OwlCrate May Review/Solo: A Star Wars Story

Hello, all!

Before I get into today's post, I just wanted to say that I went and saw Solo: A Star Wars Story this morning, and without giving away any spoilers, I really liked it. I will admit, I didn't go into this movie with very high expectations, but it was way better than I thought it would be. While I'm still not fully sold on Han, I absolutely loved Lando and the Kessel scenes. Seriously, I need more Donald Glover in my life. I really liked the characters of Rio and L3-37 (who you find makes a very lasting impression on the Falcon), I thought they were funny. No surprise, but I loved seeing how Han and Chewie became Han and Chewie. There was a small cameo at the end of a rather popular character from the prequels which I thought was great and I hope something comes out of that if they end up doing a sequel. A friend of mine mentioned how it seemed like a storyline you'd see in the comics, and I'd definitely agree with that. Overall, it was a fun Star Wars movie! If anyone else saw it, lemme know what you thought.

Ok, now onto this months OwlCrate. The theme was Fight Like a Girl, and it was one of my favorite boxes, so without any further ado, here we go!

First up was this exclusive pin from Out of Print which Hermione would be proud to rock, that says "When in doubt, go to the library." I actually already have the shirt of this, but I'm pumped to have it now in a pin as well.

This bath bomb was another exclusive created by Whipped Up Wonderful inspired by the Children of Blood and Bone novel. It has a really lovely scent and I can't wait to use it. I'm not usually a huge fan of bath bombs that have glitter in them since it gets in places glitter just shouldn't go, but since it's just a strip I'm hoping it won't be too bad.

This is a double sided bookmark created by Indigo Eleven, inspired by The Wrath and the Dawn and Flame in the Mist. I love the mix of fierce quotes along with the feminine floral patterns. And I just love a good bookmark.

I recently re-read the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, and you can't really have a fierce female box without including the Wraith herself! This lovely print of Inej was illustrated by Melanie Bourgeois and I just love it so much.

I feel like I've been talking about my love of Feyre from the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas a lot, but I'm gonna gush about it even more because how gorgeous is this wall hanging by Evie Bookish?! I literally screamed, "YES!" when I pulled this out of the box because I'm just in love with it. It's one of my favorite quotes from the series and the art on it is just so great. This was by far my favorite thing in the whole box.

This months box actually came with two books. The first being Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan. This story follows a powerful witch named Jayin who's trying to survive in the grim city she calls home. She crosses paths with a man named Maddix who just escaped from being wrongfully thrown in prison, and the two become unlikely allies. They both have to learn to work together to outsmart the enemies that are around every turn.

The next was Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. Growing up as a member of the Aska warrior clan, Eelyn's life has always revolved around two things: fighting and surviving. Loyalty to her family and clansmen is everything to Eelyn, so when she ends up facing her brother, who she thought died five years ago, on the battlefield fighting alongside the enemy, the betrayal cuts her deep. Forced into living amongst the rival Riki clan, Eelyn learns things that will change the course of her life forever.

I was so hoping this would be the book included this month. I've been dying to read it since I heard about it. I mean, it has a fierce warrior woman lead character, and has all the Viking touches you could ask for. That just sounds like a recipe for perfection to me.

Has anyone else read this yet? If so, lemme know what you thought!

Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend!

Let's Talk: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

Hello, all!

For those who know me, or have read this blog for awhile, you'll know that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. The books are my favorite books (I'm partial to Prisoner of Azkaban as my top favorite, though) and I went to pretty much every midnight showing whether it was a movie or book release. I had heard rumblings of a Harry Potter game being released that was somewhat along the lines of Pokemon Go, but I had no idea that it was already available until my friend came to lunch one day, asked me if I was playing and immediately told me to download it. Which I did, and I haven't stopped playing since.

Hogwarts Mystery is a video game developed by Jam City for mobile devices and was released at the end of April. In the game, each player gets to take on the role of a Hogwarts student, like you create your avatar and can even give yourself a wizard-y sounding name (I wasn't creative enough, so I just left mine as Heather) and then you basically just go through the seven years at Hogwarts. Aside from taking classes, you can even take part in extracurricular clubs and activities. The basic story line is that you're the sibling of a wizard named Jacob who has recently been expelled from Hogwarts for attempting to open the "Cursed Vaults", a hidden vault that's rumored to be at the school.

Throughout the game, the player has certain choices to choose from which determines the path of their character and their relationships with others. Each year is separated into Chapters: Chapter 1 is basically you getting your wand, books, etc; Chapter 2 sorts you into your house and you start taking classes, and so on.

Since the game takes place before The Boy Who Lived, we get a whole new group of familiar characters to interact with. Instead of being classmates with Harry, Ron and Hermione your peers are Bill and Charlie Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks. The game also includes the teachers as well, so you still get to bask in the glory of McGonagall (Maggie Smith even reprises her role and does the voice over), Snape and Dumbledore. And the classes! You get to participate in everything from charms and potions to transfiguration and flying.

So far, I'm enjoying this game. It reminds me a lot of back in middle/high school when everyone was super into the Sims. There are some dull parts, but that can be expected. The only real drawback I've found is that you seem to run out of Energy points really quickly and you need those points in order to finish tasks and whatnot, but I've heard there are ways to bulk up the points but I haven't found them yet. All in all, it's a nice little way to pretend I actually went to Hogwarts.

Has anyone else been playing? What do you think? Lemme know!

Let's Talk: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Hello, all!

I know I've mentioned on here before how much I love the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, but let me just reiterate-- I LOVE the ACOTAR series. (Imagine the little clapping emoji in between each word for extra emphasis.)

I actually bought ACOTAR at my jobs book fair about 2 years ago cause I liked the cover artwork, little did I know it'd turn into one of my favorite book series. When I finally got around to reading it, I devoured it. Right from the jump, I was pulled into the story and the characters and Prythian itself. Feyre is one of my favorite characters; she's strong, fiercely loyal and always has a sassy line to throw at everyone.

Throughout the series, I grew to love Feyre and Rhysand's relationship, not just them together (which is amazing on its own) but their relationships with everyone else, especially those in their Inner Circle (Feyre and Cassian together is always fun.) I knew once the series ended I'd be losing my mind, so you can't even begin to understand how happy I was to hear it'd pick up again, this time focusing on the relationships between other characters, starting with A Court of Frost and Starlight which came out at the beginning of the month.

It's no surprise that once I received my copy in the mail, I dropped everything and dove right back into the Night Court. The story takes place a little while after the events of ACOWAR, and you can tell that everyone is still reeling from the war and trying to recoup and rebuild as best they can. Despite how low spirits might be, the Winter Solstice is near and everyone is looking forward to a little well-deserved reprieve. However, the celebration can't stop the dark feelings from creeping in, and as Feyre tries to find her footing as High Lady of the Night Court, she realizes the emotional scars run deep within those closest to her.

Even though this was only a novella, and I definitely wish I could've had more, I felt like it was a perfect way to wrap up the first trilogy. I love how Maas writes her characters in a way that makes them feel real and in a way that connects you to them. I absolutely loved coming back to these characters and seeing how each of them were doing and how they're coping (or not coping) with the trauma they all shared. Again, it was such a beautiful way to feel more for these characters. Aside from the emotion, all the great witty banter you expect from them all were there and it was just a perfect combination of humor and heart.

And the little excerpt from the next series was everything! I cannot wait to see how Cassian and Nesta fare when shoved together in close proximity because I actually love the idea of them together. They're both two stubborn, hard-headed characters and I so hope that they have a mating bond for real because I don't think anyone besides Cassian can deal with Nesta's icy (and a bit bratty) demeanor. Basically, I need the full book like, right now.

Has anyone else read this? Or any of the series? If not, I definitely recommend it!

Marvel Collector Corps: Avengers Infinity War

Hello, all!

This past weekend I saw Avengers Infinity War, and all I'm going to say about it in case someone hasn't seen it, is that I don't think I blinked throughout the entire film. Nothing that I thought would happen happened and by the end my heart was in my throat. Like any superhero movie, it had some off spots, but I thought overall it was such a great film and I need it to be next year so I can see how it all ends.

Now, onto today's post. I've been part of the Marvel Collector Corps for quite some time and I was so bummed to hear that it was being discontinued, but I knew that they'd go out with a bang and boy, did they ever. The last box that was sent out, of course, was Infinity War related, so let's get to it!

I actually really love key caps, I use them for almost all of my keys, so I was so excited to get these little babies. Also, they're just so cute.

I thought this was a scarf at first, and I was like "Huh, this must be for really tiny necks", but then I realized it's a banner. (I mean, I'm pretty sure that's what it is. I'm still just guessing.) It has a super tech heavy Iron Man on it who looks like he's in the midst of battle, and all around the edges are little circuits and Avengers symbols.

This was my favorite thing in the box because I am a mug addict. It's one of those heat changing mugs, which I've never had before but I think are so cool, so once it gets warm all the Infinity Stones show up in the Gauntlet. And you bet your bottom dollar that I watched in awe as the Stones popped up and yelled to my roommate to come see the magic. (She thought it was super cool, too.)

Last but not least was the Mad Titan himself. This is probably the biggest Pop I've ever seen; the box they sent everything in was huge and this literally took up more than half of it. Currently, it's still sitting inside its box on my floor because I have zero room for it, but maybe one day when my heart isn't so raw from what he did to my babies, I'll try and take him out.

I'll definitely miss getting this box. It was really what kick started my love of Pops and it was something I always looked forward to getting. Was anyone else a member? Or has anyone else seen the movie? Were you as upset/excited as I was? Lemme know!

Have a great weekend!