September Unboxings

The blog has been a little quite lately, I haven't had much to share because I've been working on a big project, but I did want to pop in and share some of my favorite items I received recently in subscription boxes. I've been buying way too many boxes lately, but it's okay because they've all been really good. This month I subscribed to OwlCrate, Nerdy Post and the Wizarding World Loot Crate (which I'm still waiting on), and then I also purchased OwlCrate's special edition crate to celebrate V.E. Schwab's Villians series. Here are some of my favorite items from these boxes...

The above two items came in the latest OwlCrate. I was beyond excited when OwlCrate announced that they were releasing another mug to match the one included in a previous box, with artwork designed by Cara Kozik. This mug featured scenes from the third Harry Potter book and I absolutely love it, it's basically the reason I got this box. I was also really excited to see that OwlCrate included an item inspired by one of my favorite books, The Kiss of Deception. 

This month's Nerdy Post was Sarah J. Maas themed. I'm such a sucker for Nerdy Post's Ultimate Boxes, because that option includes a ton of fandom merch for a really good price. I really like that Nerdy Post also provides different box options to help people budget their purchases. I knew as soon as I saw the spoilers for this box, that I would break down and buy it. Sarah J. Maas is one of my all time favorite authors and since the final book in the Throne of Glass series comes out next month, I wanted to get some item to celebrate the conclusion of my second favorite book series.

The destination postcards and the "reading material" print are my favorite items from the box, I'm going to need to find a place on my walls to display them.

I was really lucky to score one of the OwlCrate special edition crates for the release of Vengeful by V.E. Schwab, since this box sold out in a couple of hours. This is the sequel to Vicious, which is one of my all time favorite books and since OwlCrate is my favorite subscription box services, I knew that this paring would result in some fantastic items, especially since Schwab collaborated with OwlCrate on the box. I really love the two candles that are inspired by two of the main characters and I can't wait to burn them while I read Vengeful. My other favorite item is this bookmark that features Sydney and Dol. - Jessica

Books I Read in August

I had a fairly good reading month in August, I read 9 novels and a graphic novel. I feel like with all the new releases that are coming out this fall, I'm slowly getting back into my typical goals, since I typically average around 12 books a month. So here are the books I read and some of my thoughts on them...

Between Frost and Fury by Chani Lynn Feener - This is the second book in the Xenith Trilogy, which centers around a girl who has to pose as an alien princess, to avoid a galactic war. This book was extremely high on my most anticipated books of the year, I randomly picked up the first book, Amid Stars and Darkness, and absolutely fell in love with the characters and their story. The second book did not disappoint, I enjoyed revisiting this world and seeing the new conflicts that the characters faced. I absolutely can't wait for the last installment in the series.

Dance of Theives by Mary E. Pearson - This is the first book in Pearson's latest duology, that is set in the same universe as The Remnant Chronicles. TRC is one of my all time favorite series, and I knew that I would be picking up this book as soon as it was announced. Since this is a spinoff series, it can be read independently from TRC, and I think the author did a good job in building from the world she created in TRC, but also kept a wall of separation for those who hadn't read TRC. This book did not disappoint, I loved being reintroduced to the world that Pearson created, and also gaining a new perspective from Jase and Kazi.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan - This book follows Leigh, after her mother commits suicide and she travels to Taiwan to understand her mother better. The writing of this book was lyrical and carefully constructed. I really enjoyed the depths of culture Pan delved into and overall I really liked this read.

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton - This book is set in a world where witches are hunted and after her mother is murdered by one, Mia's sole purpose in life is to become a witch hunter, until she ends up bethroed to the prince. I really wanted to love this book, the premise sounded amazing when I first read it, and I really enjoyed the idea that women gained magic as a defense mechanism to combat abuse from men. But overall, the execution fell flat to me, I had a hard time connecting with the two main characters and I think that the romance elements took away from the actual story.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - This is a story about a blind, French girl and a German boy whose paths cross during WW11. This book has been on my TBR list for years and I finally listened to the audiobook! I've heard so much hype about this book, and unfortunately I wasn't blown away by this book, but I still really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed how this story had a sense of fantastical elements, but also stayed true to the historical fiction aspect. I really enjoyed that this book held my attention because I never sure the direction the story was going. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han - This trilogy follows Lara Jean, after her past love letters are unexpectedly delivered. This was a reread for me, because I initially just wanted to read the first book before the movie came out. As soon as I finished the first book and I watched the movie, I was reminded of how much I love everything about this series and I had to continue on. I was a little nervous going in to this reread, because I wasn't sure how I would react to Lara Jean's story now that I'm older, but I still really love these books and her character.

Nightblood by Elly Blake - This is the final installment in the Frostblood Trilogy, which is set in a world divided by people who have the ability to wield frost and people who have the ability to wield fire. This is an amazing final installment, each book in this series gradually improved upon it's last and I was highly entertained reading this series.

Fence (Vol. 1) by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad and Joana Lafuente - This is a graphic novel that follows Nicholas, an aspiring fencer, who lives in the shadows as the illegitimate son to a fencing legend. I've been wanting to read more graphic novels lately, and I picked this one up on a whim because I heard it had great representation. This was a good introduction to the characters and their story, but I feel like this installment mainly focused as a build up to the next, so I'm looking forward to continuing on with this.

And those are all the books I read in August. As I mentioned there's a lot of new fall releases coming out this month and I can't wait to get to them all. - Jessica

August Snapshots

1 & 2. Books and coffee, always.

3. My latest haul from Novelly Yours. I got some candles inspired by the Hogwarts houses, and I got a candles inspired by Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda that was featured in a past candle box. - Jessica

Litjoy Magical Crate: Year 4

Earlier this month, I received my Litjoy Magical Crate, which is a special one time box that focuses on a different Harry Potter book. This is the fourth crate in the series and the items in the crate are all inspired by the fourth book. When I first read the series, the fourth book was my favorite (now a days, I can't pick a favorite), and it is the book I've read the most in the series, so I was extremely looking forward to seeing what this box would include. I've shared the previous three crates already, and as soon as I received this one, I couldn't wait to share it's contents. This crate was jam packed with 14 items, and here are some of my favorites...

The gillyweed inspired candle from Whiskey Diamond Company smells exactly like how I imagined gillyweed to smell in the books. I also loved how the dark mark tattoo and the Potter Stinks button tied directly into the book. 

The coin was another item directly inspired by the books. Each box included a mystery coin in a pouch, much like the pouch that contained the four types of dragons for the fourth task. I received the Hungarian Horntail, with artwork by Maggie Rose. The S.P.E.W. enamel pin was one of my all time favorites in this box. 

Litjoy does a fantastic job of featuring amazing artists for their boxes. Gabriella Bujdoso designed the artwork for the trading cards and I think she perfectly captured the characters. And I like how NerdyGrlDesigns brought her own style on the bookmarks.

These socks inspired by Dobby are my favorite item in this box. I'm one of those people who likes wearing crazy socks, and these are just my style. And those are some of the contents of the box, and now I can't wait for the fifth installment. - Jessica

Harry Potter Studio Tours

It is finally time to share the last of my Europe pictures. While in London, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Warner Brother's Studio Tours. It has been a dream of mine to visit the place where they filmed all the Harry Potter films. It's a place that I've seen so much content from, both the films and tourist photos from the tour, but nothing could compare to seeing the scale model of Hogwarts in real life, with "Harry in Winter" playing on the overhead speakers. It was truly a magical experience, and it is definitely a place that I would love to revisit in the future. Here are some of my favorite shots from the tour...

I absolutely love the level of detail that went into putting everything together. The tour really highlighted how much work went into the making of each movie. - Jessica