Owlcrate November 2017 Castles, Courts, and Kingdoms Elven Bread Soap in exclusive scent by Fizzy Fairy Apothecary Blackberry Mint Game of Thrones lip balm by Geek Fire Labs Second Army Grishaverse wooden brooch by Juniper and Ivy Expecto Patronum knit beanie designed by Owlcrate Notebook with an exclusive ACOMAF design by Stella’s Bookish Art Book: The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano (with signed bookplate, letter, and gemstone temporary tattoos)
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black Wow. Just wow. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book. I'd owned it for a year and long ago read and enjoyed Spiderwick. First, I love that this book is a standalone. Second, I love that it's fae, but set in a modern time. It's dark and mysterious. The characters are complex and well-developed. I was worried it would be kind of gory, but those parts were short and not overly detailed. There's romance and friendships, as well as an interesting aside about parenting and how parents are not immune from mistakes. What pushed this story to a solid five for me is I found on the last page that I was crying. It's just a wonderful, unique story. 5 out
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child By JK Rowling I loved this! I recently finished a reread of the other 7 books so despite owning this for a year since it came out, I finally read it. For me, I loved the flawed Golden Trio as adults. I found this relatable because I first read these books at 20 in college for a YA Lit course, and am now 35, so the changes felt realistic for me. I am not who I was 5 years ago let alone 20 years ago like Harry et al. I won't give spoilers, but a certain character gave me the same vibes as a certain villain and the plot twists didn't surprise me. I thought this story was fun, adventurous, and full of heart. And Scorpius is amazing.
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody This was such a unique read! The general premise is that Gomorrah—the one and the same complete with a woman turned into a pillar of salt—is a traveling festival of debauchery. Sorina is the daughter of the proprietor—through adoption—and like all Gomorrah’s citizens has a special ability. She can see even though she has no eyes and she can create illusions that become her family. Only now someone is killing her illusions one by one. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but there were a couple things I thought could be improved. One, and this is not the author’s fault, there were a lot of mistakes and a couple small plot holes. The reason I say th
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson I love a good graphic novel. Not only was the story line and illustrations interesting, but it raises a lot of questions about what makes someone good or bad (upbringing, environment, choices, perception, etc). Definitely a not everything is as it seems kind of lesson. Which is great because rarely are people as one dimensional as we make them out to be. I'll need to check out the LumberJanes for sure. 5 out of 5 stars
Bibliophile Prints specializes in digitally made bookmarks! You can find her shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/bibliophileprints She has both traditional and magnetic bookmarks!
Whimsify October 2017 Underdogs Stranger Things bookmark by Sticker Adorable Jane Eyre Bath Salts by The Soap Librarian Neville candle by Liber de Stella Spiral Notebook inspired by Strange the Dreamer by Dorothy Reads Wylan (Dregs) Art Print by @taratjah Losers Club pin by Gogoghost (not shown because I forgot about it) Book: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen with signed book plate
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson This was a great read! I loved Isobel because she was strong and funny. Rook was also adorable, funny, and strong without being domineering. At times I felt the writing was a little superfluous, considering it's a YA book. I am an author with a master's degree and a bachelor's in English and there were even a couple words I wasn't even familiar with. It seemed kind of silly at times. Otherwise, I really liked the plot and the love story. I saw somewhere that people thought it was insta-love which I disagree with because one, the author notated a passage of time and two, the author also had Isobel acknowledge it seemed like a fairy tale and she wa
