Owl Crate Review February

Hey guys, how are you all going? It is my favourite time of the month and that is the new owl crate. This months theme is run away with the circus.

The first thing I saw as was a candle made by Frostbeard Studio's. The candle smells heavenly. It is a blend caramel popcorn, roasted chestnuts, and bonfire fragrances. Lighting the candle makes you feel like you are actually at the circus.

Owl crate is working again with the company Geek Fire Labs. This time they have created a lip balm inspired by a classic carnival snack, mini doughnut. This lib balm is really yummy and I don't like it will last too long.

The next thing in this months box is page flags from Girl Of All Work. These will really come in handy for when I do book reviews because I can mark pages with different stickys while I am reading the book.

Owl crate has included this really cute notebook from Attic Journals. This adorable notebook are created by hand and are perfect to take some notes while reading.

The next item is a tote bag that is perfect for carrying your books. The bag is by Evie Bookish and is inspired by the book The Night Circus.

The book this month is Caraval by Stephanie Garber.

This story is about two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, who run away from their controlling father, and join in the game of Caraval. Scarlett has dreamed of attending Caraval her entire life, but things go awry almost immediately , as Tella is kidnapped and becomes a part of the game itself. Now Scarlett is in a race against time to find the clues, navigate the game, and rescue her sister before it's too late. The book also includes an exclusive quote card, a sneak peak of the audio book, a signed book plate and a letter from the author. 

I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog post and see you all next week.

Dream Adaptation

Hey everyone! Today I have something short, I hope it's interesting! I will be using The Selection and casting the three main characters in my movie for it. I might do another "dream adaptation" for this book with all of the supporting characters.

Director: Thea Sharrock, she is an amazing director who directed the amazing film Me Before You.

America: Sonja O'Hara, she has the red hair that I imagined America having and she's young.
 

Maxon: Brenton Thwaites, oh my goodness, he's perfect, he's beautiful *fan girl*

Aspen: Rich Manley, I had a really hard time finding the perfect guy for Aspen but I think I found it.

That's all for today, thanks for reading!

~ Tea-Riffic

A-Z Favourite Characters

Hey guys. Sorry this post is a day late but yesterday was really hectic for me and I also had issues with the power because we had a storm. Anyways this week I am doing an A to Z list with character  names. (Btw is is really hard to think of characters especially ones that being with the letter x).


A- Augustus (The Fault in our Stars by John Green)
B- Bruno (The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne) 
C- Charlie (Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky)
D- The Dormouse (Alice in Wonderland)
E- Eli (Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen)
F- Foxface (Hunger Games)
G- Greg (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews)
H- Harry (Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling)
I- Iko (Cinder by Marissa Meyer)
J- Jesse (Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson)
K- Katniss (Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
L- Lilly (Dash and Lilly's Book of Dares by David Levithan)
M- Madeline (Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
N- Noelle (It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini)
O- Owen (Just Listen by Sarah Dessen)
P- Park (Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell)
Q- Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
R- Raven (The 100 by Kass Morgan)
S- Sarah (I am Number Four by James Frey)
T- Thomas (The Maze Runner by James Dashner)
U-
V- Violet (Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket)
W- Wesley (The Duff by Kody Keplinger)
X- Xenophilus (Harry Potter)
Y- Yossarian (Catch 22)
Z- Zafrina (Twilight)

Bookish Identity

       Hey everybody! I'm Tea-Riffic and I have a book tag for you today! Yay! I found this book tag from Katytastic.

1. What Dystopian/Fantastical world would you live in?

2. Who would your partner be?

3. Who would your godly mother/father?

4. Would you be a downworlder or a nephilim?

5. What Hogwarts house would you be in?

6. What Divergent faction would you be in?

1. I would live in the Harry Potter world because how cool would that be? Like, you have magic!

2. My partner would be Marlee Tames from the Selection. She has such an amazing personality, I just really like her!

3. Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, craft and war. I feel like I am pretty smart, I am sort of creative and I would be okay at war planning. I think ;)

4. I have never read this book, but when I looked up the definitions, I think I would be a nephilim. Because, well they're saving everybody and I would like to think that I would be saving everybody.

5. I'm in Ravenclaw because I'm kind of witty and I have some intellectual ability.

6. Umm, I don't know? One second, let me go take a test. ... ok, so, according to the test I am in Candor which is the intellectual faction.

      I hope you enjoyed that!
      See you next week! :)

~Tea-Riffic

YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH [BOOK TAG]

Hey guys, how are you all this fine Monday? This week I decide to do a book tag because the are really fun to do. The link to the original tag is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDirqRhMri0

The way this tag works is you write down 30 names and put them in a jar (it took me a while to think of 30 characters). You then pick out two names for each of the questions and pick the person the best suits the question.

I wrote down 30 names and drew two names for each question without looking at the questions then I went and answered the questions. 

1. You only have one more spot on your Spelling B team, who would you pick to complete your team?

Harry Potter from Harry Potter vs Violet from Series of Unfortunate Events

The answer to this question is very obvious. I would have to pick Violet because she is really smart and good at figuring things out.Im sorry Harry but you are only good for slaying beasts.

2. Both characters want to kill you, which one would you kill first so you have a better chance of surviving?

Katniss from the Hunger Games vs Thomas from Maze Runner

This question was very hard for me to answer. Katniss is really good with a bow and arrow and I am not skilled in using any sort of weapon and I don't know self defence. Thomas is a really fast runner and I can barely run two blocks without being extremely tired. Do I have to chose? Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. It doesn't really matter who i choose, I feel like I would die anyways. 

3. You’re on the bachelor/bachelorette an you’re down to these two characters, which one are you going to give your rose too?

Olly Samson from Songs About a Girl vs Craig from It's Kind of a Funny Story

This one is easy. While reading the book songs about a girl, I never really liked Olly (I prefer Gabriel), he just isn't my type and I feel like Craig is more my type and is someone i can relate too. 

4. You’ve been chosen for the Hunger Games, who would most likely volunteer in your place?

Owen from Just Listen vs Greg from Me,Earl and the dying Girl

This question is really difficult to answer because I feel like neither of them would volunteer. Greg in the book at first did not want to be friends with Rachael even though his mom told him he should and she is also very sick. For most of the book Owen is seen as an outcast. He does not have a lot of friends at school and usually keeps to himself. So for this question I am going to say Owen on the fact that later in the book you see he would do anything for his friends and that includes volunteering in my place for the Hunger Games if we were friends.

5. You’re the next DC/Marvel superhero (with your own tv show of course), who is your sidekick?

Cinder from Cinder vs Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower

We all know the answer to this one. Cinder would be the best sidekick because she is half human, half robot (cyborg)and her body could be modified with super hero parts like rockets in her legs so she can fly. And Charlie is not the super active type and I don't see him fighting off villains.

6. You’re a manager of an Avocado admiring company, who would you fire for lack of communication skills?

Margo from Paper Towns vs Cath from Fangirl

Cath for sure does not lack communication skills. She is not shy and speaks her mind. Margo on the other hand is not very good at communicating. She has people that want to be apart of her life but she decides to run away and no one really knows why.

7. You’ve just finished a book in which your favorite character dies, which character is most likely to comfort you?

Peter Pan from Peter Pan vs Dash from Dash and Lilly's Book of Dares

I don't think that Peter pan would be a very good comforter because he seems to young and he would not fully understand what is happening. Dash in the book seems really caring to Lilly even though they don't really know each that well except to what they shared in the book. 

8. Ugh, it’s high school. Who would most likely be part of the popular clique?

Sam from Perks of Being a Wallflower vs Madeline from Everything Everything

In the book, Sam use to be part of the popular crowd and go party all the time. Madeline has been trapped in her house for most of her life and does not have any friends so I don't peg her for the popular type.

9. The day has arrived; you’re finally a year older! Who would have the nerve to forget your birthday?

Kyle from Beastly vs Peta from the Hunger Games 

I feel like the Kyle in the beginning of the book would forget my birthday because he does not really care for other people and their emotions. He only cares about himself but by the end of the book he is really caring towards others and would defiantly not forget my birthday. I feel like Peta would not forget my birthday, if he can remember giving bread to Katniss then he should remember my birthday. 

10. You’ve just found an upcoming booktube star? Who would most likely be?

Augustus from The Fault in our Stars vs Gabriel from Songs About a Girl.

I don't see any of these guys becoming famous booktubers. The only books that Augustus has read that was not a comic or gaming book was Hazel's favourite book and I don't think Gabriel reads at all.

11. Sleepover time! Unfortunately you can only invite one person, who would you invite?

Voldemort from Harry Potter vs Bella from Twilight

I would pick Bella because she is a girl plus what would me and Voldemort even talk about. I don't care about your plans to destroy Harry Potter, I just want to watch movies and do our nails.

12. You’ve just written a super important text. Who would ‘see’ it, but not reply?

Edward from Twilight vs John Smith from I am Number Four

It depends on what book you are looking at. In the first two books in the Twilight series, I can totally see Edward doing something like that considering he thought the best way to protect Bella was for them to stay far away from each other so he left her.

13. You’ve just woken up and it’s time for breakfast. Your mum’s been replaced by..who?!

Anna Bloom from Get Well Soon vs Hermione from Harry Potter 

For this one I would have to pick Hermione because I feel like she would be a great mom (and maybe she could do all my homework for me), plus I would be a wizard and could go to Hogwarts. I have read the first book but not the second one so I don't really know her that well but judging her based on the first book, I don't see her as a mother. She needs to get her life back in order before she can do that. 

Favourite Tea and Books

      Hey everybody! Today I'm going to tell you my top 5 favourite teas and book that goes along with them.

1. Chai tea and the Selection Series by Kiera Cass. I am only pairing these together because they're both my favourite. :)

2. Spearmint tea and the Cinder Series by Marissa Meyer. I paired these two together because I can't handle too much of them at once. For example, I can't drink an entire cup of spearmint tea just like I can't read too much of the Cinder Series at once. It just hurts my brain.

3. Mulled apple tea and The Hollow Jessica Verday. I chose to pair these two together because mulled apple tea smells like apple cider when you smell the dry tea so it is very deceiving when you take a sip and it doesn't taste like apple cider. Although, it does taste good, it just doesn't taste as it smells. I found a similar situation with The Hollow book cover. The book cover it very plain and only has a simple necklace on the front. I don't understand what the necklace on the front cover has to do with the book. It just doesn't make sense, but the book is good.

4. Peppermint tea and the Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. These two were paired together for two reason. The first reason is because I grew up with both of them. I remember reading this book when I was younger and I also remember drinking my moms peppermint tea. The second reason is because they are both a little bit spicy. Spicy as in the tea has flavours that pop out at you and the book has writing styles and plot twists that surprise you.

5. Sleigh ride tea and Let it Snow by John Green. I paired these is because they both remind me of Christmas. Well, and because the sleigh ride tea doesn't need any milk, sugar or any kind of sweetener just like John Green's book also doesn't need anything changed about it!

      Thanks for reading! See you next week!

~ Tea-Riffic

January Owl Crate Box

Hey guys, how are you all doing? It is crazy to think that another month has gone by so quickly. It is also crazy that is has been a month since we started blogging and we have so much support. So thank you guys for reading our blog.

My favourite thing about the beginning of a new month, is a new owl crate box.The theme this month is classic remix and I can't complain because I love retellings of classic books. 

The first thing in the box is a mint tea by First Edition Tea Co. The tea was inspired by the classic book The Little Prince. Now, I, myself, am not a tea drinker, but it smells really good.

The next thing in the box is a soap that was inspired by The Secret Garden. The soap was made by TeaSoapBooks. I am really excited to try this soap out because it smells amazing.

Next they included a bookmark done by the talented Lexy Olivia. The bookmark has a water colour background with a quote from the book Slaughterhouse fire. "Everything was beautiful and nothing was hurt"  I think the bookmark is absolutely gorgeous and I don't want to use it incase I wreck it.

The next thing in the box is a calendar with different classic book covers for each month. Each photo has a hidden picture. For example, for the month of January the picture is of the book Peter Pan but more focuses on Captain Hook. At first glance you just see Captain Hooks hand but if you look again you see that the hook part is actually a broken tea cup and his arm is made up of spilt tea.

The last things in this box is a book, a letter from the author and a signed book plate. The book is a retelling of the classic novel The Phantom of the Opera Novel by Gaston Leroux. The book is RoseBlood by A.G Howard. Owl Crate also included a magnet of The Phantom of the Opera 

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.


At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known. (taken from goodreads)

I have never read the classic novel and I would like to read it before reading this book.

Next months theme is run away with the circus which sounds interesting. *spoiler* It has been revealed that next months box will include a candle and a bookish tote.

Quiz- guess the book in 4 words

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Name That Book Quote

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Quote Book Tag

     Hey everyone! I'm Tea-Riffic and today I will be doing a book tag with you. Yay! I've decided to try and make my own tag so, wish me luck! I've decided to base this around book quotes. I will tell you the quote, then give you the question and my answer.

1. We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy ~ Albus Dumbledore

   What is a book that was hard to finish but you finished it anyway?

    This is a tough one, because I don't tend to continue reading if I find the book boring. But for this one I will go with To Kill Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. Although I ended up liking this book, at first it was painstakingly boring.

2. If you don't want me to be in love with you, you're going to have to stop looking so lovely ~ Maxon Schreave

     What is a book that you bought solely because the of the cover?

     I should start this off by saying you should take the saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover' literally. Some books have amazing covers and horrible stories while others are the opposite. But if I'm going to be honest here, we all do it. Everybody is going to pick up the book with the pretty cover before they pick up the book with the ugly cover.                        

Anyway, here's my pick. This book has my favourite cover. The crown upside down with the blood dripping down, it just gives me the feels. Sends shivers down my back. I really life the simple covers. I don't like it when there is a lot of stuff going on in one page. That is also part of the reason I like this cover.









3. I'm not crazy. My reality is just different from yours ~ Cheshire Cat

     What's a book that you liked but everyone else hated?

     I guess I can say Twilight by Stephanie Meyer for this one. I liked Twilight while almost everyone I know talked about how much they hated it.

4. And in that moment, I swear we were infinitive. ~ Perks of Being a Wallflower

     What's a book you wish would have never ended?

     Harry Potter! The entire series is just so epic and amazing. I was so upset when it finished so I would have loved for it to have been longer.

5. Books! And Cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery ~ Hermione Granger

     What bookish friendship is your favourite?

     Marlee Tames and America Singer. They met on the airplane on the way to the selection and were almost instantly friends. They had their ups and downs but they always come back to each other. They always have each other's backs.

6. Sometimes crying and laughing are the only options left, and laughing feels better right now ~ Divergent

     What's a book that made you laugh till you cried?

      The Princess Diaries was a really funny book. I downloaded it as an audio book to listen while on a road trip. It was a very funny book.

7. Her only way home was to betray her friend ~ Uglies (*spoilers*)

     What was your least favourite bookish betrayal?

     When Maven betrayed Mara. Although I saw it coming, I was still heartbroken when it happened.

8. I told you to hide your heart once. You should have listened ~ Red Queen

    What's an author that killed your favourite character? Which book and which character? (*spoilers*)

      Kiera Cass. Celeste had just made into the top 5 of my favourite characters and then she's killed. And in the same chapter, just pages later, Queen Amberly dies. The one character I really wanted to be in America's life after America and Maxon got married.

9. Before you my life was like a moonless night. Very dark. And then you shot across my sky like a meteor ~ Twilight


      What's a book that shot across your book radar like a meteor? (What's a book that got you out of a reading slump?)

      I was in a reading slump for a couple months in 2016. I tried to pick up books to read but I just couldn't get into any of them. Then I picked up Matched by Allie Condie and then I couldn't stop reading.
     (Fun Fact: The third book in the Matched Series (Reached) almost put my in another reading slump)

10. Don't think or judge. Just Listen. ~ Just Listen

     What book has a terrible cover  but an amazing story, plot and writing style? (in your opinion)

     If you want my explanation about judging a book by it's cover, go back to the first 4 sentences of question 2.
      The Silenced by James DeVita. This book is amazing book with a very moving plot. But the cover wasn't superb. The face with the orange. Just not very pretty.













     Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day. See you next week!
~Tea-Riffic


(*all opinions in this post are my own and other people can have different opinions*)