Unboxing: LootCrate vs. GeekGear | September 2017

Hey guys, what's up? I've been thinking about unboxing posts lately...

I've been wanting to do some for a while, with my various subscription boxes, but I never seem to get around to it. More specifically, I have been wanting to do an unboxing post comparing two of the most popular Harry Potter themed subscription boxes out there, namely, Wizarding World by LootCrate and World of Wizardry by GeekGear. So that is what I'm about to do...

First, a little more information about these boxes: LootCrate is an American-based company. Their Harry Potter box, called J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, is issued bi-monthly (every other month). They have several different themes of boxes, the Harry Potter one started last November (2016), and I have been subscribing since the beginning. They have a general theme for each issue, and each box contains 5-7 items, which usually includes a t-shirt. Items are licensed and exclusive. They do slip in some Fantastic Beast items as well. When you sign up, you choose which House you would like to be in, and any house-specific items will be for that House. LootCrate's box comes out to around $65 CAD ($51 USD), with shipping.

GeekGear is based out of the U.K. and they currently have two boxes: a generally geeky one. and Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts. Their HP box is called World of Wizardry and it is issued monthly. I'm not sure how long they've been doing this box, but I first subscribed in August 2017. This box doesn't really have a monthly theme, but also contains 5-7 licensed & exclusive items, usually including a t-shirt. When you sign up, you can choose a House, or not - if you choose "Any," they will send you random House items when things are house-specific. GeekGear's box comes out to around $43 CAD ($33 USD), with shipping.

 

LootCrate's September Wizarding World Magical Must-Haves contents:

• House scarf with leather crest
• Harry Potter wand pen
• Salazar Slytherin's Locket pin
• Honeydukes eraser set (chocolate frog, sugar skull, jelly slug, cauldron cake)
• MACUSA office stationery set (folder, sticky notes, paperclips, list pad)

GeekGear's September World of Wizardry contents:

• House themed socks (HP's glasses & scar print in house colour)
• Keychain (4 designs: Death Mark, Golden Snitch, Hogwarts Crest, Deathly Hallows)
• Harry Potter figurine
• Newt Scamander's wand
• Hogwarts Express print
• Niffler tee "Every day I'm nifflin'" designed by Risa Rodil

I like the items in the LootCrate boxes: this month's stationery set is right up my alley! And I love the scarf, I almost can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear it! ;) But the wand pens aren't really interesting to me, I find the pins over-sized and gaudy, and while I love the idea and the packaging of these erasers, they are pretty useless aren't they? If they had been actual candies I would have been much more excited. :P My favourite part of the box, actually, was the box itself: it is reversible and when you flip it inside-out it becomes a blue Hogwarts trunk - I just love that! :)

I find that the items in the GeekGear box are just a little bit nicer. I absolutely adore the t-shirt (and have worn it on several occasions, to be asked, "What's nifflin'?" haha!) and will definitely wear the socks. The figurine is admittedly pretty useless, but it is so detailed and lovely that I really can't say anything bad about it. The Hogwarts Express print, while I have no space to display it, is simply gorgeous. And Newt's wand, well... it's wonderful and I only wish it had a little stand or box for displaying (when I eventually get my room made over, I will have my wands displayed on my bookshelves :) ). The only item I really didn't like was the keychain. I don't love PVC keychains that much anyway (they get so grubby so easily), and I got the Death Mark one, which I kind of hate. I would have literally preferred any of the other designs.

So in general, I like both boxes, but I have to say my preference leans more toward GeekGear. It is less expensive, seems to contain more and better quality items, and I love the Fantastic Beasts franchise just as much as Harry Potter, so I appreciate that they include more items from that fandom (as I said, LootCrate does contain Fantastic Beasts items, but they haven't been all that memorable). Also, GeekGear's tees are way more comfortable and more fun, and you have way more sizes/styles to choose from!

Please let me know in the comments below if you would like to see more unboxing posts. I will try to do it more faithfully, if there is any amount of interest... I get OwlCrate just about every month, and will be getting both GeekGear and LootCrate again in November (maybe another comparison post?). I'd also like to try out some other boxes in the future, particularly FairyLoot and Unicorn Crate, which are both book boxes. I also saw an unboxing video last week for a Pusheen Cat box (not a book box), which sounds pretty awesome because I definitely love Pusheen Cat! I really enjoy the book boxes because, of course, I love books! But they always include other fun bookish items that I can usually use, and as much as I love new books, sometimes the bookish goodies are what I get more excited about. :)

It's Monday! What are YOU reading? #5

Good morning, Internet Land!

 

I felt like it was time for another Monday reading update post. I haven't been reviewing books, or being particularly faithful at blogging lately, so this is my (mediocre) attempt at keeping the blog alive for another week.

 

 

It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date, and is meant to be a place and time to share what you've been reading, what you are currently reading, what you are planning on reading next... Just a good time to gather your wits and organize yourself for the week ahead!

So, this Monday, I am still reading the books I was reading last week, which I started two weeks ago. I didn't read at all over the weekend, which I am terribly ashamed of. I meant to read both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, but darn it, YouTube sucked me in! Anyway...

 

 

The first book I started was an audiobook, which I borrowed from the library, that being The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith, which is book #2 of the Cormoran Strike series. If you were not aware, Robert Galbraith is a penname of our beloved J.K. Rowling. This is a contemporary murder mystery series following Private Detective Cormoran Strike. I also listened to the first book, The Cuckoo's Calling, and really enjoyed it! So far, I am loving the series. J.K. is a masterful writer. I wasn't too sure after reading The Casual Vacancy earlier this year - barf - if she was meant to write contemporary adult books, but I really do love this series so far. Funny side note, I picked up a paperback copy of this very book at a used book sale the same day that I borrowed the audiobook from the library. It just jumped out at me, and I thought, Why not? Because it's audio CD's, I really only listen to it in the car on my way to and from work, which means I am only listening for about an hour a day, so it is somewhat slow going. But it's a great way to make use of that otherwise "wasted" driving time!

 

Next, I started reading Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. I had bought an eversion on sale a couple months back, because I had heard some pretty good reviews and the cover is gorgeous and had me lusting. :) But I tend to give a much higher priority to physical books over ebooks, so it kind of got pushed aside. But this month, it was the November book of the month pick for the Facebook "book club" group I'm in, Life and Lit (you should come join us!), so of course, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. It's very interesting, but I haven't made much progress over the last couple weeks. It's on my phone, and I thought that that would make it a lot easier to read at work, and it is, but... that's basically the only time I'm reading it, is 30 minutes at lunch... So I'm hoping to get a really significant amount read this week, just to sort of get caught up. The protagonist is Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a young woman who is "secretly" learning her uncle's trade of medical examiner, in Victorian England: a time when such acts are considered evil, and well-bred women are meant to attend dinner parties and discuss trivial things and find husbands, not touch dead bodies or skulk around the city after dark. It is obviously set during the time of the Jack the Ripper murders, and Audry Rose, her uncle, and a "damnably handsome" colleague work to solve the mystery of who is committing these savage murders. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of related photos and drawings from the time period.

Lastly, I started reading my physical copy of Glass Houses, Louise Penny's newest work. I received it at the end of August (when it was published) as a late birthday gift, and haven't taken the chance to read it yet, so it was just time. It has been so lovely to get reacquainted with these old friends from Three Pines, from whom I haven't heard for a year. But, again, it has been a slow process. I haven't made much progress with this one over the last two weeks, either. Because it is a hardcover, and I'm also reading an ebook that is on my phone which I can read anywhere, I decided I wouldn't take this one out with me. So that leaves evenings and weekends to read it, and I just haven't been doing much of that. I've been spending a lot of time on YouTube lately, mostly looking up DIY Christmas gift ideas, if I'm being completely honest. *shrug*

So, that is my current reading situation!

Currently Reading Tag

Hello! I just read this fun Currently Reading Tag post on a blog I follow (Howling Libraries) and thought to myself, "Why not?" :) I wasn't tagged, and I won't be tagging anybody else to do this, but if you'd like to, feel free! :)

 

How many books do you usually read at once?

I usually have one audiobook on the go (in the car), and one physical book, or two physicals.  I sometimes read two physical books as well as the audiobook, but that is, admittedly, a bit much for me. I try to make sure that, when I'm doing that, the books are different enough, but I still tend to get the story lines tangled up. So two is my max.

If you're reading more than one book at a time, how do you decide when to switch books?

Well, with the audiobooks, I listen to them whenever I am driving, so 40-60 minutes/day during the week naught on weekends, and then read the physical book on breaks at work and in free time at home (and usually quite a bit on the weekend). When I'm reading more than one physical, I usually read 1-2 chapters of each in a sitting, at least when I'm starting them. After I get into them, I might give a little more attention to the less-interesting one to ensure that I actually finish it.

Do you ever switch bookmarks while you're partway through a book?

I'm gonna say no? Although... sometimes, with hardcovers, I will start out using the dust jacket as a bookmark, and then switch to a real bookmark after a while - does that count? Also, I'm going to stop using fun bookmarks with library books because I accidentally left a cute magnetic book in a book I returned, that was an interlibrary exchange, so no real chance of a return. *sigh* Random (Unanticipated) Act of Kindness?

Where do you keep the book(s) you're currently reading?

With me? Haha. When I'm at work: on the side of my desk. When I'm at home: on my bedside table, I guess? Wherever I am, really.

What time of day do you spend the most time reading?

In the evening. Often an hour before supper, and an hour or two right before bed.

How long do you typically read in one sitting?

I don't really count, or aim for a certain number of minutes, I mostly just think, "I'm going to read now," and read until I'm interrupted. *shrug*

Do you read hardbacks with the dust jacket on or off?

Usually on. I only really take them off if they move around a lot or are getting damaged.

What position do you mainly use to read?

Sitting with my legs curled up is my preferred position, but I probably read most in a normal sitting position. I find it pretty uncomfortable to read lying down, and my bed is really not a comfy reading spot, but I do it anyway.

Do you take the book you're currently reading with you everywhere you go?

Well, not everywhere. I'll often take it to work with me to read on breaks. I will sometimes take it when going on family outings, to read in the car, but I get carsick pretty easy, so that doesn't happen much.

How often do you update your Goodreads progress on the book you're currently reading?

I try to update Goodreads with my page number every day, when I put the book down for the night. And definitely as soon as I've finished a book, I'll update Goodreads. I don't update my progress with audiobooks because I'm not really sure how to?


So, that's all. If you want to do the tag, feel free! Maybe let me know in the comments so I can check it out!

Book Review: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Daughter of the Pirate King

by Tricia Levenseller

Source: OwlCrate (March 2017 "Sailors, Ships & Seas")

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Pirates, Mermaids

Synopsis:

"There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for."

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Review:

This was such a fun adventure, and I'm really glad I finally got around to reading it! I only wish that I had read it sooner, and that I already had my hands on Book 2! By the way, this review contains spoilers. #fairwarning

The books that come in the OwlCrate box are not typically books that I would pick up on my own. But I was actually anticipating this one for a long time. I'm not exactly crazy about pirates, or mermaids, but generally speaking I do like stories about them. The cover is pretty, and the synopsis intriguing, so I was thrilled to received it in the box.

Alosa is probably my new favourite heroine. She seems a lot like Merida from Disney's Brave - a sassy, strong, independent woman who does her own thing. She's a badass pirate chick like Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean), and also just so happens to be part mermaid! One couldn't ask for a more interesting leading lady!

The story plot revolves around Princess Alosa, pirate in her own right, daughter of the Pirate King and an unknown siren, who is on a mission for her father to find a hidden treasure map on another pirate ship. She lets herself be captured and taken prisoner on said ship. The captain's brother and first mate, Riden, nominates himself as her keeper.

Alosa proceeds to baffle and frustrate her captors as she escapes her cell at night to search the ship. At one point Riden decides that in order to keep a closer eye on her, she'll just have to stay in his own quarters. Alosa determines that she might have some less-than-murderous feelings for the handsome first mate after all...

Overall Alosa's mission does not go as anticipated: she gets captured several times (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not) is forced to use her siren powers, and may or may not have fallen in love.

I cannot wait for the sequel of this book!

My Goodreads Rating:

Book Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

 

 

Of Fire and Stars

by Audrey Coulthurst

Source:  Subscription box (OwlCrate's "Epic" box, December 2016)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT

Synopsis:

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine—called Mare—the sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two become closer, Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. And soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

Review:

Sadly, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. My copy came in last December's OwlCrate box, and I had *almost* bought it for myself days before the box arrived, so this was definitely one I was excited about and interested in. It intrigued me, because princesses and magic, duh. But it wasn't as well executed as I had hoped it would be, so I was a bit disappointed. I liked the premise of the story: a princess with an Affinity, betrothed to the prince of a kingdom totally against ma Sadly, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. My best friend, Paige, and I decided to read this one together. I ended up finishing it a few weeks before her, but we did have a discussion to compare notes once she had finished it. So, we got this book in last December's OwlCrate box. I had almost bought it for myself days before the box arrived, so this was one of the few OwlCrate picks that I actually knew about beforehand, that I was excited about/interested in. It intrigued me, of course, because of the princesses and magic, but it wasn't as well executed as I had hoped it would be, so I was a bit disappointed. I liked the premise of the story: a princess with an Affinity, betrothed to the prince of a kingdom totally against magic, who ends up falling for the prince's sister. I mean... that's a pretty good plot! That has some real potential! But I just didn't like how that played out, and I didn't particularly care for the characters.   I probably shouldn't have (I like to try to formulate my own opinions before reading others), but I just read a bunch of Goodreads reviews on this book. The more I read, the more I agree, and the more I think I've been really generous with my 3 stars...   Please allow me to just paraphrase a few things other reviewers/bloggers have said that I completely agree with: The world-building sucked. There was information given, but I still didn't feel like I knew where I was. Granted, I have a hard time imagining well-developed worlds, so you can take that with a grain of salt. What's going on? We were kind of thrown into the middle of a conflict, without much history to understand why there was such animosity between Mynaria and their neighbours, why they hate magic so much, and by the way, do we know what happened to the Queen...? The story was flat and uninteresting. There's not much more to add to this. Enough with the horses! I am by no means a horsey girl, but I can appreciate a good horse story. Horses paid a strangely large role in this book, but it didn't feel right. By the end, I was just annoyed with all the horse talk. The names. I just... can't. If you must give your fantasy characters weird names, at least provide a pronunciation guide at the front of the book to help your readers out. The worst ones, for me, were Dennaleia (which I was just calling Daniella in my head) and Thandilimon/Thandi (which just sounds like a stupid lisping version of Sandy). I didn't have such a hard time with Amaranthine, except that the way I was pronouncing it in my head made her nickname of Mare seem awkward (although, it does make sense with the author & character's apparent obsession with horses).  The "adults." A lot of reviewers mentioned the "adults" of this world being clueless and obtuse, and it's true. There were several scenes with conversations revolving around politics which I really couldn't care less about. And, as one other reviewer pointed out, why is it that all of these Council members automatically assume that attacks are from this specific country, without investigating at all? Conveniently stupid.

I really couldn't tell if homosexuality was supposed to be  acceptable in this world, or not. I think that prevalence shouldn't be confused with acceptance. It was brought up a lot, mostly by Mare (who we understand to be bisexual), in the context of the liegemen's activities and her own trysts, yet it didn't seem to be acceptable, at least not for royals and noblemen. Denna's noblewoman friend's lover was not accepted by her family (I can't remember her name, but she was from a different country). Mare was the proverbial "black sheep," which I can't help but connect to her sexual orientation. Politics aside, the relationship between Denna and Mare felt forbidden. If homosexuality is so acceptable in this world, why would that be? While many other reviewers felt that this lesbian romance was the one redeeming element of this book, I would have to disagree. It's still the most interesting part, but I couldn't love their relationship. If you look at the overview of how things happened, it would appear to be a natural progression from dislike to friendship to more, but in the actual text and dialogue... It just felt kind of forced.

 

I didn't hate the story, and I wasn't exactly bored, but it definitely wasn't the most interesting book I have ever read. I wanted to like it. I had heard good reviews from other OwlCrate subscribers at the time we got the book. That, along with the fact that it had such potential and sounded so interesting makes it a real disappointment that it fell so flat. I think I will still hold firm to my 3 stars... for now.

My Goodreads Rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: Food

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is books that mention yummy foods, or that take place in restaurants/bakeries, and/or have something to do with food in general.... Basically it's all about food this week! And I thought I would be horrible at this because either the books I read don't really revolve around food, or because I just don't pay enough attention! But it wasn't too difficult once I got started! So, in no particular order:

1. Sweet Misfortune by Kevin Alan Milne - the main character owns a bakery (my dream) and makes these misfortune cookies after getting her heart broken. They are fortune cookies dipped in bitter chocolate, with "misfortunes" inside, and it's just so clever!

2. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan - admittedly I have not read this series, but I have seen at least one of the movies, and so I know they mention Ambrosia, which sounds pretty trippy and awesome to me.

3. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - there is SO MUCH delicious (and not-so-delicious) food mentioned in the Harry Potter books! I absolutely wish I could be there enjoying it with them, every time!

4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - um, obviously, everything mentioned in this book is delicious food. I love chocolate, so I could definitely go for a Scrumdiddlyumptious Bar. And that experimental gum that tastes like a full course meal, that turned that girl into the blueberry? Well, aside from the blueberry part, there are days when I would love that, just to get a meal without having to stop whatever I'm doing to actually prepare or eat it. You know?

5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - poor Anne has some real mishaps with food in her early days. But one of the foods mentioned that always intrigues me (of course) is the raspberry cordial that Diana Barry gets drunk on (the greedy little glutton).

6. Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny - because these books are set in my local region, they often mention Quebecois comfort foods that I have grown up loving such as Pea Soup, Baked Beans, Mechoui, and Sugar Pie. Mmm...

7. The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe - another book about a lady who owns a café/bakery, this time abroad... Anyway, this one features French Macarons... Yummy....

8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I can't think of any specifically magical foods, but there is always an air of magic to the typical circus foods mentioned, such as popcorn, cider, hot cocoa, and the chocolate mice.

9. The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman - oh man, I love cookies! Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year because of all the cookies! This book was fun because (if I remember correctly) every chapter begins with a cookie recipe... Also, I wish I had this many friends to have a book/Christmas cookie club with...

10. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch - so this is pretty obvious, because gelato! Yum! But there are some other pretty tasty Italian treats mentioned as well. Ugh, I so want to go to Italy!

There ya go! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry! Thankfully it's almost lunch time... Until next time!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall-ish Covers

Hey hey! I'm attempting another one of these things, we'll see if it gets posted today or not!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created/hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme is Fall/Autumn Covers/Themes! I love all seasons and am so thankful to live in a part of the world that has 4 beautifully distinct seasons. This, right now, is probably one of my favourite times of the year. The temperature is cooling down, but you can still go without a jacket, the leaves have changed colours... Of course the colours are a big part of fall in Canada: yellow, gold, orange, red, brown... So that's primarily what I used to pick books for this week, but some are for the themes/feelings they give as well.

Sorry, for the slideshow... I was having issues adding the photos individually, and I can't find a way to edit the animation to be a bit slower... *sigh* Technology.... Just in case you miss some:

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• Everland by Wendy Spinale
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Sweet Misfortune by Kevin Alan Milne
• I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
• The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonassen