Saturday, January 8, 2022

A Lesson in Vengeance

By Victoria Lee
369 pages
Hardback
Owlcrate
YA

Gorgeous cover

and bonus fun inside of dust jacket

and the books is cool and the pages are gilded silver

Dark academia - set in a boarding school, there is mystery and magic and unreliable narrators.

author info

signed! 

author letter

a very pretty book. 

This was a great read, and a stand-alone novel, which is really nice. 

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

July Owlcrate

Theme: Potions & Poisons

AH - what a good box! I did let my kids steal several items this time. I've been hoping to read this book! 
first peek

what a pretty and mysterious box

it had this cute jar in it! It's also funny timing, because I just went to an apothecary museum. 

poison tea towel

I've been eyeing this book! So happy to see it in the bottom of my box!!!

all the stuff!

Pin & bookmark & bubble bath & jar & sanitizer pouch & popsicle thingy & tea towel & book!

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Sweet & Bitter Magic

By Adrienne Tooley
359 pages
Hardback
YA Fantasy 
Owlcrate 

It's a very pretty book. 
Cover

the page edges were a lovely lavender color

synopsis

author letter & signature

author info 

It was a readable book, but it did feel super cliché at times, and fairly predictable. I did enjoy it, but I don't think I'll be compelled to read it again. 

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

The Ones We're Meant to Find

By Joan He
Hardback
Scifi
Owlcrate 
371 pages

I zipped through this book today. 

It was sad, and beautiful, and intriguing. 

It sounds like it would be very tech heavy, very classic dystopia. But it reads poetically and emotionally. 

Author info - also, take a peep at those beautiful end papers!

author letter 

Seriously wonderful book. Stand alone novel (Yay, I don't have to wait for a part 2!)

The Gilded Ones

By Namina Forna
Hardback
Fantasy
Owlcrate 

Yay, it's a stand alone novel! 

Beautiful, right?

synopsis

signed edition

letter from the author

author 

The first page of the story

So, this book is full of surprises. Like ad early as chapter 2. I really enjoyed reading it! Great characters, satisfying ending, interesting world. 


Saturday, July 10, 2021

Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian

Gail Simone, Aaron Lopresti, Bernard Chang
Comic
Hardback
204 pages

I impulsively picked this up at McKay's Used Books last time I went. 

I have not, in any way, kept up with the comics, so I had to look up a bunch of characters. 

like, almost everyone on this spread. 

But, I enjoyed reading it, and I loved the art. I think I'll keep my eye out for other compilations of the comics. 

creator info

Mister Impossible

By Maggie Stiefvater 
Hardback
Owlcrate
340 pages
YA Fantasy 
Book 2 of the Dreamer Trilogy 

I think second books are always hard. I often don't like them too much. They often feel like stepping stones rather than a thing that stands on its own. 

But I loved this one. It advanced the overarching storyline while still being its own thing. 

I don't know how legible this is, but: synopsis.

Of course, I had to do the refresher and read Call Down the Hawk first. I got both of these editions through Owlcrate, and they have the most beautiful art on the reverse of the covers. Left: Call Down the Hawk. Right: Mister Impossible. 

And, because I'm a total fan girl, I also bought the special edition from One More Page Books, which I got to have personalized and which came with a beautiful book wrap.

Taking off the book wrap reminded me that the Owlcrate cover wad also different colors. 

I am super curious how the whole trilogy will wrap up! I didn't predict the ending of Mister Impossible, and I have no clue what will happen next. 

Exciting!