The magical world is a dangerous one…
Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend.’ They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many especially talented faeries as he can – and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends’ feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems. 5 stars OH, MY GOOD GOLLY???!! What just happened? Who is responsible? What the hell? No no no! Who is the freakin culprit here?? Okay, enough ranting. You probably want a review…right? Violet’s character is developing quite beautifully. She’s growing, though very naïve still. She’s a tough, kick-ass faerie though vulnerable. She has endured a lot of loss given both her parents died. We experience her tough don’t-mess-with-me side, however her softer don’t-hurt-or-leave-me side screams loud and clear. Violet’s father returns from the dead…Hmm...What a freakin shocker! An intense suspenseful ride as she chases this familiar stranger that shapeshifts into the liking of her father – how dare this shapeshifter do such a thing! A real tear-jerking moment. What an unexpected twist! I’m loving this. Violet’s mother’s secret message…was it satisfying or disappointing? I’m not sure yet and don’t want to judge too quickly. I’m really looking forward to Violet finding that wooden box and maybe…hopefully it’s something from her mother – a personal mother-daughter message. It’s so obvious Violet yearns for such a moment. Violet and Ryn’s relationship. What a freakin fantastic scene it was when Ryn took Violet on the flying carpet adventure! Boy-oh-boy…the glow bug butts…that sure put Ryn at top rank when it comes down to Violet’s heart! “Well, clearly I took that as a challenge, and since it’ll apparently take the shining butts of a gazillion glow-bugs to prove myself to you, here they are.” That was such an Epic moment! I hear all Creepy Hollow fans swooning right there! I was so nervous that Violet was going to reject Ryn for some reason, but instead she crashed into him and sparks exploded! What a hot chocolate with marshmallow moment…Ahhhh… Ryn’s character has definitely developed beautifully as well. We’ve experienced his arrogant assiness side, his gorgeous flirtatious moments, grieving and hurtful memories and then his vulnerable softer side towards Violet. Looking forward to reading more about these two. Plot development thus far has been freakin crazy and confusing. Well done to the author, Rachel Morgan, for creating such an awesome world and characters we meet, learn to love and hate and those we kind of fear while annoyingly grinding our teeth! Don’t you just wish you could pull out those Unseelie Queen’s whole family tree’s wings one by one!? Do they even have wings? Action scenes are continuous throughout the whole book. You think a breather is in order, but as soon as you inhale deep and graciously…you fall into a darkness hole created either by Violet or Ryn with their stylus and you grab your stomach…not sure where you’ll drop and gasp for air. There is lots of drama. Sometimes a little dragged out, however it kind of balances things out a bit. No complaints here. The general flow of the series is easy to read, follow and understand. The real action has now only begun. Hold onto your horses’ peeps, I get the sneaky feeling, we’re in for a mean roller-coaster ride. I just have to add…That last scene…Chapter 33-34. My eyes are cringing. I’m shocked, horrified and heartbroken. “Violet honey…you drank the forget-me potion!” No! No! No! Somehow, we as humans can relate to experiencing so much pain, pressure and grief, that we wish we had a forget-me potion. Would you drink it? What would you gain? What would you lose…
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5 stars
Legends and Myths theme Father’s Day…Wives, children and parents scurry around the shopping mall trying to find that perfect gift for their husband, father and son. Some spend a few Rand, others don’t mind going the extra few thousand Rand in total. Many children indulge in their creativity and make beautiful hand-crafted items whereas there are quite a few Dad’s out there that don’t feel or have the love that is spread throughout this day. My heart truly goes out to all of them! As we all usually follow tradition or then the ‘norm’ of things, we end up giving our significant others a fat delicious chocolate or some Daddy’s toy gadget. But don’t you get bored with the same kind of gift year in and year out? Not to keep you in the dark any longer – I found the perfect gift…FOR ANY OCCASION REALLY! Let me introduce to you our very own ‘The Book Case’ book box. The theme for this special Father’s Day was ‘Legends and Myths’ – “When something goes wrong, the first thing I always think is, it is Loki’s fault”. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. I really wasn’t sure how my hubby would feel about receiving his own book box. Does he read? Not really. Does he share my excitement when I receive my monthly book box? Hell Yes! Does he ‘hint-hint’ that he wants some of the goodies in the box as well? Freakin YES YES! Well, then this book box would be the perfect gift – none of us know what Daddy will be receiving, and it’s something completely out of the norm…well at least for us. Once again, The Book Case has delivered and to hear a “Wow” from Daddy…pat on my back…yeah, that was my gift idea! “😊 Again, to no surprise, we received the box in record time given our categorization within the courier departments. So, the box was placed on the bed. Kiddo’s buzzed like flies around the room of course. Daddy walked around with a huge smile on his face and I of course couldn’t contain my excitement… “What book is inside honey????” Eventually after much begging…from our side…Daddy finally started opening the box…literally piece by piece. The look on his face was a once in a lifetime photographic moment I will treasure always. He was so chuffed when he pulled out the magical ‘Evil Eye Talisman’ bookmark exclusively by Bee-autifully Yours. Next, it was an exclusive mythology atlas notebook – Mixed Artwork. What we really liked about this notebook was its synthetic hard cover leather feel. Really fancy! Then of course what would a special day be without some socks!? They were cute funky socks by Toe Porn. Eventually it was given to me as a gift – Daddy wasn’t too fond of the ‘funkiness’, but now I’m wearing it. So, who’s complaining! Then he took out a little tin mug made exclusively by PaperCUTE. Now this he really loved, as it was added to his survival back-pack. You know, for that unexpected “GRAB YOUR BAGS AND RUN” moment… Now for the biggest surprise in the book box…I mean, this is after all the main idea behind such a box, except for all the cool bookish goodies. When hubby saw the book, he sat quietly and just absorbed what he held in his hands. Now remember, this is a guy that doesn’t really read. The whole look and feel of the book was absolutely stunning! We received the paperback, but MAN, what an absolute beauty. Soft feel. A real mystical type of energy. Coming to the conclusion…once again The Book Case, you really delivered. Hubby absolutely loves his book…and survival little mug! He’s loving his new read and dreading each moment he nears the end. 5 stars
Excitement…happiness…freakin’ awesomeness doesn’t nearly describe what I felt when I discovered our very own South African ‘The Book Case’. Seriously, you don’t understand! I’ve been a huge fan and follower of Owlcrate, Fairyloot, Litcube, YA Chronicles…you get the picture...right? Since many of us…droolers over those stunning book boxes…okay...let me continue…many of us can’t afford the high shipping costs and VAT that gets added to your total purchasing amount. Let me explain… Since we’re located wayyy down here at the bottom of the plain…earthly map wise…South Africa – when we add contents to our carts when purchasing internationally, shipping already spikes up to double the amount of what the actual product costs. When our package then gets shipped and arrives in South Africa, we receive that ‘phone call’ which then asks very nicely… “14% VAT please!” Depending on your parcel’s total amount you paid at checkout, that will then stipulate what amount of VAT you’ll end up paying. This is where it kind of bites you in the bum! You see, we’ve scrambled around, turned our couches upside down for that cent or two that might help. Rampaged through the drawers and checking your bank account every five minutes to see if money hasn’t magically appeared in your account! Finally, you manage to accumulate enough funds to buy that book box! But then shipping is added and VAT…you end up paying triple for that book box and ultimately…is it worth it? Can you afford it? Thus far, I couldn’t afford the monthly subscription payment of any of the overseas book boxes, because I’m a parent of two youngsters and two Alaskan Malamutes. When you enter family life, you kind of over-analyse and turn around every single cent spent. Finally, to come back to The Book Case. I love their name. It’s simple, straightforward though kind of sophisticated as well. Their website and ordering process. I do hope they’ll update their look in the future and I think an overall monthly update is required for new potential customers. When you click on their ‘past boxes’ tab, it takes you to February’s box…we’re at June. So, monthly updates are crucial. The ordering process is quick and simple. They constantly keep you up to date. They are active on their Facebook page and Instagram account. Again, constantly keeping up to date. Delivery time is freakin awesome!! You see, we live in an area which is categorized by courier companies as ‘rural’. Usually it takes a week or two longer for packages to arrive. Cities usually get their stuff the following day. Nonetheless, when I placed my very first order on the 26th of April 2017 (Mother’s Day box), it was delivered in record timing. The same has happened so far with our Father’s Day box and May themed box. Since this is an overall review of my opinion regarding The Book Case, monthly specific reviews will be posted as well. So, no particular box is currently being reviewed at this moment. Goodies thus far; we’ve really enjoyed receiving, opening and oogling each box. Mama would slowly open the box while taking photographs. Papa would gaze at each item and pack it perfectly for the next shot to be taken. Brother will ‘Aah and ooh’ while sister touches everything possible! Okay, it’s become a family ritual by now! And lastly, pricing… At R450 per box, shipping included, I’d say it’s very reasonably priced. Couriers alone cost +-R99. Subtract that from R450 and it leaves you at +-R350 per box. Contents include 3-5 bookish goodies which thus far has been fun to find within. It’s things I’d never really buy for myself due to life’s expenses. Now I find these goodies within this book box and it’s a nice treat for myself. The books included have been on my TBR pile and none I’ve owned. After all, it’s newly released highly anticipated books! The Book Case gets 5 stars from me. I really hope they’ll grow each month. I feel South Africa’s youth needs to be exposed to more reading than ever before. It’s crucial and I really hope parents across the country will discover The Book Case and subscribe. Many young adults participate in BookTube, reviewing via video feeds – their take on books they read etc. It’s exciting, creative and fun. I have to plant a seed really quick before I end this review… So far, my kiddos of 9 and 12-years-old have been drooling over these boxes. Yep, just like there Mama! Constantly with their droopy begging faces, they ask, “Is there a book box for us?” So…The Book Case…any possibility of supplying a junior book case in the near future?? Once again, Thank You The Book Case for being brave enough to bring bookish goodies to us and of course those books. Filling our minds with awe, excitement, laughter and joy. You can find The Book Case at www.thebcase.co.za Creepy Hollow
Enter a hidden world... Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale has one job: protect humans from dangerous magical creatures. It's a job she's good at—until the cute guy whose life she just saved follows her back into the dangerous world of magic. Now she's broken Guild law, landing herself in a whole lot of trouble. The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the guy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he's discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it'll take all her training to get out alive. 4 Stars Just keep reading... You'll soon enough realize why. The above needs to be read first, so you'll keep on reading...not my blog...the BOOK! Let me start off with the main character, Violet. POV is 1st person style. Easy to read and engageable. We get to experience this tough kick-ass faerie. Her sweet gentle side does show up with a hint here and there. Violet deals with life the best she can. She breaks rules the way she sees fit, but not to be disrespectful towards anyone or her guild. She develops emotions she herself can’t quite understand, but she wants to explore them. Violet definitely hit a cord where I really vouched for her and shared her pain. At this stage I refrain from seeing too much into her character...let me first read the rest of the series before I dish it all out! Nate…maybe it’s the author’s way of introducing Nate in a subtle way. I’m not going to say too much about his character at this stage, as I feel we’re going to see much more of him in book 2. So far, I’m a bit uncertain of Nate…but let’s wait and see. Ryn, Boy-oh-boy. What a perfect match for Violet…in what way you would ask? He challenges her in every single way possible. He’s that thorn-in-your-heel. That heartburn bubbling in your thorax. Annoying, aggressive and arrogant are beautiful adjectives that don’t deserve to be in the same sentence as ‘Ryn’! Shall we simply go for “What an asshole?” Too fair? Too harsh? You decide. But wait… It’s not over until that beautiful lady has sung! This is so true to human nature as well. How do we act or purge when we face grief? And this is exactly how Ryn experienced his pain, grief and loss. He grieved the best way he knew possible…and that was to blame Violet for his brother’s death. I think Rachel Morgan did an excellent job at developing his character. Overall fantasy experience…Creepy Hollow series is my first attempt at reading fiction fantasy about kick-ass faeries. I could easily envision the world described beautifully. I absolutely loved Filigree. Don’t we all wish a shapeshifter companion will be freakin’ awesome?! The plot thus far is gripping, leaving you wanting to know more. What is going on? Who is the evil villain? Who is faking it? Action scenes are described in such a way that at times I felt like ducking or jumping through that faerie magical hole myself and strangle some certain characters! There is a lot of action scenes going on and leaves you tied in a knot! Cover design…I’ve seen both Rachel Morgan’s 1st Edition and now 2nd Edition covers. She is an Indie Author – Respect all the way!! Both are beautiful, but I do like the 2nd Edition covers more. Having the actual paperback in my hands – it’s alive and fits the scene. Now why only a rating of 4 stars? I felt the story started off a bit slow. It didn’t hook me right away. Came off as a bit predictable. BUT…A BIG BUT…when I reached Chapter 20…Holy shizers! What just happened? I don’t understand? These are thoughts and emotions I experienced which really pulls me back to the story and wanting to read more. However, I feel many readers would’ve put the book down before they reached Chapter 20. That’s where things really start to happen, boil and ooze action wise. With all this said, I think this is going to be one awesome reading journey. I’m officially hooked and will now end this review so I can delve into Book 2 – The Faerie Prince! |
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