Fairyloot Unboxing – September Starcrossed Swoons Box

Hey booknerds! It’s time for another unboxing! This is the Fairyloot Starcrossed Lovers September box. I was so excited for this box as I had a pretty good idea about what book would be included and it’s a book I had read and fallen completely in love with. Plus the other items were from some of y favourite fandoms!

So lets get to the unboxing!

The first thing that was included in this box is a Bella and Edward candle by Nerd Poured Candles. It has lovely scent of apples, pine and cedarwood.

They also included a really unique item that is also really useful! This is a Strange the Dreamer inspired apron! It was designed by Literary Life Co. It’s so pretty I almost don’t want to use it!

The next thing they included was another unique item which was ACOTAR inspired shoelaces! It was designed by Fictiontea Designs and has all the courts on them.

They included a beautiful constellation notebook with a quote from The Star Touched Queen. This was designed by Read At Midnight.

They also included a set of postcards each featuring starcrossed lovers from different fandoms! There was Julian and Emma from The Dark Artifices, Rhysand and Feyre from ACOTAR and Cassian and Nesta also from ACOTAR. They also included Amar and Maya from The Star Touched Queen and Lazlo and Saarai from Strange the Dreamer. The amazing artwork is by Taratjah.

The last thing included was a love rune enamel pin and an angelic fire runes candle matches both designed by Fictiontea Designs. I love them both!

The book that was included this month was Mirage by Somaiya Daud. I read an arc of this book and loved it so I’m so happy to have this edition with an exclusive cover with purple sprayed pages. They also included an author letter and artwork of the main characters by Gabriella Bujdoso.

The extras included this month was a sampler of Queen of Air and Darkness, Tempests and Slaughter bookmark and a Muse of Nightmares postcard.

I adored everything in this box and I’m really looking forward to getting the October box!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab – Book Review

I originally read Vicious a few years ago so I wanted to reread it before Vengeful released. And it was just as amazing as I remembered it to be!

Rating: 5/5

If you don’t know what Vicious is about then you can read the synopsis from goodreads here:

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the arch nemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

This book is a wonderfully dark story filled with morally grey characters. It deals with the complexities of what a hero and villain is. Both Eli and Victor are complex, dark and very arrogant. They always know how to be in front of people but inside are something else altogether.

The first chapter shows Victor with Sydney digging up someone’s grave. It is such an interesting way of opening a book because it makes you instantly curious and want to know why he is doing that. We then are taken back ten years to when Victor was at university and each chapter goes forward and back in time through which we are slowly given the information to understand the full story. It built up the suspense and made me want to read one more chapter to see the big picture.

Victor Vale is one of my favourite characters and our anti-hero, he is arrogant, ridiculously smart and petty and is hell bent on seeking revenge but he still cares for those he works with, especially Sydney. The way he is with Sydney is just adorable! He does use her for his own advantage but still tries to protect her when it’s possible. I was totally rooting for him throughout the book.

Eli was his own brand of crazy, he has a god complex and feels that what he does is truly the right thing to do. I just couldn’t relate to him at all. He was a sociopath, even when his girlfriend died he didn’t feel anything, just used it to his advantage.

Sydney and Serena’s relationship was so tragic. You could see how close they were before they became EO’s and that path led them down a destructive road and they ended up on opposites. It was heart breaking watching their relationship devolve and I truly felt so bad for Sydney.

Sydney is a child and is pulled into this because of Serena and she’s innocent but at the same time it was scary how well she adjusted to Victor’s plans and didn’t seem fazed or scared by it.

Vicious is an addictive, fast paced read and if you love anti-heroes with an element of sci-fi then I know you will love this book!

Reading On A Budget

So many books so little money! Every month there are so many amazing books being released and I want to buy them all but my bank account is not so keen on buying them. But there is still ways to feed your reading habit without going bankrupt! And I’m going to share some tips that I’ve found to be really helpful in saving money.

1 Buy second hand books – I’ve found some great bargains buying second hand books both online and at book stalls. One stall in my local market sells books for 75p each! And they often look practically brand new!

2 The clearance or sale section at bookshops – here you can often buy newer books at a much cheaper price. I’ve often found hardbacks for £4/5

3 Bookbub – this is a website that is completely free to use and once you register with them they will send you daily deals on ebooks. Some are free and others are 99p or £1.99 This is the link to the website

4 The library – going to your local library not only helps support keeping it open but they have a wide selection of books from older books to new releases available. They can even get books in for you if you request them. My library also has a great online selection of ebooks and audiobooks that I can borrow.

5 Charity shops – I love having a look through my local charity shops for books and I also donate there. The money goes to a good cause and you can find books for a couple pounds

6 Ebook bargains – I use ibooks and they have a lot of books for cheap on there for a limited time. They also have a free ibook of the week and I’ve downloaded books like Throne of Glass and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. I’m sure there will be something similar for android users

7 Shops like Poundland or B&M – they may not seem like places to find books but they do have a selection in their shops. You never know you may find a great bargain searching there.

So these are some ways in which you can read when you’re on a budget! Is there any tips I’ve missed do share in the comments! I always love a good bargain! Especially when I buy as many books as I read a month!

World Mental Health Day – Self Care Tips

Today is World Mental Health Day and although speaking about mental health should be done regularly I am glad that we can use this day to highlight how important mental health is.

On this post I want to discuss some tips for self-care. It’s something I am incredibly bad at but I am working on that and so I thought that I would share some things that I will try my best to do and hopefully encourage all of you too!

But first, what is self-care? I know it’s taken me a long time to figure out what self-care actually is but what I’ve worked it out to be is the acts of caring for yourself both inside and out. I also think that creating boundaries so that you are not exerting yourself to the point of you burning out. And that self-care can be different for each person depending on what works for them. It can also vary depending on any other health conditions you have, I suffer from chronic pain due to 3 prolapsed discs and it has a big impact on my mental health.

So here are some things that I do and some that I’ve been recommended to try

1 Daily maintenance – brushing your hair, washing your face and getting changed out of your pyjamas may seem like something small but I find it really helps.

2 Go for a walk – especially when the weather is good I like to go out even for a short while. Fresh air and just getting out of the house can be really helpful

3 Exercise – I have a love hate relationship with exercise. I grew up playing netball but I just can’t cope with that level of sport anymore but I still do stretches and exercise at home. Exercise releases serotonin and helps keep my pain in control which helps improve my mental health

4 For me reading is my ultimate way to take a step back from the world. Making a cup of tea, lighting a candle and grabbing my blanket as I curl up on the sofa is one of my favourite ways to help me relax

5 Aside from reading there’s lots of other ways in which you can relax from colouring, drawing, painting, journaling any hobby that helps you relax

6 Meditation or relaxation exercises – there’s lots of different relaxation exercises you can try to find one that works for you or doing some deep breathing exercises which I find very effective in helping me stop a panic attack before it fully starts.

7 Mindfulness – this is something I first heard about last year during my counselling sessions and there’s lots of ways to practice mindfulness which I find really helpful

8 Spending time with my cat, Sherlock, who just knows when I need to be comforted and will come and lie down with me. Petting and cuddling is just so therapeutic! My panic attacks have gotten significantly less since adopting him

9 A relaxing bath or shower – when my depression is bad convincing myself to shower is incredibly hard but once I do I feel so much better. I know some people find baths very relaxing, add a bath bomb and light some candles and you can sit and read or listen to something

10 Take a step back from social media – although it’s a great way to connect with each other, it’s also something that can cause a lot of stress. I find not going on my social media so much or limiting my time on there helps to improve my mental health

So here my top tips! There’s lots more ways to practice self-care but I didn’t want the post to get overwhelming. If there’s anything you do to practice self-care then do let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday – Longest Books I’ve Read

Hey booknerds! I’m taking part in another week of Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. You can find more information here

This weeks topic is the longest books I’ve ever read.

Sometimes I put off reading a book because of the size of it. Long books can be so intimidating! But they are also some of my favourite books! And sometimes a book can honestly feel like it’s never going to end because I’m not enjoying it.

So here are some of the longest books I’ve read or own:

1 Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

2 Winter by Marissa Meyer

3 The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

4 Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

5 Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

6 The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

7 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling

8 A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

9 The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

10 A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

So these are some of the longest books on my shelves. I’ve read most of these but some I’m still putting off because of the size of them and I know that they will leave me an emotional wreck!

Do you like short books or long books?