Tag: Book Box Club

Books, Subscription Boxes

Fantasy Lands Book Box Club Unboxing

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After a wonderful Clubhouse for The Other Side of the Lost, an unboxing of their October box, Fantasy Lands. I was very excited for this one because I immediately knew what book it’d be and wanted to see what else would be included to go alongside it. Starting from the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • Courage, dear heart beanie. I don’t do beanies but it is ever so cute and I am trying to convine my bf that he can wear it.
  • Bridge of Clay promotional postcard.
  • Fantasy Lands theme card, this included the descriptiobns on the other side and feels very Narnia-like.
  • As Travers tote bag, which was also lovely (totebags tend to be welcome here as I use them for shopping).
  • Alice in Wonderland inspired tea, chocolatey if I remember correctly and yummy
  • A Coraline biscuit which didn’t last very long and it was hard to resist chomping it as soon as it arrived.
  • A gemstone soap with an actual gemstone inside, which also a bonus as I like gems and soaps, so all good.
  • The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth. I haven’t read it yet but apparently I love it so much I forgot to cancel my preorder, and had an ARC for it so now I have 3 copies of it.
  • Clubhouse invite, personalised (the personalised bit is one of my favourite things).
  • Three strikes sampler.

I am really looking forward to the buddy read next Monday of Light Between Worlds and to actually reading it (it was hard to wait because I really just wanted to curl up and read the book alongside a cup of tea and the biscuit, but somehow I managed to resist on one of those things).

Books, Subscription Boxes

Into the Wild Book Box Club Unboxing

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This is their second anniversary box! And it was gorgeous and made me smile a lot. Starting with the theme postcard at the bottom and going clockwise:

  • A forest in a theme card.
  • The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby which makes me think of “Wild”(the book) though I haven’t read yet Other Side of Lost. Will buddy read next week.
  • Clubhouse invite, personalised as always <3
  • The Lost Boys Notebook, by Georgine Makes. It is a bit dark so hard to appreciate all the details but the design is very much witchy and dark and full of nature.
  • Peeking from underneath is a multipurpose scarf (the bag it came in has all the different ways you can use) making us ready to survive anything in style!
  • Camper’s Picnic Bag by Sass and Belle. I love anything by them most of the time and this isn’t the exception.
  • Adventurer’s Remedy Massage Bar by Naked Sister. I recently got introduced to the magic of massage bars and they’re good! So ti was nice to see this in the box.
  • A sticky notepad from publisher’s promoting Dear Evan Hansen.
  • Damsel, a proof copy of it, which made me squeal because it was one fo those books I really wanted to read!
  • A nice postcard about being reading.
  • A Reader’s Pin
  • And a CabeswaterCandle by Bookworm Candles & Crafts.
Books

A second year of Book Box Club

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I had been waiting for a while to have this post out but now is the time!

Happy birthday Book Box Club! Two years old and I have had every single box.

Sadly I was a silly person and gave away (or lent or gifted) book from the first year, but alas I was smarter this year and here it is!

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13 gorgeous books for a year (The Bear and the Nightingale came int he same box as The Girl in the Tower) that has had some very intriguing reads (and others not so much). As I look at the books I can’t choose a single favourite.

The boxes have been amazing and there has been a bit of lore and a bit of futuristic vibes and some dystopia and magic and it has been good.

I hope this third year we are starting will bring even more good books (and I can keep guessing the books and have to cancel a preorder, woops!).

But seriously, I have come back from a week’s worth holiday spending time with our squad. A squad that was started thanks to Book Box Club. So thank you Kate and Libby for all the love, the books, and for helping us find good friends!

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Subscription Boxes

Tech Tribes Book Box Club Unboxing

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It’s almost two years of Book Box Club, and this beautiful box was amazing! I cant’ wait to read the book. Starting from the book and going clockwise:

  • Jinxed by Amy McCulloch, the premise sounds amazing and I just want to read it!
  • Are we all lemmings and Snowflakes sampler
  • Robot Socks by Joe Cool, which are a gorgeous book box club matching colour.
  • Invent the future mug with artwork by Alicia Jo (and it is absolutely stunning!)
  • Lunar Chronicles Coaster, which matches the theme card and is all techy!
  • Clubhouse invite
  • A bookmark from publishers which is gorgeous.
  • Colour Me In sampler
  • Jinx Necklace, which made me swoon and I have worn and loved, it is amazing!
  • Theme card
  • Ada Lovelace sticker by Victorian Store
  • And finally a cute magnetic BB8 bookmark by Rachel Norline Art.
Books, Subscription Boxes

Witchcraft Book Box Club Unboxing

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A witchy magical box for their first special box (as in the box is now Book Box Colour and printed rather than a sticker on a brown box and it is so gorgeous!). Starting with the book and going clockwise:

  • The Lost Witch by Melvin Burgess, I was going to preorder but guessed it’d be in this box. Then knew he was at YALC so I actually have two copies, one dedicated and one from the box.
  • A bookmark to match the book.
  • Promotional postcards.
  • A chocolate frog for all your witchcraft (it was very yummy!)
  • Invitation to the Clubhouse
  • Promotional bookmark for This Cruel Design (This Mortal Coil was awesome).
  • Portable Magic Book Pouch by Tea Cake Art. The design is gorgeous (though I admit I thought it was a sandwich carrier for lunch but love it either way).
  • A Spell for Wildflowers by Wildflower Favours. I thought this was such a cute thing to get!
  • Hubble Bubble Bath Potion by Midsummer Child. A great spell for a weary day!
  • Luna Lovegood candle by Madame Fiction. It smells delicious.
  • And a pair of super cute witchy earrings by Fairy Fountain Gifts.

I can’t wait for the next box and to read the book and I just really loved the box 🙂

Subscription Boxes

Bad Girls Book Box Club Unboxing

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Who doesn’t some interesting bad girls every now and then? I sometimes do (if done well in fiction), so let’s see what the girls from BookBox Club had under they radar, starting from the book and going clockwise:

  • All of this is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor. For some reason it makes me think of Fandom, but I hope this is completely different, we shall see.
  • Bellatrix Pencil Tin (Illustration by Kristin Askland), and then the girls filled it with jelly beans because they like doing awesome fun things and this was such a delight to find! I love it when pencil tins and other containers include little extras inside.
  • Eau de Fatima Ro shower gel by Soul and Soap. This was a nice surprise though I admit I haven’t used it yet because I still have some other products left, but this looks intriguing!
  • And I darken Notepad, which I loved because the design is so good!
  • Ash Princess promotional postcard.
  • Invitation to the ClubHouse!
  • Extra ARC for The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke. Of course this has been in my radar and I was hoping the ARc was either this or Sawkill Girls.
  • Queen of Hearts print by Kate Louise Copsey. For some reason the style reminds me a lot of ParaKiss by Ai Yazawa.
  • Promotional postcard for All of this is true.
  • Maleficient Pencil (it kinda hides under the book but it is there, I promise!)
  • And obviously the theme card which has a great look to it and it is beautifully simple and stylish.
Books, Subscription Boxes

Stargazers Book Box Club Unboxing

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I was looking forward to this box, and it didn’t disappoint (also, I am glad it isn’t a contemporary-ish book).

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Let’s go around starting from the theme card and going clockwise:

  • Stargazers theme card, it is a dreamy forest night.
  • Sally Green, Smoke Thieves bookmark.
  • Felis Constellation pin by Tumble and Rose, which I absolutely utterly loved, it is awesome!
  • Professor Trelawney Magnetic Bookmark by Magic Bookmarks, because one needs some crazy professor that looks adorable :3
  • Skylarks promotionla postcard.
  • To The Stars who Listen pouch by Catarina Book Designs. I have to admit the pouch is neat but I am very tired of everything with this quote (obviously not a SJM fan).
  • Constellation Socks by Joe Cool, I love socks, absolutely and this are fun and pretty and I am totally happy to have them!
  • The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton, which I am absolutely looking forward to read, and look at the gorgeous cover, but it is a massive book (I was very surprised by how big it was)
  • Shakespeare Quote mirror, which is quite a big mirror, but neat too.

 

Book Review

Oliver Twist meets 1984 in this dystopian surveillance adventure

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Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw

In near future England, the Coalition has taken over the rule of the country, and is now implanting small chips into all citizens in order to “keep them safe from cradle to grave”, which also makes them easy to track and, further more, to keep on track.

At the beginning of the book, Jake has almost miraculously managed to escape from the Home Academy where he’s been kept more or less in custody since the dramatic and somewhat mysterious death of his government employed parents. Almost alone in the world, ’cause he’s at least got his childhood companion Jet the Dog by his side, Jake soon finds a new existence and family in the gang of children called Outwalkers that he stumbles upon. Together they begin a dangerous journey towards Scotland, and the possibility of a life in actual freedom.

Rating 🐖 🐖 🐖 🐖 🐖

I received this book via BookBoxClub and to be perfectly honest, I hadn’t heard of it before. So when picking it up I felt both very thrilled because OMG DYSTOPIAN ADVENTURE GOING DOWN but also a bit sceptical. ‘Cause these kind of plot driven, adventurous novels (especially if the main character is a boy) quite often tend to unravel in heroic and macho quests with a lot of attitude but not so much political analysis or relationship focus.

To my utmost happiness, this contained very little of world saving missions, action packed dialogue or black/white visions of what would make a better world. ‘Cause even though Outwalkers is adventurous and plot driven, it’s also all about relationships, survival, living as a refugee, and feelings ranging between those of tearing hunger, paralyzing sorrow and glints of hope of a better world – or just of a bed with clean linen.

At the same time as it does ask those big existential and societal questions, Outwalkers is nothing of a heavy read. It’s fast paced, plot driven, and full of those thrilling cliffhangers that just makes you wanna keep reading. So even if you’re more into underground rail rides than what this world is turning into-scenarios, you will probably enjoy this novel.

Dr. Bea approves

If “big brother is watching”-adventures are right up your alley, I can really recommend Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. And if you like some techy stuff and a bit of virtual reality added to those governmental conspiracies, Layers by Ursula Poznanski might be just your cup of tea.

 

 

Subscription Boxes

Fallen Angels Book Box Club Unboxing

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Turns out this was a very blue box apparently (I only really noticed once I put everything ready for a picture). And I have to say that as per usual, this was a lovely box from Book Box Club.

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Let’s unbox starting from the top right corner:

  • Jace notebook (from Shadowhunters) by A Traveling Sketchbook. I am not a fan of Shadowhunters but I do love the artwork and it is a notebook, I won’t complain at all.
  • On top of the notebook is a wooden feather bookmark that was an absolute stunner (the detail is so gorgeous!)
  • Theme card (feathers, feathers, feathers)
  • Publisher’s extras which were a bookmark for “More Than We Can Tell” and “Letters to the Lost“, and a postcard for State of Sorrow.
  • Slayer sticker by Quotify, referencing Buffy which I squealed when I saw and is now on my laptop (obviously).
  • The book, Out of The Blue by Sophie Cameron, which was in my list of possible preorders and thankfully I guessed it’d be part of this box and didn’t get doubles! (Go me!)
  • Angel Veil Body Butter by Shimmer Luxe. Sadly you can’t smell it but it is so yummy and perfect that I was salivating over it (yes, I know it is not edible, but still).
  • Karou & Akiva candle by Bookish Burns. I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone a lot (the series in general) so it was a lovely surprise to see this one in there, and it has glitter too!
  • A teacake in a silver box (which somehow survived despite my best efforts to clumsily drop it while unboxing, woops). This is related to the book but since I haven’t read it yet, I can’t say what the relevance is, but I am sure there is one (a friend who has read it bought a box of teacakes because of the book so I guess there definitely is something there).

If you liked the box and it’s contents, you can try Book Box Club and use code MOON17 for 5% off if you’d like 🙂

Book Review

The Wicked Deep Review

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We have had our clubhouse meeting so this review is definitely due now!

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The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Two centuries ago, in the small, isolated town, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return from the depths, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them down to their watery deaths.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into or the fact that his arrival will change everything…

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

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This is a spooky and dreamy read, and I was so glad to read it. You meet Penny just before the Swan seaosn starts, and things are being slowly explained as they happen yet you always feel like you aren’t actually sure.

The setting was lovely, Sparrow was a wonderful spooky, coastal town that just kept me half wanting to be there, and part not wanting to at all because of the sisters.

And Penny is such an interesting character on her own.(This is a hard review without spoilers!!!!! There is so much I’d gush about but can’t really because it’d spoil this story and this is the kind of story you shouldn’t be spoiled before you read).

So, I can say the writing was gorgeous and dreamy and I just kept wanting to keep reading (and I did do that after a few buddy reading sessions, and got told off for that but it was just irresistible).

Moon recommends

I recommend The Wicked Deep, and all previous Book Box Club books with similar styles like The Memory Trees or The Disappearances, which have that kind of dreamy melancholic feel to them that just wraps you and takes to a different world, one slightly tinted with dreaminess, melancholia, old life.