Books

Books, Subscription Boxes

Armed and Dangerous Illumicrate Unboxing

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I was very excited about the theme of this box and I liked the contents, so let’s see what was in it. Starting from the book on the left and going clockwise:

  • Gideon the Ninth, necromancy, space, what else do you need?
  • Sister Apple inspired liquid soap. I am fond of liquid soaps as they work great as shaving creams (as they’re fancy ones and usually handmade or at least, small business made).
  • Weapons bag, which is the perfect Illumicrate colour. The size is wonderful for a summer day when a jacket is too much but I still want to carry minimal stuff and at the moment I only have one suitable small bag, so this is a great thing to find in the box (the only thing that would make it better is if it was black)
  • The collectible coin, it’s Lila Bard, but still not convinced on the coins.
  • Above there’s a promotional map.
  • A gorgeous mug designed by Rosie, it is not enamel but ceramic but it is gorgeous. A happy Moon here.
  • A Scythe for opening bottles (it is nicely heavy and SO gorgeous).
  • A Cutlery set which made me very very happy and is now at work on my desk. Plus it came with a metal straw. Really really happy with this part.
  • The theme booklet.
  • Gideon the Ninth trading cards (though there weren’t nine of them in it, wonder if the why is in the book which I haven’t read).

As you can see, there’s very little I didn’t really like (moslty the coin) so this was a great box for me and quite handy. I loved the cutlery set and bottle opener but all of it was nice to get. Looking forward to the September box! <3

Book Review, Books

Nevernight Review

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Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Mia Corvere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.
Destined to destroy empires, the child raised in shadows made a promise on the day she lost everything: to avenge herself on those that shattered her world.
But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become a weapon without equal. Before she seeks vengeance, she must seek training among the infamous assassins of the Red Church of Itreya.
Inside the Church’s halls, Mia must prove herself against the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and daemons at the heart of a murder cult.
The Red Church is no ordinary school, but Mia is no ordinary student.
The shadows love her.
And they drink her fear.

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I pondered what to put up today, but I felt that this was a good choice (I am getting married).

I read Illuminae before I read Nevernight, and this is a re-read to catch up for Darkdawn. I just hadn’t reviewed it, as I had first got the hardcover from Illumicrate and that was quite a while back. Anyway, this book is an interesting choice. But it is definitely my kind of book.

One of my favourite things is the way it describes how bodies work after someone dies or just as they die. (Yes, I know, I sound morbid, but a) I am Mexican and we celebrate Day of the Dead, plus we have La Santa Muerte, and b) I worked for two years in palliative care and saw people die a few times while I was caring for them). This automatically made me love the book, because I rarely ever see death displayed this way and even though here technically death is revered, it is also different to the ways I have seen it celebrated and revered.

Mia is an interesting character and probably one of the best anti-heroes I’ve read (my other favourite is Vin from Mistborn). She is selfish and has her own motives but also navigates her own moral compass and chooses t keep it despite what the Red Church requires.

The whole academia setitng is fun but this is definitely an adult book, and as such has no filters in the way it presents the information. There is sex, abuse, violence and gore and lots of swearing, including the c word.

I enjoyed it thoroughly, including the foot notes and it was worth reading, however I can understand others not liking it and the topics are quite heavy and there is a lot of death and potential death in it.

Why did I choose it for today, because it is a stellar book.

Book Review, Books

Grimoire Noir Review

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Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea and Yana Bogatch

It tells the story of a town where every woman is a witch, and what happens when one of them goes missing.

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With a name like that, it ewas hard to resist and the artwork caught my eye even further. This was a preorder and it cameon a grey day so it was the perfect read.

The book is a witchy mystery in a town full of secrets where every female (girls at a certain age and women) has some kind fo magic power, but they can’t leave the town or they will lose their powers and may not survive the “barrier” that keeps them in.

It is an interesting world, and it made me wonder if it was worth having magic if you’re stuck to a small town and area? I guess it’d depend on what the people in town are.

The story follows a young man, who’s sister has disappeared, and she was a very powerful witch even if a little bit young. He thinks it is foul play and something is going on, but the police aren’t really helping so he decides to investigate on his own.

As he investigates you get to see more and more fo the inhabitants of the town and the town itself. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it had a tiny bit of scary but mostly it was trying to solve the mystery of what happened to his sister and why.

The ending is interesting as it can be the end but there could be another book. I hope there’s another but if there isn’t, I am happy a is.

If you like graphic novels, witchy stuff or magic, and/or mysteries in small towns and close knit communities, this is a great one to read.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Storms and Seas Owlcrate Unboxing

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A dark and stormy box with a nice blue theme (I like blue). And it was probably not as good as other boxes for me, but it was interesting. Let’s see what was in it, from left and going clockwise.

  • House of Salt and Sorrows, inspired by the twelve dancing princesses, so I am very curious.
  • Theme card, with a melancholic picture.
  • A tea light lantern. I find it cute but will probably never use it sadly.
  • The Little Mermaid inspired bath salts, looking forward to using it.
  • The monthly collectible pin, which is nice.
  • An exclusive bookmark to match the book (it is gorgeous)
  • Anothe bookmark, but wooden. It is very nice but it is too thick to really use inside a book which is a shame. I have to say, wooden bookmarks in general are not my thing, they are either too flimsy and feel like they’ll easily break or are too thick and can’t be used nicely.
  • Sea Witch tea, which I am curious to try, we shall see, but I like it is a relatively small satchet so if I don’t like it it will be fine (though I doubt that)
  • A pencil tin case, cute but I don’t use them, so a bit sad, but it is very pretty.

In general it had a lot of really nice things but most of them just aren’t the type of objects I’d use or enjoy. I can appreciate that they are nice and look good but alas it isn’t a good value this time.

Book Review

The Undoing of Arlo Knott

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The Undoing of Arlo Knott by Heather Child

What if your life had an ‘undo’ button?

Arlo Knott discovers he can rewind time – just by a minute or two – enough to undo any mistake, say the right thing or impress his friends with his uncanny predictions…

But second chances aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. As wonderful as his new life is, a mistake in Arlo’s traumatic childhood still haunts him and the temptation to undo, undo and keep undoing is too much to resist.

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I got a review copy from the publisher, but the views here are my own.

The book starts off with a relatively normal part of life, until a big accident happens and changes Arlo’s life (but also, after it, he experiences the ability to turn back time for the first time). And we go through Arlo’s life seeing him first come to terms with the “power” he has and then on how he uses it.

As with many “multiple planes/alternative universes” theories, there’s a few “constants” and too many variables after altering things. (There is always a lighthouse, there’s always a man, there’s always a city. – Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite) Of course, at first Arlo finds it just a neat trick and uses it for his own benefit. This means we get to see him turn form a normal human to one that has the power to change things to suit him and that is definitely not nice to see or read (but very interesting to read at the same time, because usually alternate universes are treated on a “new universe that’s it” or on a “butterfly effect”, but with Arlo we are not sure).

As the story moves “forward” we start seeing a lot of what the moving back and “rewinding” to have another go does and potential consequences. I found this intriguing and I felt bad for all the main characters at one point or another but also at times I really disliked Arlo.

My overall feeling with this was that it was pretty well done but sadly I just couldn’t cope with Arlo. He was extremely annoying and I mean, it sounds more realistic to ahve someone like him do stuff like he did than a “hero” ro “Villain” as he is a bit of both. Still, when I finished I was like “neat, that is very interesting, wish we knew more” but at the same time I was like “oh, I just wish he’d stop!”.

If you like alternate universes, butterfly effects, and what ifs panning out and a rewind, this is an interesting read for sure.

Book Review, Books

Dragon Dancer Review

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Dragon Dancer by Joyce Chng and Jérémy Pailler

It is the eve of Chinese New Year. Lanterns are hung in the shopping malls of Singapore and Yao is preparing to wake the ancient sky dragon, Shen Long, from his year-long sleep. From the moment Shen Long opens his great amber eyes and unfurls his silver-blue tail, Yao will be propelled on a magical journey through the skies of Singapore to battle the bad luck of the previous year and usher in the good. Will he succeed? Will his grandfather watch over him and protect him from harm? A beautiful story of a Chinese festival and its symbolism for Chinese communities everywhere, told from the perspective of Yao, the dragon dancer.

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I’ve reviewed another of Joyce’s books here, the Dragon Physician (Joyce also writes about werewolves in space, but I have a soft spot for dragons over werewolves).

This is a different type of books, in that it is an illustrated one and more poetical. I ahve to admit since I am not that familiar with Chinese dancing and rituals, I started unsure what to expect.

The artwork is stunning and fits perfectly in style with the story and words, with the dragon and the dragon dancer. And it feels like it fits the way China is and was and may be. So in general, artwokr is a win here.

The story has a vibe of being thought in Chinese (please excuse me if I generalise) and then adapted to transmit the feeling and story in English. I feel it because I have done similar with some stories in Spanish and culture that is hard to translate (sometimes Egnlish doesn’t even have the words, or using an expression means nothing if translated).

I don’t think this is a bad thing, rather I like that it is being shared and told in English (as I can’t read/understand Chinese), but I am aware it may be something readers find odd (I doubt children would, but the adult reading it, might). This is very definitely not a Western tale, and as such, it is worth coming to it with a different mindset rather than expecting a Western view.

To me this is a winner and I enjoyed the book and the story. It made me curious about the dancing and what the rituals and traditions behind it are. So now I leave you while I go do some research on that.

Book Review

Dragon Physician Review

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Dragon Physician by Joyce Chng

How is a boy going to succeed in a world of dragon-racing dominated by women and girls? When Jixin finally becomes a dragon physician to the wonderful dragon breeds, his world begins to change.

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I pestered Joyce for a way to buy this book. And so I have a copy (bought, not gifted or anything) and somehow forgot to review it (in my head I thought I had done it, fail).

But now unto the book, it is a really cute story set in a world I really liked and found interesting. For starters the useful people here are women. Men are the ones “relegated” to certain tasks because they aren’t that good for the tasks women do. It was interesting to see this “change” of roles so drastically but not into a “polar opposites of how they tend to be in our world”.

And we have Jixin’s story, but he is also taken by the daughter of the owner of the racing house he works in. This brings him into the opportunity of fulfilling his drea of becoming a dragon physician like his mother (there seems to be a space for the story of her mother here, but this is the first book, and I do want to know that story).

There is also the story of the racing houses, and then the troubles and “adventure” that ensues as he accepts some interesting proposals from the daughter of the racing house.

I found the racing houses and dragon lore fun and wanted to know more. And there was also a lot of questions regarding what being LGBTQ+ means, and how to consider and react to it, but also the questions it brings.

I haven’t read many books that ask this kind of questions and I was pleased by having them posed the way they were here, as they are part of the story and make part of the plot, but they are also not a detractor of it or to say it is “driving” an agenda. It just is.

All in all, I enjoyed it, wish it was a series and there were more, and I would be even happier it was illustrated or had some illustrations (that cover is super cute and so galactic lovely!).

I would suggest you check Joyce’s books out, she has some more on dragons and werewolves (not together if I remember correctly), so there’s something for everyone.

Book Review, Books

Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom

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Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom by Gigi D.G.

What happens when an evil queen gets her hands on an ancient force of destruction?

World domination, obviously.

The seven kingdoms of Dreamside need a legendary hero. Instead, they’ll have to settle for Cucumber, a nerdy magician who just wants to go to school. As destiny would have it, he and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must now seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight.

Can these bunny siblings really save the world in its darkest hour?

Sure, why not?

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Cucumber Quest was one of my birthday gifts I had on my wishlist. One of those I am randomly looking at related to this item things and stumbled upon it.

The main thing about it is that it is cute, it has a nerdy bunny who doesn’t want to be a hero and his little sister that does. Cucumber Quest pokes fun at the cliches. Starting with “you are given this quest, you are the chosen one”, which Cucumber (the nerdy bunny) definitely doesn’t think he is. All he wants is to go to school of magic.

We also have an evil queen bent on world domination! And her lackeys, who are amusing and very much useless, but they made me laugh a lot. There is a princess that is kept captive (and that Cucumber has zero interest in).

And Almond, his sister is super awesome and ballsy. She’s studying to be a knight, and training to do so, but she’s the little sister, so she can’t be the hero, obviously (but Almond will fight you on that, trust me).

It is a fun easy read with lots of food related things and a lot of poking fun at cliches and quests. It made me laugh and also it is adorably cute! I am curious to read the next one.

Book Review, Books

The Princess Who Flew With Dragons Review

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The Girl who Flew with Dragons by Stephanie Burgis

Sofia isn’t the crown princess – that’s her perfect big sister, Katrin. Sofia is the other one. The disappointing one. So when disaster strikes, Sofia is certain she’s not a good enough princess to fix things. But she has to try. And maybe when you’re a failed princess with only a young dragon and a pack of rowdy goblins on your side, it’s time to try something wildly different…

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I love this book series so mcuh I kept pushing it to my friends and even insisted they borrow both books that were out rather than just the first one because I knew they’d want to read the next one once they finished the first one (I was right!).

You can read my review for The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart and The Girl with the Dragon Heart. They’re really good and help set the universe for this book (though technically you don’t need to read them beforehand but they will help understand this one better).

Anyway, I had eagerly preordered this one, and I do not regret it at all. I was very excited to read it and made sure to pace myself to make it last and enjoy it more (more or less how I’d have to have a cup of hot chocolate but that’s another story for another time).

It was so good and really warming. It as always has a way of telling you that who you are is important as you are, but also makes you think inwardly about things (in this case there’s a lot about family and learning and philosophy). I laughed and cheered and wanted to defend them and I really enjoyed it.

Highly recommend for reading out loud, or for reading to yourself. I mean, DRAGONS and riding dragons, and brave princesses and chocolate, and adventures! Plus there’s a cat that in my head is a mix of Pebbles, Stephanie’s cat, and Tomte, Asha’s cat. I know very few of you who read this will know what I am talking about, but in my head it is the cutest most perfect nursing loving caring cat with all the fluff and chill of Tomte.

I will stop with cats, and say you should go buy them all (the books, not the cats…)

Book Review, Books

Hair Love Review

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Hair Love by Matthew A Cheery and Vashti Harrison

It’s up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this story of self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters.

Zuri knows her hair is beautiful, but it has a mind of its own!

It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Mum always does Zuri’s hair just the way she likes it – so when Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn.

But he LOVES his Zuri, and he’ll do anything to make her – and her hair – happy.

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I got this book because I saw a mini trailer for the short film (?) that is being played before Angry Birds 2 (I have not seen any Angry Birds film and do not plan to). I thought it was cute and the animation was really sweet.

This is a short illustrated book but it packs a punch and it was just nice to read. I don’t have natural hair but I do have curly hair and some of this applies. Though I don’t think my dad ever really did my hair or not that I can remember.

But Zuri’s dad is ready to help and somehow get this special hair style just for the very special occasion.

Artwork is really cute and sweet, story is also lovely and makes me feel all cozy and warm inside. I just wish it was a bit longer. Because it felt too short (but I know it is a kids book and not meant to be long, so I am not demanding this or anything).