I can’t believe it’s already September despite the fact that August honestly seemed like the longest month of the year so far – but that’s probably because I’m not a fan of the heat!! Still it was nice to see the sun even if it got a little hotter than I think anyone wanted and it was a little dry too where I am. I hope you had a good summer and managed to get some reading in. I’m actually really really pleased reading-wise this month.
By the time my last post went live I’d just recieved all the books I got last month, so I thought I’d share them here. They’re all books I was super excited to read. Only one of them was from a new to me series, which I’m really pleased with because as I said last month the goal is to get rid of my tbr pile.
The third book in the Protection of the Pack series, like The Omega’s Pack, focuses on Nick and how he is coping. This book also introduces Brody, who Sam meets at work during Brody’s job interview. Like the previous two books in this series, there is a lot of sex in this book but it is also more plot focused. The Omega’s Pack got Nick to a place where he could start to heal and function, in The Beta’s Test Nick starts to learn how to be himself again. I really enjoyed following both Nick and Brody’s journeys through this book. Brody seems like a really awesome person, and I enjoyed the appearance of another geek. My copy of The Beta’s Test also included The Omega Learns a Lesson which is the fourth instalment of the series. I really enjoyed the return of focus to Sam and Rusty. The story is short, with just thirty-two pages but it packs a punch. I liked the fact that Lux shows in this story that even when things are going well that that little voice in your head can be real loud. I really enjoyed the fact that I got these two instalments together as they flowed well.
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)
Before I go into any kind of review I just want to warn you that this book contains domestic violence that is both mental and physical, as well as self-harm ideation. If either of those topics has the potential to trigger you, then this is almost certainly not the book for you. That being said, I do think that Drews writes a really good debut novel. At its heart, A Thousand Perfect Notes is about obsession, love, and music. Beck is an interesting main character, and the premise of the book is well thought out. Though this book very definitely falls into the three star category for me: I liked it, but that was it. I would have liked there to be more of this book, as I think a lot of things were glossed over but then A Thousand Perfect Notes is in many ways just a snapshot of Beck’s life.
Hey, hi. Hello! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I can’t believe that I haven’t posted since 2020. It honestly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. Firstly, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have chosen to stick around. Sorry I haven’t been around. I was struggling pre-2020 with my reading, and because of that I was also struggling to write and post reviews regularly. Then the events of 2020 happened and everything that followed. I don’t think I read any books in 2020, or at least I didn’t keep a record of them. In 2021 I only read 10 new books that whole year. When I did read I struggled to find the words to share my thoughts on what I’d read. So honestly I’ve been floundering a bit on how to move forward with this blog.
Welcome to the first post of my attempt to clear my TBR pile.
Towards the end of June/the beginning of July I stumbled across a video by LilyCReads in which she challenges herself to complete her TBR pile by 2023. I looked at my TBR pile and thought to myself, you know what maybe I can do that too. So I’m going to try and post once a month updates on how I’m doing with this goal, along with reviews of what I read and maybe some other things – like if I buy any more books, or if I visit anywhere interesting. I don’t know if you will like it, but I hope you do and I hope it helps me to get back into the swing of reading. I will also be posting the few reviews I did manage to write that I haven’t posted yet.
My complete TBR pile at the start of July 2022.
I don’t think my goal is too unreasonable. I want to read 19 books in 6 months, which should be doable I think. I’m not going to force myself to read anything if it’s not for me – so with that in mind, I’m going to say that if I hit the 100 page mark and I’m still not interested then I’m going to give myself the permission to walk away from the book. A few of these books I got when I was subscribed to Illumicrate, but most are onces I picked up for myself. It was interesting to see all the books lined up, as I don’t store them altogether.
This Illumicrate marks the final box of my three month subscription. I mentioned in the February unboxing that Illumicrate had changed how they worked, as well as how much they cost and that I would use the March, April and May boxes to decide if I was going to continue with my subscription. I will be talk about what I am going to do going forward at the end of this post, so let’s dive straight into the unboxing.
Unlike the April box, this month’s arrived on time. That’s why there’s not much of a gap between the two unboxings. I will say I do miss the yellow shredded paper that used to appear in the white box, it was a nice pop of colour. This brown screwed up paper, whilst great at making sure items survive in the post, is not the prettiest thing I have seen.
The contents of The Final Frontier (May 2019) Illumicrate box.
This month’s box contained five specially curated items, the featured book, a collectable magnetic coin, and two samplers. First up this month is the LUNAR CHRONICLES COOLER BAG designed by @po_jainter which would be great for keeping snacks cool for a mini picnic when you read outside. Next up is the ILLUMINAE PILLOWCASE the illustration was designed by @alice_duke and the quote was designed by @chattynora. Both designs look super cute and fun (I’ve only included the illustration in the photo) but I don’t think the pillowcase itself is cotton, which is a little disappointing. Then there is the HOWLER LUGGAGE TAG designed by @fableandblack which would stand out on bags if you do a lot of travelling, though I’m not sure how practical it would be. Next there’s the SQUAD 312 POUCH designed by @iparwing which I think looks super fun. The final specially curated item is the SPACE STICKY NOTES designed by @fableandblack which are super cute. The book of the month is AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It has an exclusive cover, pink sprayed edges, and it’s signed by both the authors. It also comes with a letter from them. This month’s magnetic coin is designed by @monolimeartand is of Kady Grant from The Illuminae Files. The final two items, the samplers, are for Emily Eternal by M. G. Wheaton (which was published on April 23rd) and The Furies by Katie Lowe (which was published on May 2nd).
In all honesty I think this is the end of the road for me with Illumicrate. This box, and the March and April ones, haven’t convinced me that the change in price and the increased amount of boxes are worth it. There have been some items in the previous three boxes that I have really liked, but most of them have just been ok and I can’t justify paying £31.35 a month for a box where I’m not excited by at least most of the items. I’m really sad to bring my subscription to an end, but that’s how it’s going to be. I hope you’ve enjoyed the unboxings and if you have any recommendation for book subscription boxes that could replace my Illumicrate subscription then please leave them below. They would be much appreciated.
The April box is my penultimate box from Illumicrate, and I’m curious to see what is inside it. If you’ve not been keeping up with my Illumicrate posts and want to know why my subscription is coming to end check out the end of my post on the February box here. If you’re thinking of subscribing to Illumicrate you can find more details here.
But enough of that, let’s dive straight into the unboxing.
This month’s box features five main items. First up there’s the Moth & Mirth Mug which is designed by @rosiethorns88. It’s an officially licensed Holly Black mug, and I’m assuming that it’s links to Black’s The Folk of the Air series. I think it looks really pretty, it’s not too heavy, and it looks like it will hold a lot. All pluses for me. Next up there’s the Once Upon A Time Tin designed by @moledrocraftco which features quotes and imagery from Throne of Glass. I think this looks cool, but I’m not sure about its practicality – it’ll be a good prop for photos, but other than that I’m not sure. The third item is the Crown of Power Candle created by @flickerinkuk which is raspberry scented, and it definitely smells strongly of that. The next item is the Iron Throne Phone Ring designed by @fableandblack which is Game of Thrones inspired. It’s an interesting idea. The final items are the Three Dark Crowns Travel Posters designed by @pinapali, which are inspired by Kendare Blake’s series. They look pretty. This month’s featured book is Descendant of the Crane by Joan He, which is a Chinese-inspired epic fantasy. It has an exclusive cover and sprayed edges to this box, it also comes with a letter from the author, a signed bookplate and the preorder incentive character cards. This month’s Illumicrate also comes with a Magnetic Coin which this month is designed by @monolimeart. It is the first in their new collectable series, and this month comes with the necklace and pendant back.This month’s box also includes two samplers. The first is for We Are Blood And Thunder by Kesia Lupo which came out April 4th. The second is for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson which came out May 2nd.
Overall this is another good box. There is a broad variety of items and fandoms, and there was only one item that I’m a bit unsure about. That being said, I didn’t love this box. For me it’s missing a certain spark. I think a lot of people will love this box, and be really pleased with the contents of it. My favourite item of this box is definitely the Moth & Mirth Mug. It is just beautiful, and very practical.
Thanks for reading this to the end. If you’ve made it this far I’d love to know what your thoughts are on this box. Until next time.
Today’s post is about the March 2019 Illumicrate. Yes, you read that right: March. I’m late to the party, but I’m trying to catch up – hence this post. So, the Adventure Awaits box is the first monthly box Illumicrate has curated. So let’s dive right in shall we?
From the outside this box looks pretty much the same: a lovely warm yellow, with Illumicrate logos and books drawn in white. The most notable change of this box is when you open it up and see the note card. Gone is the familiar yellow card, and in its place is a booklet (in this case various shades of blue) that lets you know what this box’s theme is.
Adventure Awaits (March 2019) contents.
Excluding the book, there are five main items in this months box. First there is The Raven Cycle Notebook Set designed by @bookmarkd.tattoos. I like the different sizings and colourings, whilst keeping the same design. Next there’s the Excalibur Water Bottle featuring artwork by @sarahandsweet. I’m not really a fan of it as it’s not something I’d use, but I think the artwork is beautifully done. Then there are the Mistborn Socks designed by @Illumicrate which look lovely, and will be great for adding a subtle bit of bookishness to an outfit. Next up is The Grand Tour Mug Rug featuring artwork by @temporaryplacesshop. A mug rug isn’t something I’ve come across before, but I like the fact that it’s so big – some mugs/cups are bigger than others after all. And the final main item is the Beginning & End Enamel Pin Set designed by @fableandblack. They look absolutely gorgeous, and I enjoy the LotR merch. There are a couple more items that have been included in the box. The first is Muse of Nightmares by Lani Taylor postcard. The second is a bookmark promoting Proud compiled by Juno Dawson, a collection of LGBTQ+ anthology of stories and poetry for a YA audience. The final item is a sampler of Temi Oh’s debut novel Do You Dream of Terra-Two? which came out on March 7th.
Book, signatures, and letter from the authors.
The book that is featured in this March Illumicrate isn’t one I had heard of before. It’s a space fantasy with a King Arthur twist, that I think sounds intriguing. Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy looks absolutely stunning. It’s has an exclusive Illumicrate edition cover and sprayed edges, it’s also signed and comes with a letter from the authors. It’s a US hardback with no dust jacket, which is good news to those of us who hate damaging it.
Overall I think this is a good box. I don’t think it’s anything particularly special. There are things in it people will love, but for me it’s missing a certain spark. I don’t think it’s a bad box, but I wouldn’t pick it as a favourite. The item I like most in this box is probably the pin set because it’s pretty and of all the items in the box I’m probably closest to being a member of this fandom. The notebooks and the mug rug are cool, and I do like the socks even if I had to google to find out the book that inspired them.
Thank you for making it this far down the post. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.
Long time readers of this blog will know that I have been a subscriber of Illumicrate since the first box. I have always love the fact that it’s a relatively inexpensive book box you get four times a year, that has had some really awesome books and some great book related merchandise. This box is the final Illumicrate that follows that formula. From this box onwards, Illumicrate has moved to a monthly subscription. I’ll talk more about this and my feelings about the change after I’ve unboxed this Illumicrate for you guys.
I was really excited to get my hands on this box. So excited that I went ahead and opened it before showing you guys, so there’s no video to go along with this post. I was contemplating doing on anyway, but as my procrastination has already got us to May I thought it would be better to just get on with things.
A quick peek.
This box contains ten items, including the book. I think they all look really great. I hadn’t heard of the book or the author before seeing it in this box, so I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I also really enjoyed the variety of the items – there are quite a few that, as far as I’m aware, haven’t featured in a book box before.
The items in Illumicrate #14: Gods & Monsters
The Orphanage of the Gods by Helena Coggan is this quarter’s book. The cover is gorgeous, very atmospheric. The book is a special edition for Illumicrate with an exclusive cover, and comes with lovely blue sprayed edges. The book itself is signed and there is a letter from the author, as well as a metallic notebook. The story is about war between gods and humans, and a girl trapped by it. The next item in the box is a set of six character bookmarks by @lesyablackbird, based on characters from Lani Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. The artwork is on both sides of the bookmark, and looks cool. Then there is the Strange and Dream Umbrella from @hodderscape. Up it looks brilliant, and it’s perfect to slip into a bag to help keep dry in any showers. The next item is the Keep Me Case with artwork by @moledrocraftco, perfect for keeping pens in or maybe just keeping bookmarks safe and easy to find. Girls of Paper & Fire Chopsticks by @heyatlascreative, I definitely have not seen this item in any book box before. Then there’s the Beautiful Thing Pouch with artwork by @stellabookishart, perfect to store make-up in so you don’t loose it in your bag. The next item is the Nectar of the Gods Lip Scrub by @hellolovelyskincare which will be great for getting rid of any dead skin. The final two items are two samplers. The first is for The Binding by Bridget Collins, which was published on Jan 10th by Borough Press. The second sampler is for The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu, the first book in The Eldest Curses series which was published on April 9th by Simon & Schuster. I believe all, or at least most, of the items are exclusive to this box.
The new box
The original box
Thank you to everyone who made it this far in the post. I mentioned at the start that I was going to talk to you more about what is going on with Illumicrate, and what this means for me. To start with, Illumicrate is now a monthly subscription book box. If you buy the box monthly that means you will pay £26 a month (now, this does not include VAT or P&P which only get added on at the end), but they also offer 3 and 6 month prepaid subscriptions. This honestly made me pause. As much as I have loved getting Illumicrate, these changes with no possibility of keeping the quarterly subscription made me seriously consider what my future with this book box was going to be – this was before I knew the “true” cost for a 3 month prepaid subscription.
When it was a quarterly box the final Illumicrate cost me £29.99 plus £3.70 shipping, so a grand total of £33.69. So based on that 1 year (4 boxes) would cost me £134.76, which I could both afford to do as I only paid every four months. I also liked the fact that it only meant I was getting 4 books a year, as most of the books I got through Illumicrate I hadn’t heard of before so there was no guarantee I would like them. Under the new system, I decided to try the 3 month prepaid subscription which cost me a grand total of £94.05 (including VAT and P&P). Now my first issue here is that the website says this 3 month prepaid subscription costs £75 excluding VAT – it doesn’t mention that it doesn’t include shipping. But forgetting that, a whole year (i.e. 4 subscriptions to this package) will now cost me £376.20. Now that is a lot of money. I don’t even want to think what it would cost paying monthly. Sure it works out as £31.35 per box, but frankly I cannot justify paying £376.20 a year on a subscription box. It’s just too expensive for me. I know going to the 6 month prepaid plan would be cheaper, but it’s still (in my opinion) a HUGE initial amount to pay every six months.
So what does that mean for the future of Illumicrate on this blog? Well. I have paid for the 3 month prepaid subscription, which does mean that the final unboxing will be for the May box (as my subscription started in March). After that, well things are up in the air. I don’t really want to say goodbye to Illumicrate. Daphne has created some awesome boxes, and I think that it’s brilliant that her company has grown this big. The price is a tad prohibitive, and frankly makes me rather uncomfortable. When the three months are up I don’t think I will be re-subscribing. However, I will be using the next 3 boxes to decide if the price increase is worth it. Sorry it has taken me so long to write this. It’s made me super uncomfortable, but I really did feel like I had to say something. I don’t think I’m going to be the only one who has mixed feelings about this. I would love to know your thoughts in the comments – am I overreacting? Do you agree that this is a huge hike in price? Thank you for reading so far, and I’ll see you on my next post.
[I’ve just noticed that I haven’t posted an Illumicrate unboxing since box #11, which I apologise for. I honestly thought I’d posted about them. I will endeavour to get them up ASAP. Thanks for sticking with me.]
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (UK edition), with bookcover from Illumicrate.
ON THE DARKEST NIGHT, THE STARS STILL SHINE.
Feyre’s first Winter Solstice as High Lady is drawing near. With it will come a hard-earned rest from the work she. Rhys and their friends have done to rebuild the Night Court and the vastly changed world beyond. Yet the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows from looming. Even as her own heart heals, she finds that those dearest to her have wounds that go deeper than she knew.
AND THE SCARS OF THE PAST WILL TOUCH HER COURT IN TIMES TO COME.
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses 3.1 Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult Publisher: BLOOMSBURY YA (1st May 2018) Source:Illumicrate - The Starfall Edition. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
A Court of Frost and Starlight is a companion tale set in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses universe. It follows after the events of the third book A Court of Wings and Ruin and it is set around the Winter Solstice. It is the first Winter Solstice since Feyre became High Lady, and she is nervous about what to expect. The Night Court is rebuilding itself, but it has meant a lot of work for Feyre and her family. Despite then festive atmosphere shadows are hanging over Feyre and her family, as they try and cope after the war.
A Court of Frost and Starlight was one of the books I was most anticipating in 2018, curious about what story Maas wanted to tell. At over two hundred pages A Court of Frost and Starlight is considerably shorter than the three main novels in the series. It is therefore quite a quick read, and one I really enjoyed perhaps more because of the brevity of it. I went into the story without any real knowledge of what to expect apart from the blurb, which I think worked well. I fell straight back into the world of Prythian without feeling lost at any point.
There is, in my opinion, not a lot going on in A Court of Frost and Starlight in terms of the plot. If you are looking for something as filled with plot as the main novels of the series, then I think you will be disappointed. In the two hundred plus pages not a lot happens. But that is for me the cleverness of A Court of Frost and Starlight. Instead of plot Maas focuses on the characters; on Feyre and her family, and how they are coping with the fallout from the events in the previous books in the series now they have had time to take stock.
Seeing more of Feyre and her family and learning more about them was really interesting. I enjoyed how realistic the different ways everyone was coping were, and how the different narrators really helped to illustrate this. I also enjoyed getting to see how Feyre was settling into her role as High Lady without the threat of war looming over her. I would have liked to read more about how everyone was settling in, but even with that A Court of Frost and Starlight does feel like a complete story: Maas does a good job with leaving me wanting more, helped along by the sneak peek of the next novel at the end of the book.
Fans of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses will not be disappointed by the addition of the companion tale A Court of Frost and Starlight. It may not add much to the overall story arc of the series in terms of plot, but it does add extra dimension to the characters and allow you to get to know them a little more. It has left me looking forward to getting my hands on the fourth book in the series, as if the hints in this book is anything to go by it will be a great read.
I can’t believe it’s 2019 already! 2018 just seemed to fly by. 2018 was not a good year for reading for me. I completely failed my reading goal – I didn’t even make it half way to my goal of reading 52 books. I also stopped posting on here. Sorry about that. I don’t even really have an excuse, except that reading just wasn’t happening for me. Still, I hope you had a better 2018 reading-wise than I did and that you managed to reach your reading goals. So we’re now in the first month of 2019, and I am back and determined to keep on track. Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me, I really appreciate it.
#JanInBooks19
Bout of Books 24
So what do you have to look forward to? Well nothing is set in stone yet, but there will be reviews from me this month for Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton and A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. I’m also planning on taking part in Bout of Books, which starts on January 7th (you can sign up to take part yourself here). In February I will be taking part in the London Bookshop Crawl and I will of course be documenting that (click here if you think you’d like to take part too). On Instagram I’m taking part in bookisglee’s photo-a-day challenge (you can find me here). I’m still subscribed to Illumicrate so there will be unboxings of that. I am also considering doing a monthly Books I’m Looking Forward To post that would include both new releases and books I’ve already got, but we shall see.
Here’s to reaching 52 books this year, and keeping up here on the blog. I hope you had a great December, and saw 2019 in in the style of your choosing. I’d love to know what you are most looking forward to this year, bookish or otherwise, so please leave me a comment. Until next time.
Title: The Waking Land (The Waking Land, 1) Author: Callie Bates Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (29th June 2017) Blurb:
It’s been fourteen years, since King Antoine took Elanna hostage. Fourteen years since her father’s rebellion failed. Fourteen years spent being raised by the man who condemned her people to misery. A man she’s come to love as a father.
Now 20, Elanna is about to be taken prisoner once again… but this time by her father’s mysterious righthand man.
Her father wants to reignite his rebellion, this time using Elanna as figurehead. He will tell his followers she is the legendary Wildegarde reborn, a sorceress who could make the very earth tremble.
But what no one knows is that magic really does flow through Elanna’s veins. Now she must decide which side she’s on, and whether she’ll use her powers for mercy… or revenge.
THE WAKING LAND is Callie Bates’s debut novel. It tells the story of Lady Elanna Valtai who has lived in the court of King Antoine for fourteen years; a hostage in a foreign court because of her father’s failed rebellion. Elanna knows she does not belong in King Antoine’s Court, but at the same time it is the world she has known for most of her life and she wants nothing to do with her father. Still, rebellion is in the air and when events come to a head Elanna finds herself in the middle of them. Torn between two worlds Elanna must choose which path to follow forward.
The Flutterby Room 