foolish hearts
By: Emma Mills
Grade: A
I’m hit or miss with contemporaries but I really enjoyed foolish hearts which was the Owlcrate book from December. Claudia overhears something she shouldn’t and gets on the bad side of resident mean girl Iris- which eventually lands them both with jobs in the big school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This months theme was Find Me In The Forest! Once again I was completely wrong about the book (I have to stop guessing) but hey it was a good box anyway. Not very Halloweeny but still.
Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Grade: A
The origin story for the Queen of Hearts as told by Marissa Meyer! I really enjoyed Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series and I always love Wonderland so this was one of my most anticipated books in 2016.
Owlcrate May: Steampunk
I admit I was way excited for the steampunk box!
For those of you who don’t know Owlcrate is a monthly subscription box that sends a newly released YA and some usually very well curated items that go with the theme of the box. This months box included:
Crystal Compass Designs:
Skeleton key necklace which is very large but still a really nice piece.
Elope– the little dragonfly is one of five pieces that subscribers could have received. I’m actually super happy with the dragonfly because I love dragonflies and it just looks steampunk to me.
The Barrie art print is by Creative Daffodil Studios. I like it. It’s not over the top but I honestly don’t know if I’m going to do anything with that.
The little ring is by Sparks Emporium and has something to do with The Infernal Devices trilogy which I know nothing about. I can’t tell if it’s an angel or a butterfly but it’s kind of cute. I’m more of a ring person than anything else so I could see myself putting it on.
The nails are by Espionage Cosmetics. They’re very different. The design is interesting. I don’t know if I’d ever get around to wearing them though they do have a video of how to apply them. Which honestly when I have to watch a video telling me how to do something is usually the part I check out 🙂
Now for the most important and awesome part:
The book!
Everland by Wendy Spinale
(and some tattoos)
This is apparently a steampunk retelling of Peter Pan in which our heroine Gwen teams up with the Lost Boys of London to rescue her sister from the clutches of Captain Hook! I had never heard of this book before but it sounds like great fun. I love retellings of Peter Pan and if this hadn’t come the night before City of Mirrors and The Last Star dropped I’d be all over it.
As it is I’m really looking forward to reading it and on that alone I consider this box a win for me.
The theme of the June Owlcrate box is Royalty.
April Owlcrate: Dystopia
Owlcrate is a monthly YA book subscription box I’ve been receiving for seven months now. It costs around $35 and so far generally has a pretty good track record of picking books especially books that I don’t already have.
The book this month is Flawed by Cecelia Ahern which I’m quite excited about because I had never even heard of this book and I generally quite like this author! Celestine North lives in a society where obedience is the most important thing and rebellion will not be tolerated. She fits in quite well until one day she makes an instinctual decision that could cost her everything she has.
This is the third book that’s fallen into my hands this month that I hadn’t heard a thing about so I’m crossing my fingers I’ll enjoy it.
Other goodies:
A Wicked decal by Shailey Ann Designs.
A Hunger Games inspired minimalist magnet by Half Blood Prints.
The 1984 notebook is actually a blank unlined journal by Manuscript… (and it’s adorable!)
A little print with a quote from The Star-Touched Queen (which is coming out on the 26th).
A cute little coaster (the quote is from Shatter Me- which I am unfamiliar with but the coaster actually made me go and clean off my desk so bonus points!) and that’s by Evie Bookish.
The Mockingjay bracelet is fantastic and it’s by the Geeky Cauldron. I actually really like it. A couple of months ago there was a locket included in one of the boxes by the same company that I wasn’t thrilled with anything about but the bracelet is something I will wear that won’t fall apart.
My honest opinion of Owlcrate is that it’s such a fun box to get and it’s given me some great ideas for birthday presents and other gifts I almost wouldn’t mind if they sometimes skipped the bookish items and actually just sent another book.
Despite that I would recommend the box because its just so much fun!
February Owlcrate Box: Sci-Fi Love
Owlcrate is a monthly book subscription box that I fell in love with last fall and its probably my favorite box (and trust me I actually have fallen into one too many of those subscription boxes). This months theme was Sci-Fi Love and I was totally excited…
Products included:
The really cute info card!
A Tardis Brooch by Vector Engraving. I’m actually happy this isn’t earrings or a necklace. I can use this anywhere and I don’t wear jewelry that much. Plus Doctor Who is kind of a sentimental thing to me.
The pink bag is inspired by The Lunar Chronicles series and designed by Owlcrate so it’s exclusive! It’s quite nice too. It will be good to have for some long weekends coming up…
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells! (Edition by Rock Paper Books!)
Sorry but there’s nothing better than an extra book in a book subscription box especially when you want to get back into the classics.
And now for the book:
The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry
(Signed book plate included!)
I was completely convinced we were getting another book but still I’m pretty happy with this one. The cover is lovely, the story looks interesting and the letter from the author was a good sign of things to come concerning writing!
All in all still happy with this subscription box although the month was a little bit dull. Bonus points of course if I wind up enjoying the book!
(Hey! I remembered to include a link!)
Worlds of Ink and Shadow
Author: Lena Coakley
Genre: Historical/Fantasy
Grade: A-
Worlds of Ink and Shadow was the Owlcrate January Book of the month and I was very happy to receive it. It’s a fantasy story about four of the Bronte siblings; Charlotte, Emily, Anne and their brother Branwell. Charlotte and Branwell have a gift. They are able to cross over into their stories and bring them alive.
They’ve created a world of perfect and doomed heroines and charming dashing rogues. It’s been a while since I’ve read the Bronte books but even I could still see the basis for their novels in these stories. Emily is jealous, jealous, jealous but the real story is what happens when they try to stop crossing over and the price they pay for freedom.
I really enjoyed this one. It wraps up not just their writing, but real and devastating events in the siblings lives, their family, a little bit of myth and history of the Moors and their actual writing. I also liked how the author dealt with Charlotte’s interior discoveries of certain aspects of her writing and how that affected her as well. Strange to say but I could actual see something like this actually happening to the Bronte siblings. I also enjoyed the rather mad unwinding of the other world for most of the book.
At a certain point though its the other world that sort of spins everything out of control in both places and the fake world definitely starts to get a little too crazy for me. I also found Emily and her “romance” a hard to relate to. She definitely rang the spoiled and destructive sibling bell and while you definitely see what (and who) the romance is alluding to I didn’t think it was necessary.
Recommend: Yes. It’s a good little stand alone book but you’ll probably take more away from it if you like the Bronte siblings and are familiar with their writing.
January Owlcrate
Wrong! I was wrong about the book this month!
Extra Goodies include:
Geek Fire Labs Patronus Lip Balm- I love lip balm and this smells like chocolate!
Evie Bookish Art- “The Trees Speak Latin,” is a bookmark inspired by Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle (never read) and the larger print is from Sarah J. Maas Throne of Glass. (Is that as good as everyone always says? I’ve not read that one yet and I’m loath to start another series I’m unsure on but then again so many people seem to love it.)
And the Pop Funko Severus Snape doll was one of five figurines sent out but all things considered I’m over the moon to get this one:
Since I mainly collect my favorite (slightly twisted) female characters Snape is currently chilling with Alison Hendrix and Helena from Orphan Black!
These were two extra sheets that came with the book. I probably won’t use them but it’s a cute idea nonetheless. Actually, I’m at least going to cut out the adorable dog and now…
The Book!
World of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley
It’s so pretty and yes, that actually does make me happy. I’m actually super-pleased to get this book even though I wasn’t expecting it but the theme of the month was Magic so this book about the Bronte siblings youthful magical stories coming to life sounds like it’s going to be right up my alley.
I pay for this subscription and it costs about $35 bucks a month and I’ve always been mainly happy with it. This month shipping was on point to. Not only did they say they shipped early I got my delivery earlier than the tracking number expected. Yeah!
February’s box is Sci-Fi Love & yes, I am very geeked out about that one!
“Spooky OwlCrate”
So I wanted to do a quick one on this months owlcrate…
Yep, still super happy with it and strangely I had a feeling it would be A Madness So Discreet for the book. So I’m two in a row for predictions and no repeats. The book is beautiful and I read so much on my e-reader that I love these monthly hardbacks. I’ll be reading it this weekend to wrap up my Halloween Reading since the insane asylum setting seems right up a creepy alley.
Also received this little pouch from Out of Print Books. No that is not Einstein (I’m a little slow on that one) it’s Edgar Allen Poe. It’s really good quality and pretty large as well. I have a feeling I’ll get a lot of uses out of this or I’ll give it away as a gift at Christmas. Either way…
I love the witch/skeleton magnetic bookmarks (Craftedvan). First time I’ve received bookmarks in I don’t know how long.
The three skull erasers (NPW) are cute as well & the best part is their festive enough that I can use them past Halloween and I do need erasers so that’s excellent timing.
Lastly there was “Vampire Lair,” from Scented Adventures. I actually like the smell and its an interesting idea but I don’t know what I’ll do with them. I think you’re just supposed to put them out while you read to create atmosphere. Works for me.
So for month two I’m still really pleased with the box, with the books and the curation for a little under forty bucks I plan to stick with it for a couple months longer anyway. (Plus I’m going to guess next months and see if I can do it again!)
OwlCrate
So I’m a huge sucker for the beauty boxes and I’ve gifted a couple of book boxes before but this was the first time I had some extra money and decided to subscribe for myself. OwlCrate turned out to be awesome timing as it was the fun, fearless women of YA month!
It’s around $35 after shipping so was it worth it…
Hermione Granger prints (with Crookshanks!) & a Divergent Dauntless tote bag. One of the postcards had a 10% discount for a subscription box for cats and the tote bag is really nice quality even though I’m not really into Divergent.
The box also included a really nice “arrow” necklace obviously representing Katniss from the Hunger Games. This is from the Crystal Compass shop and again I appreciate the quality. I’ll definitely be wearing it when the last movie rolls around.
There was also a little Dany keychain from Pop!
And now for the book:
I was honestly thinking/hoping it was going to be Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. Not only has the book gotten good reviews but it fulfills one of the last squares for the Great Imaginations game. There’s also the sticker and a nice little note from the author.
Shipping was fast. I mean it was super quick. I got the box before I got the e-mail saying it had shipped! Plus customer service was on top of things when I had a question and they even followed up! So I must say for this month I am super pleased with the box and will continue through the end of the year at least.
So far I think it was worth the money and it’s such a treat getting a beautiful hardcover book in the mail!
