Tag: fantasy

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Monsters We Defy

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The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: Copy provided by the publisher upon request

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

The Monsters We Defy has it all as a book. Part magic, part heist, part finding your identity and your place in the world, part critique about life in the 1920s as a black person, what it is as a whole is an enthralling read.

Clara is doing her best to just live her life quietly and safely. She has her job, her annoying Trick and Zelda as a temporary roommate to contend with and that is more than enough. The problem is that this puts her as a spirit medium and people know she helps folks, which at some point was a gift, but nowadays to her feels like a curse.

But then she starts noticing people disappearing and some odd spirit world things happening, and she just can’t let it go, so she gets involved and suddenly there’s a heist to pull, trying to steal a powerful magical ring that may give her the freedom she craves from her Trick.

Honestly, the way the combination of Charm and Trick works is a delight to read and I found it fascinating once each character covers their back story and you suddenly understand why they wanted the Charm and thought they could cope with the Trick attached to it and make a deal with a spirit.

The whole cast is fascinating and Clara is a strong well developed main character. Zelda is a hoot and I love her dearly. Overall this book had me at the edge of my seat and at the same time laughing and worried. The heist itself is good, the historical setting wasn’t too much nor too far away from the truth of how things were back then the right balance, and there’s a lot going on and many characters to keep you entertained.

Overall really recommend it as there’s very little I can compare it to, but if you like stories of magic, identity, cahoots, and heists and historical background, this is an absolute blast to read.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Rebel Skies

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Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

Read before: No

Ownership: It came in a Book Box Club but it had caught my eye before.

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

One of the things that caught my eye about this book is that it was described as having Studio Ghibli vibes, and honestly that made me curious. I love Ghibli films and therefore it was inevitable that I would want to read it.

Our story follows Kurara who has very vague memories of her past and can’t seem to remember much beyond a certain point after a traumatic event. But she lives as a servant and her joy is to interact with her best friend. So when it appears her little party trick of producing origami creatures that come to life has caught the attention of people outside her small world, things turn interesting.

I loved the worldbuilding in this book, and I can confirm it has delightful Ghibli vibes though it was most certainly missing more food talk to fully make the Ghibli mark (joking, but I would not have complained if there was more food talk). The interesting magic of turning origami into live creatures that require some kind of soul and figuring how to control them while being aware of things was interesting, and even more to consider that people use it for battle and defense, or that big origami creatures can be terrifying and therefore destroy skyships.

The world being set into odd factions with different approaches to life, like living in a flying ship, or never leaving a palace or maybe being the Princess, was also interesting and I wanted to know more, plus there seems to be a lot more implied about Kurara and where she truly comes home that we only find out near the end of the book and that we still dont know much about.

It was a quick read and easy to get into, even if there is a lot to navigate wiht the world and as a Ghibli film does, this book assumes you are an onlooker that is in some way part of this world. It welcomes you and somewhat explains things if they appear to be too odd for the world, or the character but otherwise it just gets on witht he story which was nice to read.

Overall, recommended as a lovely book with cosy vibes, a fierce interesting magic and Ghibli influences.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The First Binding Blog Tour

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The First Binding by R. R. Virdi

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Ownership: Review copy provided by publisher but I have been excited to read it for ages.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

This is going to be probably the weirdest review first paragraph ever, so you have been warned. Have you ever grown tired of the usual fantasy tropes of clueless hero, lovely stunning lady, lots of worldbuilding, some info dump here and there, potential trigger topics used just for the plot or close to fridging? Well, fear not, because The First Binding somehow is refreshingly none of that!

Do I mean to say our hero, Ari, isn’t a bit clueless? Yes he is but not the usual fantasy trope way. And what about having stunning lady in the story? Yes we do, but she is her own mystery and worth checking out. She is not there just for plot points.

In all honesty, because I am not the wittiest review writer, the one thing I can highly the most about The First Binding is how refreshing it is. Ari is a completely different male hero/villain/grey character. He is incredibly fully fleshed and has so many shades of grey that you can’t help but want to see them all and hear all his stories. The mechanic of worldbuilding and plot deployment as stories told by Ari and sometimes nested storytelling is brilliant and it does not for once feel just as info dump or as odd chapters taken from a different book. You feel as if you are there when Ari is telling his stories, and as things happen in the present.

One of the things I noticed the most and really really appreciated was how Ari treats female characters and how R. R. Virdi writes them. There is respect in there and not just a dump of a character for the sake of needing padding in plot. All throughout the book Ari has a way of approaching things and morality that felt good to read about, to see him live by it and colour his choices, and you can see how he learns from his experiences as he goes through his stories. Eloine is surprised by his way of being, but honestly so was I and I loved it. It is probably one of my favourite things here, and trust me, the stories and adventures are also incredibly good.

I have read many good books this year, but The First Binding climbed incredibly quickly to the top and currently has wiped out every other amazing book I have read. I cannot wait to read the next book and know more.

Books

Moon Reads: The Sinister Booksellers of Bath Cover Reveal

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Who doesn’t like a shiny cover reveal? Are you ready for one?

Because I am!

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix is such a gorgeous shiny cover! And if you are curious about what the book will be about, here’s a little synopsis:

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an Ancient Sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Purbeck marble. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.

If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

A wintry return to the somewhat alternate 1980s England of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London.

Don’t forget to preorder it because it’ll be amazing!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Paranorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse

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Paranorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke and art by Mari Costa

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: Bought it for myself.

Chaos bunnies? Did someone say chaos and bunnies? That was basically what sold me this book. And that it is a graphic novel. If that hasn’t sold it to you yet, let me try a bit more.

We start with our main heroine, Abby, who is helping her mum at a cafe and serving the magical community but then her sister gets bullied and portal is opened to this chaos bunny land. Abyy is sweet but her magic is a bit odd and she wants desperately to help fix everything a nd help everyone. Obviously having chaos bunnies come through a portal creates chaos so that’s basically the story, how to stop the chaos bunnies from causing the end of the world and all that chaos.

But one of the things I really liked about it is how it integrates diversity into a magical world. The concept of ghosts here was beautiful and I like that it had a hijabi character. Then each of Abbys friends has a specific background, issues and approaches and despite some clashes, they are friends and help each other out and want the best for each other and again that was super cute to read and very encouraging and uplifting.

I recommend this book because it is a cute cosy chaotic read and I even sold it to the booksellers from the publisher, because it is so good and fun. If you want a more chaotic Mooncakes vibes with less romance and more middle grade or lower vibes this is it!

Book Review

Moon Reads: A Psalm for the Wild Built

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A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Read before: No

Ownership: My best friend threw the book at me because I had to read it, she was right.

Ok, this is a book about a monk and a robot. But it is also a book about tea, about what offering someone a cup of tea is like and what it can provide relief, for listening to them. It is also a book about identity, about what defines humanity, a soul and conscience. It is about duties and expectations.

If you expect a light book, this is not for you despite it being relatively short. Because it is a book that will make you think and reconsider your whole life. You will wonder why you are not doing something else, or if you are truly happy.

Overall, the point of this book is about the purpose and about choices. What do humans need? It depends on who you ask and when. If I am terribly tired, I would say sleep or overall peace. But who knows what we really need. It is hard to talk for the whole of humanity, as much as we are a collective we are also a bunch of individuals and this book will make you think about all of this and more. Honestly, I cannot recommend it enough even though I can barely describe it without retelling the story.

But the main character is non-binary, serves tea and does their own mixes for a living moving around in a little wagon type thing that offers tea services and a friendly ear and delicious mixes to soothe the soul. I just loved the concept of this, and I wish I could do this tea mastery serving to others the right tea, perfect for their needs and the time of their lives.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Royal Secrets Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Royal Secrets, January 2022

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

This box had two books which is always a gamble because sometimes that means not as good a content, but let us see if it was true this time, starting from the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • We Hunt the Flame jigsaw puzzle, which I love this collection that looks like books in a box
  • This Woven Kingdom, which I still haven’t read but it is gorgeous
  • The Ivory Key, I was excited for it.
  • A pair of super comfy soft fluffy socks
  • A Never Tilting World inspired necklace for both “sides” and I love it.
  • Theme leaflet.
  • Mobile phone stand with a keyhole and “Youre a survivor”. I amdit I prefer the wooden ones over acrylic.

Overall not a bad box, I am still using the socks, love the necklace and the puzzle. Was not crazy about the phone stand but otherwise it wasn’t a bad box, and having too books didn’t really take anything away from it, which is always nice!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Fine Print

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Fine Print, Volume 1 by Stjepan Šejić

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Read before: No

Ownership: Bought in Forbidden Planet on a trip to London because ti was a decent price.

I love Stjepan’s art style and so when I saw Fine Print in the shop I had to buy it. It is a bit more out there of my usual reads and styles for sure, but a graphic novel is a graphic novel and I actually had a good giggle reading this.

The story follows several characters through a very slow start, and to be honest, this book is very much a setup volume so read it with care, as in do not expect a perfectly polished story because we know it isn’t. But the next volumes develop more of it. We get a lot of insight even if it is all over the place about each of the characters, the two “gods” of desire that will try to win her contract and give her everything she desires, Lauren who is the main character and an absolute self-destructive being who knows what the right choice is and still does not make it because it is better to choose the worst possible one. And honestly, the story is almost written in that way, like a reflection of her own chaos and bad decisions but told into a story where you are trying to justify your actions and know as you go that there is no way to make them seem better except to try to tell the truth and add some humour because you pretty much messed up so bad there is no coming back from it.

One thing the art does suffer from is a bit of same face syndrome which as the characters have progressed and Stjepan has developed them, does change into more defined the point in part is that everyone is gorgeous and therefore apparently there is only one way. I particularly like the colour work but I am terrible at it so take it with a grain of salt.

Overall, it is a fun comic that if you have high expectations it will fail you, but if you’re here for a silly story about competitiveness, bad decisions and chaos, it will entertain.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Gallant

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Gallant by V. E. Schwab

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Read before: No

Ownership: Proof copy provided by the publisher. Also got an Illumicrate copy with the subscription box I have.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Creepy sentient houses and slightly gothic vibes? That sounds right up my street particularly since I loved Mexican Gothic. Now, I admit after reading Adie LaRue and not loving it, I had decided to not go into Gallant with high expectations. This was a good decision, however, I still had skewed ideas of what the book was aiming to do and that did mean I enjoy it less than I might have.

My overall review is that Schwab is now in comfortable quotable prose that writes beautiful phrases in almost every sentence and therefore is very good for selling to fandom and making fandom items of it. However, to me, this means the plot is sacrificed slightly for the aesthetic feel. This isn’t exactly a bad thing but I prefer less pretty words and more story.

Now that that is out of the way, Gallant has a mute orphan at the centre of it, one who longs for a place to call home and then, presto, suddenly the chance appears with an odd letter to invite her to Gallant, her family home. Now this is particularly odd but you don’t look a gifted horse in the teeth and you do not complain. But the house is spooky and there appears to be a second house, like a mirror but dark and spooky and beyond the veil kinda thing. And of course, we have the brooding family counterparts, the loyal servants and the heroine, alongside the characters in the alternative house. All pretty good for a gothic vibe, and yet it felt a little flat on gothic.

If you are not expecting as many gothic vibes it is an interesting introduction to the vibes of it and a fun quick read that has an interesting cast of characters. One thing is that once again we see Death as part of the plot and the longing to find a home and a place to belong when you don’t feel like you do, which is characteristic of Schwab. However, there is less about who makes a monster and more about finding out who the parents are and why they abandoned her.

Overall a quick read with beautiful quotes and phrases and a spooky slightly gothic vibe that will scratch a quick read itch.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Sea Witch

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Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Read before: No

Ownership: Bought a while ago or gifted, not even sure but it was in my bookcase for a long time.

I can’t remember why I bought this one but it caught my eye and I think it was mostly that it was a retelling no of the Little Mermaid and focused as much on the mermaid but on the sea witch that provides the favours. And to be fair, that sounds interesting particularly if it is more of a general sea witch view and not a Disney specific one.

The story follows four friends, two princes and two girls, and their adventures near the sea. It appears initially very straightforward and you feel like you know where the story is going, you know you’re familiar with the Little Mermaid, so of course, you know this story, but as you keep going the story branches a little and does some odd twists.

I admit I enjoyed the book, even if it was more or less extremely focused on love and having a crush, and the feeling of being elevated to a higher status which I mean are powerful emotions to turn someone into a witch but still, it was an interesting approach.

At times it waxes too lyrical and tries hard to be mysterious about one of the characters and maybe it is maybe it isn’t, and I do wish it had tried less hard into hiding things and more into explaining why things happened, but overall it felt like a darker odd fairy tale that had modernised.

If you love the Little Mermaid this may be a book for you or if you like fantasy books that read like fairy tales or new takes on them. Like a refresh of stories, this is the book for you!