series – The Constellation of Moon

Moon Reads: Shadow Baron

Posted on April 21, 2026

Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans

Rating:

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Now on to book two of this series. Now, this one took me much longer to finish, partly because I was reading other books alongside it and some of those were pretty epic and therefore I had to take a break from fantasy. But still enjoyed it.

This time I will start with the parts that were less positive. We are still suffering with pacing and world building issues. Though you can see that some of the plot is driving the need to fill in those gaps, but also some of those “fixes” are creating new areas and things that again, struggle with that fleshing out. And for me one of the biggest things was that we keep having a “mystery” for Siyon to fix, and that mystery is left too vague and then all of a sudden boom,the vague hints suddenly all align, but not in a satisfying way, they feel a bit clunky and sometimes a bit forced or just faceless, like they weren’t defined enough.

Out of this particular book’s plots, my favourite was Anahid’s. Look, she is going around betting with some semi unsavoury characters, visiting the Flower District (sex workers are called flowers here), and she’s somehow balancing her stifling social needs (barely) with her groiwng interest into the Flower Disctrict and the games she plays. The fact she ends up winning a Flower House out of one of the main gang bosses (who are some of the big baddies socially), and then ends up having somewhat of a feud with the gang since they feel offended of her not giving them the house back. Somehow they didn’t expect her to want to take her of the flowers and start changing things and their quality of life. I loved her taking on this challenge and using her social skills and all her training to be a perfect wife in high society, for making a flower house work more smoothly, even when she’s suddenly chit chats with some of the other gangs and their bosses and trying to defend herself and come out winning from the boss she won the house from (fairly).

Zagiri’s plot advances much more here, as she realises that the best way to make use of her privilege is to go into politics to try to change things inside the system. But as she finds a position that lets her start making small waves, she also starts accidentally being pulled into a rebellion that is brewing, because people remember her efforts before and how she used privilege to save lives. The story is still challenging her on how she intends to use her privilege but also the definition of what violence is and what paths are chosen for each side and why for some sides violence is not so bad but from the other, anything even close to it is considered bad. Lots of challenges for Zagiri, while also trying to maintain the facade of beign part fo the high society to keep using that privilege.

And finally Siyon, for me in this book his story was the most frustrating. He is missing Izmirlian, which fully understandable, and still trying to understand his new responsibilities, while trying to catch up on this new system and new rules of high society that he doesn’t know how to navigate and now has to figure out on the go. And then there is one of the gang bosses keeps appearing to him and doing cryptic messages (this “mystery” was the one I spoke about that is vague and tries to set itself up but doesn’t do it well enough). , plus the fact mythical creatures are suddenly appearing and people are upset about how the big magic changes in the planes are having cascade effects on their perfectly constructed life and can we please have a fixed world but no consequences thankyou very much. Which is very mcuh how sociery feels like, so this was done well. Siyon’s story here is about how to fit into a new world that demands of you to fix it when you don’t even know what’s broken.

AS we delve deepr into the specifics of each character’s arc, then we do get a slightly more fleshed out wrold for each of their pieces, but they feel a bit too disconnected form each other except when the characters interact or join them in their own way, but it isn’t enough still.

Oh and there is a naga, a djinn, and a dragon, so pretty cool story! Still worth reading and I will see what the last book brings. Hoping for some closure on many items.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Notorious Sorcerer

Posted on April 17, 2026

Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans

Rating:

I have no idea how I stumbled upon this book, but I was delighted when I finally picked it up to read.

This is the beginning of a trilogy and at the time I am writing this book, I have only read the first two books, and will probably pick the third one soon enough because I need to know how it ends.

Notirous sorcerer follows Siyon Velo, who dreams of becoming an Alchemist, a user of high magic, but instead just does errands and causes some fights and chaos to try to scrape enough money to actually have enough lessons of alchemy/magic. But he is more capable of magic than he knows, so he accidentally (because he has a good heart) manages to do something that is technically impossible alchemy wise, which plummets him into high society, and well, poor man has no idea what he is doing yet somehow everyone thinks he does or expects him to now be the one saving the day every time.

We also follow two sisters who end up heavily embroiled in Siyon’s world, Zagiri and Anahid. Anahid is a high society lady, in a loveless marriage to a very famous alchemist who is using her as a way to hide his love and relationship with a man (who has a lot of secrets). And what Anahid is trying her best to do is not ruin her reputation or the chances for her younger sister for when she decides to debut. Zagiri on her own side isn’t too keen to debut, she wants to be part fo the Dockside world, of the clans that patrol it and of the “fun”.

To me, the city of Bezim was a bit vague and was not fleshed out very well, the world building was sometimes a bit like it was floating just above ground but had no tether, so it made the first chapters hard to grasp and get into. So, why did I rate this so high?

Because damn, the characters carry this in a refreshing way.

Siyon is a mess, and he knows it, and is desperately trying to balance the fact he wants to achieve his dream and that he probably never will. Part of his plot puts him in a “what if you achieved your dream right now and it wasn’t exactly what you thought it’d be?”, he is inducted as an Alchemist, but then all hell keeps breaking loose and somehow the adultier adults keep looking to him to fix it. So he keeps finding ways to put a brave face on and try to make it work. He only really shows the reality to Zagiri and Anahid (partly, not fully) and Izmirlian, a curious high society man who wants to achieve his own dream and hopes Siyon might be the key to it.

Anahid starts off slow, trying so incredibly hard to align with the rules of her own class and the expectations of her circle, but making society think your relationship is perfectly fine when it is just a relationship in name is heavy on her shoulders, alongside her love and care for Zagiri and hoping that she can do better than she did. As we go through her story in the first book she starts to find ways to bend the rules or at least find some breathing room. Her question is more of “what do YOU want? how about being selfish for once?”.

And finally Zagiri, she represents a more spoiled high class kid who goes to play in the world of the lower classes, playing but always having a “way” out of some of the bad parts of the lower class challenges. And yet, she starts noticing that maybe neither world fits her. Her own path is less intense and less explored in this book, but is asks the question, “what if you saw your privilege? what would you do with it?”

I also really enjoyed the magic system and the planar worlds, it reminded me a little of the world building Sanderson does for Mistborn, and so, yes, it is a bit different than usual but was interesting and I ketp wanting to understand more as Siyon himself kept learning of it.

I do want to warn that the pacing suffers a little so you’ll breeze through some chapters then get lost in bad pacing and then come back to better pacing. I wish it had a little bit more editing and a little bit more effort on setting the world nicely so Bezim feels more alive and real.

Still, fi you enjoy swashbuckling, magic systems that are physical and planar, interesting various ages of main characters and two female ones, alongside some queerness, this may the series for you.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Paladin’s Grace

Posted on April 3, 2026

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Rating:

I will start this review with two clarifications, this was not my first T. Kingfisher book (Nettle & Bone was and I enjoyed it very much), and that I did not read this on paperback but rather listened to the audiobook narrated by Joel Richards, who did an amazing job narrating the book.

The first thing we learn is that Stephen is a paladin, but of a dead god, one that died all of a sudden (and apparently the only one that has). And Paladin’s for different god’s do different things, and Stephen’s Saint of Steel was all about fighting and giving his Paladin’s the gift of basically becoming berserkers that do their holy duty and then leave a trail of blood and death once the job is done. Normally their job is to defend and collaborate with others. But now that their god is dead, the few leftover paladin’s are left broken since the majority died when their god died, consumed by grief and the berserker gift.

Stephen’s doing his best to cope by helping the Temple of the Rat (another god who doesn’t have paladins but that welcomed them and makes use of them to help everyone), and it is while finishing one of his duties for them that he finds Grace in an alley and they witness an assassination attempt go wrong. And somehow, the chance encounter becomes a repeated meeting due to circumstances.

Now they need to navigate a web of politics, treachery and a killer who seems to love separating bodies from their heads.

The novel is delightful, Grace is a perfumer trying to make a life for herself, and Stephen is a sweet man trying to do his duty and be kind, and he’s slowly falling in love with her while they try to investigate the assassination and the murders that keep happening in the city.

I don’t even know how to describe the story, but I loved all the bits, including Stephen knitting socks to pass the time, and the introspective of trying to find a purpose after his god died (how do you live and make a life when your purpose died suddenly. It is a lovely romance but it is also a murder mystery and there’s politics and intrigue, everything to make a good book.

Book Review

Moon Reads – Blood of the Old Kings

Posted on January 23, 2026

Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim. Translated by Anton Hur

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

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.

When I first requested this book I wasn’t sure how much I would like it since I am picky with my translated fiction (the translator can make or break a book, trust me on this). But I shouldn’t have worried, this book sunk its teeth into me and didn’t let go, and though for some reason I didn’t review it at the time that I read it, it’s one of those that lives rent free in my head.

We follow Loran, a swordswoman who is desperate to avenge her family after it was killed by the Empire, so she does what anyone would do and climbs into a volcano to find an ancient dragon from legend and try to negotiate with it so she can get her revenge. She gets an interesting deal on this and comes out with a fancy shiny sword and a greater purpose to her life. But having this purpose still doesn’t solve everything and so Loran keeps trying to make her way towards making a difference and in turn finds a lot of interesting adventures and situations that kept me rooting for her and also engrossed into her side of the story.

The other side is from “inside” the Empire, given that Loran more or less is an outsider to the Empire. Arienne in contrast has magic and is pretty much resigned to having a life where she will become the battery of the Empire upon her death. She lives a relatively good life but she still has dreams and ponder son them. So when she starts hearing a voice inside her head from a powerful necromancer, she starts questioning things, particularly if she is truly meant to just be a battery and what living a life means.

You get a nice contrast between both of the points of view, first in the environment (inside and outside of the Empire), but also in personality and approaches. Loran can use strength more than brain (not that she doesn’t use her brain), whereas Arienne has to use her brain first before her strength. And yet, both of them have to learn how to wield their own power and what a life lived means, and what that implies for the Empire, because if they use what they have, they are enemies of the Empire and all they can truly do is find a way to make having a future a reality.

I enjoyed this so much, it was so interesting seeing both of them slowly become heroines and also work through their own preconceptions and ideals, try to fight not just the Empire but their own internal battles.

If you like epic fantasy with high stakes, magic, swordswomen, dragons, and necromancy, this is the book for you.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth

Posted on November 11, 2025

Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth by Ben Clanton

Rating:

Every time I see there’s a new Narhwal and Jelly book I am very happy for it.

The series is very funny and cute and perfect for little ones. The artwork feels a bit like drawn with a crayon and it is so fun. Narwhal is always so peppy even when bad things happen.

In this one, Narwhal’s “horn” which is actually a tooth starts seeing the effects of having too many sweet things and ahs a crack, which hurts Narwhal, and so JElly and Narwhal go around trying to figure out how to fix it and cheer Narwhal up.

As always, sheaningans, waffles and lots of fun happen and this was very cute, with some interesting facts about Narwhal horns/tooth.

I just want to know what happens next, because Jelly seems to have softened a lot now that they’re good friends with Narwhal.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Two Twisted Crowns

Posted on May 16, 2025

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Rating:

As I mentioned in my previous review, I am doing a Rachel Gillig series, so this is the second one with the second book in the series “The Shepherd King”. This is the conclusion to the story and I will admit there was something satisfying about it being a duology.

In One Dark Window, we end with Elspeth making some really difficult choices, giving control to the Nightmare, which absolutely devastates Ravyn, but he is going to keep going and he’s going to keep trying to connect with her and get her back.

At this point, we have all but one card, the one for which there is only one copy made, and the most important one of the set (I did not say this in the past review but for each card it has a number and there are as many copies of it with their magic as the number it has). And of course, Nightmare is the only one who knows where it is, because of reasons that may be a blatant spoiler and therefore I will avoid mentioning.

Anyway, this book we follow Nightmare and Ravyn, and also we follow those left behind in the kingdom, trying to wrangle the kingdom from the king and desperately have something to save when the 12 cards are found.

The balance in viewpoints on this one was a lot harder to achieve and is probably the thing that made me frustrated. We get a bit of both sides, the adventure triyng to find the card and the kingdom and politics, but we barely really understand how Elspeth is doing given that she is now trapped inside Nightmare and her own body.

In exchange we get a lot of the back story for most characters. We get to understand Elspeth’s family better, the founding of the Kingdom and where the king comes from, and we also learn how the cards came to be and the cost they incurred in being made. I loved learning about it, but again, as we learn more fo the past and how it came to be, I wish we had some more depth into some of the characters we encounter frequently through it.

As the story is tying a lot of pieces together to drive to the end, it felt at times a bit rushed or trying to expose more than it should. And so it was a little bit less effective at the story telling and chokehold on me than the first. I still was captivated and wanted to get to the end, but I noticed those things more than I wished I had.

Regardless, I still recommend it, it was a lot of fun, the worldbuild was spot on and very magical, it was dark but also like a fairy tale, and the lore was superb.

Book Review

Moon Reads: One Dark Window

Posted on May 13, 2025

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Rating:

I realised that I had reviewed this on storygraph and raved about it on Instagram stories and to some friends, but had not actually put this up on the blog. And since The Knight and the Moth is publishing this month, why not make it a Rachel Gillig series of posts.

I had received this book free from the publisher when it first came out and at the time I was a little burnt out on similar stories so set it aside and forgot. And as I was clearing and packing books, this lovely one came up and I started reading.

I could not put it down. I read until stupid o’clock in the morning just to finish it. And as soon as I finished it was already ordering the next one. I could not wait (the wait was agony, I needed to know!). Honestly, the book had wrapped its beautifully crafted story around me, and I could (did) not want to leave.

So, I’ve raved about loving it but what is it about?

We follow Elspeth, a survivor of a mysterious “plague” that left her with some odd powers, particularly a monster she calls Nightmare that lives in her head (rent free). However, Nightmare can sometimes be very helpful (if he wants to) by protecting her, and keeping her (their) secrets.

But the kingdom of Blunder is a dangerous place for a survivor that shouldn’t have survived. And when she has an encounter with a highway man, suddenly her life seems to move from predictable to chaotic. And so an adventure to save the kingdom from a cruel king, and discover why magic is forbidden or limited to the twelve Providence Cards. The stakes rise as the time goes and as they try to survive, including her own Nightmare.

The overall world-building is crafted in a n intriguing way, it makes you feel like a fairy tale world. You feel the magic of it, the way the citizens live, how the cards influence life in such deep ways, and you discover the world Elspeth had been avoiding due to technically being a survivor that shouldn’t have survived.

It touches on faith, family, on magic, obviously it has a ormance story and some interesting swoony characters to tie everything nicely. There is a lot of sass and funny scenes too, and a lot of stakes, but it all ties in nicely to a point where you just want to find out what comes in the next book.

I enjoyed it a lot, and can recommend it for a gripping romantasy.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Hex Vets The River Guardian

Posted on May 6, 2025

Hex Vets The River Guardian by Sam Davies and Lisa Moore

Rating:

When the first Hex Vet came out I was in love with them, cute and short, and just nice. You can read my reviews here and here. They were a delight to be read.

And then there was no more, it just stopped, so I assumed it was another one of those series that are left incomplete. So when the third volume was suddenly suggested because apparently there is going to be a series for it, I was happy to see it come up and immediately ordered it.

I immediately felt the difference in approach. As much as it is the same comic for starters now it is Hex Vets rather than Hex Vet and has a new author/illustrator, and the story is less twee, it is more trying to hit the spots for drama, and a TV series, rather than the focus being on comic medium.

This is a very weird thing to say of a book, but you can tell when the direction it had is suddenly not the same. This one was made for Tv, the previous two were just fun and made to be books. It makes a difference, you lose a lot of the beauty when you try to force a comic of a story that you are now plotting as an animation, and the other way around.

So that was the main loss of stars, the change in focus and the plot showing this change. It lost its star. The story is still cute and we’re still having some chaos in trying to be good vets to magical creatures, and it was cute to see the main reason for the disruption to the river health and why the creatures suddenly didn’t go too well. That was interesting, I just wish this had been still like the previous two.

I will still give it a chance if new volumes are released and hope that this was simply a transition volume, because the first two were really fun and cute.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Mission Impossib-hole

Posted on April 25, 2025

Agent Harrier: Mission Impossib-hole by Ben Sanders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

I am absolutely loving Agent Harrier (you should read my review of the previous one: You Only Spy Twice). And in case this wasn’t clear this was a requested book from the list the publisher sends (I love Little Tiger Books, they are awesome!), which they kindly sent me, and I love their books, here is my review.

Agent Harrier is a chaotic secret agent who somehow is very good and bad at his job and yet he always saves the day. The art is hilarious and breaks the fourth wall in funny ways and makes terrific use of the full page spread to play with the story and add to it. This is part of what makes the series so good, the art is spot on to the story.

There seems to be a lot fo holes going on in this third book, and not just any kind of holes, but PLOT holes, which are not helping the story go too well! They keep transferring Agent Harrier through various stories and realms to try to find the culprit behind all the holes that are interrupting this mission.

As always, it made me laugh and giggle and I felt it was too short but thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend you read all three books if you haven’t yet!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Ghostly Things

Posted on April 8, 2025

Ghostly Things (Volumes 1, 2 & 3) by Ushio Shirotori

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Welcome to a full series review because sometimes trying to review a single manga volume feels like I am vaguely triyng to not spoil the plot or some volumes are just hard to describe without a lot of references to previous volumes.

Ghostly Things was a whim purchase and after reading the first volume I immediately had to go buy the other two (or initially as many as there were in the story). So that already tells you it was very enjoyable.

The premise is that we meet Yachiho who is moving into her new house on her own because her father is overseas, and the house comes with a few quirks and hauntings. But this does not discourage our lovely gentle heroine, and instead she decides to brave things and keep searching, because she has her own motives to have moved in alone.

The volumes cover a few plot lines, one is the mystery of the house and what it hides, then there is the search Yachiho is doing for a Book of the Dead, we also have our usual school and friends side story, though this adds flavour and some extra adventures, and some antagonists to the mix, and allows the town to show as part of where our story develops.

There is also a little spirit that helps her and is trying to guide her to do the right thing, but the spirit has its own motives and secrets.

The overall story was cute and the creatures, characters and environment were nicely drawn in lots of detail and very fun. The story flows, even though as times it feels a little too short, and I did wish it had one or two more volumes to expand on some parts, but it was still done well in three volumes.

If you like stories about yokai, the spirit world and a few mysteries thrown into the mix, I can recommend this one as a quick read since it is only three volumes and goes by really quickly for an afternoon read if like me, you can’t wait to read the next one.