Giveaway: A paperback copy of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas! (Open Internationally)

Hi guys ^^ Today I have a very exciting post for you. Yes, you read the title correctly! To celebrate the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, which is coming out on the 2nd of May, I am giving away one free paperback copy of the book to one of you! 

And the giveaway is open internationally! Excited yet? Enter the giveaway below!

A celebration of all things ACOTAR/ACOMAF/ACOWAR

In case you missed my previous posts, I recently announced that I'm currently hosting a special ACOTAR event. Throughout the month of May, to celebrate the release of the third installment in Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series, I'll be hosting a bunch of fun stuff on the blog. Between book reviews, bookish goodies and yes, more giveaways, there will be plenty of fun stuff going on here on the blog for those of you who love the series as much as I do. So do drop by throughout the month to see all that fun stuff. 

The giveaway

A Rafflecopter giveaway

• I will be giving away one paperback copy of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. 
• This giveaway is open internationally so long the Book Depository ships to your country.
• This giveaway will last until May 31st.
• Once the giveaway ends, I will randomly choose a winner and email them to let them know they have won.

Check out my latest post for a non spoiler review of A Court of Wings and Ruin

I recently uploaded my spoiler free review of ACOWAR by Sarah J. Maas, which you can find and read here. In case you were wondering, I loved it!!!!! My spoiler discussion of the book is also coming up on the blog very soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for that if you want to discuss spoilers with me ^^



Enter my other giveaway to win any book of your choice released in May 2017

I'm currently also participating in a May Release Giveaway Hop which you can enter here to win any book of your choice released in May, worth $20 or less. So be sure to check that out as well if you haven't already done so ^^

Good luck everyone!

Art by Charlie-Bowater, found here.

Feyre & Rhysand: The Musical

Hi guys ^^ In case you missed my last posts, I'm currently hosting an ACOTAR event throughout April and May to celebrate the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas.

Today, I thought I would go back on Feyre and Rhysand's history together... with music! Of course, if you haven't finished A Court of Mist and Fury yet, you probably don't want to scroll down because I'm about to spoil A LOT... 

Still here? Awesome, let's begin :)

1. Rhysand meets Feyre for the first time at Calanmai

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As we eventually learn once Rhysand confesses his feelings to Feyre after she finds out that they are mates, back when he was still Amarantha's prisoner, he began to have visions of her. He would see fleeting images of her dreams and it was through one of those visions that he realized that the woman he had been dreaming about was at the Spring Court. That's why he was at the Calanmai ceremony all the way back in the early chapters of ACOTAR, where he would end up saving Feyre from the three fae that were harassing her.

2. Rhysand binds Feyre to him during Amarantha's trials

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As we later find out, it was to protect Feyre without raising the suspicions of Amarantha, Tamlin and the others that Rhysand bothered with the deal and the binding tattoo in the first place. While his intentions were solely to protect Feyre, for the longest time, Feyre only saw him as another of her tormentors.

 

3. Feyre abandons the Spring Court and joins Rhysand's Inner Circle 

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It is only when Feyre finally leaves the Spring Court behind and joins Rhysand at the Night Court, that she slowly starts to heal from the horrors of Under the Mountain. She becomes a member of Rhysand's Inner Circle and under the care and training of her new friends, Feyre begins to grow stronger.

4. Feyre and Rhysand grow closer during Starfall

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This is the scene where Feyre really starts to realize that she might actually be getting closer to Rhys than she thought she ever would. With the backdrop of the celebrations of Starfall and the brief moment of happiness for the Inner Circle before the trials that await them, this scene is full of promises and hope.

5. Feyre wakes Rhysand from his nightmare

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After seeing Rhysand try his best to save Feyre from the horrors of her past trials, this scene shows that not only has Feyre grown stronger but that she is in fact strong enough to save him in turn from his own inner demons. Plus, Rhysand wearing nothing but his ink and darkness... Come, on XD.

6. Rhysand secretly makes Feyre his High Lady and has her infiltrate the Spring Court 

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And that is ship goals people! That ship has finally sailed and I couldn't be happier. Now I can't wait to see Feyre kick some (Tamlin) ass in ACOWAR. And be reunited with Rhysand of course <3 

So that's it for this post guys. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have other music suggestions that you think would fit Feyre and Rhysand, do share them with me in the comments. Look out for more ACOTAR content in the next few days.

Giveaway Reminder

I'm currently also hosting an international giveaway for a Velaris candle, inspired by the magical City of Starlight from ACOMAF. This candle is being offered by Fictional Flames, an Etsy store that I'm currently working with and which sells amazing bookish candles. If you haven't already done so, you can enter to win this beautiful Velaris candle by clicking here.

Until next time, take care and read on 💛

Giveaway: Enter to win a Velaris candle inspired by the ACOTAR series (Open Internationally!)

Hello guys ^^ Today I have a very exciting post for you. Indeed, today I'm launching a month's long celebration of all things ACOTAR/ACOMAF/ACOWAR! This is to celebrate the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, which comes out on May 2nd. Excited yet??

What to expect of my ACOTAR Event

Art by Charlie-Bowater, found here.

Throughout the end of April and the whole month of May, I'm going to put up a bunch of fun posts based on Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series, my favorite by hers by the way. I'm also working with several lovely Etsy sellers throughout April and May to bring to you several giveaways and other posts featuring awesome bookish goodies inspired by Maas's books.

And to kick-start the event, today I'm hosting a special giveaway for you ^^ 

Velaris, the City of Starlight & Dreamers

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For today's post, I'm working with the lovely Melissa from the Etsy store Fictional Flames. This store offers awesome candles inspired by books and for this giveaway, Melissa has selected for you her beautiful Velaris candle, inspired by the magical city in the Night Court from A Court of Mist and Fury. Below you'll find the giveaway which you can enter to win this candle.

Product Description

The candles from Fictional Flames are made from soy wax.  Here are some additional details on the Velaris candle:

Fragrances: Juniper, Jasmin, Citrus, and Starlight

Color: Dark Purple with Silver and Gold Glitter

Burn Time: Approximately 40 hours

Quote on Side: "To the stars who listen & the dreams that are answered.”

For more information about the candle, feel free to check out the Fictional Flames store.

The Giveaway

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

• This giveaway is open internationally!
• This giveaway will last until May 3rd.
• Once the giveaway ends, I will randomly choose a winner and email them to let them know they have won.

Good luck everyone!

Cover image (left) found here

My Favorite Fairy Tales

Hi guys ^^ Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite fairy tales of all time. Fairy tales, as we know them now, can be very different from the stories our parents used to tell us as children. And more often than not, the original stories are very different from the more popular versions we know from books, movies and Disney. What sets the original stories apart from the more popular versions is often the darker, more tragic nature of those stories. Here are some of my favorite of those stories, beginning with my favorite fairy tale of all time and possibly the saddest too...

The little mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Source: Left & Right

First published in 1837, this story is about a young mermaid who one day wanders to the surface of her father's undersea kingdom, where she meets and falls in love with a human prince. To be with him, she decides to sacrifice her mermaid tail to earn human legs and to do so, she seeks the help of the sea witch who demands her beautiful voice as payment for the spell. What follows is a story as beautiful as it is heartbreaking, as we see the now mute little mermaid reunited with her prince, but not quite in the way she wanted. The original ending is very different, and way more tragic than the Disney one and I highly recommend you check it out for yourself. Read the full story for free here. 

Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky (Ballet)

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The day of Prince Siegfried's birthday, his mother the queen tells him that he is now expected to soon choose a bride. Upset that he cannot marry for love, he cannot participate in the revelry around him. To cheer him up, his friends suggests they go for a hunt. There, chasing a flock of swans, Siegfried is separated from his friends. He finally manages to get an aim at the swans, only to freeze when one of them transforms into a beautiful young woman. This woman presents herself as Odette, the Swan Queen and reveals that she, along with her companions, were cursed to take the form of swans by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. Only true love can now save her. This is a ballet rather than a classic fairy tale, but it is no less beautiful with either a happy ending or a tragic one depending on the performance you are watching.

Rapunzel

Source: Left & Right

When a desperate man steals greens from the garden of a witch to bring to his pregnant wife, the witch catches him and agrees to let him take back as much greens as he wants to his wife on the condition that once their baby is born, she will be hers. Indeed, after the girl is born, the witch takes her away and names her Rapunzel, after the plant her father had stolen. The girl is locked away in a tower and over the years, she grows to be a beautiful young woman with impossibly long hair. With no way to enter or leave the tower, it is only by calling to Rapunzel to let down her long hair that the witch can climb to her. One day, as Rapunzel is singing at her window, a prince who was passing by hears her and comes to find her. The prince comes again many times, until he sees the witch using the girl's hair to climb up. The prince, who has begun to fall in love with Rapunzel, then decides to climb to her and help her escape. The ending to this story, which I won't spoil, is a rather bittersweet one. But this was one of the earliest stories my mom used to tell me, which is why it's one of my favorites.

So those were a few of my favorite fairy tales of all time. There are a few more that I love and I might do another post featuring those stories at some point.

Comment down below and let me know what your favorite fairy tale is!

Until next time, take care and read on 💛

I don't lend out my books and here's why

Hi guys ^^ So today I thought I would talk about something that I rarely ever bring up: lending out books to other people. Or as I like to call it, my book borrowing horror stories!

People have diverging views about it here in the book community. Some people argue that books are meant to be shared and that a worn out book is just a well loved book. I agree that there is a certain beauty to old, worn out books. I have several of my mom's old books and I love their 'old book smell' and their yellow pages. But a book ruined because someone just happened to be careless with it? That's something else entirely.

Some people won't even hear about sharing their books due to a series of past nightmarish experiences. I've been through some of said nightmarish experiences myself and I thought it would be fun (and maybe even therapeutic lol) to share them with you today!

That time my friend returned my book covered in ink

Honestly, I'm not sure how you can get ink all over a book cover. Like, did you do it on purpose, or what??? So basically what happened is that at some point during early high school, I lent my copy of Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King to a classmate. She told me she loved Stephen King and asked if she could borrow my book to read. Naturally, young and innocent Sou (that's me by the way) said yes. Weeks later, yes WEEKS, I get my book back and there are ink splotches all over the cover.... My friend doesn't even bring it up. She just gives me the book and mumbles thanks before leaving. I couldn't even say anything on the spot as I was half livid with nerdy fury and half incredulous. 

That time my friend wrecked my book's spine

DO NOT WRECK THE SPINE OF MY BOOKS. Ever!!! If you do, you might as well have issued a declaration of war and chances are I'll never speak to you ever again. It was the good old Twilight days and I was one of the girls in my class (I went to an all-girls high school) who actually had the sequels. So my classmate, who was a huge Twilight fan asked me if she could borrow my copy of New Moon. I was a little short on friends at the time and she was one of the few people I was actually friends with. You guessed it, I couldn't say no. And then she returned the book many days later with the spine completely ruined. When she saw I was pissed, she just shrugged and gave me the classic 'it's just a book' line. No girl. Just no! It's never just a book!

That time someone wrecked my book's spine so bad all the pages actually came loose

Look I did try to be a reasonable person when it came to book lending. Despite horrific experiences with it, I still tried to trust other people with my books. And this is what happened. And to my copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince no less. Yes, that person wrecked my Harry Potter book. And it was so bad that all the pages came loose. If hearts could actually shatter, mine would have that day. In case you were wondering, I am still on talking terms with the person but I'm never, ever lending them my books again!

That time someone borrowed my book and never returned it

The dreaded book thief. Not the sweet German one. No, I'm talking about the one we probably all encountered at some point. The one who will tell you they are still reading it, that they haven't finished it. The one who will stall for weeks and then months before admitting that they lost your book. If you're lucky that is. Cause they might also just fall off the face of the earth, your book in tow, and you'll never hear from them again or see your book again. That happened to me only once and that was when I decided that I was done with lending out my books. 

I know that just because some people are disrespectful towards books that this is not the case with everyone. But personally, I've had too many awful experiences with it to continue letting people borrow my books. The only person who still borrows my books is my sister but that's largely because she's one of those rare, rare people I know I can always trust with my books. After all, it's not just money that builds a book collection, but also time and passion. And yes, a great deal of love. And if you're going to borrow someone's book, you must understand and respect that.

So what are your views on lending out books? Do share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Until next time, take care and read on 💛

The Beauty and the Beast Book Tag (Original)

Hi guys ^^ Since I recently got around to finally watching Beauty and the Beast, which I loved, I thought it would be fun to do a post inspired by it. I looked for Beauty and the Beast book tags online and while I did find quite a few on YouTube, in the end I decided it would be more fun for me to come up with one of my own...

And so...

Monsieur, Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I welcome you today and proudly present.... my Beauty and the Beast Book Tag 🌹🌹🌹

Be Our Guest - Pick 5 fictional characters you would invite to your dream dinner party

Source: Kaz, Will, Jace, Rowan, Rhysand

In what could be the sassiest, the sexiest and possibly the messiest of dinner parties, I would invite Rhysand from ACOTAR/ACOMAF, Will Herondale from the Infernal Devices, Jace from the Mortal Instruments, Rowan from Throne of Glass and Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows. This would probably end in a bloodbath before dessert could even be served though...

Belle - Pick a character whose dreams of adventure also inspire you

Source: Left

Jane from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Despite her humble beginnings and quiet disposition, there is wanderlust and the dream of adventure in Jane's heart. What I loved about her, among other things, is that she never lets her situation keep her from dreaming and aspiring to new discoveries and new places. There is even a scene in the book where she wonders whether or not she'll like her new job at Thornfield, where she is to be a governess. Then, she reassures herself by reminding herself that should she not be pleased with her life there, nothing can stop her from leaving and starting over elsewhere. And that's one of the many scenes that reminded me why I love Jane so much. 

The Beast/The Prince - Pick a character who went through an unexpected transformation

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This one is a spoiler for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. [Beginning of spoiler] Tamlin started off as a powerful and rather swoon worthy lead for Feyre in the first book. But by the second book, it became clear that he had changed too much, largely due to the events of book one, for their relationship to be what it once was. I can't say I like his character very much but I do get the reasoning behind his transformation. Tamlin is also an interesting pick for this one since his character was based on the Beast in the first place [End of spoiler]. 

The Enchanted Rose - Name a book with a terrible curse at the heart of the story

Source: Right & Left

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Early in the book, after the four Pevensie siblings find themselves in the magical land of Narnia by entering a most unusual wardrobe, they discover that the land was put under the curse of eternal winter by its evil ruler, the White Witch. The quest for defeating the Witch and ending the eternal winter then begins.

Tale As Old As Time - Name a classic romance story that you love

Source: Right & Left

This one is not from a book but it's still one of my favorite romances of all time. Odette, the swan princess and prince Siegfried, from the ballet Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. Cursed by an evil sorcerer, Odette was turned into a swan, only able to take human form at sunset. The prince met her, they fell in love and together they tried to break the curse to be together. Depending on which version of the ballet you are watching, their love story can either have a happy ending or a tragic one. My favorite version of the story though is the tragic one, simply because of how beautiful and poignant it is. The awesome music that accompanies it only makes things even more epic.

The Dance - Name your favorite romantic scene from a book of your choice

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For this one, I asked my sister to pick her favorite romantic scene and she picked the waltz between Vronsky and Anna from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. 

The Last Petal - Name a book character who managed to break a terrible curse

This one is a spoiler for the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. [Beginning of spoiler] Throughout the series, Will is tortured because of a curse a demon put on him. However, as it is eventually revealed, the demon never actually cursed him. However, by believing himself to be cursed, he nevertheless endured the pain and torment of said curse. While there was no curse to be broken, him finding the truth was indeed him getting his freedom and peace of mind back [End of spoiler]. 

Beauty And The Beast - Name your favorite bookish OTP

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There are so many couples and ships that I wanted to pick. But in the end I settled for those two. Magnus and Alec forever!!! Oh, sorry. I meant Malec 💜

So that's it for this tag guys! I might tag specific people later. However, if you want to do it on your blog or channel, feel free to do so ^^ Just don't forget to add a link to my post in your blog post or video!

Until next time, take care and read on 💛

Beautiful Editions of Your Favorite Books You've (Probably) Never Seen Before

Let's admit it, we've all bought books because of pretty covers! Well, pretty covers are indeed what we'll be talking about today. Cause, why not? ^^

Source (left)

Hi guys ^^ In today's post, I'll be sharing with you some amazing cover designs for rare or foreign editions of some popular books, as well as some classics. I don't know about you but while the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover' thing does stand true, I occasionally do have a weakness for pretty book covers. If you're like me, you're probably going to enjoy this post ^^

So without further delay, let's begin!

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Kicking off with possibly the cover design that makes me the most excited, we have this simply G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S edition of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This edition, featuring a totally newly designed cover, comes on on May 9th this year. The first time I saw this cover, I was so confused. I was, like, is Rainbow Rowell publishing a new book this year, or what?? But nope, turns out it's just a revamped edition of Carry On. And I won't lie. Despite already owning a copy of Carry On, I do kinda want to get my hands on this new edition. 

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This is the stunning Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Recently, I decided to buy and reread Jane Eyre, since the version I had read and loved as a kid was my mom's copy. I was lucky enough to find the book in this stunning edition at a local bookstore. The story, of course, is stellar. But having this edition really added to my reading enjoyment. Not only does it have deckled edges and french-flaps, but the cover design is simply beautiful, with gold foil over Jane's lantern to create the illusion that it is truly shining. 

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I feel like there exists a wide variety of equally stunning editions of the Alice books but the one that really won me over, and which I unfortunately do not actually own, is this Barnes & Noble Leather Bound edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, featuring both the original story and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. I already have two editions of Alice so far so I won't rule out the possibility of adding this edition as well to my collection at some point in the future. 

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This is the Folio Society edition of Peter and Wendy. The Folio Society is known for its stunning editions of books, including classics, and their version of Peter Pan is sure to please fans of the Boy Who Never Grew Up. Aside from featuring the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook's famous ship, the cover art also features the fairies of Neverland, a charming nod to Tinker Bell. 

Okay, this is one cover design that many of you have probably seen before. But I had never actually seen this version of City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and while browsing different cover designs online, I stumbled across it and knew I simply had to include it here. I love how through the intricate design of a rose, the artist was able to portray the Angel, the Mortal Sword, Lake Lyn and even Alicante. Seriously, this cover pretty much evokes the entire series (at least the first trilogy). 

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Finally, I have the picture that inspired this post in the first place: The Thai edition of Fairest by Marissa Meyer, which is book 3.5 in the Lunar Chronicles series. Firstly, I didn't even know that a Thai edition of the book existed. Secondly, this cover is just beautiful. I don't know if you feel the same, but I'm not a big fan of the original cover. To me, it's not as stunning as the rest of the series. That's probably because it's just a novella though. However, this cover design is everything I would have liked the original one to be. 

So that's it for this post guys. If you enjoyed it, be sure to let me know and I'll gladly try to make something similar in the future. 

Until next time, take care and read on 💛