The Constellation of Moon

Murder and Mayhem Owlcrate Unboxing

Posted on March 26, 2019

I just noticed there’s a very murdery vibe in colour choice of the box and I like it. Let’s check the items in it starting from the book and going clockwise:

Four Dead Queens. I already had this book in my list, ages ago, so it was easy to say yes to this box instead of Skip. I have to say I do prefer the normal cover rather than this one being red, I think the blue gives it a more “Cold” sombre effect that matches it better, but it’s still gorgeous.
Underneath there’s a drawsting backpack with a lot of murdery vibes going on. I don’t really do drawstring backpacks, but I love the idea of it and this one is quite nice quality.
The collectible pin which is gorgeous! It is the quadrants of the Four Dead Queens.
Three Dark Crowns sticker, which is gorgoeus and now I don’t know where to stick it!
A woodmark (I am still not super keen on them, they make me think it’ll break or something easily. ) and this one was very “meh” for me, even if the wolf is gorgeous.
My favourite item! A ceramic travel mug (I have a soft spot for travel mugs) inspired by Neverngiht, which is just amazing.
Sunai candle, there were apparently three scents to match the monsters types from This Savage Song.
Four Dead Queens pencil, from publisher I think. Not much of an opinion, it’s a pencil, it’ll be used…
And the theme card which also fits well the whole vibe of the box.

I liked the box in general but somehow wasn’t as wowed by it as I was by the one from last month. However, the mug makes me happy. I probably won’t keep the backpack but the rest of the things will be used (not the woodmark, please stop sending woodmarks! I do love Ink & Wonder designs but I am tired of woodmarks).

Book Review, Books

The Whisper Review

Posted on March 24, 2019

The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski

When a little girl received a curious book filled only with pictures, a whisper urges her to create the words she cannot see. As the pages turn, her imagination takes flight and she discovers that the greatest storyteller of all might come from within.

A celebration of reading and the power of the imagination, Pamela Zagarenski’s debut as an author reminds us that we each bring something different to the same book.

Rating:

This was totally a cover buy (most of my illustrated children’s books usually are cover buys), a girl with a cute red eared hoodie and a fox and a huge book, of course, I don’t care what it is about I need it.

Good thing it is actually a nice sweet book. And it is mostly about letting your imagination run and have some fun, but also to enjoy books, and how books and words can be “not boring” because you can imagine, and you can create. All the stories, ideas, and you can even change stories in your head with a pinch of imagination.

The author is also the illustrator and you can see just how much love and care there was into making this book match in words and drawings (not saying other books don’t, just that you can see it very well in this one).

The amount of foxes and gorgeous ideas was quite good, and there is a lot to encourage reading.

I know, short review, but it is a short book however the illustrations do make you pause and make them match the words, and try to find what else you can see in it.

Book Review, Books

Echo Murder Review

Posted on March 22, 2019

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Echo Murder by Laura Laakso

Yannia Wilde returns to the Wild Folk conclave where she grew up, and to the deathbed of her father, the conclave’s Elderman. She is soon drawn back into the Wild Folk way of life and into a turbulent relationship with Dearon, to whom she is betrothed.

Back in London, unassuming office worker Tim Wedgebury is surprised when police appear on his doorstep with a story about how he was stabbed in the West End. His body disappeared before the paramedics’ eyes. Given that Tim is alive and well, the police chalk the first death up to a Mage prank. But when Tim “dies” a second time, Detective Inspector Jamie Manning calls Yannia and, torn between returning to the life she has built in Old London and remaining loyal to the conclave and to Dearon, she strikes a compromise with the Elderman that allows her to return temporarily to the city.

There she sets about solving the mystery of Tim’s many deaths with the help of her apprentice, Karrion. They come to realise that with every death, more of the echo becomes reality, and Yannia and Karrion find themselves in increasing danger as they try to save Tim. Who is the echo murderer? What sinister game are they playing? And what do they truly want?

Rating:

The delightful wonderful human behind LWB sent me a copy of this book to review, because I have fallen so hard for Fallible Justice, and I couldn’t wait to read the next one. As the sticker says, I can do whatever about it. But even if I didn’t get this early copy, I am/was getting a copy anyway.

Now to the review. The book picks up just from where Fallible Justice ends. Yannia is making her way back to the Conclave and the Wild Folk with Dearon. Karion has stayed back to do his thing (whatever that is).

And we also meet Lizzie and Tim, who like to go on dates, and Tim really seems to be on the bad side of luck, because he keeps dying every time he goes out with Lizzie. Best/worst part? Tim doesn’t have a girlfriend, and he’s very much alive. So who gets called in?

Yannia does (no ghostbusters in this one!).And this lady isn’t stepping down from investigating things, so she starts trying to find out what type of magic and who could’ve done this.

The tricky thing the “illusions” of the murders are starting to bleed in with the real Tim, and it is becoming more and more dangerous as time goes by. What is making this particular magic so powerful? How can it be?

I loved the writing and the story. However, I have to say that this book has a lot of violence, and some of it is domestic, there is abuse, and well, it is an intense book. But it is also extremely good. I opted for reading it in the morning during a flight. One of those “read it in one sitting”.

It was quite good, and it keep me wondering. Alas, because of the particular topic, it was relatively easy for me to figure out who was behind the Echo murders, and part of the motive. But not everything I guessed and the reasons unspooling as Yannia understood them and raced to catch the one behind it all before Tim actually dies. High stakes indeed.

Karion, Wishearth, Lady Bergamot and a few others still make an appearance, so all good for me. So my take is, read Fallible Justice, read this, and cry until the next one comes out because it is so far away. (You can come cry with me, I’ll share my blanket fort, and give you access to the Moon library).

Book Review, Books

BLOG TOUR: Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five: Shadows Part One by R. J. Furness // Review

Posted on March 20, 2019

Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five: Shadows (Part One) by R.J. Furness

Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared?
Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding.
There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination.
Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t…

Sapphire Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, Sapphire’s foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?

Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When Sapphire discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, she soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.

“Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five” is a six-part, serialised young adult fantasy story!

Rating:

Well look at that, my orange rating foxes fit perfectly with this book’s cover. And before I get into the full review, as a disclaimer, I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No one forced me to write what I have written here (no drakes, no shades).

R. J. Furness was already on my radar, thanks to the Orgo stories (and the Orgo Adventures). So when he mentioned this new idea I was happy to give it a go and see what it was all about.

This is a very fast paced book, despite being short. And I had to pause and make sure I knew what had just happened. There is also a lot of “secrets” and so much to find out, when I reached the last page I kinda thought !it isn’t fair, I need answers now!”

We meet Sapphire as she is running away from her foster parents home and panicking about what to do next. I know the purpose of this is to set the story, but I kept thinking that foster parents that have kept a child for 16-18 years (which is what is implied) won’t just suddenly kick the child out. If they were the kind that just do it for the money, then Sapphire would’ve been SO ready to leave and counting down to her 18th birthday (I say this as I know a couple of people who were in situations like that). The only way I can think that Sapphire couldn’t see it coming is that she is stupid, but that doesn’t really fit with the Sapphire we meet, so this is a bit of a plot issue (but I know most will see past it, and it isn’t huge, it was just a little dissonant for me).

Otherwise, the rest of the story just keeps you trying to figure out what is going on with the shadows, what Ben knows and why Sapphire is suddenly thrown into this. I actually really liked the chapter that sets things of with Michelle and Jason. I’d like to find out more about them too.

Basically, I now have SO many questions I don’t even know where to start, but the best start is probably to keep reading the book.

R.J. was super kind and surprised me with a box of goodies(see below). I have never had blackcurrant licorice sweets, so this was an intriguing surprise. I kinda like licorice but not always, so I was a bit unsure. Also, when I got the goodies I was so puzzled by what each item meant, but now I know they fit the story so well!

And of course, this cover wins because it is an orange fox, and there is a fox in the story and I want to know more about the shadow fox and what Sapphire is going to discover in the next “part”.

Book Review, Books

Everdark Review

Posted on March 18, 2019

Everdark by Abi Elphinstone

It is midnight in Crackledawn – a midnight full of magic. Sea dragons stir in the depths of the ocean, silver whales surface beneath the moon and sand goblins line the shores. Everyone is waiting for the phoenix, the guardian of the kingdom’s magic, to rise up from the forests of Everdark.

But there is no sign of the phoenix tonight. Something else surges up out of Everdark instead: a harpy bent on stealing Crackledawn’s magic.

It is up to an eleven-year-old girl called Smudge and an eccentric monkey called Bartholomew to set sail beyond the legendary Northswirl and stop the harpy before it’s too late.

So, grab your compass and roll down your sail – the first adventure in THE UNMAPPED CHRONICLES is about to begin…

Rating:

I enjoyed this little book so much and it made me want to read Rumblestar even more (I already wanted to).

We meet Smudge, who isn’t the very best at, well, anything. She struggles to be a good student, and isn’t sure she fits the potential careers she can have. We also meet her monkey companion, Bartholomew, and well, poor Smudge has no choice but to save the world because she is the only one that wasn’t cursed.

So she sets off to try to sort this out, with just her courage, and her unusual view of the world and ideas.

I enjoyed reading it very much. It is a good reminder of why I still love to read Middle Grade books even if I have no children myself and I am most definitely not a child myself.

The quest keeps moving forward, and the book does a good job at pointing out that being different and not fitting the status quo isn’t always bad, but rather, gives you an opportunity to be something else. Here it is an adventurer, but in our world we would potentially consider them to be the creatives, the innovators.

There’s a lot of magic, a lot of happy accidents that somehow help them out and a lot of courage from Smudge.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Gods & Monsters Illumicrate Unboxing

Posted on March 16, 2019

This has been one of the hardest unboxing pictures I have ever taken. One handed while trying to hold the umbrella upright so you could see how gorgeous it is and trying to not kill my phone or myself. But it was worth it.

Now let’s check what else we had in the box (the umbrella is the most obvious thing here), starting from the left side and going clockwise:

Strange the Dreamer Umbrella, what are the odds that two book boxes would send a gorgeous umbrella in the same month? Can’t complain as living in the UK means I have an umbrella everywhere so now I can swap boring black cheap umbrellas with the gorgeous bookish ones.
The Orphanage of Gods, this is one book that wasn’t in my radar at all, but it looks very interesting and I am intrigued.
A character bookmark set from A Daughter of Smoke and Bone. (This almost seems like a Laini Taylor fanbox, not complaining though). I like the bookmarks but I am not crazy about them and they’re one of the items I am not keeping.
A sampler of The Binding.
Girls of Paper and Fire chopsticks in a little case. The chopsticks are kinda just plasticky, which is sad given that the box is gorgeous. My boyfrined was all excited since I have a pair of fancy metal ones engraved with Mushu. He was planning on stealing this pair but he felt they weren’t as cool as mine.
Cassandra Clare sampler. Not interested at all, not a fan.
Keep Me pencil case (or at least I thinkof it as a tin pencil case). I like the design and it is a nifty little thing that will end up full fo drawing/art supplies.
Beautiful Thing pouch. It is a gorgeous pouch but the size just isn’t right for me so another one that won’t stay around.
Nectar of the Gos lip scrub. I will admit I have never used a lip scrub. If I put “yummy” stuff on my lips, I end up chewing them, so I avoid anything that will leave a texture or the feeling of one. Sad because this smells SO good.
A metallic notebook. Aboslutely love the design!

It was a fun box, with some items I don’t love, and it feels a little underwhelming for the usual Illumicrate signature. I decided to subscribe to them for the “monthly” box and I am hoping it keeps the high quality. One thing I like is that it doesn’t feel cheap even though there’s an umbrella in it.

Book Review, Books

Moon Review

Posted on March 12, 2019

Moon by Britta Teekentrup

Over deserts and forests, Arctic tundra and tropical beaches, the moon shines down on creatures around the world. Children will love discovering how it changes from day to day as the lunar cycle is shown through clever peek-through holes, each revealing the moon in a different size and shape.

It’s the perfect light nonfiction book for young stargazers–and an ideal bedtime book, ending with a giant moon hovering over a sleepy town hunkered down for bed.

Rating:

This book had been in my radar for various reasons. Foxes on the cover and well, the title was already calling my name (look at that, I can make puns!). And I found it to be a great “bedtime” book.

For starters it has cutout phases of the moon throughout it, which I used to love as a child and still do (and they work really nicely, I was like “oh look, it keeps adding effect”). But it also has not a lot of lines to read out loud. Plus it talks about nightime and bedtime around the world, which is great for encouraging any kiddo to go sleep.

And of course, it is full of animals and nature through the pages getting ready for nightitme. The colour palette could’ve been a little more vibrant but it does work well for the purpose of “sleepy” time encouragement, so it isn’t a complaint but more of an “I just wish it was more vibrant because it is so gorgeous”.

As a proper adult, I of course, thoroughly enjoyed poking at the moon peek-through holes, and following the shape of the moon as the pages go past, plus trying to see every little detail of each page and the animals/climate/place in it.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Magic Potions Book Box Club Unboxing

Posted on March 10, 2019

I love the aesthetic feel of this box. And funnily enough, as you may have seen already, I have had a proof of Shadowscent and it was a book I loved the concept for, but wasn;t completely sold on the whole book. But now unto the box contents, let’s start with the book and go clockwise:

Shadowscent. The Darkest Bloom by P. M. Freestone. Heck I love the concept, this is the first book and I am curious about the next one. The finished copy is gorgeous!
A tumbler/reusable cup. It has a quote from the book and I loved this, in blue and it was perfect to keep at work where we get a discount on coffee/tea if we bring our own mug
Hot chocolate spoon. Of course, you can’t have a tumbler without having something to put in it, right? I love the hot chocolate spoons the girls add to their boxes when they do, so this is an absolute win to me (plus most chocolate spoons work in hot water and don’t require milk, which makes it work for me)
On the come up pin
Magic Potions theme card, the artwork is super cute and magical.
A Drink Me potion from Literary Galaxy. I like it however I don’t wear many necklaces so this isn’t going to be used much, but it is still gorgeous.
Clubhouse invite.
A roll on perfume that captures the scent of the “Darkest Bloom”, which is probably my favourite item from the box (and it was hard to choose a favourite), it smells amazing!
Two Can Keep a Secret pin, I am so happy for this book, it’s in my TBR.
Gorgeous Ex Libris stickers. They’re adorable, may not be used much because I would struggle to choose which book to use them on (I wish we had a whole booklet or many more of these).

I really enjoyed the whole coordination of the contents of the box and there is only one item I wouldn’t really use, so that was quite a surprise for me, and is always a bonus. I also love that a lot of it is centered on the book and the theme of the box, and it isn’t just to fill fandoms but rather unique items that you can enjoy if you’re bookish, but also if you are not bookish (meaning it makes for a nice gift to someone if you had bought it, even if they aren’t into all the fandoms). So very happy with this box, and looking forward to the March box!

Book Review, Books

Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon Review

Posted on March 8, 2019

Franklin and Luna go to the Moon by Jen Campbell, illustrated by Katie Harnett

Luna’s best friend, Franklin, is a dragon. They love to read stories about everything from trampolining to deep-sea diving. One day, they are reading about where werewolves live and Franklin begins to wonder where he is from. He is 605 years old and has no idea where to find other dragons!

Luna suggests that they go on an adventure to find his family. They Google his family tree, they e-mail a princess, and along the way they find twenty yetis eating spaghetti, five vampires reading Shakespeare, not to mention disco-dancing unicorns . . . but no dragons!

Where on earth could they be?

Following the success of Franklin’s Flying Bookshop, Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon― a book about the joys of reading, exploring, and coming home― continues to bring the magic of classic fairy tales into the twenty-first century.

Rating:

When I saw there was a “sequel” to Franklin’s Flying Bookshop, I had to buy it! When it arrived the box was huge, so I was surpsied by it.

The artwork is still very cool, and now we aren’t setting up a bookshop (they did that in the first book), but we are finding out what they do now that they are good friends and that they read a lot. All kinds of adventures, but then they try to find Franklin’s family and just seem to not get much out anyhting (there’s a hint here of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster which I found cute).

Then they wonder if maybe there is something in the moon, so why not try to fly there? (nevermind science, it is a dragon, right?) They get to the moon and they find dragons!

The artwork is still super cute, but the story wasn’t as nice and cute as the first one. I wasn’t into it as much as I was for the bookshop one and thought I liked the idea of finding more of Franklin’s family, when we find the dragons I wasn’t elated or excited about it. I guess that defines the fact I just didn’t engage as well with it, which is sad because I was really looking forward to it.

However I can still recommend wholeheartedly the first book.

Book Review

The Spinner of Dreams Review

Posted on March 6, 2019

The Spinner of Dreams by K. A. Reynolds

Annalise Meriwether–though kind, smart, and curious–is terribly lonely.

Cursed at birth by the devious Fate Spinner, Annalise has always lived a solitary life with her loving parents. She does her best to ignore the cruel townsfolk of her desolate town–but the black mark on her hand won’t be ignored.

Not when the monster living within it, which seems to have an agenda of its own, grows more unpredictable each day.

There’s only one way for Annalise to rid herself of her curse: to enter the Labyrinth of Fate and Dreams and defeat the Fate Spinner. So despite her anxiety, Annalise sets out to undo the curse that’s defined her–and to show the world, and herself, exactly who she is inside.

Rating:

I had preordered this lovely book at the start of the year when I did a huge sweep of books to preorder, and then the lovely Asha (@cat_book_tea) had an ARC and thought I would love (which made me smile because I already thought I’d love it, so yay!). And then the author did a giveaway and I won a digital copy of it.

Due to my photosensitivity I rarely ever read anything in digital format and do not accept review copies of this kind (plus, I prefer if someone who may actually read it in that format gets a chance for it instead of “gathering electrical dust”). So I politely mentioned this to her, and lo and behold. I now have a physical copy. I felt SO seen, which automatically made me smile whenever I picked this proof copy.

But now unto the actual contents of the book. This is a middle grade book and boy! It is the kind of book I wish I had written, you know how they say, “write the books you want to read”? Well, my child/teen self would’ve loved to read this book at the time. This is the book that the me then should’ve written. And now I have written myself into a loop of writing. Nevermind that.

We start with the introduction to what, or rather who, the Fate and Dream Spinner are. You could say we start with a “fairytale”. Then we get a “more in reality” view, and finally, we meet Annalise, our main character (MC). She has purple hair (loved it!) and is cursed. The day she was born lots of bad things happened and the whole town hates her, despite how much she tries to be kind and nice (and she is, not just tries). Then hope appears and things go a bit wrong, so she decides she has to challenge the Fate Spinner, solve the Labyrinth and ask the Dream Spinner to fulfill her dream (to rule her own destiny).

And that way we begin the quest to find the way to the labyrinth first of all (I liked that this has to be done rather than just wishing and ending up in front of the Labyrinth). Along the way we meet Muse, a talking cat with a hat and monocle (huge huge Ghibli vibes from Muse, and I absolutely loved that!). We also meet Mr. Edwards, a fox also wanting to make his dream come true alongside his husband fox, Mr. Amorieux.

The labyrinth is a good quest plot, and it kept me entretained, and also rooting for each fo the characters, including the minor ones (like trees, or a cockatrice, or a pair of siblings). The character growth of Annalise is gradual, and that was something I appreciated, as sometimes the character has this magic shortcut to growth and that is that. Annalise has magic, but it is a curse in her hand, so not exactly the nice shortcut.

Another thing that made me treasure this book more was that Annalise struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. She counts in fours. I do that too. Either with my breaths or counting in German 1,2,3,4… 5,6,7,8… then restart. The German counting is the only one that kinda goes beyond four, but I do it in chunks of four. So it was nice to see that and easily identify with her.

All the little or big plot twists fit well and none felt too crazy (I figured a few out, one I got it slightly wrong, but the “nature” of it I had right). The world building is also precise, even if you only get a glimpse of it. And I found the characters charming.

Basically, everyone should read this book and maybe eat some nice cake with it. With a lovely cup of tea. Enjoy!