So much I have all individual issues in at least 3 different versions of the cover, plus this one and the Forbidden Planet edition of the full volume. I genuinely love the game and have played it many times, so this was a natural add on to my shelves.

But what about the actual story?

It is very exciting and makes me want the Forbidden West game to come out today or as soon as I started reading the comics. I fully appreciate getting a comic while we wait which like an appetiser of what is to come.

Mostly it is a story about Talanah going on a mission/quest to hunt a new machine that looks dangerous and the slight scrapes and adventures she gets into. We also meet a few other characters that I suspect will show in-game and I can’t wait to play it! It is also nice to see a comic and the drawings of the machines and the adventures plus new areas. And it makes me want to draw some fanart and replay the main game. You definitely get less Aloy in it but I liked the focus on Talanah and how she’s faring being the Sunhawk of the Hunter’s Lodge, since the game will still focus on Aloy.

Overall, I recommend it for fans of the game and series and if you can’t wait to play the second game, you should totally read this.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Legends and Lore Owlcrate

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I am slowly catching up with my backlog of book boxes and here is the Owlcrate for October with the theme of Legends and Lore, which I liked quite a bit. Starting from the bottom left and going clockwise, the contents were:

  • We Free the Stars sampler. Since they had We Hunt The Flame in a previous box this makes loads of sense and I am curious.
  • Legendborm, which I am quite excited to read as it looks interesting.
  • Theme card, as per usual, I like the style of it.
  • Solstasia Festival plant based soap, which I highly appreciate that they chose a plant based soap and that they included soap because I like having fancy soaps in book boxes, it means I don’t have to buy new ones.
  • This is probably my favourite understated item, a glass file in a case. For starters, my husband has stolen it as it has a case and it is discreet and super good as a nail file. So as much as it is a small item, its probably the one that will get the MOST use.
  • A pot holder cosy thing, I don’t know hot to describe it properly, but I like it as it is meant to go on the bottom of the pot/bowl/hot round item and also the print is awesome.
  • A celestial wind chime which I didn’t spread out as I was avoiding damaging it before I hang it (I still need to find a spot for it but I am on the hunt)
  • A tablet/phone stand. I like how easy they are to set up and then to put back flat so this is useful and will probably end up in the kitchen as “recipe on the phone” back up.
  • A free audiobook code for Raybearer, again, cool gift and fun.
  • The monthly pin.

So what did I think? I found I liked the contents of the box and ait had a lot to give, between items even my husband will use to kitchen and useful pieces and decorative things plus a great read, it just felt like bang for your buck in usefulness and decoration plus bookishness. I highly appreciate that it isn’t specific fandoms I don’t connect with and instead, they are just really nice items you can have around the house or use in your house comfortably.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Art of Ghost of Tsushima

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The Art of Ghost of Tsushima

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

I ended ordering The Art of Ghost of Tsushima after realising that books of this kind for older games had sold out and I was desperately trying to find them. I have many reasons to buy an Art of book, but for hte most part is to see what is conceptual art, what was promotional, what ideas where bounced around and a few other details that you don’t see in the game or film.

The other reason I buy them is for reference, as sometimes I want to study the artwork, style or motifs and other I want to make fanart. So this would be a great encyclopaedia for drawing Jin and company.

The game has blow you away stunning visuals and as you can see from my chosen flat lay of the book, you can find the same alongside more details on clothing and character design and scenery. Honestly I just went page by page through it thinking that I’d love to just transplant myself to the scenery but preferably without the drama. Don’t want to be fighting mongols in real life thank you very much.

So, if you like game art and conceptual art or Japan or are intrigued by the artwork from it, this ia good book, the quality is stunning, presentation also wonderful. No faults from me except that I would like more pages and more art for the book.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Life & Death Illumicrate

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October was a busy month for book boxes it appears and Addie definitely had them scrambling for it. Illumicrate featured The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as their main book rather than making a special edition whcih I appreciate as a decision and really appreciate.If you are curious, you can find the Owlcrate special edition here. But what was in this box?

Lets unbox starting on the bottom right with the leaflet and going clockwise:

  • Theme leaflet, I do like the simplicity and style matching the book and items for most of their boxes.
  • Journey to the Afterlife room spray, those are really popular in book boxes nowadays and I just wish they were more like the ones that actually get rid of the bad smells because these are nice but not effective enough and fade generally quick.
  • Their version of The Invisble Life of Addie LaRue which I really like what they did with it, though my copy came wrong and I still need to chase a replacement.
  • A really cool pencil case I am utterly in love with due to artwork.
  • A cool acrylic picture thing, I really like the concpet but it isnt exactly the item for me, maybe if one could add their own pictures to the frame or something itd be better for me.
  • A double pin which I love for like collars or stuff o the sun and themoon I think? Really like the design.
  • Monthly pin for Addie and I like monthly pins so no complaints here from me.
  • Two wooden tarot cards which are gorgeous and surprisingly one of the few tarot and woodmark kind of objects I like.

Overall the box was cohesive nad nice and it had good and bad items. Most of the not so good were more due to personal choice and not that I didnt like the item, just I wouldnt use it much. But still good quality and Illumicrate keeps sending strong boxes.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Midnight Magic

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Midnight Magic by Michelle Harrison and Elissa Elwick

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

Midnight Magic is all about magic and black cats born at midnight.

It is also one of those books that as a child you love and will read over nad over again and keep thinking it would be amazing to have a cat like Midnight and be so lucky to have magic around. I remember feeling like this with The Little Leftover Witch, and I got the same little hope of magic and things just coming to happen with a pinch of magic in them.

Midnight is born exactly at midnight on a stable and she is a very lucky cat but also, it means a lot of trouble, but she will soon find her way around life.

I had a lot of joy reading this book, the illustrations make it even nicer to read and the rhyming verses to go through the story are delightful. I can highly recommend this book to read, both for your own enjoyment or for your childre, or your niece/nephew, or if you’re a teacher, then for your classroom. There will be a lot of fun and imagining how life would be if you had Midnight come to your house and you adopted her. I cant wait to see if there will be more adventures for Midnight and her family.

Overall, great read for all ages, and full of magic. Highly recommended.