What an absolute mess. HAHA. I panicked about getting this box. But I did finally get it. Which, is great! It took me forever to get this box and then to take these photos.
January 2020 Fairy Loot Box: Moon & Stars
I think that in general, I did like this box but it was less literary than I assumed it would be. I try to not look at the spoilers before the month comes out. Thus I was not aware this box would be mostly FL original stuff. There were only a few book related items.
I did like a lot of them, despite it not being book related.
Halloween is coming early this year as I start off on spooky books. This month, while selecting books, I sort of just pulled what seemed like interesting titles to me. Things I thought I might want to read. However, I know I won’t read all of these. I also know that I will want to read others.
Thus, this list is extremely tentative. In an attempt to get myself back into the love for reading. I’m opening my entire books shelf up to be picked from. I’m not going to limit myself because otherwise I’ll just sit and want to read something that I can’t because it wasn’t on my list to read.
Most of the time I pick the books I really want to read, and I did pick the ones that interested me, but who knows how much I’ll stick to this list.
Oh man, I thought I was sad last month for not getting books read like I wanted to. This month is a travesty. I got almost none of the books read like I wanted. Here you go, what I actually read this month.
So I had the largest panic yesterday. I was going through my shipping tracking for my FL box and it said already delivered. I freaked out because no, it had not been. And I’m here at 9pm writing this trying to figure out what I’m going to do and who I have to call and what to figure out. Anyway. I wake up this morning at try the tracking number I wrote down from my phone. It doesn’t work. And I’m like wut? I looked on my email to for the tracking number again. When I had searched it on my phone the wrong shipping came up first; it was the shipping from last month. Turns out I was just an idiot. It’ll be in today, or should be. If it is, I’ll post its content later tonight or tomorrow. Luckily I got this box, and I suppose that can be your content for today.
January 2020 Unicorn Crate: Powerful Princesses
I was really excited for this box when I saw the theme. Powerful Princesses? Also what it was said to include? I was so ready. And HYPE.
For anyone new, Unicorn Crate tends to have the best unknown reads, and for that reason I’m always hype for the books it ships to me. Let’s jump right in.
Sometimes, when I write these, I feel like I’m speaking into the void with no real expectation to hear back anything from anyone. And you all, in the void — should you actually exist, I’m not sure sometimes — simply nod your heads and sit there watching.
And I wonder, are they humans or are they bots?
Either way, lets get on in to what this update is about. WARNING THIS IS LONG.
We got word from FairyLoot that they are addressing the super slow book shipping times for US shipping. I hope that I can start getting my boxes in the month that I ordered them for, not two weeks into the next month. That would be nice.
Happy New Year! This is the last post and comes to you when I reach new year! I know that other parts of the world are already, and have been for a while, in the new year. I have just reached it. Thus ends my count down!
I wanted to do this list for a long time and honestly this was a fight to the death for me to decide which book got number one. I will explain the best I can for each book. Let’s go!
10.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
This is probably recency bias, as it was the last book I read this year. However I loved it. The last third had me screaming as I raced through it. It was an epic read and an epic way to end the year.
9.
Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastien De Castel
If I could pick the whole series, I would. However this book defines the series. It shows the cumulation of all the themes. It creates tears, joy, and a unfathomable need to be valorous. This book made the series for me.
8.
Heartless by Melissa Meyer
I loved this retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I had to decide between this and Tyrant’s Throne, and this beat it out because it is a stand alone. If I compared this to The Greatcoats series, it would lose every time. This retelling stole my heart and made me cry for the transformation of the Queen of Hearts.
7.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Fact, I fully believed this was a retelling of another book. Also fact, it is not. This book was amazing. Obviously, but the humor in it really got me. Fully got me. I loved every moment of it.
6.
The Wicked King by Holly Black
This is where we get into battle territory, as I had to decide which books were my absolute favorite reads of the year. I chose the second book of this series, because I saw the first and third coming, in a way, but the second took me on a joy ride. It’s my favorite of the series, and 100% why I adore this series so much.
5.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
I went from confusion to adoration for this novel, all too quickly. I loved every moment of this book. The twists were great. The plot and setting were phenomenal. Everything about this book was amazing, but what separates this from the top four are themes, and their importance to me.
4.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I had to decide where to put this book, as it is the only book that made me sob this year. I loved every moment that this book gave me, in solidarity, and in understanding. This book hit me hard and did not let go. It started my year off, and stays with me through it all, but it was not my favorite read.
3.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
When I first reread Wicked, I was fully prepared to hate it. Instead I fell into it, and fell into the themes and was spun in the magic. This book had me analyzing the themes of a book in full, for the first time in such a long time. This book has so many quotable lines and everything I could ever hope for in a book.
2.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Why two instead of one? That was a debate I still have. This book reinvigorated my love for reading, single handedly. I love this stand alone so frickin much that I have recommended it to nearly everyone I know has mildly enjoyed fantasy.
1.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
When you give me a new character to love. You win. When you give me themes that strike home. You win. When you give me a new life motto to live by and a resonance in my mind that sticks with me every night. You win, everything. This book was hands down the best book I read this year. Not because it was the best written, or the most important, or the best themed, but because this book fundamentally changed my life.
And that’s what’s important.
I had a LOT of fantasy novels on this list. I didn’t do this list last year, and I kind of wish I did, so I could see the comparison.
The following is the story of a Witch. A Witch of charm and knowledge, who experienced love and loss. A Witch who found herself enthralled and enchanted by the words that were spoken and written. The following is the story of a Witch, and what was said about her, to her, and by her.
Here is the Overview. I know its not necessary, but it is for my record purposes. So here you go.
I didn’t want to overwhelm myself this year. So there were a few reading challenges that I liked (Out of your comfort zone, cloak and dagger, 2020 Reading Challenge) but I’m not reading for them. For the Master list of Reading Challenges, go here. You will probably find a bunch of fun reading challenges there!
Marlena Marie 