An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet, book 1)

By Sabaa Tahir

Blurb: 
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Review: 
Just gonna start out by saying that I loved this book! It feels like a really long time since I loved a book this much. I just really hope I love the rest of the series so I can put in my top 10 favourite book series. At the moment, based on book 1, I’d make this my second favourite series.

Now that I got that hype out of the way, it’s time to talk about the actual book. The book is split into 3 parts and each chapter is Laia or Elias perspective. Chapters for the most part were really nice lengths, there was only a handful of long ones. I liked how it was set out and how the chapters flowed nicely and linked as we continuously swapped perspectives. 

I was hooked from chapter one. There was just constantly something interesting going on. Whether it was death, fighting, sneaking or developing love interests. It was just all enjoyable. 

The book opens with Laia talking about her family, she lived with her brother and grandparents. As her parents are dead. Then her house gets invaded by military operatives known as Masks, due to the silver mask they wear on their face. They kill her grandparents and capture her brother for reasons unknown to Laia at the time. They set the house alight, forcing Laia to run. She tries to find the resistance in order for them to help her get her brother back and they agree as long as she spies on the woman known as the Commandant.

A dangerous mission, with the most vile woman known to mankind. 

Meanwhile, Elias is trying to escape Blackcliff the training grounds for masks. Elias is the commandant son and he doesn’t want to be a mask and in the beginning of the book he plans an escape. However, before he succeeds a holy creature known as an Augur tells him to stay and to take part in the trials to become Emperor. 

As those stories develop and eventually connect, it makes one of the best books I’ve ever read. I really do just love this book.

*SPOILERS*

A lot happens in this book but I don’t want to spoil it too much, I think everyone should read it. But I am gonna discuss some stand out moments.

The first being the Commandant explaining to Elias why she doesn’t love him and wants him dead. To hear your mother say such things must be the hardest thing, I could not imagine it. However, she is slightly less cruel than originally believed. Elias believed he was abandoned in the desert left for dead. That was her original plan but she actually gave him to someone to take care of him. Looks like she has a little heart somewhere. 

For some reason, I quite enjoyed Helene’s jealousy of Laia. Even though Elias and Laia aren’t a couple and at the most they’ve done is kiss. Helene is so obviously upset by it and Elias is just so oblivious to the obvious behavior she portrays. It takes one of the other characters to explain it to him. I enjoyed that. 

I did call that one of the trials would be Helene vs Elias. But I also guessed there would be a way out of it for both of them. I just wasn’t sure as to how and I really appreciated how smart this was done. 

If it is not obvious by my clear love for this book, I am rating it 5 stars. I highly recommend and I hope A Torch Against the Night is just as good.

Quote: 

'The field of battle is my temple. The swordpoint is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.'

- Elias Veturius, An Ember in the Ashes

Rating: 5 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Check out my review of Book 2: A Torch Against the Night.

An Ember in the Ashes (Ember Quartet, book 1)

By Sabaa Tahir

Blurb: 
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Review: 
Just gonna start out by saying that I loved this book! It feels like a really long time since I loved a book this much. I just really hope I love the rest of the series so I can put in my top 10 favourite book series. At the moment, based on book 1, I’d make this my second favourite series.

Now that I got that hype out of the way, it’s time to talk about the actual book. The book is split into 3 parts and each chapter is Laia or Elias perspective. Chapters for the most part were really nice lengths, there was only a handful of long ones. I liked how it was set out and how the chapters flowed nicely and linked as we continuously swapped perspectives. 

I was hooked from chapter one. There was just constantly something interesting going on. Whether it was death, fighting, sneaking or developing love interests. It was just all enjoyable. 

The book opens with Laia talking about her family, she lived with her brother and grandparents. As her parents are dead. Then her house gets invaded by military operatives known as Masks, due to the silver mask they wear on their face. They kill her grandparents and capture her brother for reasons unknown to Laia at the time. They set the house alight, forcing Laia to run. She tries to find the resistance in order for them to help her get her brother back and they agree as long as she spies on the woman known as the Commandant.

A dangerous mission, with the most vile woman known to mankind. 

Meanwhile, Elias is trying to escape Blackcliff the training grounds for masks. Elias is the commandant son and he doesn’t want to be a mask and in the beginning of the book he plans an escape. However, before he succeeds a holy creature known as an Augur tells him to stay and to take part in the trials to become Emperor. 

As those stories develop and eventually connect, it makes one of the best books I’ve ever read. I really do just love this book.

*SPOILERS*

A lot happens in this book but I don’t want to spoil it too much, I think everyone should read it. But I am gonna discuss some stand out moments.

The first being the Commandant explaining to Elias why she doesn’t love him and wants him dead. To hear your mother say such things must be the hardest thing, I could not imagine it. However, she is slightly less cruel than originally believed. Elias believed he was abandoned in the desert left for dead. That was her original plan but she actually gave him to someone to take care of him. Looks like she has a little heart somewhere. 

For some reason, I quite enjoyed Helene’s jealousy of Laia. Even though Elias and Laia aren’t a couple and at the most they’ve done is kiss. Helene is so obviously upset by it and Elias is just so oblivious to the obvious behavior she portrays. It takes one of the other characters to explain it to him. I enjoyed that. 

I did call that one of the trials would be Helene vs Elias. But I also guessed there would be a way out of it for both of them. I just wasn’t sure as to how and I really appreciated how smart this was done. 

If it is not obvious by my clear love for this book, I am rating it 5 stars. I highly recommend and I hope A Torch Against the Night is just as good.

Quote: 

'The field of battle is my temple. The swordpoint is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.'

- Elias Veturius, An Ember in the Ashes

Rating: 5 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Check out my review of Book 2: A Torch Against the Night.

Burning (After the Thaw Series, book 0.5)

By Tamar Sloan and Heidi Catherine

Blurb: 
Only the chosen shall breed.

In a new world isolated by a rising, toxic sea, a single bridge connects Askala to the Outlands. Those who remain will need to pass a Proving to determine if they have the intelligence and heart to champion the future of their broken Earth.

Those who succeed will become Bound, the ones chosen to breed.

Those who fail, are Unbound. Free of responsibility, but robbed of their ability to bear children.

Four young lives are born into this world. Magnus and Callix, two brothers determined to uphold this new order. Two brothers in love with the same girl.

Amity, the one who must make the impossible choice.

And Mercy, the girl who no one sees, but sees it all.

As a new threat to Askala emerges, secrets will be revealed and the fight for survival will become their biggest challenge yet.

Life is fragile. Love will refuse to be denied.

Sacrifice will be inevitable.

Review: 
This is a novella for a trilogy from what I believe, I received this book for an honest review.

This book series is about people who are bound and unbound. They are based in a placed called Askala, which I believe is either a misspelling of Alaska or the new dystopian version.

So either way this little village/town is trying to save the population and the existing animals in a way. The bound have a higher ground, they can have all medical treatment to extend their life, but there is one condition they have to produce children with another bound person so they can keep the population going. Where as the unbound are not allowed to have children, if they get ill they are only allowed medicine to take the pain away and make their life more comfortable not to actually extend it.

The actual concept of this book was pretty good, I enjoyed the storyline and the introduction to the series. The characters were okay, I felt like they didn't really develop much but maybe if they are in the main series I will find that they have developed. I think the only person that developed was Amity, but that was just because she discovered love and what it actually was. At times Magnus and Callix do get on my nerves, especially Callix. He just sort of seems that stuck up kid even though it's his brother Magnus that is supposed to be stuck up. Callix is just a very jealous character and I'm not entirely sure how I actually feel about him right now. I feel some of the things he does is sweet and how he hides his feelings but then other times he things he says really annoys me.

The concept of the story is quite realistic with all this climate change talk, I imagine some of the places in many years will actually be like this. I also feel like certain areas will be secluded just like Askala and people from other towns will not be allowed in.

I'm not too sure whether I will actually carry on the series, I will more than likely if I feel like I have nothing to read in the new year or if they are on special offer.

Favourite Character: Amity

Read: 28/11/19 - 03/12/19

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie

Burning (After the Thaw Series, book 0.5)

By Tamar Sloan and Heidi Catherine

Blurb: 
Only the chosen shall breed.

In a new world isolated by a rising, toxic sea, a single bridge connects Askala to the Outlands. Those who remain will need to pass a Proving to determine if they have the intelligence and heart to champion the future of their broken Earth.

Those who succeed will become Bound, the ones chosen to breed.

Those who fail, are Unbound. Free of responsibility, but robbed of their ability to bear children.

Four young lives are born into this world. Magnus and Callix, two brothers determined to uphold this new order. Two brothers in love with the same girl.

Amity, the one who must make the impossible choice.

And Mercy, the girl who no one sees, but sees it all.

As a new threat to Askala emerges, secrets will be revealed and the fight for survival will become their biggest challenge yet.

Life is fragile. Love will refuse to be denied.

Sacrifice will be inevitable.

Review: 
This is a novella for a trilogy from what I believe, I received this book for an honest review.

This book series is about people who are bound and unbound. They are based in a placed called Askala, which I believe is either a misspelling of Alaska or the new dystopian version.

So either way this little village/town is trying to save the population and the existing animals in a way. The bound have a higher ground, they can have all medical treatment to extend their life, but there is one condition they have to produce children with another bound person so they can keep the population going. Where as the unbound are not allowed to have children, if they get ill they are only allowed medicine to take the pain away and make their life more comfortable not to actually extend it.

The actual concept of this book was pretty good, I enjoyed the storyline and the introduction to the series. The characters were okay, I felt like they didn't really develop much but maybe if they are in the main series I will find that they have developed. I think the only person that developed was Amity, but that was just because she discovered love and what it actually was. At times Magnus and Callix do get on my nerves, especially Callix. He just sort of seems that stuck up kid even though it's his brother Magnus that is supposed to be stuck up. Callix is just a very jealous character and I'm not entirely sure how I actually feel about him right now. I feel some of the things he does is sweet and how he hides his feelings but then other times he things he says really annoys me.

The concept of the story is quite realistic with all this climate change talk, I imagine some of the places in many years will actually be like this. I also feel like certain areas will be secluded just like Askala and people from other towns will not be allowed in.

I'm not too sure whether I will actually carry on the series, I will more than likely if I feel like I have nothing to read in the new year or if they are on special offer.

Favourite Character: Amity

Read: 28/11/19 - 03/12/19

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie

Molls Like It Hot 

By Darren Dash

Blurb: 
Evie Brown used to serve in the Army, until a tragic loss forced him to return to civilian life earlier than planned. Now he drives one of London's iconic black cabs. On a dark, wet night, he gives a lift to a wounded gangster, and everything changes from that point on.

When the gangster gets in touch some time later, offering Eyrie a small fortune if he will take care of a mysterious young woman for a few nights, Eyrie is suspicious and hesitant. He can see trouble ahead, but the money will change his life for the better, so he reluctantly agrees to become a temporary guardian. But some deals should never be struck, and his charge turns out to be far more of a handful than he had ever anticipated. As twist follows twist and the bodies start to mount, Eyrie gets backed into a blood-soaked corner and must resort to desperate, inventive measures if he is to stand any chance of seeing his mission through and making it out of the weekend alive.

Fast-paced, action-packed, gritty London-based noir, inspired by the likes of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, with a large tip of the hat to the Billy Wilder movie Some Like It Hot.

Review: 
I received this as an arc a few weeks back. I've ashamedly haven't read any of Darren Dash adults books before this one. I definitely plan to read more of them. I have read a few of his children books under the name Darren Shan.

I've not read a gangster story before, but I do appreciate gangster movies and TV Shows so when I read the blurb I instantly agreed to the arc with no doubts that it wouldn't good.

Darren Dash is a great writer but seeing it in an adult book, you can see how amazing his writing truly is. The writing in this book had a great flow, very descriptive and really natural dialogue. The characters all had their unique personalities and that really came through in the book.

When I began reading the book, I knew instantly that I liked the writing style as the book starts out with a description of a taxi driver sitting looking out at a wet cold London and then jumped straight into the action. 6 pages in I was hooked.

The book was very fast paced and I was really happy with the length of it. Any longer and it wouldn't have been very good. The snappiness of it was what kept the nice flow of the plot. Now I'm not going to say it was perfect. It did have some slow scenes, some were more dialogue than the continuation of the plot. But in some cases these scenes were good and needed as it showed us more of the main character.

If you looking into this and think that because it's a gangster story it's going to be all doom and gloom. Yes there is plenty of that but there is also really funny scenes and funny things said by characters. Such as a joke about Jesus riding a canoe. The imagery of that made me have a little giggle.

The main character is Eyrie Brown a taxi driver with a darker past. The book was written in his perspective as he deals with the task from gangster boss Lewis Brue to look after a woman named Toni. Eyrie is a really interesting character, and we find out so much about him as the story goes on. I loved his character development. We also see another side of Toni as the book progresses and I really appreciate that character development too.

Although I do admit, I did feel there was too many characters at one point being thrown about. Lewis lists all of his friends in one chapter and just seemed a bit too much for the most part. Some of them were mentioned again later on a bit more but the rest were barely mentioned probably could have been left out.

The part I loved the most in this book was the ending, I could not predict it. There was so many twists straight after the other I couldn't put the book down. It was a great conclusion to this book. I really enjoyed the book and if Darren Dash was planning to make anymore books in this universe, I'd recommend a prequel about Lewis Brue. Love to know how he became a gang boss.

I highly recommend this book. It was something a bit different to what I'm use to, something not fantasy for change. But a welcomed change, I'm glad I read it.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Molls Like It Hot 

By Darren Dash

Blurb: 
Evie Brown used to serve in the Army, until a tragic loss forced him to return to civilian life earlier than planned. Now he drives one of London's iconic black cabs. On a dark, wet night, he gives a lift to a wounded gangster, and everything changes from that point on.

When the gangster gets in touch some time later, offering Eyrie a small fortune if he will take care of a mysterious young woman for a few nights, Eyrie is suspicious and hesitant. He can see trouble ahead, but the money will change his life for the better, so he reluctantly agrees to become a temporary guardian. But some deals should never be struck, and his charge turns out to be far more of a handful than he had ever anticipated. As twist follows twist and the bodies start to mount, Eyrie gets backed into a blood-soaked corner and must resort to desperate, inventive measures if he is to stand any chance of seeing his mission through and making it out of the weekend alive.

Fast-paced, action-packed, gritty London-based noir, inspired by the likes of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, with a large tip of the hat to the Billy Wilder movie Some Like It Hot.

Review: 
I received this as an arc a few weeks back. I've ashamedly haven't read any of Darren Dash adults books before this one. I definitely plan to read more of them. I have read a few of his children books under the name Darren Shan.

I've not read a gangster story before, but I do appreciate gangster movies and TV Shows so when I read the blurb I instantly agreed to the arc with no doubts that it wouldn't good.

Darren Dash is a great writer but seeing it in an adult book, you can see how amazing his writing truly is. The writing in this book had a great flow, very descriptive and really natural dialogue. The characters all had their unique personalities and that really came through in the book.

When I began reading the book, I knew instantly that I liked the writing style as the book starts out with a description of a taxi driver sitting looking out at a wet cold London and then jumped straight into the action. 6 pages in I was hooked.

The book was very fast paced and I was really happy with the length of it. Any longer and it wouldn't have been very good. The snappiness of it was what kept the nice flow of the plot. Now I'm not going to say it was perfect. It did have some slow scenes, some were more dialogue than the continuation of the plot. But in some cases these scenes were good and needed as it showed us more of the main character.

If you looking into this and think that because it's a gangster story it's going to be all doom and gloom. Yes there is plenty of that but there is also really funny scenes and funny things said by characters. Such as a joke about Jesus riding a canoe. The imagery of that made me have a little giggle.

The main character is Eyrie Brown a taxi driver with a darker past. The book was written in his perspective as he deals with the task from gangster boss Lewis Brue to look after a woman named Toni. Eyrie is a really interesting character, and we find out so much about him as the story goes on. I loved his character development. We also see another side of Toni as the book progresses and I really appreciate that character development too.

Although I do admit, I did feel there was too many characters at one point being thrown about. Lewis lists all of his friends in one chapter and just seemed a bit too much for the most part. Some of them were mentioned again later on a bit more but the rest were barely mentioned probably could have been left out.

The part I loved the most in this book was the ending, I could not predict it. There was so many twists straight after the other I couldn't put the book down. It was a great conclusion to this book. I really enjoyed the book and if Darren Dash was planning to make anymore books in this universe, I'd recommend a prequel about Lewis Brue. Love to know how he became a gang boss.

I highly recommend this book. It was something a bit different to what I'm use to, something not fantasy for change. But a welcomed change, I'm glad I read it.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

FairyLoot - November 2019 

Theme: Magical Folk

Items: 

• FairyLoot 12-Month Reading Journal by @monolimeart
• Wooden Ornament by @kdpletters 
• Secret Book Volume II by @noverantale
• Sleep Mask by @stellabookishart
• Wooden Bookmark by @merwildandco and @catarinabookdesigns
• Iron-On Patch by @bookmarkd.tattoos 
• Bookish Phone Holder by @noverantale
• Exclusive Tarot Cards by @loweana.art
• A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

Review: 
Check out Sammie's first impressions in the video.

So this is the first box I've had in what feels like ages, and I feel like it's not lived up to the usual standards. I do generally feel disappointed with this box, so the review will be quite negative I'm thinking even though I do like the actual items.

The first item was the reading journal. This was already announced when the theme was revealed. It is a 12 month journal which is pretty good as it is relatively small thickness wise, so it is easy to carry in a bag. It is slightly larger in height than the 6 month journal but nothing major. In this journal there is character drawings instead of quotes like the journal before this years. The colour scheme throughout is the same as the previous journals too which is really nice to have them matching and in sync with each other. The only thing is I don't really use a reading journal that often if at all because I usually just forget the books that are coming out and I don't really use the notebooks much either so they are really wasted items on me. I would hope one day to use one.

The next item that was in the book box was a wooden ornament with a quote said by our great wise wizard from Harry Potter, Dumbledore! This ornament is pretty and is well suited for this time of year, as I was putting up my decorations the day after I got this box. I'm not personally a huge fan of the wooden ornaments because they are quite plain especially for decorations. I like colour on them or pretty patterns, so sadly this is one of those items that I like the idea of but not something that I personally like because it doesn't suit my personality or how I like to decorate things.

Volume II of the secret book was the following item, this was also disclosed on the theme reveal, and the whole reason really that I got this book box from what I can remember. I loved the last one and I love this one. I haven't actually used Volume I to store small items in, I've just used it to display on my new bookshelf in the study as I love the quotes and the drawings, which is the same for Volume II. The only thing that made me slightly disappointed with it is that the colours and design of the book was different to Volume I. But I do love 2/3 of the authors who are quoted on the inside and I love the character and scene art again. As you seen on the unboxing, it went straight in my shelf with Volume I.

Strange the dreamer sleep mask was next in the box. This is quite nice to receive, I've actually just requested one from my husband for Christmas but it's a Niffler one. So I feel like I won't use this one as often, if at all once I get my other one. This one seems quite thick and padded so won't see any light through it. I also love that it's silk, it makes it nice and soft on your eyes. It's also nice to have an adjustable strap on rather than fixed elastic so it seems better quality than the ones you can actually buy in a store. I love the colour of it as it's very fitting for the book as well as the gold foil writing on it too. I'm not too sure whether FairyLoot have actually included one of these before but I'm happy to receive one now.

The next item was a wooden bookmark, this seemed a lot thinner than the ones we have received in the past but then this time it is printed on both sides. There is a cool quote on one and then the sorcerer Edan on the other side. I find this really good to have it printed on both sides rather than one. I've never read the series before and it's not something I actually liked to, I just like the concept that the design is on both sides.

The iron-on patch was the next item, it was a bit of a strange one. It was like a bear with a tutu sitting on a sword. I'm a bit concerned but then at the same time I've not read the series so not sure if it is actually relevant. I've decided not to keep the iron patches or enamel pins unless it is a fandom that I love and that's Harry Potter mainly just so I can put them on my wand bag from Illumicrate. 

There was also a fae related phone ring holder. I've never used one of these before and I'm not entirely sure how they fit onto your phone. I've seen others use them and they seem a good idea but not something I'd actually use. The quote on it also really confused me, so if you can decipher this and make any sense please let me know.

The final item before the book was the tarot cards. These are from a new series which is Stalking Jack the Ripper. I do want to read this series but not actually got round to it just yet, I'm not sure who the characters are so if you know, feel free to comment so others are aware of who they are.

The book seems really interesting and dark, I like the concept of it. I also like how there is black sprayed edges to sort the coincide the darkness of the book. I can't wait to read this book, but I'm not entirely sure when this will be as I have so many books to read and catch up on. I really should not preorder more books. But oh well, I'm a bookworm.

Written by Sammie.

FairyLoot - November 2019 

Theme: Magical Folk

Items: 

• FairyLoot 12-Month Reading Journal by @monolimeart
• Wooden Ornament by @kdpletters 
• Secret Book Volume II by @noverantale
• Sleep Mask by @stellabookishart
• Wooden Bookmark by @merwildandco and @catarinabookdesigns
• Iron-On Patch by @bookmarkd.tattoos 
• Bookish Phone Holder by @noverantale
• Exclusive Tarot Cards by @loweana.art
• A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

Review: 
Check out Sammie's first impressions in the video.

So this is the first box I've had in what feels like ages, and I feel like it's not lived up to the usual standards. I do generally feel disappointed with this box, so the review will be quite negative I'm thinking even though I do like the actual items.

The first item was the reading journal. This was already announced when the theme was revealed. It is a 12 month journal which is pretty good as it is relatively small thickness wise, so it is easy to carry in a bag. It is slightly larger in height than the 6 month journal but nothing major. In this journal there is character drawings instead of quotes like the journal before this years. The colour scheme throughout is the same as the previous journals too which is really nice to have them matching and in sync with each other. The only thing is I don't really use a reading journal that often if at all because I usually just forget the books that are coming out and I don't really use the notebooks much either so they are really wasted items on me. I would hope one day to use one.

The next item that was in the book box was a wooden ornament with a quote said by our great wise wizard from Harry Potter, Dumbledore! This ornament is pretty and is well suited for this time of year, as I was putting up my decorations the day after I got this box. I'm not personally a huge fan of the wooden ornaments because they are quite plain especially for decorations. I like colour on them or pretty patterns, so sadly this is one of those items that I like the idea of but not something that I personally like because it doesn't suit my personality or how I like to decorate things.

Volume II of the secret book was the following item, this was also disclosed on the theme reveal, and the whole reason really that I got this book box from what I can remember. I loved the last one and I love this one. I haven't actually used Volume I to store small items in, I've just used it to display on my new bookshelf in the study as I love the quotes and the drawings, which is the same for Volume II. The only thing that made me slightly disappointed with it is that the colours and design of the book was different to Volume I. But I do love 2/3 of the authors who are quoted on the inside and I love the character and scene art again. As you seen on the unboxing, it went straight in my shelf with Volume I.

Strange the dreamer sleep mask was next in the box. This is quite nice to receive, I've actually just requested one from my husband for Christmas but it's a Niffler one. So I feel like I won't use this one as often, if at all once I get my other one. This one seems quite thick and padded so won't see any light through it. I also love that it's silk, it makes it nice and soft on your eyes. It's also nice to have an adjustable strap on rather than fixed elastic so it seems better quality than the ones you can actually buy in a store. I love the colour of it as it's very fitting for the book as well as the gold foil writing on it too. I'm not too sure whether FairyLoot have actually included one of these before but I'm happy to receive one now.

The next item was a wooden bookmark, this seemed a lot thinner than the ones we have received in the past but then this time it is printed on both sides. There is a cool quote on one and then the sorcerer Edan on the other side. I find this really good to have it printed on both sides rather than one. I've never read the series before and it's not something I actually liked to, I just like the concept that the design is on both sides.

The iron-on patch was the next item, it was a bit of a strange one. It was like a bear with a tutu sitting on a sword. I'm a bit concerned but then at the same time I've not read the series so not sure if it is actually relevant. I've decided not to keep the iron patches or enamel pins unless it is a fandom that I love and that's Harry Potter mainly just so I can put them on my wand bag from Illumicrate. 

There was also a fae related phone ring holder. I've never used one of these before and I'm not entirely sure how they fit onto your phone. I've seen others use them and they seem a good idea but not something I'd actually use. The quote on it also really confused me, so if you can decipher this and make any sense please let me know.

The final item before the book was the tarot cards. These are from a new series which is Stalking Jack the Ripper. I do want to read this series but not actually got round to it just yet, I'm not sure who the characters are so if you know, feel free to comment so others are aware of who they are.

The book seems really interesting and dark, I like the concept of it. I also like how there is black sprayed edges to sort the coincide the darkness of the book. I can't wait to read this book, but I'm not entirely sure when this will be as I have so many books to read and catch up on. I really should not preorder more books. But oh well, I'm a bookworm.

Written by Sammie.