Candyfloss & Dreams

Category: Books & Reading Challenges

An avid reader and collector of special edition books, this blog has a variety of book reviews, book box unboxings and sharing fun bookish merchandise. Most book reviews are young adult fantasy but also feature adult fantasy books. I love to read and I love to collect bookish merchandise such as character art prints. I share my goodreads book challenge progress each year and a book review roundup. Book box unboxings include illumicrate book box reviews and fairyloot book box reviews.

  • moonlight crate march unboxing

    moonlight crate march unboxing

    oh by now i’m sure you know my thing has absolutely been book boxes and witchy things. i have always had a witchy side and i’m enjoying embracing that a little bit more. i’m also embracing my love of books and bookish merchandise. i’ve had a few homes now since moving out and they have all the basic things but not a lot of it has really felt very me. perhaps that is what comes with shopping with small businesses, you find products that you love and use but are much more personal to your tastes. anyway, i digress…

    moonlight crate is a book box that is currently on pause until the summer with lockdown. i completely understand the decision for this and i’m glad i managed to get one of the books before the pause. it’s a really lovely box with a new read that sounds really interesting. the theme for the march box was everthing has it’s price and focused on characters that had to pay a high price in the book lives.

    the artwork print and spoiler card for the 'everything has a price' march book box from moonlight crate
    moonlight crate spoiler and artwork card

    the box was wrapped up in red glittery tissue paper with a name sticker and i absolutely loved that! the personal touch was really nice. inside the box was plenty of goodies including:

    spoiler card art print of elias veturius by niru.sky from an ember in the ashes
    a t-shirt (i choose my size) and it fits me really nicely with a book quote from wicked saints by emily duncan designed by myvalenstyles
    a team grey candle inspired by a curse so dark and lonely created by catcocandles scented with fresh grass and frangipani
    a blue chalcedony stone
    a tarot card; death and an accompaning short story
    a laia of serra magnet designed by astrolauu
    a travel mug with a serpent and dove quote
    the vanishing deep by astrid scholte

    an unboxing of march 'everything has a price' moonlight crate box featuring a tshirt, book, thermos, candle, crystal, magnet and tarot card.
    unboxing of the march ‘everything has a price’ moonlight crate

    thank you marta and greta for putting this lovely book box together! i’m looking forward to reading the included book which came with a signed book plate and the candle smells really nice. i love the magical stone, and short story too. this has been such a nice treat to have. i really like the addition of a bookish tee as well, and the fact that it goes to a comfortable size for me makes it even better!

  • a darker shade of magic: book review

    a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab was one of my latest reads. i decided to purchase the trilogy just after getting my sparks fly illumicrate box which contained pictured coasters of some of the characters. i was really intrigued and started reading the first book as soon as i got it.

    a darker shade of magic tells it’s tale from two points of view, kell from red london, an antari that can travel through using blood magic to other londons where he eventually meets lila bard, in grey london. there’s also white london which is full of power hungry, magic hungry people and once upon a time there was black london…

    i love the use of magic in this and the links between the magical worlds. i love the feeling of alternate reality books which bring our history into a magical world. it makes magic feel so much more real to me when i read this in fantasy books. it makes me feel like this kind of magic is possible and i absolutely love that.

    i really liked kell and lila through this, they’re a really funny duo. a particular scene comes to mind where kell, exasperated by lila says “what is wrong with you?” and i could just picture the scene so well. honestly, you’ll have to read it, but i think you’ll get it when you do. you’ll hear the exact tone he’s saying it in your mind.

    i found it was a bit of a slow burn for me but that meant i could dip in and out pretty easily. i liked how the books were sectioned off, each part aound five or so chapters in length and bring the story forward nicely. i’m really looking forward to finding out how the rest of the trilogy pans out too because this felt really complete. i really like books which end in a neat and tidy way but share there’s more to the characters relationships in the future. there’s a real sense of future adventure.

    a darker shade of magic is followed by a gathering of shadows and then a conjuring of light. there were some interesting points made in the first book which i’m eager to read about next so the second book is firmly on my to be read pile for april.

    One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

  • the shadows between us: book review

    the shadows between us: book review

    the shadows between us by tricia levenseller is a fantasy fiction novel unlike any other i’ve read. it’s an interesting take on not-quite enemies to lovers. a tale of revenge and with a very strong theme of female sexual empowerment i really enjoyed the book, read it quickly and gave it 4/5 stars.

    unboxing the february rulebreaks box including the shadows between us by tricia levenseller
    fairyloot unboxing

    my copy of the shadows between us was a fairyloot exclusive from the february rulebreakers box and is absolutely beautiful. the cover is a gorgeous purple in contrast to the regular red and has artwork inside the dust cover. the book is signed by the author. inside the book is purple and has beautiful embossing details too. i really love this copy of the book and i’m so thrilled to have an exclusive signed copy.

    the shadows between us by tricia levenseller

    the shadows between us features a strong female lead in alessandra whose goal is to kill the shadow king, take over the kingdom and rule as queen. her father accompanies her to a ball where she breaks the tradition of wearing the king’s favourite colour and designs her own black gown over tight fitting black trousers, unlike anything seen at court before! the king has not shown interest in any woman to take for a bride but when alessandra enters and ignores him, he’s intrigued. the king rises from the dias and for the first time, dances with a woman at the ball.

    the catch her is the king can not be touched as it’s punishable by death. he is called the shadow king because he is draped in shadows. the dance the two perform captures the whole of the court and then he simply walks away. however, as alessandra is leaving with her father she is invited back to court at the request of the king. the book then follows alessandra as she tries to woo and capture the heart of the king whilst he is trying to find the truth behind his parent’s murder.

    inside the dust cover of the fairyloot special edition of the shadows between us by tricia levenseller
    inside the dust cover of the shadows between us

    the shadows between us is a really nicely paid read with plenty of romance and a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. i really liked alessandra as a character and enjoyed the chapters where she was making friends with a couple of other women at court. there’s a real feminist edge throughout the book which i liked and would have enjoyed seeing explored in more detail. there were moments that really did have me laughing out loud too and were quite unexpected – lines i wouldn’t have expected in the book at all which show that it’s a little different. i did like that alessandra designed her own clothes and the details of this too.

    One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.

  • book box club unboxing: mythical monsters

    book box club unboxing: mythical monsters

    book box club is a monthly subscription book box which features a new read every month, a clubhouse to discuss the book and plenty of other themed goodies. this is my first book box club box and i signed up because the theme sounded really cool. the items in the box have been lovely too. the box is just under £32 a month including shipping. you can cancel your subscription at any time.

    mythical monsters book box club unboxing

    the mythical monsters book box from book box club included:

    hold back the tide by melinda salisbury as the book of the month
    mythical monsters wall hanging
    nessie tea strainer
    niffler magnet
    dragon well loose leaf tea
    iorek enamal pin
    bookish book marks

    inside the book box club march mythical monsters box

    i absolutely love the wall hanging. it’s so cool, the artwork is beautiful and it features lots of fun mythical beasts. i also love a niffler so our magnet has pride of place on the fridge already. the pin is very cute, i love his dark materials, it’s a great series. the book sounds really interesting and one i can’t wait to get stuck in reading. i love seeing so much art too from different creators and having nice new things in my home.

    book boxes are bringing me a little bit of joy during these weird times. i’m looking forward to reading a new book and adding it to my reading challenge for the year. i have a feeling i will absolutely reach my goal of 52 books read this year!

    i like the idea of joining in with the clubhouse too and discussing the book with the author and other people that enjoyed the read. there are a few different ways people are doing this such as groups on good reads or comments on dedicated book read blog posts.

  • the midnight lie – book review

    the midnight lie – book review

    the midnight lie by marie rutkoski is a recent read of mine from the illumicrate february book box subscription. it’s a ya fantasy fiction book and i rate it 4/5 stars.

    the blurb: “where nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the high kith. life in the ward is grim and punishing. nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest. but then she encounters sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumours that the high caste posesses magic. sid tempts nirrim to seek that magic for herself. but to do that, nirrim must surrender her old life. she must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.”

    the illumicrate edition had an exclusive cover, sprayed edges and is signed by the author. the book cover really is beautiful and i loved the pink sprayed edges. i joined in with the readalong too which is basically an online book club. we read the book in sections and then discuss each part in a private group.

    the midnight lie really surprised me. it was a good read and i enjoyed it. it was really interesting reading nirrim go from “it is the way it is” to wanting justice and equality for her people. the way she went around it, however, to me was completely unexpected. there were a few twists in this book which i just didn’t expect at all. i loved the romance in this too.

    there were themes of manipulation, gaslighting and bribery within the book which really helped me build empathy for nirrim during the story. nirrim’s secret could seriously get her into trouble and she lives in a world where she has to pay a tithe when caught by the guards. sometimes it’s as simple as hair or a bit of blood, other times it’s much more sinister and might be eyes or limbs. other times children go missing from the ward never to be seen again. you really do want the best for nirrim throughout the story and it was really interesting reading so many first time experiences through her eyes.

    the reason for 4 stars was because the book is beautifully written, easy to follow and has an unexpected and enjoyable plot. i took away a star because some of the plot points were really easy to guess and the end felt very abrupt and was over far too quickly. i would recommend this as a great travel book or for a little bit of light hearted escapism.

    One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.