The Constellation of Moon

Orgo Runners: The First Collection Review

Posted on September 19, 2018

Orgo Runners: The First Collection by R.J. Furness (Illustrations by Amy Leslie)

R.J. Furness, author of the “dissent” books, brings you Orgo Runners…

This the first of many AMAZING adventures, featuring the orgo!!

In a future ice-age…

Living in Port Harmony, Fayth and her friends are among the greatest at riding orgo! But when they are forced to become Food Runners, they embark on a dangerous journey to deliver supplies to Scorr Tanta.

Will their skill at riding orgo help them succeed in their mission?

Rating:

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start this by saying I love my little orgo and if you follow me on Twitter you may have seen Trey going on adventures under the tags #iwantanorgo and #orgoadventures. The latest one was visiting Paddington Bear.

So now unto the actual review of the book.

The first few pages I read were very confusing and it took me a little bit to actually get into the story (I just felt like I was thrown into it and couldn’t grasp well what was going on). But afterwards, it started on a good foot and stayed there. I love the creatures, do not like the way people are treated.

Without spoiling much, I can say that the subplots in each adventure (and in all adventures over all because some carry over) keep you wanting to go on reading just to figure out if your guess is right, or if they’ll make it, or what new thing Ink will manage to produce and use.

It is also lovely they are a rag tag bunch of teenagers trying to make the most of their lives and managing as best as they can (and the fact that they don’t have everything in control, or all the answers at any given moment was refreshing to read, and to see them fail sometimes and just wipe off the dust and keep trying a different way).

The little search game had me looking for them in every illustration until I figured it out (the illustrations are very cute too and made it a bit easier to imagine things) which was a lovely bonus to the book (and I found them all! woohoo).

Moon recommends

Try out Orgo Runners. I would also recommend checking out The Apprentice Witch.

Book Review

It Ends With You Review

Posted on September 17, 2018

It Ends With You by S. K. Wright

‘If I’d told the truth, it would have been fiction’

Everyone loves Eva. Beautiful, bright, fun, generous – she’s perfect.

So when her dead body is found in a ditch in the local woods the only thing anyone wants to know is: Who could have done this?

It has to be Luke, her boyfriend. He has the motive, the means, the opportunity and he’s no stranger to the police.

Even though the picture is incomplete, the pieces fit. But as time passes, stories change.

Told from six narrative strands, this cleverly woven and utterly compulsive novel challenges preconceptions; makes you second, third and fourth guess yourself; and holds an uncomfortable mirror up to the way societies and systems treat those they perceive to be on the outside

Rating:

The best way to describe this book is to say that it started not too creepy and then it kept throwing plot twists at you that were surprising.

I loved finding out all of Eva’s “dirty” secrets and seeing how even then everyone was still sure Luke had done (despite the evidence that was shown). It was also sad to see how people react when someone comes from a less privileged background or are just different and that was quite interesting to read too.

The many relationships between families, between friends, between couples, and teachers, students, figures of authority and in general society were quite interesting to see.

The format made it fun to read (I do wonder if it will “age” well, as who knows how long some of the things used will stay). And even though I usually do not like having too many POV, this book makes the most of it and does it well.

Moon recommends

Read It Ends With You, I read it really fast and didn’t want to put it down. You may also enjoy One of Us is Lying or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (coming out next year). They’re all along the same vibe and lines and all good to read.

Books

A second year of Book Box Club

Posted on September 15, 2018

I had been waiting for a while to have this post out but now is the time!

Happy birthday Book Box Club! Two years old and I have had every single box.

Sadly I was a silly person and gave away (or lent or gifted) book from the first year, but alas I was smarter this year and here it is!

13 gorgeous books for a year (The Bear and the Nightingale came int he same box as The Girl in the Tower) that has had some very intriguing reads (and others not so much). As I look at the books I can’t choose a single favourite.

The boxes have been amazing and there has been a bit of lore and a bit of futuristic vibes and some dystopia and magic and it has been good.

I hope this third year we are starting will bring even more good books (and I can keep guessing the books and have to cancel a preorder, woops!).

But seriously, I have come back from a week’s worth holiday spending time with our squad. A squad that was started thanks to Book Box Club. So thank you Kate and Libby for all the love, the books, and for helping us find good friends!

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Book Review

Shallow magic and straight on abuse

Posted on September 13, 2018

The Lost Witch by Melvin Burgess

Thirteen year old Beas’ life goes through a rapid change when she suddenly starts to see and hear things that others can not. Confused and a pretty scared, she seeks comfort from her parents, that, convinced that she’s mentally ill, wants to take her to the hospital. At the same time, Bea is being approached by a group of witches that says that her visions is a sign of her special powers. They also state that she’s now in danger, because of the evil Hunt, wanting to destroy everything good and bright in the world with their dark magic. Conflicted and scared, torn between the (maybe not so safe) safety of her family, and her want to help out the other witches, Bea is soon (literary) dragged into a dark story of conflicting magic and straight on abuse.

Rating 🐖

I don’t often write a straight forward bad review, but folks, this is it. Even if I dislike a book, there’s often something to the story or the writing style that I appreciate. In The Lost Witch however, this is not the case.

The story balances somewhere between MG and YA, which I think adds to the odd writing style. Almost all of the story is explained and spelled straight out rather than figuratively told, which adds up to no feelings being felt during the reading. The magic and the way this whole fantasy world is working seems random, and I just don’t get it. There’s also a ridiculous amount of exclamation marks.

The biggest problem is though (surprisingly) not the writing style or the construction of the fiction universe. It’s the events of the story itself. The story where thirteen year old Bea, alone and scared, gets kidnapped, physically and psychologically abused, and then put on trial and blamed for it all. Without any form of hint from the moral in the story, the authors way of depicting it, or the after word that this is the wrong way to go about it. It’s not just conflicting, its distasteful, at the very least.

Dr. Bea does NOT approve

If you wanna read something about magic and witches, but without pedophile sex scenes and victim blaming, I recommend The Magisterium-series instead.

Subscription Boxes

Catwoman Litjoy Crate Unboxing

Posted on September 11, 2018

As you know this is the US edition and it is a signed copy (it isn’t a Litjoy exclusive but still, very cool). Starting from the book, here’s the unboxing:

Catwoman book by Sarah J. Maas, it also has an author letter.
Catwoman socks (I loved them so much!)
A Harley Quinn bath bomb which is hwy it is two colours 🙂
Catwoman theme booklet.
Jewellry ceramic dish, Meow! I thought it was a very original idea and found it a lovely addition to the box.
Poison Ivy candle, which made me smile.
Catwoman decals, for your nails, and they look gorgeous, tempting me to redo my nails, but alas I have at the moment Ghibli themed ones and I love them too.
And of course the exclusive trading cards for Litjoy.

It was a lovely box, even if it felt a tiny bit less wow that previous boxes, but on the good side I enjoyed all items.

Subscription Boxes

Tech Tribes Book Box Club Unboxing

Posted on September 9, 2018

It’s almost two years of Book Box Club, and this beautiful box was amazing! I cant’ wait to read the book. Starting from the book and going clockwise:

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch, the premise sounds amazing and I just want to read it!
Are we all lemmings and Snowflakes sampler
Robot Socks by Joe Cool, which are a gorgeous book box club matching colour.
Invent the future mug with artwork by Alicia Jo (and it is absolutely stunning!)
Lunar Chronicles Coaster, which matches the theme card and is all techy!
Clubhouse invite
A bookmark from publishers which is gorgeous.
Colour Me In sampler
Jinx Necklace, which made me swoon and I have worn and loved, it is amazing!
Theme card
Ada Lovelace sticker by Victorian Store
And finally a cute magnetic BB8 bookmark by Rachel Norline Art.

Book Review

Lovely, Dark, and Deep Review

Posted on September 7, 2018

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Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen

What would you do if the sun became your enemy?

That’s exactly what happens to Viola Li after she returns from a trip abroad and develops a sudden and extreme case of photosensitivity — an inexplicable allergy to sunlight. Thanks to her crisis-manager parents, she doesn’t just have to wear layers of clothes and a hat the size of a spaceship. She has to stay away from all hint of light. Say goodbye to windows and running outdoors. Even her phone becomes a threat when its screen burns her.

Viola is determined to maintain a normal life, particularly after she meets Josh. He’s a funny, talented Thor look-alike who carries his own mysterious grief. But the intensity of their romance makes her take more and more risks, and when a rebellion against her parents backfires dangerously, she must find her way to a life — and love — as deep and lovely as her dreams.

Rating:

You know how they tell you to write the book you’d like to read and haven’t found? For me this is the book I wanted to read but hadn’t found. However, I did not write, instead Justina did.

We follow Viola’s story through this book, she is a browncoat, which in geekspeak means a fan of Firefly, and is also crazy about doing bake sales for charity (that is something I am not that familiar with except as a concept but all the food she cooks throughout the book made me hungry and I wish we had some recipes to go with it). Then as she is having a normal day, she collapses and voila, turns out she is allergic to the sun (and light).

Now, in case you didn’t know, I am photosensitive myself (I was born like this) and I have written a little about it on a reality check post. And I really want to highlight that this book does a wonderful job at representation of photosensitivity. It is well researched, it is good at explaining how it affects and changes your life (it was very intersting for me, since I have adapted to it as I grow, rather than having to do so in one go, and I kept nodding at the things they would try and going “yeah, done that”) and it is also a good story. It follows her journey to coping with her new life, and how her family relationships change, but it also has a romance subplot which I enjoyed (even if at times it was quite sweet) that in itself deals with loss and grief.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep is a very uplifting book, it keeps reassuring you that you’ve got this regardless of how many lemons (or killer sunrays) life throws at you.

Moon recommends

That if you know me, or are curious about photosensitivity, you go and buy this book and read it. It genuinely is the book I didn’t know I needed. And if you’d like a younger and more sweet book, try The Ice Garden.

Books, Subscription Boxes

August Fairyloot Unboxing

Posted on September 5, 2018

This is sadly my last Fairyloot box for now, I have had to umm and err a lot about it, the contents just haven’t been wowing me and I try to only keep book boxes that give me joy when I open them. Anyway, starting from the book and going clockwise:

These Rebel Waves (loved the colour of the sprayed edges!)
Author letter and character art.
Sweet Pea magical scrub from Geeky Clean.
Banner flag, with a slight error in spelling but the phrase is good.
Tiny magnet.
Why is the Rum Always Gone water bottle (I liked this item and it made me smile).
Candle, this one had a too subtle scent it was really hard to actually get any scent from it which made a bit sad, I love candles).
Pirate Wax Seal, woot!!!! This was a great addition to the box and it made me smile to see it there.
Theme card and bookmark.

It wasn’t a bad box to end this with, and I hope that they can entince me with further themes.

Book Review

City of Ghosts Review

Posted on September 3, 2018

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City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Rating:

Ghost story: Check. Middle Grade Cuteness: Check. Schwab as author: Check.

This is a gorgeous story, and I am glad Victoria has decided to do Middle Grade because it is deliciously her flavour but with a cuter side in it (it doesn’t stop having this particular darkness in the stories and dealing with death and bad stuff).

Meet Cass, who had a near death experience and now can see ghosts. Meet Jacob who is a ghost and her best friend. And then get moved to Edinburgh and meet a very dangerous ghost.

Cass has a lot of learning to do and also a lot of adapting. One of my favourite things was the way Cass struggled with the difference between British and American English. It rang true for me as I had that same issue and it was very confusing to have to change the image of a word to a different one (I still sometimes say pants instead of trousers) and yes, I know some people found this annoying but when you are coming from one place and this is suddenly thrown into you, it is confusing. And also, don’t forget Cass is young, she will notice things in a different way.

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And of course, I have been to Edinburgh a few times, so it was delightful to see Cass trekking through it and remembering being there, it just made the visualising of the story that much more real and tangible.

Moon recommends

If you like Schwabs particular style but prefer a lighter younger version, go read City of Ghosts. Otherwise you may like This Savage Song, or Vicious?

Book Review

Are We All Lemmings & Snowflakes? Review

Posted on September 1, 2018

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Are We All Lemmings & Snowflakes? by Holly Bourne

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at “normality” for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

Rating:

My first Holly Bourne book was It Only Happens In The Movies, and I absolutely loved it, it was a different kind of contemporary book. So when this little one came out and it touched on kindness and mental health I knew I had to read it.

It did not disappoint. Olive has issues, and she is sent to a camp as a possible treatment. There she meets other people with different mental illnesses, and she starts going off on her own theories of how to fix herself.

I love the part maths took here (and the character that brings them into place), and Olive was in part lovable, part I wanted to tell her to stop and listen and just not do what she was doing. But then I have had a lot more years of experience than she does in the book, and I did do some crazy things regarding my mental health when I was Olive’s age.

However, this book made me quite emotional and I kept wanting to read it and not stop. Plus it touches on being kind to yourself, and starting there but also on doing small acts of kindness to others. Which is always a good thing and it is lovely to see that promoted.

Moon recommends

Maybe just go read more of Holly’s books? I have reviewed It Only Happens In The Movies here so you can check that one out, or go buy this book.