fantasy – Page 19 – The Constellation of Moon

Furyborn Review

Posted on May 2, 2018

This book was provided through a Fairyloot box as an advance copy

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world…or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first.

A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable–until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world–and of each other.

Rating:

There was a lot of hype for this book so I was looking forward to reading it. It has an intense start where you find Rielle so interesting, and then you get Eliana. I struggled a lot to get into Eliana’s chapters, and even when it finally got better (around page 350), I still didn’t care very much for her. The reason I was reading her chapters was because of Simon, or Remy (definitely one of my favourite characters of the book!), or Navi or another character in there. I couldn’t feel for her and I just couldn’t immerse myself properly into her world view. Rielle’s chapters on the contrary where much more interesting, and that never helped poor Eliana’s one as they contrasted too much with hers.

I loved the elements and the strange empirium which made me think of atoms making up everything in the world (except empirium is golden here and I don’t think atoms are exactly a certain colour).

But it bugged me that there is a lot of explanations and reasons missing that just don’t make sense. Who decides who is the Sun or Blood Queen? Why is Rielle so powerful and so special? What does Corien want with her and if he so much needs her, why kill her? Most of it doesn’t make sense, and despite the “joining” of the plots, it still has too many gaps.

The writing itself is immersive and I did enjoy the flow of the writing and I had no problems with it or the style, all good there. So i look forward to reading the next book and to read more books from her, but I just feel an overhype for this sadly.

Moon recommends

Preorder Furyborn if you like stories that have two separate generations (by however many generations in between but you know, a past and a present or a present and a future views) and fantasy that has a dark tinge to it.

Book Review

Wayward 1: String Theory Review

Posted on April 16, 2018

Apparently I have been in a reading craze, and have a lot of stuff to review, so yeah, bear with me.

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Wayward Volume 1: String Theory by Jim Zub, Steve Cummings and John Rauch

Rori Lane is trying to start a new life when she reunites with her mother in Japan, but ancient creatures lurking in the shadows of Tokyo sense something hidden deep within her, threatening everything she holds dear.

Can Rori unlock the secrets of her power before it’s too late?

Rating:

I rushed through this volume, without intending to. And it surprised me. I had added this to my list since I like graphic novels and wanted something to get my eyes into but wasn’t sold on Saga which is what others were raving about (I am more of a Monstress/Fables kinda girl). So I decided to give this a go.

I loved it, it is like a mix of American graphic novels and manga, with all the crazy and nonsense of both and the good artwork too. I quickly liked the characters and wanted to know more about what was happening and as much as you can guess a little where the story goes, it ends up surprising you at times.

I can’t wait to learn more about Rori and her group of misfits.

Moon recommends

As I mentioned above, Monstress is a definitely good one however I will warn you it is not for everyone, and then there is Fables which is more well known. And of course, this lovely first volume.

Book Review

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Review

Posted on April 8, 2018

This was one of the books that came in a FairyLoot box a while ago, and I had also had an ARC copy of it.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins–sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

Rating:

This is a difficult rating and review decision, mostly because I loved the writing, world building and ambience of the book. However, I did not actually love the story. And I just couldn’t get to feel for Xifeng. So to be clear, the “low rating” in this case is more of a “this kind of story/MC doesn’t agree with me, rather than a “this is bad writing” because seriously, that is the furthest away from the truth it could get.

Julie does a masterful work at setting the story in East Asia, and I was hooked with the world, however, the shift of Xifeng never really clicked. She felt a bit like she was being mostly manipulated and never actually made choices, her choices were basically motivated by a “prophecy” of “destiny” and when it shows that she can’t have her cake and eat it, she goes completely against herself because of the Serpent God. That I just couldn’t understand, and Wei perfectly describes her in their last meeting.

All in all, I was fond of Shiro, Wei and the ladies in general, and it was really interesting to read it. Sadly, I knew where the story was going and that it would not be a happy story/ending. I am curious to see the next book and see what goes on with Jade, but then, I think I will prefer Jade as MC than Xifeng, we shall see.

Moon recommends

I am not an antihero reader in general. It’s not that I dislike good villains, but rather than I like villains that either have a good motive or antiheroes that just are in their way of being. The only books that come to mind is And I Darken and the Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. And of course, this one 🙂

Book Review

State of Sorrow Review

Posted on March 21, 2018

I was lucky to go to the launch party at Waterstones (it was that snowy week where everything was closed and you weren’t sure if trains would run or not). I ended up with a nice postcard, the book (signed of course), a tote bag, a Lamentia candle from Geeky Clean and Melinda standing up to shake my hand because she recognised me as Moon. Thanks Mel, I felt like a celebrity for a few seconds.

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State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

A people cowed by grief and darkness.
A cut-throat race for power and victory.
A girl with everything and nothing to lose…

Sorrow all but rules the Court of Tears, in a land gripped by perpetual grief, forever mourning her brother who died just days before Sorrow was born. By day she governs in place of her father, by night she seeks secret solace in the arms of the boy she’s loved since childhood. But when her brother is seemingly found alive, and intent on taking control, Sorrow has to choose whether to step aside for a stranger who might not be who he claims to be, or embark on a power struggle for a position she never really wanted.

Rating:

It starts very poetic and almost like a fairytale which was a lovely way to start, and then it is a sad sorrowful tale. It was good to read it after the launch as I had Melinda’s insight into it and I went in it thinking of grief and how to process it. My heart hurt for the whole kingdom as they have lost joy and basically live in permanent ~~forced~~ grief.

It also helped to know that Mel writes the “twists” not as twists but as logical ways for each character to achieve something and it was itneresting to read with that lense on, as what Vespus does and all those little twists definitely made more sense. Some were more “predictable” if you look closely enough to the “crumbs” of what they are doing, and some still surprised me (specially the twist about Sorrow).

All in all, it is a sad but beautiful tale and I recommend reading it.

Moon recommends

Reading State of Sorrow or Melinda’s other series, Sin Eater’s Daughter. If you want to read more about grief you can try Letters to the Lost which blew me away.

Book Review

The Witch’s Kiss Review

Posted on March 11, 2018

This lovely book is one that Maja raves about and I was curious about. And then Leafer Box sent it as part of the December box, and seriously, it was just like a sign to read it.

The Witch’s Kiss by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr

Sixteeen-year-old Meredith is fed-up with her feuding family and feeling invisible at school – not to mention the witch magic that shoots out of her fingernails when she’s stressed. Then sweet, sensitive Jack comes into her life and she falls for him hard. The only problem is that he is periodically possessed by a destructive centuries-old curse. Meredith has lost her heart, but will she also lose her life? Or in true fairytale tradition, can true love’s kiss save the day?

Rating:

What I knew about this book was that it was a gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty. However as much as it has element sof it, is it more than just a retelling and feels more like “inspired” by rather than an actual retelling (this is not a bad thing at all).

One thing I liked is that what Merry is doing regarding Jack affects her regular non magical life. This was a fresh change to read since most of the time it appears that magical adventures have no effect whatsoever on real life for the character and thankfully that was not the case here.

Now I am left wondering what happened to Jack, and how Merry copes afterwards.

Moon recommends

Retellings for the win, and this book, and anything by Robin McKinley. And I am so going to go read the next one but also I have to wait for the last one to come out and oh dear, do I wait for it to come out and binge read or do I try to space it out… Decisions, decisions…

Book Review

Children of Blood and Bone Review (Now We Rise Blog Tour)

Posted on March 6, 2018

It was thanks to attending YALC last year that I had a sampler for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, and I was hooked as soon as I read it.

I pleaded to My Kinda Book to let me read it and review and be part of it, and thankfully after driving them nuts for a few months, here we are, the book is releasing and you need to go read it as soon as possible.

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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

Rating:

There is so much magic in this book despite the fact that technically there is no magic in their world (talk about sounding confusing, right?).

I got a sampler of Children of Blood and Bone during YALC last year and it got me hooked. I kept bothering MyKindaBook/PanMacmillan to let me be part of whatever promotional tours they’d do because this sounded like an epic story I had to read. And I was not wrong.

This is a quest book, with very unique characters trying very hard to follow up with the view of the world they have seen. However the gods have other plans and challenge them to change those ways of seeing the world by making them interact in very interesting ways.

The reason it is missing a grey fox (.5 stars) is that it has SO many unique words it was very difficult to keep track of what was what and I could’ve done with a glossary or some kind of guide/help. This kept making me try to google some of them or to try to figure them out and that kept breaking the story so it was harder to get into it.

None of the characters are perfect but they aren’t the usual flawed way either. Their flaws come from their upbringing, from the view they have had of the world and how they have been taught to deal with things and how life has happened to them. I think this was my favourite part, that it shows sometimes our ideas and opinions are shaped what what we have seen and sometimes we are blind to some things. It is up to us to decide what we do once the blindspots aren’t blinded anymore.

Moon Recommends

You pop again tomorrow so I can reveal how to find out what your Maji clan is! (I am part of the Welder clan). And hey, maybe getting Children of Blood and Bone is a good idea!

Book Review

The Girl in the Tower Review

Posted on January 30, 2018

As you know I loved The Bear and the Nightingale, so here we go on the next book.

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

Rating:

There is so much I’d like to say about this book but a lot of it would be spoilers, so instead I can insert lots of squeals and excitement. Some of the things that were left as question marks (like that gem Vasya has hanging around her neck) get answers, but some new things show up.

We also get to see what happened to Sasha and Olga, and it was interesting to see how their personalities and them as characters developed once they moved to their new environment.

Konstantin is still being annoying and part of me wishes he’d just disappear but then again he does add a lot to the story in his own weird way, wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Poor man.

And of course Solovey is still there as are new characters, and Morozko, the sweetheart nis still there too.

Moon recommends

To read this book, if you haven’t read The Bear and the Nightingale, then read that one first then this one. Come back and despair with me that we have to wait until August to read the conclusion book.

Subscription Boxes

January Fantasy Leafer Box Unboxing

Posted on January 28, 2018

This is the other cheap (as in price) book box out there and it is like a complimentary sibling of Wildest Dreams, as it doesn’t do the Young Adult genre.

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I usually get a combo of sci-fi and fantasy but this time I just felt like having Fantasy and not both. So let’s have a look at the contents:

Oak and Mistletoe by J.Z.N. McCauley. I like the cover and it looks interesting.
A celtic charm necklace
A shamrock/clover keychain, quite cute.
A tiny tartan bow badge/pin which I think was so quite charming.
Chocolate, this time a peppermint one that I devoured.

Not a bad box at all, so if you are interested in getting you can use code KESTREL10 to get 10% off.

Book Review

The Bear and the Nightingale Review

Posted on January 22, 2018

This lovely book came as an extra book in December’s Book Box Club, the first in the Winternight Trilogy and we decided to buddy read it so I have enjoyed it doubly.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

‘Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, they only come for the wild maiden.’

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods…

Rating:

This is a fairytale full of fairytales in it’s own way and I absolutely loved it. The Russian folklore seeps into you and grasps you with it’s beauty as Vasya and her family grow and find that magic and religion seem to be playing havoc in their little estate.

The forest is full of secrets and “demons” and house spirits inhabit every corner until the priest finds he is faithful and it can’t be this way anymore.

I loved th scenes of the fir-grove and was fond of Sascha, Vasya, Irina and Alyosha. I could understand Anna’s insecurities and issues (not that it makes it right that she did what she did) and Konstantin is one of those despised but well made characters that you love to hate.

I am already reading The Girl in the Tower and can’t wait to see what happens next and how Vasya copes with magic in her life .

Moon recommends

You read this book, don’t miss out. And if you like Russian stories, try The Crown’s Game, it is also a wonderful and magical story.

Book Review

An Enchantment of Ravens Review

Posted on December 11, 2017

I love books with fae but I am a little picky on them once I have read them. So when I saw this gorgeous book (I adore the cover) I had to give it a go.

Side note: I also learned I have no black feather props or anything that coud be used for this book at hand, so have a lot of white ones and a quill I made myself from a swam feather.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There’s only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

Rating:

I will start this review by saying I thoroughly enjoyed the world of Whimsy. And Isobel’s sisters, March and May, were a great addition to the story, every appearance they had made me smile in some way.

It was all in all an interesting quest adventure with romance at the centre of it yet at the same time, as much as the romance is part of the plot, it isn’t the only thing and Isobel has a lot of interesting layers (as does Rook).

Meeting the fae folk in their own courts was also a revelation and it was interesting to see how they interacted with Craft (and the effect of Craft in them, of course).

And that ending was wonderful. I didn’t expect it exactly the way it happened and it was a good ending. Made me quite happy.

Moon recommends

This book, because it is a true enchantment. Or if you’d like to read more about fairies, you can try Holly Black’s Modern Fairie Tales. I remember enjoying reading them ages ago (and in general I like Holly’s books).

If you’d like to buy Enchantment, you can do so here. I am off to buy some black feathered things…

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.