March 2019 Owl Crate

On April 1, 2019March 30, 2019 By AllieS.In OwlCrateLeave a comment

Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. Some of these items are very practical and others are better suited as decor or for a pin/builtin board. March’s theme Murder and Mayhem.

Given the theme of Murder and Mayhem some of the bookish goodies are from series that are definitely not classified as Young Adult but I love these series anyway. The goodies include a gorgeous ceramic travel mug inspired by the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff. A canvas drawstring backpack with skulls on it that is not specifically inspired by any series. A wooden bookmark quoting the Stark family from Game of Thrones. A candle inspired by the monsters from This Savage Song with three possible scents. The one I got is the Sunai which smells like Green Apple. To me the candle smells exactly like sour green apple candy such as Jolly Ranchers or suckers. Finally, there was a sticker inspired by Three Dark Crowns.

The new hardcover book is Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. The story follows Keralie, a thief, and Varin, a good upstanding citizen, who inadvertently become entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all of Quadara’s queens dead. This murder mystery causes them to go on the run to save themselves and try to find out who killed the queens. As all ways Owl Crate books have exclusive covers, signed, and come with a letter from the author. This box also included some extras with the book: a character art print and a pencil. The pin for this month is also inspired by this book.

April’s theme is The Dark Side and the box will include an exclusive scarf.

February Wrap Up

On March 25, 2019March 24, 2019 By AllieS.In Wrap UpLeave a comment

In February I read five books and watched series 11 of Doctor Who.

Books:

Witch Child by Celia Rees is a historical fiction young adult novel that follows Mary Newbury who escapes a witch trials in England and travels with a group of puritans to the new world. However, it becomes clear when they arrive in Massachusetts that Mary must be careful as she is an outsider who could easily be tried as a witch and she might just be one. Witch Child is a reread for me as I read the book initially when I was a teenager. I didn’t love it as much as I remember because I’m much older now.Witch Child feel more like a middle grade but I still like the book.

Artemis by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel where Jasmine lives on Artemis, Earth’s first and only lunar colony. When her get rich quick plan falls apart she learns how the colony is truly run and what she has to due to try to save her friends and family while also not getting arrested. An interesting story on how a lunar colony would be run though not as funny as the Martian. I personally liked the premise of the story more than the story that is told and I feel like Artemis would not work in reality with how everything is run.

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is a novella about a research ship going to the Mariana Trench to find Mermaids. When the ship gets there all the scientist think that the company sponsoring the trip is just going to film a mockumentary but they end up finding real mermaids who are not kind or beautiful. This book is technically a prequel to Into the Drowning Deep but it works as a stand alone. I didn’t connect to the characters much due to how short the book is but what is there is great. It made me want more from this world and story.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is a science fiction horror novel about a reteach ship going out to the Mariana Trench to find mermaids and what happened to the ship that went out seven years previously. This is a reread for me and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it. The best way I can describe it is the book is everything I didn’t know I wanted out of murderous mermaids.

The Invasion (Animorphs #1) by K A Applegate is the first in the Animorphs books where a group of teenagers are gifted the power to turn into animals to fight an invasion of aliens. I read most of the series when I was in elementary school and junior high but I never finished it so when I found the books again I want to see if I would like them enough to reread and finish the series. Though it feels much younger than I remember its probably just because I’m not the age these books are marketed to but I think its a good start to the series. The conflict is established early and the reality of the character involvement is much more harsh as these kids are going to fight a war. Though I didn’t love any of the characters they are realistic for the situation they are trust into and the books are much darker than I remember.

TV shows:

This month I finally sat down and watch the most recent season of Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. For me I was not a huge fan of this season, its not bad but its not all that good either. Most of the episodes were decent but I didn’t connect with any of the new characters or story lines. Graham and Ryan were the best characters and while Yaz was fine, with so many new characters and actors fighting for good character moments none of them were given much overall. As for Jodie Whittaker, I think she is a good actor but she is not the Doctor. I felt no connection between her version of the Doctor and other actors who had played the character and I didn’t believe that she was the Doctor. I don’t blame any of the actors as they are just bring what they can to the writers work so I feel like the writing needs to get much better for Doctor Who to continue and be loved by so many. Ultimately, if the show had any other name I don’t think I would have finished the season. I will watch the first few episodes of the next season as they will have a year to hopeful fix problems from the past season but if those first episodes aren’t good then I won’t continue watching.

February 2019 Owl Crate

On March 14, 2019March 13, 2019 By AllieS.In OwlCrateLeave a comment

Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. February’s theme was Whimsical Beasts.

The bookish items this month are amazing, primarily practical items that I will get good use out of. These include a key chain inspired by Spirited Away, a travel umbrella featuring creatures and beasts from Harry Potter, a pixie dust gem soap, and a beanie inspired by Harry Potter. All of these this I will use at some point but the umbrella is the best as it has been rainy in Texas. Also I won’t be able to use the beanie just yet as it is far to warm where I live at the moment but will be great for next winter.

The books this month included an extra graphic novel, The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill which looks very cute. The new hard back is Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto which is set in a world where warrior queens rode on the back of phoenix and the bonds of sisters through a story of survival and war. All Owl Crate books have exclusive covers and are signed but this one also as stained edges and includes a letter from the author and a feather bookmark. The new enamel pins that they include in each box also is inspired by the book.

March’s theme is Murder and Mayhem. So far I’m enjoying Owl Crate and I will continue to subscribe to it.

January 2019 Wrap Up

On February 5, 2019February 4, 2019 By AllieS.In Wrap UpLeave a comment

January was not a great reading month for me, while I’ve read five books none of them I really love. I did finish Kingdom Heart this month which I’ve been playing for a while so that does make up for it some.

Books:

39330961 The first book I read this year was the screenplay of Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald. I love Harry Potter and I grew up with it so I know I will read and watch anything new that comes out. I just hope the next things J. K. Rowling puts out is better than this. Though I didn’t hate The Crimes of Grindelwald movie it could have been better. Screenplay on the other hand don’t really work as books as there is so much information that is not given to the reader. Though I bought it more for the pretty cover and for my Harry Potter collection. Rating:

Walking Dead Book 7 by Robert Kirkman is the collection of issues #73-84 which is part of the Alexandrian Safe Zone story arc. At this point Rick and the others have arrived at Alexandria and the story follows whether or not this could actually be a safe place to stay. I’ve been rereading the comics to catch back up and I’ve noticed this time that I don’t like certain story lines and elements more this time than in the past. Jessie was very annoying as I didn’t like the story in either the book or show and everyone in Alexandria feel very naive as they don’t fully understand the world now.I will continue with the series but as some parts I love and others drag. Rating:

Endsinger by Jay Kristoff is the last book in the Lotus War Trilogy which is a fantasy story set in a steam punk Japan where Yukiko and her father are tasked with finding the last of the Arashitoras (thunder tigers). All while the country is at war and a rebellion is brewing. I wanted to love this book as I’ve loved many of Jay Kristoff’s other works but I didn’t. I feel like this is mostly my fault as I read each book in the series too far apart. Though the characters are great and I love many of them, I often felt that the consequences of their actions didn’t have much of an impact. However, Yukiko and Buruu will always be amazing and the bitter sweetness of their story’s end is what I wish more books would strive for. Rating:

Post Secret and My Secret by Frank Warren are both compilations of postcard sent in to the Post Secret project which asked people to send in anonymous secrets though the mail as a way to release ones feelings and secret that people where hiding. It’s an interesting concept that shows that while everyone is different the fear and secrets that we keep are all very similar. In general these books are more art pieces than actual books. My Secret is aimed a little more at college student than Post Secret is but they are essentially the same thing. Rating of both:

Games:

This month I also finished one PlayStation 4 game which was Kingdom Hearts which I have a full review of. I also attempted Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories but only got though the first couple of hours before deciding that I hated the card battle system and that I would get move out of watching Chain of Memories. I love Kingdom Hearts and so glad I’ve finally taken the time to work on completing the franchise.

Kingdom Hearts Retrospective

On January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 By AllieS.In Video GamesLeave a comment

kingdom_hearts So with Kingdom Hearts 3 finally coming out this year I’ve decided that it was time to get back into the series and start everything over from the beginning. At this point with the game only days away from release I know there is no way I will finish all the other games in time but I like taking my time with games and series even if that means I’m late to the party.

Currently I’m 25, and I’m going to be 26 in April but I’ve been a fan of Kingdom Hearts since 2006 when I was 13. I had gotten a PlayStation 2 either in 2002 or 2003 but didn’t really get into gaming until a couple of years later. At the time I was really into Final Fantasy and I still am but I had gone to Best Buy to pick up a copy of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children and one of the employees suggest Kingdom Hearts which I also bought. But the thing is when I was younger I very bad a video games though I loved playing them. I had this bad habit of starting a game and either not understanding something or not leveling properly so I would get stuck and stop playing. A month would go by and I would attempt the game again and sometimes I would just restart from the beginning. So I had this tendency to never really finish any games (though in high school I broke this habit).

91d+8w4tspl._ac_ul320_sr256,320_ In Kingdom Hearts you play as Sora, a kid from Destiny Island, who wants to go on an adventure with his friends Kairi and Riku. When the Islands get attacked by the heartless Sora is separated from his friends but meets up with Donald and Goofy who are tasked with traveling to different Disney worlds to defeat the heartless and save/find Kairi and Riku.

I know when I was a kid that I got to Halloween Town but never finished the game. I also played the first two hours of Kingdom Hearts 2 but that was it until recently. However, I followed the information about all the games coming out but could never play most of them because of how they seemed to be on different consoles each time. At this point I have only gotten through Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories.

I love the first game. Its simple in its story telling but the emotional core is very strong. I want Sora to find his friends, I want King Mickey to be found and I want the heartless to be defeated. As the first game in the series its very easy to get into and overall the game play is not overly hard. There’s only a handful of things I don’t like with the game play but I also don’t think I’m very good at games so these might not be issues for many. The big problem is the jumping is not very good which makes any platforming sections even worse and there is no map on the screen so you have no idea where you are most of the time. I only other issue is the final boss is multiple fights in a row with no check point/ save or anything which the boss is not all that hard for the end of the game but if you mess up or your timing is off just enough you have to do it all over again.

With Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories I only played the first couple of hours before deciding that I absolutely can not stand the card battle system. So I ended up watching a play though for the plot information and just leaving it at that. I do feel that games are better played than watched but watching it is bettering than skipping the game outright when each game adds to the plot. In Chain of Memories Sora, Donald, and Goofy are trapped in Castle Oblivion and travel through the memories they have of visiting all of the worlds from the first game to find the truth while also dealing with the new villains, the Nobodies of Organization XIII.

I’m in the Kingdom Hearts pain train now as people call it and plan to continue playing the rest of the series and Kingdom Hearts 3 when I get around to it.