Tag: book boxes

Books, Subscription Boxes

The Dark Side Owlcrate Unboxing

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I am warming up to Owlcrate boxes. The theme for this one was The Dark Side, and I am very very glad they didn’t include anything Star Wars in it, but instead the whole box felt dark and murdery but also gorgeous. Let’s check the contents, starting from the bottom right and going clockwise:

  • Wicked Saints with an exclusive cover colour which makes it look even darker than the original one (I really like both)
  • An exclusive fabric book map for Wicked Saints, it is like a silk handkerchief and I like that. May use it as a fun handkerchief or headscarf or something.
  • Vicious isnpired phone holder (like a pop socket) which I enjoy a lot. Again, I am a bit confused on how many phones book boxes think we have, but I guess at least one fo the thingies they send will be to my liking (this one it).
  • Pin banner, neither here nor there for me but it has more effort than a similar attempt by another box, so yeah, happier about it.
  • And on top of it, the collectible pin of the month, inspired by a necklace worn in the book .
  • Theme card (there was also a themed zine but I don’t keep those).
  • A shorthand notebook (the style that it has the spiral on top rather than on the side) with a quote from one of Sarah J. Maas’ book which isn’t the same star one as always and it doesn’t bother me so much. The notebook is gorgoeus with hard cover and back so useful.
  • Finale sampler. Not bothered but samplers are usually bonus that I pass on.
  • Six of Crows socks, I love socks and this are red! I don’t have many red socks (yeah not crazy about Six of Crows, but I like socks)
  • A Grisha scarf underneath it all. This is my favourite item. It is a lighter scarf than what bookboxes usually include and it has a gorgeous tone of purple that almost seems like a gradient. The design is Grisha but even if I am not in the fandom it is just “specific and generic” enough I can wear it and get lots of compliments. Because it is lighter, it has made it through the “it is getting warmer” part of the year and I am still wearing a scarf (this one).

All in all a nice box, with a lot of things I liked and few I didn’t (which is always a bonus for me). I am still keeping this one as on and off but for now it is ore on than off. Keep it up Owlcrate people!

Subscription Boxes

Storytellers Book Box Club Unboxing

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The theme for this box was a great start of the year. Storytellers try to tell themselves that they’ll finally write that story this year, or something along those lines (some do write, other procrastinate). And as such it is a great thing to do for the first box of the year. But let’s see what was inside, starting on the top left, with the book:

  • Monsters by Sharon Dogar. I am a bit undecided about this book. Mostly because I am not sure about books involving the “authors” and their lives fictionalised, but it looks also intriguing and I do love the cover design. So we shall see how it happens…
  • Storytelling magnet words. This is such a cool idea because I remember always wanting some of these and then I finally had some and was overwhelmed with how to use them (this set isn’t my first). One of the things that I liked is that the words are in different colours so that helps “see” them amongst the others.
  • A small notebook for all those ideas that may escape if you don’t write them down (maybe like birds). Can’t say no to this lovely notebook and cool design.
  • A very thick pouch (the insides were very thick and padded which surprised, I am used to having flimsy pouches in boxes and always lov eth slightly more sturdy ones).
  • A postcard illustration of the story.
  • A set of postcards about writing. I wasn’t crazy about them because I don’t send that many postcards (even if I do send a lot of books to people). Maybe I need a snail mail friend…
  • A sampler of Outside, which I love the cover and shall review soonish, I promise 🙂
  • The theme card which I kidna hid because I was rushign this picture, gotta make the most out of the little daylight we get.

It wasn’t a wow blow me away box, but it definitely was up to theme and I like that, and it had the original word magnet idea which was nice to see.

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.
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.

 

Subscription Boxes

November Illumicrate Unboxing

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Hi all, I have more boxed goodness to show you. Illumicrate is UK based and I have been subscribed to them for two years I think (my memory is fussy with my long term subscriptions, sorry), and I absolutely love the box. It usually comes with the book and an ARC which makes it even better (twobooks? yes please, always!) and it tends to have unusual goodies (like a money jar which I am trying to fill with coppers only and then try to find out if I can afford a book with them, it’s about 2/3 full for now, so if you have coppers to donate, please do it for the science!).

I will stop blabbering now, sorry and do the unboxing.

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Let’s go, just to mess yp with your heads again, counter clockwise this time, starting from the bottomleft corner:

  • Bookish Tea Towel by Evannave, if you want me to love your book box, include a tea towel with some awesome designs. It’s even better if it is colourful. I will squeal and be all happy about it and love the rest of the box because, tea towel…
  • JK Rowling quote print by Nutmeg & Arlo, it is shiny, I like it.
  • This Mortal Coil and Iron Gold samplers.
  • Moon + stars necklace by Oh Panda Eyes which I absolutely adore because I am Moon so it is perfect!
  • Artemis pamphlet.
  • Reading in bed candle by Meraki Candles. It smells like a fresh mug of hot chocolate and it is utterly delicious.
  • A 2018 planner with unicorns by Prism of Starlings, it was AWESOME to receive this since I had started thinking I ought to plan what planner I’d buy but now that is sorted.
  • Artemis by Andy Weir and a bookmark too. I ma looing forward to reading it.
  • And a City of Brass ARC, which is awesome because I have been lookign forward to reading it so now I have the ARC and yay!

All in all I was absolutely pleased with this box and the only thing I am not keeping are the samplers, so I think it is a 10/10 box. Very very happy with it.

Subscription Boxes

Haunted Minds Book Box Club

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The theme for this month’s Book Box Club was Haunted Minds. And one of the things I loved about it is that it seems to be geared up to soothe haunted minds rather than actually haunt your mind.

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Let’s do the unboxing clockwise starting from the theme card:

  • Theme card, Haunted Minds, which also on the other side says what everything is and who made it (I love, love, love that they include links to the makers).
  • Underneath everything there is a wonderful delightful Raven Boys tea towel which made my day (I really love pretty tea towels, the pretty ones are used on our coffee table as centre of it or to hold warm tortillas when we have tacos or freshly baked homemade bread, which is one of the most honourable tasks a tea towel can have in our home).
  • The Memory Trees by Kali Wallace, the book sounds intriguing.
  • Bath Salts by , because having a relaxing bath is exactly what everyone needs when your mind is haunting you. The tin they came in is beautiful too and much better than a plastic bag so bonus points for that.
  • Heathcliff candle, in a TipTree jam jar. If you missed my unboxing I mentioned this made it really cute because the jars are usually given out when you order toast with jam at a coffee shop/tea room and they usually have a saying in the lids. I used to collect the lids because some have encouraging or fun phrases.
  • An Usborne YA 2018 books sampler with a lot of interesting reads there.
  • A Calm Colouring pocket book, because once again it is all about relaxing and calming your mind.

This box was a cuddly hug to calm and soothe the mind and the body and I am glad about it. If this sounds good, then maybe subscribe for the month of December? They are including two books! And you can use code MOON17 for 5% off.

Subscription Boxes

Dragon Slayer LitJoy Crate

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This is my first LitJoy Crate, I had heard that sometimes they get an author to curate them or something like that so decided to give it a go before they even announced the theme for October. (Yeah, by now you should know I just go and buy book boxes because book boxes, in all fairness, I do check past boxes before buying but the theme rarely ever bothers me and I only worry about theme so I can figure out what kind of items/books are there).

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Let’s do around the clock, (one day it will be counterclockwise I promise) starting with the book:

  • The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli. I AM so happy this was the book because for Gollancz Festival there was an event with Kristen and I got my book signed (plus she curated this box and recognised my scarf at the event!).
  • Underneath everything is an infinity dragon scale scarf which took me ages to figure out how to wear because I have never had an infinity scarf despite having a nice collection of scarfs at home.
  • A Khaleesi Kisses lipbalm which smells delicious, warm and firey and just perfect.
  • A dagger/knife shaped bookmark.
  • Candle
  • Shakespeare quote print which also has on the toher side the author letter (this broke my heart because I usually stick author letters to the books but I can’t do this for it because it is such a gorgeous print… decisions, decisions, decisions!).
  • The Complete Book of Dragons by Cressida Crowell which is all about dragons and I think is such a wonderful companion to The Last Namsara.
  • Jon Snow bookmark, which is stunning too.
  • Content leaflet which explains why each item was chosen and has pictures identifying each one.

I was very pleased with the box, and I am very happy this was my first one. Of course I am getting more of them so hopefully this will go beautifully well and I will keep raving about it (also no customs which was an amazing bonus).

Subscription Boxes

Villainous FairyLoot

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For this box, as soon as they announced the theme I knew what the book was. I had won an ARC of the book from the FairyLoot stand during YALC by running to their stall and drawing a dragon (I love drawing dragons! I love drawing! I do not love running…), so once I read the book description I knew what it was, it was still a nice box and I am just sad I didn’t get a kitty inside (in case you aren’t part of the FB group, people posted pictures of cats and pets inside their boxes and it has been a running thing which I absolutely love!).

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You can even see I struggled to fit everything and there are some items from other book boxes sneaking into the picture (money jar from Illumicrate and dragon stickers from Book Box Club). As per usual, going clockwise, starting from the fairy in the box:

  • Quote print by Evie Seo. It is a quote from a poem by Virgil but used in The Mortal Instruments.
  • Forest of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao, with an anti-heroine and an interesting story.
  • Monthly theme bookmark.
  • Signed bookplate (I like that it has the snake and flower from the cover)
  • Moriarty inspired coaster by Evie Seo, I like how it is dark and oh so gorgeous!
  • Death Eater pin by House of Wonderland (it is such a cutie, despite being a dark bad thing).
  • The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo. This is an exclusive cover and I have to say I love it and kinda prefer it over the official one.
  • Postcards from The Language of Thorns, they are absolutely stunning.
  • Promotional print for Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor.
  • Maleficient candle by MerakiCandles, as per usual it has a wonderful smell and I love it is the “disney evil lime green” kinda colour.
  • The Young Elites Mirror by Little Inkling Designs.
  • Theme postcard.

All in all it was a box full of goodies and from it all the only things I am not a big fan of are the prints (I just don’t do prints, there’s not much I do with them so even if they are gorgeous, they’re not my thing) and the mirror.

This month’s theme is all about dragons and then there is December which is So Regal and I am excited for both boxes (somehow I wrote foxes here, I am also excited about foxes but that’s not new, I like foxes). Hopefully you can manage to snag a box when they go on sale. Fingers crossed if you need the luck.

Subscription Boxes

Quests & Legends Book Box Club

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After that long 101 for book boxes, let’s do some unboxings, starting with Book Box Club.

The theme was Quests & Legends and I was really hoping the book would be the one they actually sent since it was one I really wanted to read (and the author is such a dear).

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Let me tell you that boxes with edibles in them usually make me want to take the unboxing picture there and then because yummy must be eaten NOW (I am not the only one, right? RIGHT?).

As per usual, let’s do clockwise, starting on the theme card.

  • Gorgeous Quest & Legends theme card. I saw it and loved it, there’s such a simple beauty in it, so dreamy and makes me want to be all cosy.
  • Dragon stickers by Wild Sally, I squealed when I saw them, they are so cute and they are stickers! I am torn between adding them to my laptop or my drawing clipboard.
  • Mountain earrings by Kate’s Little Store, they are wooden and really pretty but alas my double piercings are too close together for them to work with double earrings except hanging ones. This did not stop me from wearing them a few times (but I will reserve them for special wear rather than my go to pair for everyday).
  • Wooden bookmark by Hughes Laser Designs, this is probably the only item I have issues with and it is because the bookmark is so thick it’d damage books which is such a shame because the wood is beautiful (so it is more decorative than useful).
  • Bookish postcards & bookmarks by publishing houses.
  • The book, A Shiver Of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke which is such a fantastic story and I really want to read, also the book is sparkly and beautiful.
  • Narnia Hot Chocolate Spoon/Stirrer by Maple Molly’s. Another squeal and I was so happy about this, it is such a beautiful one and has a quote on the label and it is just perfect.
  • And of course, no hot chocolate should go without a mug, so we have a mug inspired by the heroine of the book by Four Season Fox. I love the fact that the mug and chocolate go so well together. And then the mug also matches the book…

Absolutely delightful cosy box, with a gorgeous book, wonderfully matching extras and I am just loving it. I usually complain* when book boxes send tea/coffee/chocolate and no tea strainer/mug/etc or vice versa, but the girls did it and sent both. I am SO happy about this.

In case this is the first time you pop over to my blog, you can use code MOON17 to get 5% off your subscription with them. *wink wink*

*Nevermind the fact that I have more mugs than I need, enough tea to go around well and a tea strainer that is perfect for all my needs (it fits mugs, tea pots and has handles so you don’t burn your fingers when taking it out of the mug, plus fine mesh for complicated teas like rooibos or a few others that love escaping most tea strainers). I do think about subscribers that may not be as crazy about their tea as I am and will wonder what to do with either the tea or the strainer without the other.