#Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ttawoabw · 6 years ago

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My computer crashed and while I lost almost everything, I had backed up my blog files back in April. While I’m not starting from scratch I have lost a whole months worth of work and as such I might have some disjointed posts and potential photo repeats. Bear with me while I figure it all out.

FairyLoot: May ‘Save the Kingdom’ Box

I had quite the break from FairyLoot – my last box was June 2017, so almost a year. And they’ve had some amazing boxes in that time, just no themes/books that caught my interest. When they announced the May theme, and the book hint was enough for me to know it was a book I was anticipating, I knew I had to order. I just did a single purchase as I’m not in a position to be making a full subscription but I’ll be keeping an eye on future themes (as always) since I love FairyLoot boxes and I know you guys love reading my reviews of them. There was a special prize in three of the May boxes, they called it the Fairy Queen’s Dowry – unfortunately I didn’t win but it made opening the box more exciting.

Anyway, lets get into the unboxing and review!

As always we start with the box itself, it’s strong and sturdy and arrived in one piece. I’ve heard that a lot of people were receiving damaged boxes so I’m very thankful that mine arrived in one piece. They use purple packing worms inside to protect the items included.

The intro/spoiler card is really cool, when they announced the theme I instantly fell in love with this artwork and I’ll definitely be putting it up on my wall. The writing on the back is clear and easy to read. But yeah, I love this art.

So the first item I pulled out was this Remnant lip scrub by Geeky Clean. There were three variations that went out – one for each kingdom. Morrighan, Venda and Dalbreck. I received Dalbreck which is melon flavoured. I actually haven’t read the Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson yet but I look forward to finding out what these kingdoms are and their importance.

Next we have this Norgard bath bomb by Little Heart Gifts inspired by the book of the month – it’s moonstone and berries scented and is absolutely beautiful. I don’t even want to use it it’s so stunning.

We have two promotional items for upcoming books included in this box; the first being a bookmark for Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh the sequel to Flame in the Mist.

Up next we have some ‘WAKE UP, it’s time to save the kingdom!’ English Breakfast tea by The Tea Leaf Co. I don’t like tea so I’ll be putting this in my giveaway box.

The second promotional item is this tarot card for Legendary, the sequel to Caraval by Stephanie Garber. The first run of these books have 4 exclusive designs on the actual books –

You are your own best weapon.

Okay I’m excited for this one, even though I haven’t read The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. I’ve just been loving coasters lately and I think this quote and design is so pretty! Which makes sense because it was designed by Evie Bookish. I know I’ll get a lot of use out of this coaster.

Up next we have these Wyrd Mark Page Flags by Fictontea Designs inspired by the wyrd marks in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. These will be great for marking and reviewing books! I can’t wait til the final book is out so I can try and binge read the series.

Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.

The last item in the box before the book pouch is this book sleeve designed by Reverie & Ink, with a quote from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I’ve been using and loving my book sleeves lately and this one is just a bit smaller than the others I have so it’ll be perfect for my paperbacks and smaller hardcovers! I love the quote and I think the design is really nice. It is quote soft and not as stiff as my other ones so I guess time will tell if it protects my precious books.

Book pouch.

FairyScoop

Monthly Theme Bookmark

And now for the book…

Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett! I am so excited for this book, I’ve already read half of it and I’m loving it so far! Very excited to have this special edition of it! It’s a YA fantasy with, what I guess qualifies as, a second-chance romance and a lot of horse love and appreciation! Not only that but forbidden magic and a need to save the kingdom!

Sprayed Pages

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. Now Kate lives as an outcast, clinging to the fringes of society as a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only those most skilled in riding and bow hunting ride for the Relay; and only the fastest survive, for when dark falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight—the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart.

The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.

This month (and possibly for awhile now, or in the future?) the author letter backs this wonderful piece of art featuring the two main characters from Onyx & Ivory. I love the art, I just have two issues… The first being that I usually keep the author letters in the book, and in this case I really want to display the artwork, the second being that the letter doesn’t fit in the book, it’s too wide and high. So that’s a bit annoying for me, but I’ll survive.

Dear Friends,

Fantasy is my first love. When I was a kid, I devoured every story the genre had to offer. Movies like The Dark Crystal or books like The Hero and the Crown. By far my favourites involved magic and swords. Best of all if there was a girl with magic and a sword. I used to wish something magical would happen to me, that I would stumble through a portal into another world, I searched for them everywhere, in dark closets, under bridges, or between old trees in the woods by our house. But I never found one. That was until I discovered the magic of telling my own stories, like the one you just received. Stories have the power to transport us to another place and time, and I’m thrilled to welcome you to step into one of my own making. You’re soon to meet Corwin, a prince out of place, and Kate, a girl with a sword – and magic. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Musingly yours, Mindee

Of course as always we have a signed bookplate and we also have a sticker featuring one of the magic’s introduced in the novel. I would have liked to receive one of the other magics but I’m just happy to have this one since I can already tell this is going to be a new favourite! You can do this test to find out which magic you have! I’m a Magist.

Final Thoughts:

I loved this box! While I haven’t really read any of the books that the items in this box were designed around I still loved them and the quality and quantity of the items included are excellent! I, of course, love the book the most, and the art print and sticker, but my other favourite item is the coaster. I have a thing for coasters at the moment, which will come in handy when I have my own home, but until then my bedside table and desk are safe! I also love the book sleeve, time will tell if it’s as durable and protective as my other ones but I’m choosing to think positively. I’m very glad I ordered this box, I know that if I hadn’t I would see other unboxings and feel annoyed that I missed out.

You can order your FairyLoot box HERE for £26 pounds (not including shipping). If you want to check out past boxes you can click HERE and HERE.

My Links:

Goodreads : Becca Winter

Instagram : bookie_becca

Twitter : @Becca_Bookworm

Facebook : The Troubles And Woes Of A Bookworm

Affiliate: Book Depository

Referral: OwlCrate

Referral: The Bookish Box

Referral: Romance Reveal

Referral: Cratejoy

Becca

xxx

If there are any missing links or errors, please contact me so I can fix them. With this new computer editing is not only slow, but it sometimes skips letters or jumps place. Basically I’ve had a temporary downgrade and this computer can’t handle blogging easily.

Book Subscription Box Review: FairyLoot Save the Kingdom My computer crashed and while I lost almost everything, I had backed up my blog files back in April.

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