Unboxing - #owlcrate December 2016 - Epic

December's #owlcrate arrived last week and as usual I procrastinated on posting the unboxing until this week. The theme for this box was all things EPIC.

I was figuring there'd be an HP item, a LoTR item and a GoT item for sure but I wasn't sure what else and as always I had no idea what book to expect because I don't follow YA publishing enough to know what's on the horizon in terms of releases.

1. Harry Potter mystery mini from Funko!

I love Funko figurines, I have a lot of them, so many that I don't know the exact amount. I especially love the Harry Potter ones. I actually have the Hermione and Crookshanks mystery minis sitting on my desk. The best part about the blind box ones is hoping you'll get one of the rare ones. Angie bought me a blind box Vinylmation at Disney World for my birthday gift and I got the rarest option which was super exciting for me! So I ripped into this one's box right away with my fingers crossed for a rare one. I got Harry himself as you can see. He's the most common option, but he's adorable so I forgive him! Now he lives on one of my book shelves hanging out with the Sirius Funko!Pop I got for Christmas.

2. Game of Thrones coasters from Dark Horse Comics/HBO

These are awesome, they're really gorgeous and vibrant. I don't need more coasters. I have as many as I actually need. So I've decided I am going to follow the advice of my interior design idol, Sarah Richardson, and get a shadowbox or shadowboxes to frame them because I think they would look really good framed. I LOVE the GoT books - not such a big fan of the show though.

3. Lord of the Rings book pin from Jane Mount at Ideal Bookshelf

At one point I was starting to showcase my pins on my messenger bag. But they kept falling off, specifically the Mockingjay pin I got as a gift from Angie, so I thought better to be safe than sorry so I took them off even though that made me sad. I'll have to figure out how to showcase them now and then add this one to the showcase. Maybe these could be mounted in a shadowbox too, hmmmmm.

4. Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe card from Susanne Draws

Narnia is <3, and LWW is my favourite of the Narnia books. I've been saying/thinking to myself that I didn't have enough Narnia prints on my geeky gallery walls (Just 1, of the lamppost) so this was a great and timely addition! It's actually a greeting card and not a print, but that didn't stop me from framing it as you can see. It JUST fits into that 4x6 frame, like the edges of the card are pressed right against the inner edges of the mat. It now lives on my wall as part of a fourseome with a photo of me and Angie in front of Cinderella's Castle, a Star Wars print, and a photo of my coworkers and I in our 2016 comic book Halloween costumes. And coincidentally the entire foursome hangs right next to the Harry Potter print from a previous Owl Crate.

5. Darker Shade of Magic quote sticker from Miss Phi

The author's YA novel This Savage Song was one of my favourite reads of 2016. I absolutely adored it. That being said I haven't read V.E. Schweb's original series which is quoted on this sticker yet. But I plan to! I have the audible editions of both books. This sticker has a great quote on it and it's really well designed. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Maybe I'll continue the trend of almost everything else in this box and frame it! How novel! haha.

6. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

What a gorgeous cover! As is pretty much par for the course with my Owl Crate books, I've never heard of this one before. But honestly that's one of the best parts about Owl Crate to me. They're introducing me to new things that I might not always pick up on my own. I read the authors letter before reading the book's blurb and that was actually enough to hook me. I'm really excited to get around to this one. It's about unconventional princesses. I LOVE unconventional princesses. Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles was one and she is one of my favourite literary heroines to this day.

"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." -- via Goodreads

Hey, if you're ever thinking about subscribing to Owl Crate - why not use my referral link and help me earn a free box?