reviews – Page 3 – The Constellation of Moon

BLOG TOUR: Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five: Shadows Part One by R. J. Furness // Review

Posted on March 20, 2019

Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five: Shadows (Part One) by R.J. Furness

Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared?
Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding.
There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination.
Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t…

Sapphire Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, Sapphire’s foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?

Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When Sapphire discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, she soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.

“Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five” is a six-part, serialised young adult fantasy story!

Rating:

Well look at that, my orange rating foxes fit perfectly with this book’s cover. And before I get into the full review, as a disclaimer, I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No one forced me to write what I have written here (no drakes, no shades).

R. J. Furness was already on my radar, thanks to the Orgo stories (and the Orgo Adventures). So when he mentioned this new idea I was happy to give it a go and see what it was all about.

This is a very fast paced book, despite being short. And I had to pause and make sure I knew what had just happened. There is also a lot of “secrets” and so much to find out, when I reached the last page I kinda thought !it isn’t fair, I need answers now!”

We meet Sapphire as she is running away from her foster parents home and panicking about what to do next. I know the purpose of this is to set the story, but I kept thinking that foster parents that have kept a child for 16-18 years (which is what is implied) won’t just suddenly kick the child out. If they were the kind that just do it for the money, then Sapphire would’ve been SO ready to leave and counting down to her 18th birthday (I say this as I know a couple of people who were in situations like that). The only way I can think that Sapphire couldn’t see it coming is that she is stupid, but that doesn’t really fit with the Sapphire we meet, so this is a bit of a plot issue (but I know most will see past it, and it isn’t huge, it was just a little dissonant for me).

Otherwise, the rest of the story just keeps you trying to figure out what is going on with the shadows, what Ben knows and why Sapphire is suddenly thrown into this. I actually really liked the chapter that sets things of with Michelle and Jason. I’d like to find out more about them too.

Basically, I now have SO many questions I don’t even know where to start, but the best start is probably to keep reading the book.

R.J. was super kind and surprised me with a box of goodies(see below). I have never had blackcurrant licorice sweets, so this was an intriguing surprise. I kinda like licorice but not always, so I was a bit unsure. Also, when I got the goodies I was so puzzled by what each item meant, but now I know they fit the story so well!

And of course, this cover wins because it is an orange fox, and there is a fox in the story and I want to know more about the shadow fox and what Sapphire is going to discover in the next “part”.

Book Review, Books

Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon Review

Posted on March 8, 2019

Franklin and Luna go to the Moon by Jen Campbell, illustrated by Katie Harnett

Luna’s best friend, Franklin, is a dragon. They love to read stories about everything from trampolining to deep-sea diving. One day, they are reading about where werewolves live and Franklin begins to wonder where he is from. He is 605 years old and has no idea where to find other dragons!

Luna suggests that they go on an adventure to find his family. They Google his family tree, they e-mail a princess, and along the way they find twenty yetis eating spaghetti, five vampires reading Shakespeare, not to mention disco-dancing unicorns . . . but no dragons!

Where on earth could they be?

Following the success of Franklin’s Flying Bookshop, Franklin and Luna Go to the Moon― a book about the joys of reading, exploring, and coming home― continues to bring the magic of classic fairy tales into the twenty-first century.

Rating:

When I saw there was a “sequel” to Franklin’s Flying Bookshop, I had to buy it! When it arrived the box was huge, so I was surpsied by it.

The artwork is still very cool, and now we aren’t setting up a bookshop (they did that in the first book), but we are finding out what they do now that they are good friends and that they read a lot. All kinds of adventures, but then they try to find Franklin’s family and just seem to not get much out anyhting (there’s a hint here of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster which I found cute).

Then they wonder if maybe there is something in the moon, so why not try to fly there? (nevermind science, it is a dragon, right?) They get to the moon and they find dragons!

The artwork is still super cute, but the story wasn’t as nice and cute as the first one. I wasn’t into it as much as I was for the bookshop one and thought I liked the idea of finding more of Franklin’s family, when we find the dragons I wasn’t elated or excited about it. I guess that defines the fact I just didn’t engage as well with it, which is sad because I was really looking forward to it.

However I can still recommend wholeheartedly the first book.

Book Review, Books

This Lie Will Kill You Review

Posted on January 25, 2019

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

Tell the truth. Or face the consequences.

Clue meets Riverdale in this page-turning thriller that exposes the lies five teens tell about a deadly night one year ago.

One year ago, there was a party.
At the party, someone died.
Five teens each played a part and up until now, no one has told the truth.

But tonight, the five survivors arrive at an isolated mansion in the hills, expecting to compete in a contest with a $50,000 grand prize. Of course…some things are too good to be true. They were each so desperate for the prize, they didn’t question the odd, rather exclusive invitation until it was too late.

Now, they realize they’ve been lured together by a person bent on revenge, a person who will stop at nothing to uncover what actually happened on that deadly night, one year ago.

Five arrived, but not all can leave. Will the truth set them free?
Or will their lies destroy them all?

Rating:

I picked this book as a nice extra while I was preordering Darkdawn (and falling down a book buying black hole, but shhhh, that never happened). It sounded interesting, plus I had really enjoyed One of Us Is Lying so I was looking forward to it.

The book has several points of view, one per character (though Doll Face doesn’t really have a main point of view). All five of them have a secret and all may have a motive for killing Shane at the party that happened last year. But did they gang up and kill him? Or did one of them do it on their own?

It has a very definite CLUE vibe which made it easy to follow, but it has it’s own modern tint and some other twists. One of the side plots, has an interesting twist, and that one I guessed early on, and I had an idea of where the story was going and who the “killer” was. But that didn’t spoil the book in itself, as I was intrigued to find what had pushed each character to be at the first party and then to come to the second one.

There was also one “twist” that did surprise me, because it added a new layer and I hadn’t expected it at all. But it wasn’t bad.

There are a lot of references to “horror” films, YA books, kind of how we know a Mean Girls reference o a Legally Blonde one, you can find some references hidden here which make it nice, but also, it isn’t too stuck in referencing things by name, so it will age better than other mysteries that stick to “this is in the exact day we’re living and I will name drop all the books, songs, artists, things of the moment”. Having this ultra specific time frame was a nice thing as it meant I wasn’t getting annoyed by it trying to convince me it is legit contemporary in the here and now.

All in all, it was an enjoyable quick read (just a few hours for me) that helped me relax, rather than stress after work.

Moon recommends

You can try this book here, or you can try One of Us is Lying. I will also keep on recommending It Ends With You or Easy Prey which are recent reads.

Book Review, Books

Aquicorn Cove Review

Posted on January 17, 2019

Aquicorn Cove by Katie O’Neill

When Lana and her father return to their seaside hometown to help clear the debris of a storm, the last thing she expects is to discover a colony of Aquicorns—magical seahorse-like residents of the coral reef. As she explores the damaged town and the fabled undersea palace, Lana learns that while she cannot always count on adults to be the guardians she needs, she herself is capable of finding the strength to protect both the ocean, and her own happiness.

Rating:

Last year I read and reviewed The Tea Dragon Society, where I fell for her artwork and story. So I had to have this little gem but somehow forgot I wanted it and it came out (why did I not preorder?!) and then I got it.

Starting the year with a graphic novel in the pile does make you feel like you’ve got this and can read through your reading goal.

Now unto the book. The Aquicorn Cove is all about awareness of the ocean and the sea and pollution, so it has a bit more of a message running through it. What I’ll say next may be a little controversial, but having that pushed as one of the main topics made the story feel rushed and took away from the rest of the topics. I felt like it was great as an awareness book given by a campaign for saving the ocean, but it felt less like a graphic novel/fantasy book.

I love Katie’s universes and that was amazing, even if this is a little confusing as it looks like the same world of Tea Dragon Society but it is also quite different. Still a lovely world to live in and the artwork more than blows me away, which was worth it. The hairdos, and creatures are so lovely I wish I could style my hair into those cute “horns”

There is also a lot about grief and friendships/relationships and how we survive and move forward (there seems to be a lot of grief topics in my reviews recently, but I promise it has been unconscious or at the very least not on purpose!) which was quite porwerful (and probably what I would’ve preferred to see explored more, as it was done so well through the scenes and artwork, the saying of a picture says more than a 1000 words works well here).

So my veredict is, I preferred The Tea Dragon Society a lot, and this felt more educational/campaign, however the artowrk was still stunning and cute and I am glad to have read it.

Moon recommends

Well, since there seems to be a theme on my reviews, pick any of my previous reviews and probably you’ll get a mention on grief. Or go check out The Tea Dragon Society, which is a big winner and quaint. (Plus it has tea and dragons, what else do you need?)

Book Review

How To Make Friends With A Ghost Review

Posted on December 24, 2018

How To Make Friends With A Ghost by Rebecca Green

What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.

A whimsical story about ghost care, Rebecca Green’s debut picture book is a perfect combination of offbeat humor, quirky and sweet illustrations, and the timeless theme of friendship.

Rating:

Well, if Dickens can write A Christmas Carol full of ghosts, I can post a review of a book that tells you how to befriend one! (befriend a ghost, not a book, that is a matter for another post/day).

I stumbled into this book amongst my Amazon recommendations, because I read a lot of picture books, middle grade and YA. And apparently a lot about ghosts (?). And I am very glad I decided to buy it.

The illustrations are gorgeous (and Rebecca Green is both author and illustrator) and so dreamy but also have a slight vintage feel and reminded me of the drawings in old classics.

The book is less of a story and more a “how to guide”. Probably the best how to guide I have ever read. It starts by telling you how to find a ghost to befriend. It also gives you a some Do’s and Don’t’s, with helpful instructions and even a few recipes to cook for your ghost or how to make your ghost friend much happier.

And the ending is one of the sweetest ones possible. (Won’t spoil it, but it was really nice and explains why having a ghost friend is the best kind of friend you can have).

Also, yes, I changed my background puzzle. Funny side story, it is a 1000 piece puzzle, that somehow came with one piece duplicated and one missing (so it is the 1000 pieces, technically no piece missing, except there is). And the duplicate kept confusing me a lot. But at least it has a Christmas/winter mood 🙂

Moon recommends

Read How to Make Friends with a Ghost, because it is sweet and lovely, and friendship is important. And I hope you have a good Christmas Eve. If you don’t celebrate, have a lovely day, if you do, don’t stress too mcuh and enjoy the family and company.

Thanks for taking the time to read my reviews and musings 🙂

Book Review

Raven Child and the Snow Witch Review

Posted on December 10, 2018

Raven Child and the Snow Witch by Linda Sunderland and Daniel Egneus

Anya lives with her mother and father in the shadow of the icy glacier where the Snow-Witch reigns. Every spring, Anya’s mother journeys to the glacier to pick the blue gentian flowers that grow there. But this time, she does not return. She has been captured by the Snow-Witch and imprisoned in the ice. Anya and her father set off with the ravens to rescue her. It’s a treacherous journey, and there is no knowing what they will find…

Rating:

You can see it, but the snow is all glittery and delightful and all through the book there is glittery snow in it and it is gorgeous and just made my heart happy (even though in general I am not a fan of glitter, but somehow it fit so well in here). And of course, there is a fox in this story, which is probably a big part of why I got it, but also the title sounded great and the story seemed sweet.

The illustrations aren’t over defined, they’re more “blocky” but that gives it a very personal flavour and it also goes well with the whole snowy crafty theme of the book and it is good.

Anya loves where she lives and loves her mother and father, but when her mother goes out to pick flowers, she has a dream and suddenly wakes up. She feels like her mother spoke to her through the dream about being imprisoned by the Snow Witch.

So both Anya and her father set off (this made me fall for this book, the father was involved, he was part of the adventure!) and as they make their way towards the town closer to where mother has gone and disappeared, Anya rescues a Raven and a Fox.

It is a lovely adventure and there’s an IT vs Meg Murray kind of moment (and I liked that) and in general I liked it. When it came to an end I wished for a little more but it still was a good short read.

Moon recommends

Definitely try this one out as it is gorgeous and will make you smile as you read it. I would also recommend (for older readers, but still MG) The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell.

Book Review

Getting Lost and Finding Oneself

Posted on November 8, 2018

The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby

Bri and Mari are cousins, and growing up, also best friends and soul mates. But over the teenage years they lose touch, and their lives develop in somewhat opposite directions. While Bri travels the world, hikes crazy mountains and make new friends, Mari chooses a more shallow path; that of a social media influencer. Cooking pretend (photo suitable) meals, dating a pretend (social media hot-shot) boyfriend, she’s lost touch not only with Bri, but also with their common dreams of future adventures. But then suddenly, everything changes. Bri loosing her step on a steep climb, and Mari receiving her diary and backpack on what would’ve been their shared eighteenth birthday, sets Mari off in a new direction. One of hiking, exploring, and in a way recapturing the relationship with her now gone cousin. This is a story about getting lost on trails, and finding oneself when trying to get on the right way back.

Rating 🐖🐖🐖

Starting this book, I really thought I was going to love it. The cousin friendship, the growing apart, the mountain climbing and cute illustrations and handwritten passages from Bri’s diary – I just knew I was in for a treat. The story set off well, with Mari taking on the erratic landscape, while leaving everything she knew behind.

Then, however, nothing much happened. Sure, she climbed some more mountains. Made some friends (and there’s a love story in there too). Found out some things about Bri. But pretty fast, there was nothing more to the story than depictions of blisters, beautiful sunsets and quotes about finding oneself.

I really liked the concept of this book, but ironically enough, Mari’s journey towards finding her true self is plotted with the typical kind of shallow quotes that she wanted to get away from when leaving the influencer life behind. It is however a cute, easy read and pleasant feel good story, and if that’s what you’re looking for, The Other Side of Lost is a good option.

Dr. Bea approves

If you’re in for more wild life adventures, Wild by Cheryl Strayed or Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer might be your next read.

Book Review

City of Ghosts Review

Posted on September 3, 2018

20180829_191645

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.

20180829_132842

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

Pretty Bad Liars?

Posted on August 4, 2018

All of this is true by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Miri, Penny and Soleil have been friends since seventh grade, attending the same classes at the same private school, looking at the same boys, arranging the same hyped parties, and most important of all, sharing the love for the novel Undertow, and worshipping its author. One day the girls, together with their new friend Jonah, goes to an Undertow-signing. The author, Fatima Ro, is everything they hoped she would be, and as if that wasn’t enough, she want’s the little high school gang to become “her new people”. Hanging out at Fatima’s soon becomes the new normal, but all relationships isn’t what they first seems to be, and conflicts, lies, and hidden agendas are boiling right under the surface. It all comes down to the question: Who can you really trust to keep your secrets?

Rating 🐖🐖🐖

This is exactly the kind of page turning mystery story that I do l.o.v.e. It’s similar to Pretty Little Liars and a lot of other YA-books, with the plot building up around a well-kept secret that you spend the time reading to try to figure out. In All of this is true, this premise also shines through in how the book is disposed and written. It consists exclusively of TV-interviews with the girls, excerpts from Fatima Ro’s new book, email-conversations, and news paper articles about the unraveling scandal that’s at the center of the story.

I strongly liked this disposition, as it added to the jigsaw format of the plot itself. What I didn’t like was that the book felt a bit thin. Not in size or number of pages, but plot wise. After all, the “big secret” in this one was quite easy to figure out, and once it was exposed, there wasn’t much more to the story.

This book could easily have been a five pigs-read for me, if there had been just a liiiittle more dept; to the characters, and to the events that took place, i.e. in terms of psychological explanations or theories. ‘Cause at the end of this books, all my “how’s” were answered, but all my “why’s” where just left there hanging. And that’s really like ripping out the last chapter of a really good thriller, isn’t it?

Dr. Bea approves

If you want more mysteries, I recommend you to read One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus. (Moral wise I had some troubles with that one, to be honest, but oh was it an exciting five pig-read.)

Book Review

It Only Happens in the Movies Review

Posted on July 25, 2018

It Only Happens In The Movies by Holly Bourne

Audrey is over romance. Since her parents’ relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy. Because real love isn’t like the movies…

The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies… YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.

Rating:

My absolutely favourite thing about this book was the ending. I was buddy reading with a friend and kept commenting on how I didn’t want x or y in the ending, and Holly delivered. It couldn’t be a more perfect ending to the book.

Basically this book redeemed my quickly draining love for contemporary books (as I get older and read more and more, the less I like contemporaries, they are just meh and feel like the same book over and over with minimal changes. Holly however gave me something different and wow me!)

Also, it was great to see more of the family in a way and how things weren’t great for Audrey and she couldn’t do much about it (because sometimes that’s life and it sucks).

Moon recommends

Cheek It Only Happens in the Movies, oh and get some popcorn with it, you’ll crave it!