Fairyloot September Unboxing!

Hi all!

A few days ago I received some exciting mail and found my Fairyloot box had arrived! This is my first box from this company (I received the latest Illumicrate last month, and my review is here), and I have to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest! I can honestly say I loved every item in the box, and the fact that they were all linked together by a theme really makes the box unique. This month's theme was magic and mayhem, and I knew as soon as I heard it that it would be right up my street.

*There will be spoilers for the September Fairyloot box below, so if you haven't received yours yet then beware!*

The Bookish Goodies:

A Russian Doll necklace from Pastel Clouds Jewellery - This might be my favourite item in the box. Seriously, I love it so much that I've been wearing it non-stop since my box arrived! The charm is tiny but elegant, and the clasp is sturdy and hasn't broken so far.

An Etherealki candle from Castle of Fables - While I don't use candles often (about 90% of my room is wood so I'm not taking any chances!) the smell of this one is gorgeous. It reminds me of fudge and sweetness, and it's a decent size as well.

A Darker Shade of Magic themed badges - Unfortunately two of my badges had come away from the packaging, but luckily they weren't damaged and I now have four badges from one of my favourite books! I love that so many of the items in here were exclusively designed for Fairyloot.

A Felix Felicis sticker from BookOtter - The design of this is really pretty, even if I haven't read Harry Potter yet (*runs away from angry mobs*).

Postcards from Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom, and a Grisha Second Army poster - I am so excited to read this series, and these postcards are really good quality, while the poster is very eye-catching.

A Grisha notebook designed by Literary Emporium - I love Rio's work, and this notebook seems to be well-made and excellently designed.

The Book!

Now, all of the Grisha-related things in the box made me think that the book would be Crooked
Kingdoms, but instead it was Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter. I haven't heard much about this book, but it seems really interesting and I 'm intrigued to know more about the legend it was based on, 'Vassilissa the Beautiful'. It also came with a signed bookplate, a letter from the author, and a beautiful bookmark from Behind the Pages.

Final Thoughts:

Overall I was very happy with my first Fairyloot box! I love the cohesion between each of the items
and the little bag the book is a really unique idea. My only complaint would be is that the book just fits in the box so it's hard to take it out if it's at the bottom of the box.

Did you receive this month's Fairyloot? What did you think? Or if you've read Vassa in the Night what did you think of it?

Thanks for reading(:

2016 is Nearly Over...And I Still Haven't Read These Books!

Hi all!

So somehow it is already nearly September, and I am woefully behind on my Goodreads challenge.

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration; I've read 33 books this year, and my goal is to read 50. But the reason why I'm on track is because I read the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy novellas which count as separate books, and there are so many books I want to read but haven't done yet!

My Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag is coming out soon, but I thought I would tell you the 8 books I am desperate to read before the year is out!

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas - I have been determined to catch up on this series this year,
 and so far I'm doing well! I finished Heir of Fire a few weeks ago, and while I'm not loving the direction the series is going in I do love the world and want to carry on with the story. I also want to read it before Empire of Storms comes out and be up to date for once!

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Everyone adores this book. It's all over Instagram and booktube, and I love love love the sound of it - thieves stealing something dangerous? Yes please! - but for some reason I've never picked it up. I have read Shadow and Bone and didn't mind it, but I think I was worried that I had to finish that trilogy to read Six of Crows. Now that I know I don't, I badly want to pick it up and find out why everyone loves Kaz so much!

3. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - Fantasy Russia? Two players in a game where one will die? What's not to love about the premise of this book? I've heard people compare it to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which is my FAVOURITE books (review can be found here) so obviously I need to read The Crown's Game.

4. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - This was in my Illumicrate box (unboxing can be found here) and it looks STUNNING. The cover is so detailed, and there are two maps in it. As well as that, the story sounds amazing and various Instagrammers have raved about it! I feel like it's going to be a good winter fantasy read too, so I'm very excited to read it.

5. A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab - How have I not read this yet?! I loved A Darker Shade of Magic, it was one of my favourite books of 2015 and I loved every part of it (mostly Kell <3 My thoughts on ADSOM can be found here!). I want to find out what happens to Kell and Lila and Rhys, and I've heard that there's a new character that people love introduced in this book, too.

6. This Savage Song by VE Schwab - Another probably marvellous VE Schwab book that I have yet to read! This Savage Song sounds incredible, and I think it has something to do with music and monsters which should be a great combination.

7. Unrivalled by Alyson Noel - Unrivalled is blurbed as being similar to Pretty Little Liars and
Gossip Girl, two of my favourite TV shows. I love scandal-filled contemporary books, they're my guilty pleasure, so I am super excited to see how Unrivalled plays out.

8. Summer Days & Summer Nights, an anthology - Summer is nearly over, so I need to get my skates on if I want to read this soon! I read my True Love Gave to Me at Christmastime and I love how the season plays such an important part in the stories. Also some of my favourite authors - Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Stephanie Perkins - have contributed to the collection.

These are the eight books I'll hopefully read before 2016 ends, but this next school year is going to be absolutely manic, so I don't know how successful I'll be! As well as this I would like to reread The Infernal Devices as I read them in winter last year and think it would be a nice tradition.

Do you see a book on this list that I need to read tomorrow? What book are you hoping to read before the year is over?
Thanks for reading (:

Illumicrate Unboxing & Review!

Hi all!

A few days ago I received my Illumicrate box for August and - WOW. This box was so so good! It two books, as well as beautiful bookish extras that I can't wait to use or stick up on my wall!



*Note: This post will contain spoilers for the box, so if you haven't received yours yet wait to check it out!*




The Books:

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - This book has been all over bookstagram recently! I was already planning on buying it soon, so when I found that a HARDCOVER version of it was included in this box I may have squealed a little bit. Everyone has raved about it and I loved Illuminae, which Kristoff co-wrote with Amie Kaufman, so I have high hopes. Plus the cover is gorgeous, and there are not one but two maps! What more could a bookworm want?

The Graces by Laura Eve - The Graces is actually out in a month, so this book feels extra special! The cover is, again, stunning, and as I read the summary I realised I had meant to remember to buy this a while ago. The letter from the author added a nice personal touch to the box, especially as it was in her handwriting, and has really intrigued me about the book.




The Bookish Goodies!

Of which there are many, so I think I'm going to list them all briefly. In no particular order, I received:

• 2 Harry Potter coasters (which are as amazing as they sound)
•  A Nevernight poster and Bookmark
• A bookplate for Nevernight and for The Graces
• Absolutely beautiful posters for Red Rising by Pierce Brown (which I unfortunately haven't read yet, but they are gorgeous)
• Grisha and Six of Crows themed COLOURING-IN QUOTES. This was a highlight for me, even though I haven't read Six of Crows or completed the Grisha trilogy!
• Strawberry tea - I'm not a tea drinker but I'm up for trying
  
  a new flavour
• A tote bag which is apparently Gilmore Girls related (I have been catching up with the other GG - Gossip Girl - instead so I haven't watched it yet)
• A discount code for Unboxed by Non Pratt
• A discount code for a bookmark from My Bookmark

This box was jam-packed with wonderful things, and I'm so happy with it!

Did anyone else receive and Illumicrate? What did you think of it? What was your favourite item?
Thanks for reading (: