The Constellation of Moon

Nimona Review

Posted on September 25, 2018

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism!

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

Rating:

Back in my teenage years when I used to read a lot of webcomics, Nimona was one of those I stumbled upon and would eagerly await the next page (some webcomics updated/update once a week, others twice, if you’re lucky, a lot have hiatus where they have guest comics coming in).

When I saw it in Waterstones it was like stepping back to the past and reminding myself how much I loved webcomics. (Nowadays I only follow a couple) SO of course I got a copy of it. And I read through it in bed before sleeping. It made me smile, and it made me remeber how much I liked it.

The art work is nice and cute, the story is original and fun. Worth a read, specially if you like Lumberjanes and Moonstruck.

Subscription Boxes

Staycation Yume Twins Unboxing

Posted on September 23, 2018

With a theme such as staycation, how could I resist this box? It was extra cute which was perfect for a cheering up after a long work day. Starting on the cute bird plushie:

There where six different birds that you could get, they’re all round and cute and super soft (shame you can’t share textures online). I didn’t have a particular preference this time, so I was happy with the one I got.
The Staycation “magazine” which explains items, and other bits and bobs.
A Hello Kitty travel toothbrush. Previously they did a My Melody one and it is one of the handiest things ever, so I was glad to get another one (and I like anything Sanrio)
Zipper Bags, they look like “mason jars” but are actually sturdy zipper bags. They seem ideal for snacks but I would want to use them for things that can be washed out and then reuse them. They’re very very cute.
A Little Twin Stars shopping bag. It comes in its own carrying bag and once again, it is sturdy and it is also lovely.
Disney Tsum Tsum water tumbler. It was one of the first things I unboxed and I immediately thought of a friend who likes Disney a lot and it made me smile.
Sticky tabs with cute motifs. I recently have been using this type of things more and more as I read and note things in stories that I’d like to remember or share out, so this are welcome.

Book Review

The Gilded King Review

Posted on September 21, 2018

The Gilded King by Josie Jaffrey

In the Blue, the world’s last city, all is not well.

Julia is stuck within its walls. She serves the nobility from a distance until she meets Lucas, a boy who believes in fairytales that Julia’s world can’t accommodate. The Blue is her prison, not her castle, and she’d escape into the trees if she didn’t know that contamination and death awaited humanity outside.

But not everyone in the Blue is human, and not everyone can be contained.

Beyond the city’s boundaries, in the wild forests of the Red, Cameron has precious little humanity left to lose. As he searches for a lost queen, he finds an enemy rising that he thought long dead. An enemy that the humans have forgotten how to fight.

One way or another, the walls of the Blue are coming down. The only question is what side you’ll be on when they do.

Rating:

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

This book really pulled some punches on me. Starting with the fact at first I just couldn’t get into Cam’s chapters as much and part of me wanted to get through with them to go back to Julia’s.

And then all of a sudden I felt completely the opposite and I wanted more Cam chapters than Julia’s.

Not that either was bad, but more that at times one was more intriguing to me than the other. The concept of The Silvers/Nobles/Izcacus/etc is neat and I like that even a little bit of Lestat was into this book. They don’t glitter (yes!, thousand times yes!) and they are in a much more futuristic setting rather than going to the past or the present/contemporary.

Instead you have an intriguing dystopia that keeps you asking questions and trying to figure out which side is right, why are they doing what they are doing, and who exactly is right and wrong in their assumptions. I breezed through it and really loved. Then I realised that the next one isn’t out yet (why are you doing this to me world?!).

Moon Recommends

So, I guess my advice this time is to buy this one, preorder A Bargain in Silver and go curl up into a ball until it comes out and you can read more about Emmy.

Book Review

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.