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Unveiling Venus Book Review
Unveiling Venus by Sophia Bennett P.S. This review contains SPOILERS for book one, so if you haven’t read Following Ophelia but want to, please click away now! Mary Adams, once a servant, has now firmly put aside her old life to become Persephone Lavelle– a muse for great artists and a glamorous socialite. But even someone as admired as Persephone has some skeletons in her closet. Having promised to stay away from Felix (a struggling artists) to keep her cousin and niece off the streets, Persephone has no choice but to flee from her feelings. Rather than admit defeat however, she decides to embrace her new-found socialite status. With her best friend…
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The Sacrifice Box Book Review
From Goodreads: Sep, Arkle, Mack, Lamb and Hadley: five friends thrown together one hot, sultry summer. When they discover an ancient stone box hidden in the forest, they decide to each make a sacrifice: something special to them, committed to the box for ever. And they make a pact: they will never return to the box at night; they’ll never visit it alone; and they’ll never take back their offerings. Four years later, the gang have drifted apart. Then a series of strange and terrifying events take place, and Sep and his friends understand that one of them has broken the pact. As their sacrifices haunt them with increased…
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The Cruel Prince Book Review
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black From Goodreads: Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially…
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Orphan Monster Spy Review
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen A lonely orphan with a dangerous secret. Not just another blonde-haired, blue-eyed little monster. Trapped inside a world full of lies, when does a schoolgirl become a spy. Set against the high-tension, pressure-cooker backdrop of Germany in the late 1930’s, Orphan Monster Spy follows Sarah, a young Jewish girl, who is forced to flee following the brutal death of her mother as they try to escape persecution. Trained in the art of the theatre by her mother, Sarah is cunning and quick, sly and intelligent. And she soon attracts the attention of a British spy. Her mission is simple, but it will turn her into the thing she…
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Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Book Review
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao Goodreads synopsis: An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny. Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future.…
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An Enchantment of Ravens Review
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson Goodreads synopsis: Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life. Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s…
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September Book Box Club: Outlaws
So this particular Book Box Club box was very exciting, because it happened to be the first anniversary of the club 😀 How awesome is that? The box featured a really cute letter from Libby and Kate, and a specially made birthday shortbread cookie to say thanks, and I thought this was a brilliant touch. I definitely did not cry at all during this unboxing. Nope. I have pollen allergies haha. Anyhow, emotions aside, I really did love this box. I’ve just moved into uni accommodation again, so I thought it was really nice of the girls to delay my box for a week so I could make sure to…
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August Book Box Club: Fearless Females
August’s Book Box Club arrived just in time for my holiday to the Lake District. The theme was ‘Fearless Females’ which sounded AMAZING, so I was super-excited to see what would come. I didn’t guess the book this month, although I was very happy to receive Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls, since I had seen adverts for it at YALC in July and I liked the sound of it. There was the usual signed book plate, Q and A with the author, and an invite to the awesome book box club book club chat [wow, isn’t that a mouthful?]. Once again, this box contained an amazing candle by…
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July Book Box Club: Spells and Remedies
July’s Book Box Club theme was ‘Spells and Remedies.’ I furrowed my brow for quite a while trying to figure out what the book could be, and I didn’t actually guess it, but I thought the premise of The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy sounded quite nice, and I liked the idea that it included lots of book quotes in the plot. Alongside the book, I also got a signed bookplate, Q and A pages from the author, and an invite to the unashamedly bookish Book Box Club book group. This box had a lot of cute merch in it. The first thing I saw was the Exclusive Raven Boys soap by…
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June Fairyloot: ‘Elementalists’
This was my first Fairyloot box. I had been wanting to try one for a while, but alas, finances, so I decided to wait for a big occasion. In June I finally handed in my undergraduate dissertation, so I decided that I deserved some Fairyloot in my life. And oh my. What a beautiful box. I didn’t actually manage to take an unboxing picture, I was so immersed in tearing paper and cooing over items, so I’m afraid this will have to do, but eek. So many items. Such pretty. Again, I managed to predict a book [mostly with some snooping on goodreads lists] but I was correct, this box…
