FairyLoot Unboxing - October - Villainous

- Don't go any further if you don't want to see any spoilers! -

I finally got my first FairyLoot box!

 I was so excited to get it and I'm glad that I did!

The theme for the October box was 'Villainous' and I LOVE everything inside!

Here's what was inside (and my attempt at arsty photos :/) . . .

A hardcover of The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (red foiling exclusive to FairyLoot) - isn't it gorgeous?!

The Language of Thorns postcards.

A pocket mirror designed by Little Inkling Designs with a quote from The Young Elites by Marie Lu.

A coaster inspired by Moriarty and designed by the talented Evie Seo.

A Death Eater pin designed by House of Wonderland.

A Maleficient candle from Meraki Candles which smells lovely.

A print designed by Evie Seo with a quote from The Aeneid by Virgil which features in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

An art print of Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor.

A hardcover of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie Dao (which sounds really good).

There's also a letter from the author and a signed bookplate.

I LOVE the contents of this box and I definitely want to buy another one.

I think it's very good value considering how much is inside and that the contents are exclusive.

I missed out on the November box :( but there's a limited number being released on the 3rd November so fingers crossed I manage to get my hands on one of those.

I'm also going to try and get a three-month subscription when the December boxes are released :)

Do you get FairyLoot boxes?

What's your favourite theme been?

Review - Protected by Claire Zorn

Title: Protected
Author: Claire Zorn
Pages: 261
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: 3rd October 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old. 

Hannah has survived high school by putting up walls. At first, they were meant to protect her from the relentless bullying that no one would defend her from, not even her popular older sister, Katie. Then Katie died, and, in a cruel twist of fate, Hannah's daily torment abruptly stopped. Now the walls try to shut it all out-the grief, the loneliness, and the harsh truth that Katie's death has somehow improved Hannah's life.

Then something happens that Hannah couldn't have predicted-friendship comes knocking in the form of new student Josh Chamberlain. Hannah has never been so desperate for connection. But if this isn't for real, if it's just another joke, Hannah's not sure she can take it.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley*

Hannah was viciously bullied by her high school classmates.

Then her older sister, Katie, died in a car crash and it was as if Hannah was suddenly invisible - now everyone ignores her.

Lonely and with the anniversary of Katie's death approaching, Hannah could really use a friend - enter Josh Chamberlain.

Will Hannah's family tear itself apart?

Is Josh sincere in his attempts to befriend Hannah?

Protected was an emotional read.

I felt so sorry for Hannah - not only was she tormented by her classmates who were awful to her, but then her sister died, sending fractures throughout her family. Hannah was a nice girl and I had my fingers crossed that she would make some friends.

It was refreshing to read a book set in Australia for a change.   

I liked the lists that were at the beginning of some of the chapters.

The plot was interesting and I liked that romance wasn't a huge part of the story (books with this theme usually have a lot of romance in, so it was a bit of a relief that this one didn't).

The writing style was easy to follow and held my attention.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

 

Blog Tour + Giveaway - Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen

Find the tour schedule here.

Title: Marked Beauty

Author: S.A. Larsen

Publisher: Ellysian Press

Release Date: October 2017

Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.

Anastasia Tate has a secret. She can feel the emotions of others through their life energy auras. Not a welcome gift for a teenager. Especially when a sinister presence begins stalking her.

Viktor Castle also has a secret. He’s tasked with protecting humanity yet cursed by an ancient evil to destroy it.

After Viktor saves Ana’s life, her abilities grow stronger. Drawn together, she senses Viktor has answers to lifelong questions. Only he shuns her at every turn, knowing he has saved her only to put her in more danger.

As Ana struggles with her attraction to Viktor, he tries everything to bury his unexpected feelings for her. But they must find a middle ground. For only together can they combat the dark forces threatening both their lives . . . and their souls.

Goodreads   

Purchase Links:

Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks 

Excerpt:

The seatbelt jolted Ana back into her seat as the car plunged into the water, the hood crinkling like a weak soda can. Glass shards peppered her skin. The first sensation of cool water sprayed over her.

Ana moaned. She rolled her head to the side. Katee’s hair lay in strings across her crumpled seat; she wasn’t moving. God, why wasn’t she moving?

Pain screeched up Ana’s thigh as she yanked on her leg to move closer to Katee; it wouldn’t budge, wedged between two sheets of metal. It stung so badly that her stomach rumbled. She felt faint.

“Katee,” Ana rasped, the seatbelt pressing against her throat. “I’ll get you out of here.”

She didn’t respond. Blood trickled from her forehead, and her arm flared out in a direction it shouldn’t; it was definitely broken.

Ana fumbled to reach the clasp of her seatbelt, but the mangled console was in the way. Her fingers wouldn’t fit in the space.

Tears threatened to leak from her eyes, but she held them back, hiccupping instead. She always hiccupped when things went wrong. And that was as wrong as it had ever been.

The car shifted. Metal creaked and grunted. The lake poured into their glass and steel coffin. Ana wrenched her seatbelt, trying to loosen it and loop it over her head, hoping to shimmy free. There was too much tension. It wouldn’t let go. And like the rest of her pathetic life, she had no control.

Stupidly, Ana screeched for help and gulped a mouthful of lake. Why should she bother? No one would hear her. She rested her head back to float in the water, waiting for the inevitable. She thought of her father. She could never leave him like her mother had.

She spit water from her mouth and gasped for air. Her chest burned. The strain of expanding her ribcage was too much. Her vision blurred. Dizziness taunted her head. A soft buzz was all she could hear. She thought about praying, like Mem said.

 

About the Author

 

 

S.A. LARSEN is the author of the award-winning novel Motley Education, the first book in a fantasy-adventure series for middle grade readers. Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult anthologies Gears of Brass and Under A Brass Moon by Curiosity Quills Press. Marked Beauty is her debut young adult novel. Find her in the land of snowy winters and the occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty-five years, four children, a playful pooch, and three kittens. Visit her cyber home anytime at www.salarsenbooks.com. 

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 Tour-wide giveaway

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Release Day Giveaway

What better way to celebrate a book birthday then by a giveaway! There are many ways to enter, which you'll find below. You can win an iTunes, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card, an authentic Vera Bradley Little Crossbody in Cobalt Tile, an assortment of bookish swag, and even a KINDLE Fire HD 7"! The giveaway runs from release day, October 17, 2017 to December 5, 2017. Winners will be announced via social media December 7, 2017.

*No purchase necessary to win*

However, if you have read Marked Beauty or purchase it and read you can earn extra entries by posting a review on any major online retail bookstore and Goodreads! All the information you'll need is in the form below.

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FOR WRITERS!

Writers who enter can WIN a first five pages critique!

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