series – Page 2 – The Constellation of Moon

Moon Reads: Hex Vets The River Guardian

Posted on May 6, 2025

Hex Vets The River Guardian by Sam Davies and Lisa Moore

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.

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

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.

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.

Book Review

Moon Reads: You Only Spy Twice

Posted on December 17, 2024

Agent Harrier: You Only Spy Twice by Ben Sanders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Agent Harrier is a super fun and funny series of a wonderfully chaotic spy dog (he thinks he is the absolute best). There is in general a lot of fourth wall breaking and just chaos.

This is the second book in the series, and if you haven’t read the first, please do, it is hilarious.

But You Only Spy Twice finds Harrier somehow feeling like there is deja vu happening and things are repeating themselves in his current spy mission, what a very funny feeling indeed, specially when there seem to be two of him!

The book makes good use of negative space int he illustrations and lots of dramatic elements and overall the page. it is one of the best uses of the space in the pages to narrate and to give the reader an immersive experience, even when the characters break the fourth wall, it still feels interactive.

The story is funny, very Spy Kids but much younger type of chaos, and a perfect story for young readers or to read to them given the setup of the pages. Quick read too, very quick.

Can’t wait for the next one!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

Posted on December 6, 2024

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

This is the sequel to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies, which is a cosy fairy fantasy book and I found it to be a wonderfully autumn/winter read that I devoured. Map of the Otherlands was also a devour alongside some tea and cake type of book.

Emily is feeling more secure in her position at the university after publishing her encyclopaedia and her adventures in the previous book, and well, there is also the fact that she has some feelings for Wendell Bambleby who isn’t entirely human and more part of the Fair Folk.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that he has proposed they get married and well, she is unsure how to navigate that, does she want to marry him? There are a lot of implications and ramifications she doesn’t even want to think about. I don’t blame her, it is a big bold choice, even when you choose a human, so I assume one of the Fair Folk is an even more difficult and big decision.

And there is also the fact she’s trying to map the fairie realms, but this plan of researching goes a bit sideways when Bambleby is almost assassinated by his mother’s underlings. This spurs a new adventure to the Austrian Alps, in search for a door that may help Bambleby figure a way to free himself from whatever it is his family is planning which so far does not bode well. It is never good news if your mother is trying to kill you, you know?

Once again we navigate a lot of chaos and interesting situations as our pair navigate new company in their adventures and even more interesting stakes.

I enjoyed this one, which still had the same feeling as the previous one, and as a sequel it stands good. It does not have as much punch as I felt the first book had, but it was still cosy and delightful. A good pastry of a read with a good feeling left behind and more curiosity about what is to come. It reminds me in a way, but more cosy of Lady Trent’s Memoirs (A Natural History of Dragons). It is also a lighter approach and it feels less dense (I love the other series but this one is a lot easier to read for tired minds and a lot smoother to go through).

So I can recommend this if you like fairy tales, you like stories about the Fair Folk, and similar books to Lady Trent’s Memoirs. Or if you simply want a cosy read with a nice feeling afterwards.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Garlic & the Witch

Posted on November 5, 2024

Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

I really enjoyed the first book, Garlic & the Vampire which was very cute, full of chaos and enjoyable. It was inevitable therefore that when seeing there was a second book, I would pre-order it.

I have no regrets.

Garlic is enjoying life with her vegetable friends, Carrot included, the Count (from the previous book) and the Witch Agnes. However, they are struggling to make a good substitute for the Count (he doesn’t want blood, but a vegetarian alternative).

Turns out to find the ingredients she has to go on a journey to the Magic Market for those ingredients to help Witch Agnes finally nail the substitute. But the other big thing looming for Garlic is that she is turning a little bit human and this feels a little too much and a big change even if it is gradual, what if Garlic doesn’t want to?

The story tackles many things and includes our cast in a more “mature” way having learnt and grown from the previous story. One of the big things is anxiety and how that can sometimes mix with fear of change and maybe hinder you a little.

It made me think a lot about how different and change aren’t bad words. It is important to work on that openness and that understanding that it will be different, it will change but that does not inherently mean it is good or bad, it could just be, or it could be good. And well, Garlic really has to work on this and on her anxiety, and trying to understand herself a little more, a bit more bravery and courage as she goes on a journey and as she looks inside herself and tries to define her own answers to who she is.

A very lovely sequel to the first book and left a warm fuzzy feeling, perfect as an autumn or winter read with a lovely cup of warm tea or hot chocolate.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Long Live Evil

Posted on October 1, 2024

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Rating:

I tend to be very cautious with hyped books. Still, the concept of Long Live Evil sounded interesting, an “isekai” type of book where the main character is transported to another world, in this case to her favourite book series, for which she hasn’t read the first book. She comes in as the main villain of the story.

The easiest way to describe this is that it is an anti-trope trope book. It will grab as many tropes as possible and turn them on their head, with my favourite being the main spoiler and therefore one I cannot say. But all I can say is that it was such a wonderful twist and I cannot wait to read the next book!

The characters are amusing, starting with Rae who is tired of living a life of being sick and walked over. Well, she might as well make the most of being the evil villain in this story to her benefit because then she can make the most out of the dreamy king who will be the emperor. We also have her cast of minions, Key who is as evil as evil can be and in for the money and the promises made to him from Rae. But then there is also Emer the maid who does not care to be evil but somehow ends up being made to, Cobra (who has his interesting secrets and chaos to bring in). And finally Lia, who is the heroine, the perfect pearl who can do no wrong.

It kept me laughing a lot, but at the same time it holds a lot of moments of heavy thoughts, starting with the fact that Rae has cancer and this is partly why she ends up in the world of her favourite series. There is also a lot of chaos particularly because she is toying with the book, she doesn’t think there are any consequences since it’s “not real” and this approach makes for questionable decisions on her part that may bite her back later on, but at the same time, she is trying to save herself, and find a better life as she feels like there is little hope for herself and hates seeing her life the way it is.

Overall, the chaos is good and a refreshing change from many other books recently published. It turns things around and yes, it may not be for everyone, but if you like chaotic funny books that deal with heavy topics in a relatively “light handed” way (none of it felt badly done but rather more of the type of humour of someone who has seen hell and can only laugh now about it).

One final thought is that it made an interesting point on what exactly defines a strong female character, by the many female characters in it and how each shows their reasons and work.

I highly recommend you read this book because it is worth the journey!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Accidental Witch – Stage Fright

Posted on March 21, 2024

Diary of an Accidental Witch – Stage Fright by Perdita and Honor Cargill. Illustrated by Katie Saunders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

I love this series so much and every time a new book comes out I immediately need it.

In Stage Fright, the school year is putting up a play with magical displays and a lot going on. so Bea is hoping maybe she can help with all the effects and use her magic for it, but when it gets a little chaotic and the play becomes more than they thought it’d be, Be’s nerves get in the way.

Thankfully she still manages to make the most fo the play, be the best character she’s meant to be and perform.

As usual, a hilarious book that feels exactly like Bea’s diary with a lot of froggy madness, nerves, questions and trying to fit in and do it all, including performing perfectly.

There is a lot of laughs to be had, the artwork makes it even better, and you will definitely not forget this play put on by Bea and her friends. Don’t miss out on this and the full series which is now a few books ahead!

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Lost War

Posted on December 26, 2023

The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

If you have read my review for The Bitter Crown which is the second book and kept wondering what I thought of the first, well, here we are!

The Lost War starts like a lot of fantasy settings, in a pub. And it takes a full ride form there. Starting with the fact that Aranok isn’t a young 16-25 year old but rather set in his years with war experience and more life under his belt than just that. And he isn’t perfect or the most handsome.

I loved reading about characters that were each their own world, that weren’t just kids or young adults saving the world. These are adults, struggling with life in a different way, trying to recover a life after a long and difficult war, technically some are heroes and yet they don’t fully feel like that.

To me it felt like an epic Dungeons and Dragons story where it starts in a pub and suddenly what you thought was a chest turns out to be a mimic (and no this does not happen in the book, but interesting stuff does happen). And I enjoyed this as it gave an epic but organic feeling to it. If you’ve ever had a D&D session or many of them, you know that sometimes chaos reigns and joining the story is a feat or the constraints become interesting. And this is all good and fine as friends and if you forget a bit here or there or something changes, you’re totally fine.

The Lost War is a polished refined version of that fun. A contained adventure with some critical ones rolled here and there and sometimes some natural 20s and overall more or less barely enough to make it rolls of the dice, and I love that. Not everything works out but also not everything goes to hell, it is well balanced, with twists and turns, and a very fine twist which I enjoyed a lot as it it was nice and chaotic and also explained some little things that at first you just can’t put your finger on but know something is up.

It was a mastery of storytelling and I enjoyed it a lot.

If you love D&D adventures, chaos, older adventures and badass ones too, a good mix of chaos and kingdom, come try this series out. I’ve really been enjoying it!

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Bitter Crown

Posted on December 23, 2023

The Bitter Crown by Justin Lee Anderson

Rating:

Welcome to a chaotic review and blog tour post for The Bitter Crown. I somehow managed to leave my review for The Lost War in draft instead of publishing it ahead of today, so you will get the review for book 2 in the series before the review for book one which will come in the next review.

I read both books back to back, in the span of a week or so. They’re slightly chonky and remind me of old 80’s and 90’s novels in the worldbuilding and the adventures, a good fantasy specimen is what I would say. This means that if you didn’t read them one after the other immediately there’s a lot you might forget about this world and story. This brings me to probably my favourite thing in this book, which was the fact you get a “recap” as a relatively seamless part of the story.

This made for some interesting “this sounds too familiar, wait, it is a summary, a previously on” and I loved that.

Now for the actual review, it is hard to do without spoiling too much. With the end of the Lost War, there is now a lot of stake and more than anything, the truth is at stake, and it is hard when so very few actually know what is true or not. And honestly this whole concept of truth was also some of my favourite themes in the book, alongside what do you do when you have to rebuild yourself, your relationships and everything in your life now that you know the truth. Hard work, let me tell you.

The adventures continue and I still have a soft spot for Aranok, Allandria and Samily more than for the rest, I am biased because they really grew on me as the lost war happened and then even more here, particularly given the interesting new challenges presented to Aranok and Allandria (not to spoil things, but this was also a fascinating thing to read).

Overall, The Bitter Crown is a good sequel, giving a lot of adventure, more views of this world, a pinch or two of chaos and a very real and human set of characters. They aren’t perfect, they mess up, make mistakes, act crazy, and have consequences.

If you enjoy epic fantasy, a feeling like you’re walking through a Dungeons and Dragons campaign played by a bunch of adults (for the most part the ages of the main cast are varied and it goes more to older characters rather than very wet behind the ears ones, which was also refreshing to read), pick up the Eidyn Saga, it is really fun and I can’t wait for what comes next.