That Time of the Month! (OwlCrate #2)

*Text that is in bold is a little extra snark from Rachel.

It’s that Time of the Month again! The good kind not the miserable kind, holla. Last time we praised the postal service for getting us our boxes on the same day. This time? Not so much. They kinda sorta really suck. BUT EITHER WAY WE WERE REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS MONTH’S THEME. #allthefeels

Rachel got to open hers first and refused to tell me what was inside besides the book and her candle scent. FINALLY two days later I received my box and got to see what other goodies lay inside. HERE’S WHAT WE SAW:

I was excited about the candle because I’m a 92 year old cat woman at heart. I got Hazel’s Flowers which I love a lot. It smells like Sweet Pea from Bath & Body Works, if you’re familiar with that scent. I got The Giving Tree, which smells like a pine tree (go figure.) I’m not a huge candle person, but it’s a nice little knick knack even if I don’t like the book.

Next was very obviously a jewelry box of some sort (in ~Tiffany Blue~), tied up all cute with a red and white string which I tried desperately to save but wound up cutting off because Y’ALL ARE THOROUGH BOW MAKERS. I immediately cut mine. I didn’t even try saving it. Each box includes one of two styles of necklace, and we happened to get one each.

Debatably the best part of the box was this tote bag that I think we can all relate to a lot. Too much? Never. My first thought when I saw the tote bag: “YAAAAAS.”

And finally, this month’s book, which is a contemporary. Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay.

I will say this book seems a lot more interesting to me than last month’s A Darker Shade of Magic. And that’s all I’m allowing her to say because I’m still trying to read it and won’t allow spoilers. But also, I agree. Here’s a summary from Goodreads:

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore. 
And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?
Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck.

I’m a sucker for these, not gonna lie. I probably own like 9 other books with similar plot lines. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a plot like this which is pretty surprising with how much YA I consume. The book came with a sticker, bookmark, and signed bookplate.

So what’s our opinion of this month’s box? Better than last month just because. I definitely love this box and OwlCrate is already one-upping their last box. They’re catching on quickly too, so we be all proud and stuff. Hopefully one of us can finish the book soon and get a review up.

Next month’s theme was announced to be “Parallel Worlds.” Unforutnately we’re both skipping that shipment money problems suck, but if you’re receiving it, send us a message and let us know what you think of it! Until then, happy reading!

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That Time of the Month! (OwlCrate #1)

*Text that is in bold is a little extra snark from Rachel.

Guess what, chicken butts? Our OwlCrates arrived (obvi)! We’ve been counting down the days until they shipped and were eagerly waiting for them the moment we got our tracking numbers. We live on opposite sides of the country, but they were somehow delivered at basically the same time. You done good, postal service. Nice hustle. *makes it rain*

Rachel then proceeded to kill me with the wait so we could open our boxes together (like nerds.) BUT FINALLY we were able to sit down (I was standing) and open them. Here be what we seen:

Don’t judge me but I really like that grassy stuff. Forget tissue paper.

The theme of this month was Fantasy and what says “fantasy” better than Game of Thrones? And unicorns! (I got Joffrey and Rachel was a pile of poo and got a cool dragon thing) Neither of us watch Game of Thrones incase you can’t tell. Cool dragon thing? I mean, I’mma love it for eternity ‘cause it’s kinda cute but I wouldn’t hate knowing the actual name of it, ya feel? I, however, will burn Joffrey. Oh.

The couple behind OwlCrate had custom bookmarks made by CraftedVan. MAGNETS. They also included a bookmark with a discount code for GeekyCon, which has authors like Marie Lu and Veronica Roth. (I'm reading Marie Lu's Legend series right now if anyone cares.)

I was distracted by the swaggy bandages for a while before eventually getting to the heart of the box, which is of course the book. In this month’s box is a cool hardcover of A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, which is the first in the series. I don’t know anything about this author but it doesn’t matter; I’m still gonna call them Cotton Schwab from this moment forward. Let’s see what it’s about.

STEP INTO A UNIVERSE OF DARING ADVENTURE, THRILLING POWER, AND MULTIPLE LONDONS.

Kell is one of the last travelers - magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city.
There's Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad king - George III. Red London, where life and magic are revered - and where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. White London - a place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the Red traveler, ambassador of the Maresh empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Packaged with the book was also a poster.

So, what’s our overall opinion? For the debut box of OwlCrate, it’s off to a good start. We most definitely got our money’s (or galleons if you’re a Harry Potter fan) worth. It’s too soon to say if the book was a good choice or not, but other reviews are glowing. Hopefully we can post one ourselves soon. Either way, we’re both excited to sit down (or stand. You don’t know my reading preferences) and read it.

We can’t wait for April’s “All The Feels” box!

& 

Meet OwlCrate + another thing

Hey, guys! We’re back from the dead! For now. Until life gets us yet again and drags us away from our blog for the upteenth time.

Photo borrowed from OwlCrate's Twitter account. @owlcrate #owlcrate

We’ve come back to tell you guys about this awesome thing known as OwlCrate. If you’re a YA lover like Rachel and I, then this is the perfect thing for you. Each month, a box will be sent out including a brand new YA (hardcover! Be still, our hearts!) release, 3-5 book themed goodies (jewelry, totes, treats, etc.), exclusive items from publishers and authors, and a note telling you about the novel and the items included. The box is $29.99 plus shipping; both Rachel and I ended up paying $36.98 after shipping and we live on opposite sides of the US. The boxes ship out on the 20th of each month with the first box being shipped out on March 20th. Each box also has a theme to it (March’s theme is fantasy!)

Rachel and I both ordered it, and we will be sure to let you guys know what we think of the contents (and we’ll probably make an unboxing post!) If you’re interested, check out their site and sign up!

Another subscription worth mentioning is Colleen Hoover’s brand new service, Bookworm Box. Her service will be sending out 2 signed romance novels each month, but there’s been no mention of additional goodies. There’s no set price yet, although she did mention they’re looking at $29.99 as well. Bonus: all profit will be donated to charity. Good intentions aside, Rachel and I are both on the fence about it and are waiting for the first batch to roll out and be reviewed before we subscribe to the service.

Let us know in the comments below if you’ve signed up for either (or any other!) subscriptions! We can’t wait to get our boxes and let you guys know what we think of it!

Yajaira & Rachel
(The exclamations mean we're very! excited! ermagerd, BOOKS!!!!)