Tag: Bookstagram

Bookish Merch, For the home, Products I love!!

Top Bookstagram Props

Megan Nicole

Kiss of Deception The Remnant Chronicles ReviewShopping for props and putting together photos for Instagram (Bookstagram) is so much fun. But sometimes finding just the right prop can be a challenge so I have created a list of some of my favorites! Almost all of the items below I have personally ordered and used and I will continue to add more as I find new and wonderful products.

Crowns:

I use the crowns ALL the time in my Bookstagram photos! I love the sparkle that they add to pictures, but can still be used in darker themes.

Click on the photo to shop for these crowns and more!

 

 

 

 

 

Backgrounds:

I change out my background every few months. I have tried several different options but have found its worth spending a few extra dollars for a nice matte backdrop. I tried a few stick on options or cheaper plastic options and they either did not last of caused terrible lighting glares that made editing a nightmare!

Swords/Daggers:

Swords and daggers make such a fun throw in for photos, especially for someone like me who reads a ton of fantasy where main characters are often warriors or assassins. They can also be used to add an extra edge to creepy photo styles.

Flowers:

Flowers are a wonderful way to fill up blank place in photo set ups and they tend to add such a great touch! I usually pick up flowers from my local hobby store for a few dollars a stem.

You can use flowers or foliage to enhance any theme set up, it does not have to be a “fluffy” set up to include them. I like to use muted or darker colored flowers to accent my darker aesthetic photos and then use bright white flowers for my lighter themes. I have also seen some folks do amazing rainbow themes with their flowers.

Scarves:

I use scarves in the background of TONS of my photos to break up the wood color and add another layer to the photo. I personally have a ton of scarves that I wear throughout the year so I really enjoy being able to leverage my collection for photos as well.

  • These bookish scarves also make great gifts!!

Fun Accessories:

I am always on the hunt for unique accessories to fill spaces in my photos, I personally can not stand having a lot of open space. I have included links to a few of my favorite items that I have picked up (just click on the pics below).

You can also add layers to your photos using folded old books, book pages, or rolled pages. I have picked up a couple of old dingy books from the dollar or resale shops to re-purpose.

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) Book Review

Megan Nicole

The Kiss of Deception – Book one of the Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

Overall rating: ****

Romance: ***

Reading Rate: ****

Pages: 492

Buy it on Amazon: Here

The Remnant Chronicles have been on my TBR for quite some time now. When a read along was posted with some fellow Bookstagrammers I jumped at the chance to join one for the first time. Kiss of Deception The Remnant Chronicles Review

We are first introduced to Lia the Princess and First Daughter of Morrighan as she prepares to flee from her arranged marriage to the Dalbreck Prince. She and her lady in waiting escape to a beautiful seaside town to try and start their lives over where unbeknownst to Lia she meets the Prince she was meant to marry and the Barbarian Assassin who was sent to kill her.

There are a lot of pieces to the world that you are introduced to early on in the book without explanation such as the First Daughters, Gifts, and the concept of the Ancients and the Gods. I was constantly on the lookout for more information and answers to my questions. While I didn’t get all that I was looking for in the first book there were certainly a lot of gaps filled in, the author has a very “all things in due time” writing style. I know this can be frustrating for some readers but I really enjoy the way she keeps me on the hook and wanting to know more.

What I liked:

  • This book gets tons of credit for being the first in a long while to throw me for a huge loop. I am usually good at predicting things in books and I really felt while some things were the standard fantasy story line there were still a lot of elements that really surprised me.
  • I was sucked in!!  I made it through the book in about 2 days even though it is almost 500 pages long. I immediately wanted to dive into the second book but made myself hold of for the Read Along discussion 🙂
  • The detailed world and characters keep it interesting and keep me guessing. There was a decent amount of world building done in the first book and also a ton of questions that were posed. I looks forward to learning so  much more in the next two books.

What I didn’t like:

  • This really is not a negative but more a notable element.  This is firmly a YA book, while there are detailed fighting scenes and love elements to the story line so far everything has remained PG-13. I personally would like to see a little more steam, but the story is still very good without.

Synopsis:

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love. 

The read along is for the Remnant Chronicles Trilogy Remnant Chronicles Trilogy as well as Pearson’s Dance of Thieves leading up the release of the final book in the duology Vow of Thieves releasing in August. So look for lots more review goodies to go!

Have you read the Remnant Chronicles or Dance of Thieves? Tell me what you think of them below in the comments.

 

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers Book Review

Megan Nicole

Overall Rating: ***

I really wanted to like this book…I mean come on it’s a book about bad ass girl assassins Grave Mercy Book Reviewwho are the spawn of death. I mean how could that not be great??

Grave Mercy is an older release and the first book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. I was hearing a ton of hype about this series due to the author releasing a new spin-off in the same universe. The book started out very interesting i loved the premise. The main character, Ismae, ends up at the Convent, learning about her heritage and training to be one of the Handmaidens of Mortain. Once Ismae sets out on her first “job” things start to go downhill. I was expecting a bad ass assassin and ended up with a novice girl.

What I liked:

  • I really liked the premise of the book. Female assassins, the Convent…had a little bit of the Throne of Glass vibe.
  • I actually really like the male main character in the book, he was the one who had it together more than anyone.
  • The ending wrapped up nicely, no cliffhangers.

What I didn’t like:

  • I was really not fond of the main female lead. As soon as she started falling part and asking everyone else what to do all of the time I was done
  • Just not an overall fan of the writing, she flipped back and forth between speaking very modern and going back in time. I am no history buff at all but the swings still bugged me.
  • There were also quite a few side characters that just seemed out-of-place and really did not add to the story, perhaps they will play larger roles in the sequels.

A lot of people really like this book and I really liked the idea. While I will not be reading any further in the series or buying more of the authors work, I understand that the other books in the series are based around different main characters so things might improve.

Official Synopsis:

Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?
 
 Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

     Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Book Reviews, Products I love!!

The Wicked King by Holly Black Book Review

Megan Nicole

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)

Overall Rating: ****

I read The Cruel Prince last year and thought it was good but not the most amazing thing I have ever read. The Wicked King was much better in my opinion.The Wicked King Book

It still took me a few chapters to really get drawn in but once I was there I was totally hooked. The Jude and Cardan dynamic just drove me crazy and on top of that you never know who all else is really out to get her versus help her (especially her sister Taryn). I love to hate these characters!

Part of the outcome of the book is a bit predictable due to the release of the title of the third book “Queen of Nothing” but I still did not see the ending coming and I want the next book right now!! (This is why I told you guys I don’t like reading until a series is complete!)

Official Synopsis:

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

Bookish Merch, DIY Beauty, Products I love!!

January Owl Crate Unboxing and Review

Megan Nicole

Overall rating: *****

By now I am sure you have seen I have developed a serious love for Owlcrate. In my opinion it is hands down the best U.S. based crate and value for the money. I actually committed to a subscription… which I have never done for any box ever!! I was quite positive about the book that was going to be in the box so I could not wait to get it, and took a gamble on not pre-ordering the book on my own to have release day.

Owlcrate January unboxing

The theme for January was Magical Artifacts. What came in the box:

  • The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – Exclusive Owlcrate edition. Guys I really did not think this book could get any more gorgeous but they did it somehow! This also came with author letter and a cute Gilded Wolves themes luggage tag
  • Gilded Wolves themed pin of the month by Alchemy and Ink
  • A Darker Shade of Magic inspired bag by Stella Bookish Art
  • Sting Sword letter opener by Juniper & Ivy Designs
  • The Gold Compass inspired tapestry by Holly Dunn Design
  • Harry Potter inspired Master of Death Socks
  • Antler bracelet inspired by the amplifiers from the Shadow and Bone series

Owlcrate full unboxing January

I was just in love with this box, the book, the Darker Shade of magic bag!! Ah I already cannot wait for the February box whose theme will be Whimsical Beasts!!!

P.S. If you Google search Owlcrate and then click on the ad, I have found that it gives you a coupon!