The Constellation of Moon

Art

Meet the Character: WBT

Posted on October 22, 2017

I know I haven’t done one of these in a while, but life has kept me a bit tangled up and I wanted to give my characters a good post rather than a rushed one.

In this edition we meet the WBT (Wig Bag Trio).

The WBT are a trio of friends who receive a mysterious package (one for each) that has a strange bag that looks like a wig. Included with the bag is a note mentioning some cryptic responsibilities and warnings.

Page 1 by MoonKestrel

Turns out that once they wear the bag, they receive some “superpowers”. Mind you, not the usual super hero powers, but rather powers that can be blessings or curses all in one. Their story follows the trio as they try to figure out how to use their powers (there is quite a bit of humour about this). Of course, with the superpowers comes a strange Headquarters base that is basically set in another planet/dimension. As such, the base sends them out on missions to help out all kinds of creatures and through time.

So let’s meet the trio (there will be a separate edition for each character):

Knit Anele is the youngest of the group, and her superpowers grant her tale records, a mischievous lamb called Mischief, and the power over dreams.

Then there is Dalv Le Wot, he is Knit’s older brother and both and artist in his real life and as part of his superpowers. He receives a magic paintbrush and a squid companion.

Finally, we have Naj Reyals, his superpowers challenge his moral compass, as he is the only one who receives a weapon, arrows that will always fly true, and an ocarina he can play to control nature.

The trio was born out of crazy skype chats with two of my friends, and confusing a backpack for a wig. It was meant initially just as a joke, but we all loved the idea so much it had it’s own life pretty quickly.

The plan was to make their comic and have it online, sadly life has been in the way so the comic is just in draft form at the moment. But, the characters appear frequently in my sketches (specially Knit and the Captain) so part of their story is revealed as I draw them more and more.

Hopefully they have intrigued you enough so you’d look out for the next Meet the Character edition, where I’ll talk about Knit Anele.

Books

Harry Potter Spells Book Tag

Posted on October 20, 2017

Anyway, I was tagged by Taiwo @ Stuffed Shelves. You should go check out her own post on this tag and her blog as is 🙂

This tag was created by Kimberlyfaye Reads. All spell graphics are credited to her.

AN UPCOMING RELEASE YOU WISH YOU COULD GET YOUR HANDS ON RIGHT NOW!

This one is hard to answer with just one. I have a huge list of books I want to get my hands on. There is: More Than We can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer, Renegades by Marissa Meyer, The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guilín, The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross, … the list really is long…

FAVOURITE SERIES STARTER

I love A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It starts off with the line “It was a dark and stormy night” because Madeleine thought she could pull it off despite it being so “cliche” and she did.

A BOOK THAT GAVE YOU ALL THE WARM FUZZIES

This is a very hard one for me. I rarely ever read warm fuzzies books (and it is only when you ask me to name one that I realise this). I guess the Redwall saga has a lot of moments when I’d love to be part of their banquets and be tasting their food and it has adventure and animals and it is just amazing, so I’ll go with that.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

This is an easy one to answer. The one that always makes me cry is A Ring Of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle. It focuses on grief and death. The other one I would say is up there with ARoEL is Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer.

BOOKISH HERO OR HEROINE YOU WANT AROUND TO PROTECT YOU IN REAL LIFE

Can I choose someone like Aragorn or Eowyn? My life isn’t that crazy that the hero needs to be so amazing. I guess in a way, I’ve always wanted The Captain to be there which is why I created him, but he isn’t exactly a hero but he also isn’t an anti-hero.

A BOOK YOU INTENTIONALLY SPOILED FOR YOURSELF

Does reading the book and going like “I am sure this is going to happen” then skipping some chapters and “yes it is! see? I am sure now this will happen” and keep doing this until the end count? Because this happened most accutely with Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody. I generally can guess plot and plot twists but this was one where I was like “nope, it can’t be” and it was every time, so I spoiled it for myself.

A BOOK YOU WISH YOU COULD MAKE EVERYONE READ BECAUSE YOU LOVED IT YOURSELF

After the Fire by Will Hill. It is blunt and it is brutal but it is also beautiful and amazing and so human and I just wish everyone would read it and try to see life a little bit different.

A BOOK OR SERIES YOU WISH NEVER ENDED

Dragonriders of Pern. I love Anne McCaffrey’s books and they are amazing, I wish she was still around and could keep on writing. I mean, it is dragons, it is space, there is time travel, there is a “shoulder” dragon (fire lizards), it is amazing!

A BOOK WITH AN UPLIFTING ENDING OR MESSAGE

There are several of them, I am trying to think of one I haven’t mentioned here already (because several on this post would also be candidates for this spell). I think I will say, Franklyn’s Flying Bookshop was an amazing ending and it made me happy.

A BOOK YOU WISH YOU COULD FORGET YOU EVER READ

There are few and far between and I can’t remember one I wish I hadn’t read though I am sure there are a few. But I probably have forgotten them already.

AN AUTHOR WHOSE BOOKS ALWAYS GET YOU OUT OF A SLUMP

There’s 3 amazing ladies: Anne McCaffrey, Madeleine L’Engle and Robin McKinley.

A SWOON-WORTHY HERO OR HEROINE

I love both Corlanth and Harimad in The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. And Aerin is kind of a hero in her own being for me (The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley).

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU TO STOP DOING ALL OTHER THINGS UNTIL YOU FINISHED IT

There are so many of them, but the most recent one was Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer. I had meant to read just a couple of chapters before bed and somehow stayed up late until I had finished it in one go.

A BOOK THAT WAS PAINFUL TO READ (FOR WHATEVER REASON) OR BROKE YOU

Lies Like Love by Louisa Reidd made me very thoughtful. It was kind of scary and at the same time, it could be true. Books with topics that are too close to some traumas in my life sometimes make it hard for me to keep reading but I try to keep up with them.

A BOOK THAT HAD YOU LAUGHING AT LOUD

Comics, I recently read Mikki’s Comic Book by Mikiko and it is so cute and funny, but of course, it isn’t the only one.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU WANT TO SEND IT (OR YOUR E-READER) FLYING

Given to the Sea. Too many POV and not all of them in first person, and one of them is basically just filler because it is irrelevant to plot (part of plot but it could’ve done without it and not made a difference). The ending was atrocious and I kept trying to read and to like it but I just couldn’t.

BOOKISH WORLD YOU WISH YOU COULD VISIT

Pern. Damar. Deema.

A BOOK WITH A SHOCKING TWIST OR ENDING

Everless by Sara Holland. It was more unexpected and it actually was a pleasantly “oh wow” twist.

A CHARACTER DEATH THAT DESTROYED YOU

I don’t think any character death has destroyed me. I like characters but it doesn’t destroy me if they die.

BEST SERIES CONCLUSION

Would it be too geeky to say Return of the King by Tolkien? I think he ties things up amazingly, and specially for some of the characters like Faramir and Eowyn. It was a good mix of different endings, an ending that isn’t all the same for everyone but that “fits” each character. I liked that.

So now I’ve made all these book spells. Would you like to do some? (I will tag some of you on Twitter)

Please do tag me in your post and if I didn’t tag you but you’re interested in doing this, remember to link me to your post too!

Book Review

Everything, Everything Review

Posted on October 18, 2017

I borrowed this book from a friend because the film was coming out and I had to have read the book before, but then didn’t give it much thought. I grabbed it because I felt I should read it and that was that.

Want to guess who finished it in one sitting?

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Rating:

At first glance and after finishing this, I was pretty happy with the book. It is an easy read with a lot of space and is basically a love story. It also filled me because I had just been mentioning a day before reading it that I wished there was a book that talked about living with photophobia/light sensitivity (which is not the same as being allergic to the world). So I was in a good point to read this at the time.

However, I saw the plot twist early on and part of me feels bad about how the illness was handled. I admit I struggled to understand why the mother had to be a doctor, and how they managed to have the airlock, and then why they had a nurse coming and going, all those comings and goings, and all the food Maddie was having.

Either way, I’d say that it could’ve done better representing illness but as a light read it was good and a little bit different than usual.

Moon recommends

This book is the light and fluffy version of Lies like Love by Louisa Reid. Somehow I managed to read Lies Like Love first which is why I probably guessed pretty much all the plot here (the one in Lies Like Love is a bit more dark and slightly different). If you are in it for the romance then stick to Everything, Everything.

Disclaimer: There is an Amazon Associates link, but if you choose to use them and buy from them, know that you’re just helping me buy more books and feed my reading needs. Book synopsis is from Good Reads.

Subscription Boxes

Pixel Me Gaming Spearcraft Unboxing

Posted on October 16, 2017

So, one of the books I really wanted was Warcross, and when I found out the theme for Spearcraft I was sure it’d be the book I wanted, so I fished discount codes and tried to get it as cheap as possible (because it is on the expensive side with expensive shipping to the UK).

On a funny note, I ended up winning a giveaway for Warcross, so now I have both hardback editions (US & UK). UK edition is the colourful one, US is a robin egg/turquoise colour and smaller.

Starting from the book and going clockwise:

US edition of Warcross by Marie Lu. (link provided is for the UK version)
Pacman earrings (they are quite cute).
Nerve sticker (the film was interesting but I wasn’t really into the story even from the book).
Ready Player One bookmark
Mario Bros inspired soaps (cute, I like them, Mario was one of the first games I played n a console, alongside the shoot the ducks one)
Hunger Games quote magnet
Character card
Ready Player One quote print by treehousebooks
Triforce wax melt
Mario Bros keyring, which is now with my keys, to show my geeky gaming side.
Hunger Games quote postcard

**Start of rant about gaming**
I have to admit with such a massive gaming industry and such a diverse choice of games, I was expecting less of the same one (there’s two of each, Hunger Games, Mario Bros and Ready Player One) and more variety. And to me Hunger Games is out of place because it is not a pixel game nor is it console or anything, it is a book fandom (and film if you want to go with that).

I may rant but I love gaming and love games and it was a little like “but why is HG here when there is so much more that could be here instead? So many series of games, so much Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and all other gaming developers have brought out that we love, why not include them in here?”. PS. I restrained myself from reciting all the possible games that could’ve inspired an item because you’d be stuck in a vortex hole of game names and weird old stuff like Chips or Carmen San Diego and that red hat… Plus the 8 bit music… **End of rant**

Ignoring the gaming bit, it was a nice box though I do prefer when the boxes have less “paper” items and I am happy to get my Warcross book. Due to shipping + box costs, it is not good for me so I haven’t kept it but it will probably be quite good for others in the US.

Subscription Boxes

Young Adult PageHabit

Posted on October 14, 2017

So after choosing a Fantasy PageHabit, I won the chance of adding an extra book and some goodies to my box, so I was crazy and got another PageHabit, but this time YA.

I don’t regret this extra box at all and was very pleased with it.

Starting from the card at the bottom and going clockwise:

PageHabit donates books to other countries for every box bought so it is also a charitable and fun effort to get this box. On the other side of the card it mentions all the books in the different genres that were includd this month (I liked this since it helps me see if the box I have is the one I would’ve enjoyed most or not).
Time Traveler patch (same as previous box)
Bookmark (same as other box)
Comic book pin (also same)
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. I had my eye on this book so it was awesome to receive it as the bonus book I had won.
Feather pen, it has a super fine tip which made me swoon (fine tips and ultra fine tips are awesome)
The short story of the box.
A Horcrux keychain.
The actual book of the box, Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel, another interesting read, which came with author’s letter and annotated, so it is fun.
And a cat/fox coaster.

I enjoyed the box so much I decided to subscribe again. Finding out it had almost the same things as the other box, I decided to just get one box and add an add-on book. I’d definitely recommend it since it has a broader range that most book boxes so you can choose different ones and pad up as you’d like.

Art

Moon Draws: Book Box Club Bookmarks Pt. 2

Posted on October 12, 2017

On part 1, I showed the penciled sketches for the bookmarks, which didn’t have the right proportions for bookmark sizing nor did they include a hidden fox .

After some working on them, a few progress shots shared through my Instagram stories, and several late nights and early mornings working on them, they are finally done.

Each one has elements from the book they are based from, and elements based on the theme of the box they were featured in. Each one also has the hidden fox logo in them (in some it is very easy to spot in some it isn’t as easy).

Bookmark Collection 1 LowRes
Pictured above are the first four bookmarks. Enchanted Forest (The Call), Freedom Squad (The Hypnotist), Secrets & Sisterhood (The Stranger Game) and Magic by Night (Bone Gap).

The completion of them also means some news, the opening of my shop! At the moment the only thing available is a preorder of the bookmarks. The preorder closes on the 15th of October. That week, the bookmarks will be shipped to all those that preordered. After that preorder, bookmarks will be made available for individual purchase (so if you only want one bookmark or one of the designs, you can choose that particular one).

Bookmark Collection 2 Low Res
Immortal Stories (Ink), Troublemakers (All About Mia), Time Travel (Waking in Time), and Belles & Beasts (Hunted).

The designs have been digitally inked and done at high resolution (1200dpi) to ensure high quality when printing. They are one sided so that any art supply can be used without feeling guilty about it bleeding to the other side (not that it should since it is cardstock but it may).

Bookmark Collection 3 LowRes
Wizards at War (Spellslinger), Schoolroom Scandals (One of Us is Lying), Spells & Remedies (The Disappearances) and Fearless Females (Things A Bright Girl Can Do).

I enjoyed doing them and have plans for making one per box coming out. There is also the availability of custom colouring designs if you want to promote your book or are just a big fan of certain series.

If you would like to preorder a bookmark set, head out to Moon Kestrel Designs.

Subscription Boxes

Fantasy PageHabit

Posted on October 10, 2017

I don’t remember how I found out about PageHabit but I love the idea of an annotated book so I jumped into the bandwagon with this.

After purchasing it, I started hearing bad reviews about the service and applying codes and discounts and worried a little, but I have to say, their customer service was top notch and really helpful. My tracking email got lost and they quickly gave me the tracking link and helped me cancel my subscriptions (I wanted to receive the box before it renewed so I could make up my mind about it).

20171004_184626

Starting from the book and going clockwise: (one of these days I am going to do it counterclockwise, just to play with your heads)

Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham. It also included a letter from the author, where he explains that the title came from a blunder, instead of saying Mission Impossible, it came out as Magicians Impossible. This made me laugh but also made me curious. There are sticky notes on the pages with annotations from Brad inside the book which makes it even more interesting!
A short story specifically commissioned for Page Habit, Wild Things.
A cute fox/cat coaster (I think it is a coaster but it could also be a mug cover, to keep your drink warm, I am unsure).
A comic book pin, very colourful, cute and I was pleased to see a pin there (yes, I like pins, very much).
A Time Traveler iron on patch, I don’t really have anything I iron patches on (I rarely ever use an iron, I refuse to iron, so I have a permanently crinkled look on all my clothes or buy clothes that don’t require ironing, I’d rather be reading!) but I still like the patch, maybe I will stick it to my drawing clipboard…
A quote bookmark which I kept showing upside down during the unboxing because it is tricky to unbox and film and talk, and my coordination is limited but it is a gorgeous bookmark.

As you can see, it is isn’t a bulging book box but the value is there and I loved all items so I was very pleased to receive this box and now I want another. What do you think?

Subscription Boxes

September’s LitCube

Posted on October 8, 2017

If you read my post about all subscription boxes I had tried, then you are aware I had tried LitCube before. I decided to give it a go again since the theme was ‘Apple Spice and Everything Nice’ and it is autumny and it just makes me feel cosy. ~~(I confess I love Alpine Spiced Apple Cider instant mix even if I don’t add sugar to my tea or coffee or any other beverage).~~

Starting from the theme card and going clockwise:

Apple Spice and Everything Nice card, it is quite lovely and it made me feel excited about contents.
Apple Cider lip balm by Black Tie Market, I haven’t tried it yet but anything with apple cider flavour is a win in my books so looking forward to trying it (and I do like lip balm tins, it reminds me of childhood and shared secrets).
Apple Cinnamon Donuts candle by Novelly Yours. It smells like just baked apple cinnamon rolls and it makes my mouth water and I felt like I was in heaven.
The Simplicty of Cider by Amy E. Reichert, which I didn’t know about but will surely read, gives that autumn vibe perfectly.
Bare baked apple slices with cinnamon. They didn’t last long and were just right, not too crsipy not soggy and not too spiced but also not bland.
Fingerless gloves. These were the item I wasn’t so sure about and then I put them on and really liked them, they are soft, don’t feel flimsy/badly made and look pretty rather than bulky and horrid (for the record, I have small hands not child like but small, in all fairness most of me is small).

So I enjoyed this box a lot, the only downside is that there was a customs charge which made it a lot more expensive. I think I will only buy one-off boxes when the theme is something I really want to get, but if you are in the US I’d say, go ahead and enjoy it.

Book Review

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop Review

Posted on October 6, 2017

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to buy it.

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett

Franklin the dragon loves stories and loves reading stories to people too, but everyone is too scared to even talk to him. One day, he meets a girl named Luna who, rather than being afraid, is fascinated to meet Franklin, having recently read all about dragons in one of her books. They instantly become friends and talk nonstop about what they’ve read: books about roller-skating, King Arthur, spiders, and how to do kung fu. Together they hatch a plan to share their love of books with others by opening a bookshop―a flying bookshop, that is―right on Franklin’s back!

Franklin, a well-read and peace-loving dragon, and Luna, a young girl with an independent spirit and an insatiable love of reading, make fantastic role models for young children. Franklin’s Flying Bookshop brings the magic of classic fairy tales into the twenty-first century through exquisite illustrations, and will enchant children as well as anyone who loves books.

Rating:

Reasons I loved this book:

This book has a lovely green dragon, Franklin.
Franklin loves reading. So many books to read.
Franklin wants to read to people.
Luna listens to Franklin.
They both love to read.
There’s books in it and fun things like a mice band.
Franklin makes his dream come true with help from Luna.

It is a really cute book with gorgeous illustrations (it is also a BIG book) and the wording is perfect for read out loud storytime. It made me laugh and it made me want to go to Franklin’s town and fly in the bookshop (how cool is that?).

Moon recommends

You try this book out, it is utterly gorgeous. I’m not that good at recommending children’s books but I can recommend the Dragonology book which is about the same size and makes a great companion. Any extra dragon books are a good idea. But do get this one, it is ever so lovely, and the illustrations.

(Moon showed this book to one of her friends and she ended up recommending to book to one of her friends and now we are a chain of “hey, go buy it, it is awesome, even if we are adults”).

If you’d like to buy a copy for yourself, you can find it here.

Subscription Boxes

All that Sass FairyLoot

Posted on October 4, 2017

I am doing this unboxing a little earlier than usual because of one of the items in it.

Starting from botom left with the bookmark + notepad and going clockwise:

All that sass bookmak (there has been a collectible bookmark since I think April/May this year).
Grisha Bad Ideas notepad by Alexis Lampley. This is probably my favourite item from the box. You can pull each page away which I love and the design is gorgeous.
All that sass theme card.
High Warlock Candle by In the Wick of Time, it smeels quite lovely and my only complaint is that it is ever so small. It’ll run out too quick!
Even The Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett is the book for this month and it sounds amazing. I am quite excited to read it!
Weasley Twins inspired magnet by Ink and Wonder Designs which is now happily on my fridge alongside other bookish magnets. Thre’s something quite cheerful in it.
Quote Tote Bag by Miss Phi.
Rattle the Stars beanie by Reverie and Ink, FairyLoot exclusive. Definitely not my cup of tea because I don’t wear beanies and least of all with pom poms (it just doesn’t go well with me, though I envy those that can pull it off).
ADSOM and Lunar Chronicles prints by Taratjah. I actually recognised Lila, so I was very pleased with myself (I couldn’t recognise the other because I haven’t read the books)
Bookish merch (sampler of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and a Tower of Dawn bookmark).
And finally, the one item, Hot Chocolate for Sassy Demi Gods by Brontie & Co. I was super excited when I saw it in the box, and immediately got my hot choc mug out (I was born in Mexico so I have a special hot choc mug and I know my hot chocolates, I do love them dearly). I can’t have any kind of milk that has been heated/warmed up so I usually make them in hot water (I have tried all brands available at supermarkets and know what to expect in flavour if they are meant only to be done with milk). So I had braced myself for it being a little less amazing due to me being weird. What I didn’t brace myself was for the amount of spices in it. This does not taste at all like chocolate, it tastes like one of the powdered ginger drinks from Asian shops. And yes, in the lenghty description (in a hard to read font in orange over black background, a killer for people with eye issues) it mentions spices, but when I think of a spiced hot chocolate, it is there but doesn’t kill the flavour of chocolate. In this one, there is sadly no hot chocolate flavour, just spices. Thankfully, because I posted a warning on my instagram stories, a few other subscribers avoided allergic reactions due to the spices, so this is why I am posting this early.

To clarify, I do not think this is a bad box (I actually enjoyed most of it) or that the hot chocolate was bad. I just think labelling could have been better and the hot chocolate recipe is definitely very niche since most people do not like that amount of spice in any beverage unless actually intending to have a spiced drink. (I am always having to tone down my cooking due to me being Mexican amongst British people). I am still all up for hot chocolate in my FairyLoot boxes, though hopefully a mix more like what Options does that can be done in hot water and it is lovely.