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.
opening up the illumicrate sparks fly february box and the items have been worth the slightly delayed wait. i am thrilled with the contents and have an unboxing video below. if you want to sign up to illumicrate you might find my first unboxing blog post helpful as it’s full of all the info you need.
what’s inside the illumicrate february box ‘sparks fly’
stalking jack the ripper book shaped tin royal embrace coaster duo inspired by a darker shade of magic god of lies rollerball perfume inspired by the winner’s curse our hearts reflect bookmark clip inspired by sepent and dove back to back popsocket inspired by sorcery of thorns
featured book is the midnight lie by marie rutkoski “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 possesses 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 book has exclusive sprayed edges and is signed by the author.
Crescent City: House of Earth & Blood is a new adult book series by Sarah J Maas, bestselling author of Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns & Roses. Below is my review.
Welcome to the world of Bryce: Lunathion, commonly known as Crescent City
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood is the first in a new book series, by Sarah J Maas aimed at more adult audiences than her previous ya fiction work. The book was published and released on March 3rd 2020 in the UK. I received it late on that evening and finished the book a few days later. Crescent City is just over 790 pages long, a chunky read, that took me on quite a journey. Crescent City is an adult book and it’s obvious from the first page. It contains strong, explicit language, violence, sexual content (albeit a really slow burn) and drug use. Crescent City is intended for mature readers that are comfortable with this content.
How I found out about Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood
Since discovering Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses Maas has become one of my autobuy authors. Maas is a pretty fast writer and has said herself that ACOTAR isn’t finished yet so there will probably be some back and fourth between the two worlds for a fair few years. I think Crescent City book 2 is a while away yet! I love her ability to world build and the fact that she gives her female leads some really great qualities. She doesn’t keep them pure and innocent. These women experience depression, grief, have sexual relationships, family angst and love to live. They’re not cushioned in these comfortable doting innocent lifestyles that are such a thing of the past for women. Maas adds diversity and makes these women seem realistic and interesting in a way i’ve not read much of before, especially in ya fiction. I was really pleased to see this continue in Crescent City too.
crescent city: house of blood and earth by sarah j maas
Crescent City Book Review
House of Earth and Blood is the first in the new Crescent City series and focuses on Bryce Quinlan, a half fae/human woman working at an antiquities shop. She’s a party girl, and does all those rebellious things we do in our early twenties; experiment, stay out all night drinking and turning up to work on three hours sleep. One night after partying she comes home to find her closest friends have been murdered. That’s right, this book has some real murder mystery elements to it that I absolutely love! The story then flashes forward to two years later where Bryce is still caught up in the deaths and is given a chance to uncover what really happened that night.
This book took me on a spiral at that point. At first I struggled. I found it hard to empathise with Bryce’s lifestyle not being much of a drinker or party girl in my life. There’s a lot of swears from the begining which, whilst I don’t really care about, it sort of made me think is this just to differentiate between the books Maas has written before and to show it’s catering to older audiences or is it just emcompassing the lives of these characters. Either way, from part two with the jump to two yers later the book started picking up, still with the occassional swear but it felt more in context rather than swearing for the sake of it. I mean i’m not against profanity like a prude old lady, I swear, I guess i just felt it was a little over exagerated. This was my main critique of the book but thankfully I felt the rest of the content made up for the first part which had me edging on the uncomfortable side.
inside the cover artwork for crescent city: house of blood and earth by sarah j maas
From then on the book becomes part muder mystery and part relationship, tension building between Bryce and her companion for solving the murders, Hunt Athalar. Hunt’s character intrigued me a lot, a fallen angel kept as a slave after a two-century old rebellion that’s lived a life of torture and has become an assassin for the archangel of Crescent City. At first he really doesn’t have much time for Bryce but as the plot thickens, and the characters become closer you find out so much more about him which i loved.
The book has loads of great antagonists throughout and Bryce has plenty of reasons to not like them. Honestly, I really didn’t see what would happen until the very last point in this book as it kept me guessing. There are so many people to doubt and motives to question throughout. What actually happens in the last quarter of the book where everything is revealed and then some I just did not see coming. I really loved this and found this is a common theme with Maas’ books. After reading the first Throne of Glass book there is absolutely no way I could guess anything that was going to happen in Kingdom of Ash and the same for A Court of Thorns and Roses which lets face it took on a completely different turn in book 2 (my favourite of the original trilogy).
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood is a fast paced read with plenty of emotional chapters, a cross between some really interesting character perspectives and a good old fashioned crime thriller. The book is set in a really contemporary fantasy world which was so interesting to read about. There are species and creatures of every myth and legend which i found fasicnating. Syrinx has a special place in my heart and I’ve got it in my head that a chimera would make an excellent pet. There is also a lot of love for Lebahlah, a brilliant side character with a true fiery spirit.
This book does deal with some very grusome deaths, implies torture, social injustices with a hierarchy that really needs to be overthrown, drug and alcohol references, some tension filled sexy chapters and swears. It’s easy to read and the world building is excellent. I really can’t wait to get back into this world with Crescent City book 2 which I am eagerly waiting for but wouldn’t like to say my predictions. If it will be anything like the previous books then I’m not sure what to expect, but I do know I’m excited.
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 fairyloot february box followed the theme of rulebreakers. you can watch my unboxing video below. if you’re interested in subscribing to fairyloot you can read more information about how much it costs etc in my first unboxing blog post. i am loving my collection of bookish merchandise and exclusive editions!
what’s inside the fairyloot rulebreakers box
serpent and dove mug bookish lip balm inspired by wicked saints foiled scarf inspired by sorcery of thorns we hunt the flame art print lord of the rings luggage tag foil bookmarks and sticker inspired by the nevernight series nine and ten of cups tarot cards inspired by strange the dreamer
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the book featured in february’s box is the shadows between us by tricia levenseller. it’s an exclusive edition with enbossing on the cover, art inside the dust jacket and signed by the author.
after getting the mug and seeing the love for serpent and dove i decided to read the book. i’ve had the audiobook for ages but i always miss a bit listening because i listen at night. the mug is my favourite item in the box, it’s beautiful quality and it’s so nice to have a mug that’s a bit more ‘me’. i love the design, its the perfect size for my morning coffee and encouraged me to re-read serpent and dove – which is a fantastic book.
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin is the ultimate tale of witch hunter falls in love with a witch; after they’re forced to marry to save each others reputation. An epic enemies to lovers romantic witchy story.
Serpent & Dove Book Synopsis
Serpent & Dove is book one in a trilogy by author Shelby Mahurin and takes place a few years after that fateful birthday where Lou’s own mother tried to have her killed. Lou is now 18 years old, at the start of Serpent and Dove, and, with her friend Coco gets into all sorts of trouble. She’s also a Dame Blanche, a witch, and witches are hunted in Cesarine by witch hunters. Enter Reid, a witch hunter brought up to hunt and burn witches under the old adage ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.’ When something goes wrong Lou and Reid find themselves thrown together in an arranged marriage where Lou needs to keep her heritage a secret from Reid, in fear that he will kill her. My short and snappy goodreads review is here.
Serpent & Dove is 528 pages long and for a book that focuses on romance and secrets it actually moves really fast. I think the dual perspective really helped move the story along because you weren’t ever second-guessing what the other character was thinking. There are some real laugh out loud moments and scenes in the book which I really loved.
Serpent & Dove Book Review
I first purchased Serpent & Dove on audible as part of my monthly subscription. I love listening to audio books as i fall asleep as i think the narration gives the fiction more personality. However, as i usually listen at night I often miss parts of the story and you can usually buy the kindle version of the book fairly cheaply if you already have the audible version and vice versa. I really liked the audiobook. Serpent and Dove is written in dual perspectives and I liked the casting for having a female narrator for Lou and male for Reid so it really feels like you’re getting two completely different perspectives when listening and I think each narrator conveys the characters personality really well.
Since becoming a bit more involved in the bookstagram community (you can follow me I’m @KatCandyfloss) I’ve seen so much love for Serpent and Dove so i thought i’d give it a read too and i’m so glad I did! This has helped me find some amazing Serpent & Dove merchandise, character art and discuss the book more in depth with fellow Witch lovers.
Serpent and Dove merch featuring an Illumicrate metalmark bookmark, the kindle ebook cover on iPhone 8+, Fairyloot Serpent & Dove Mug, Candles from Ash & Quill candles and Dame Blanche Hair Oil from Madame Alchemie
The best thing about the bookstagram community is getting involved in the preorder for the second book, Blood & Honey which I am really excited about. If you want to buy Serpent and Dove you can use my affiliate link below.
What I Loved About Serpent and Dove
Serpent and Dove is told from the perspective of two characters, Lou and Reid. Lou is angsty, tough, a theif, has to disguise herself and, most importantly, a dame blanche; a witch. After eaves dropping in on a conversation at a brothel her and her two accomplices, Bas and Coco, decide to steal a ring and this leads to a world of trouble for Lou.
Reid is a few years older than Lou, around 21 or so maybe and is a holy man, devout, strong, incredibly tall and very proper. He was an orphan raised by the church and then became one of the chasseurs, a warrior, a killer, a witch hunter. He’s there the night Lou tries to steal the ring. She gets away but they run into each other again and the chase resumes leading to both of them falling into a compromising position.
Enter my favourite bookish trope; Enemies to Lovers
The plot thickens when, to save the reputation of his captain, the archbishop forces the two to marry. A witch and a witch killer in holy matrimony. Of course, there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Throughout the story we see Lou and Reid deal with the difficulty in being married to someone they don’t know or understand. Their interactions together are funny, because it’s so obvious Lou has no care for the devout ways of her husband. Lou has had to toughen up for the last two years and she struggles with the lack of freedom her new life, stuck in the chasseurs tower. Reid, however, was in love with another woman who told him to put the church before marriage never expecting to find him married to someone so different.
Preorder Blood & Honey using my affiliate link
I really loved this story. The character interactions had moments of great tenderness as well as comedy. Both characters are fierce and stubborn in their own ways and dealing with a life they never saw for themselves. Lou has secrets that could get her killed at the hands of her husband if he knew she was a witch and is balancing on a knife edge throughout trying to keep her secret whilst trying to train her repressed magic to keep away from her enemies.
Serpent & Dove will be a trilogy
There is nothing I didn’t enjoy about this story. You really feel Lou’s anguish during the conflict of the book and it’s easy to start disliking the main antagonist when you finally meet them. The sub characters, Ansel and Coco are likable and really help to steer the characters concious. There is sexual tension which just makes you want to shout at the characters and get them to finally kiss. The writing just keeps you turning pages. I read this over a weekend as i just couldn’t put it down.
Serpent and Dove is an excellent young adult read with likable, interesting characters, great conflict, tension and surprise reveals. I loved it. lou is my new favourite, favourite female lead. blood and honey, (preorder with affiliate link) the sequel, will follow Serpent and Dove and i can not wait to get my hands on the next book! The author, Shelby Mahurin, is currently working her way through book 3 so it’s been confirmed that Serpent and Dove is the first book in a trilogy which is really exciting. I’m glad to know that there will be more to come in this world and I can’t wait to learn more about the characters and see what happens next. The Serpent and Dove age rating is Young Adult but it is fair to say that this book contains swear words and sexual activity so a book for the readers discretion to decide. It has been hinted at that Blood & Honey is darker (and sexier) so I would recommend this for older, more mature readers that enjoy YA books.
Serpent & Dove Book 2 – Blood & Honey
I have gone a bit mad for Blood & Honey preorder boxes and have got two coming in September. I went with the Beacon Box Blood & Honey collectors edition and managed to snag one of the Fairyloot Blood & Honey boxes. I’m also hoping to get the merch only Fabled Gifts box which I believe has full size candles and goes on sale in August. Shelby is currently running her preoder campaign where if you submit your receipt for a preorder you get some digital exclusives emailed back a few weeks after publication date including a Serpent & Dove excerpt from Book 3 which will be amazing. Find out more information about the preorder campain on Shelby’s instagram.
Have you read Serpent & Dove? What did you think? Have you already preordered Blood & Honey? Is there any exclusive merch you’re excited for? I will be unboxing my special edition boxes on my YouTube channel in late September and as I will have two copies of the books, one signed and one with a signed bookplate, I will be considering hosting a giveaway 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.
the january fairyloot book box was themed with moon and stars and i love it! it’s my first fairyloot book box which is a uk based subscription sharing new young adult fantasy inspired fiction and bookish merchandise. i did an unboxing video of my first box below.
subscribing to fairyloot book box
as you can see from the video above the fairyloot book box has all the goodies inside a pretty black box with the fairy logo on the front. the box costs around £34 including shipping. this is a month by month subscription service which is charged on 1st month. you can also subscribe with a 3 or 6 month plan which can save a bit of money as you pay upfront. occassionally past boxes go on sale too.
being a fairyloot book box subscriber also gets you early access to special and collectors edition books throughout the year as well as limited edition book boxes that fairyloot make alongside big releases. i’ve got a box coming in march dedicated to the new cassandra clark book chain of gold which is themed around the new book alongside special edition lisenced merchandise approved by the author.
unboxing the moon and starts fairyloot book box
the january fairyloot book box was themed with moon and stars and had some really beautiful items.
each month there is a themed print/art card and book mark which i absolutely love. alongside that there are various themed items and a special edition book. fairyloot also hold a readalong so you can read and discuss the book of the month together which i absolutely loved taking part in.
the book for the january fairyloot book box was a special edition of woven in moonlight by isabel ibanez and has a seperate dust cover with extra illustrations and is signed by the author too. i really enjoyed reading this book with it’s mixture of magic and bolivian politics. the fiesty llama was a favourite character of mine!
as you can see from the video and photo’s above the book contains some lovely bookish merchandise including tarot cards based on book characters, a necklace, keychain, trinket tray, pillow case, notebook, stickers and a letter from the author.
