Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 March 2021

Book Review | The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night | prettylittlewriter

Whenever I start a new fantasy fiction novel, I always wonder how they are going to make it different from the hundreds of other novels out there. 
But, The Crowns of Croswald truly is unique.
Slightly similar to a certain wizarding world franchise at the beginning, orphan girl living a hellish life until she finds out she is magical and is whisked off to a fantastic school.
However, that’s where the similarities end.

'Ivy Lovely is 16 and she has no idea who she is—or what her powers could be. When she crosses a magical boundary, she discovers a whole new world of enchantment and mystery. Making friends that will last a lifetime—and save her life—she steps into her own abilities and discovers more about her hidden past, magical blood, and the power of Croswald’s mystical stones. But all is not well: a dark history and an evil Queen threatens all that is good. Will Ivy’s bravery and wit be enough?' (amazon description)

Every single character is unique; the weird and wonderful names, the different creatures, the fact that the school teaches ‘royals’ and ‘scrivenists’ (the truly magical ones IMO). All of it is just so incredibly clever. (side note: I really hope Ivy gets to meet Rimbrick again)
It took me just over two days to devour this book.
I’m now desperate for the second novel!

I’m not sure on the age of audience this is particularly aimed at, but I will say that it is quite ‘wordy’, so anyone under 14 may find it a bit tiresome (I myself did skip over a few parts that were mainly describing lessons or objects within the magical world), but it certainly doesn’t take away from how incredible it is!
I honestly can see this becoming a well-received, highly popular and successful movie (if done right).

I honestly couldn't recommend this more to anyone that enjoys fantasy fiction, especially the magical kind (literally and metaphorically!). 
I didn't realise, but D.E. Night is a self-published author also, which I think is absolutely incredible. It's hard getting your novels published, but to create such a unique and wonderful world, I was so surprised a publisher hadn't snapped the idea up in a heartbeat!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Stories Untold Press for gifting me this eARC and introducing me to the wonderful world of Ivy Lovely.

5/5 stars!
 

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Monday, 1 June 2020

Book Review | Lesley Kara's Who Did You Tell? | prettylittlewriter

This week I'm giving you my opinion on the second novel by Lesley Kara, an author based here in the UK.
I read her first novel, The Rumour, a year or so ago, and I think I managed to finish it in a couple of days. It was the only book I'd actually completed since I finished University, and I knew it was brilliant as I just couldn't put it down. I'd stay up late till the early hours of the morning, forcing myself to stay awake to get to the end and discover the truth. There was also a brilliant twist right at the very end which I really wasn't expecting!

So when I found out she'd released a 2nd book, I had to have it. 

It’s been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around.

Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery. She's going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she's wronged.

But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from. And they won't stop until she learns that some mistakes can't be corrected.

Some mistakes, you have to pay for... 
This novel began with the suspicion that Astrid had a stalker, and I assumed it was an ex of Astrid's.
Intrigued, as I carried on reading, the reasons behind Astrid's alcohol addiction became apparent, and there was definitely more going on than what you were first lead to believe.

I was very passionate about Astrid and her relationship with the character of Josh, a love interest. I always enjoy a love story, so I was invested in them and so badly wanted their relationship to work. Not only because I like a bit of romance, but I also felt for Astrid, she had been through an awful lot and I wanted her to have something positive in her life.

Lesley really had managed to make me feel for these characters, and that is what I loved the most about the novel. I could really empathize with Astrid, and even her mother at times, as someone with an addiction can be difficult to cope with.

The ending was not what I expected at all, and in all honestly, I should know this by now as there are so many authors out there who manage to lead you down one path and the truth is in the other direction. I was very impressed. 

In conclusion, Lesley Kara knows how to keep you in suspense, and create a character that you are drawn to, needing to know how things end for them.

I would 100% recommend to others, as well as The Rumour. 

3.5/5 stars


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Sunday, 23 October 2016

Review | Kylie Cosmetics Fall Lip Kits | prettylittlewriter

I have only recently discovered the power of a Kylie Cosmetics Lip kit. There are some absolutely stunning colours and the staying power is insane! It is safe to say that after my first swatch, I fell in love.
So when Kylie announced that she was bringing out an Autumn Collection (HELL YEAH), not to mention that one of the shades is called 'Pumpkin' (!!!!!), I went crazy for it. I set an alarm to wake me up around Midnight (3PST in North America) for the launch of the products on her website. 


My intentions were simple, grab Pumpkin & Trick, and I was lucky enough to grab them before they all sold out! I wanted Trick as it is almost Halloween and I thought it would be the perfect shade to wear to show my love of this spooky and wonderful holiday without having to wear a full on costume! & Pumpkin, well, I don't think I need to explain myself with that one.


They look absolutely stunning and I cannot wait to start wearing them! Pumpkin is legit the exact colour of an Orange Pumpkin, so I am very impressed with it!
The products had a re-launch with the New Burgundy Eyeshadow Palette on the 20th October, so if you like the look of these two shades, get yourself on the website, stat!

And if you enjoyed this post, keeps your eyes peeled for a preview of the Burgundy Palette, which I will no doubt receive within the next few days!




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Friday, 13 March 2015

Review | Lush Immaculate Eggception Bath Bomb | prettylittlewriter

I've had a particularly stressful week due to University deadlines and such, therefore I wanted to treat myself to a Lush bath, and so I thought I'd try out one of the new Easter products.

I decided upon the Immaculate Eggception Bath Bomb which promises a little surprise within!


Much like the Love Locket Bath Bomb around Valentine's Day, this bath bomb is larger than the standard Lush bath bombs, however, that is due to it containing a miniature bath bomb inside. 


It can contain either a bunny rabbit or a chick, and mine contained a gorgeous little chick which I set aside for another bath time.


I dropped in the two halves of the bigger portion of the bath bomb, and the immediate effect was gorgeous! A thrilling fuchsia colour erupted creating swirly patterns and a lovely view.



It left my bath water a lovely pink shade, however I will say I didn't scrub my bath first so it did stain it a little. 
The scent was also really nice, will vanilla extract, lemon oil and grapefruit oil, it is a really fresh and fruity scent.

You can purchase the Immaculate Eggception bath bomb, along with the other Easter products from Lush.co.uk

Have you tried the Immaculate Eggception bath bomb? If so what are your thoughts? And what are your favourite products out of the collection?


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Tuesday, 13 January 2015

Review | Lush's Floating Flower | prettylittlewriter

About six months ago, I decided to purchase some Lush products to see what everyone was raving about, and my goodness, I've been missing out for so long!

Every single item that I have used has impressed me so far, therefore I am going to start doing a review on each product I use as I use them.

The first out of these reviews is one of Lush's new products for Valentine's Day, the Floating Flower bath bomb.


This bath bomb contains the scents of Jasmine absolute, Ylang Ylang oil and cypress oil. 

Once added to the water, I was expecting something beautiful, and I certainly wasn't disappointed! Five different colours (pink, yellow, orange, green and blue) expanded and left gorgeous swirly patterns within my bath water. 

After entering the bath water, the colours dispersed and left me in gorgeous rose coloured water with a white milky topping.

The only thing I will say about this product is that I was informed by the retail assistant who sold it to me that it was supposed to spin in the water, this did not happen in my case, I had to move the bomb around with my fingers to spread the colours.







Overall, I would give this bath bomb an 8/10 rating, the psychedelic patterns and milky finish really impressed me, along with the scent, however I was disappointed about the product not spinning!

This bath bomb retails at Lush Cosmetics for £3.50, a bargain for anyone who wishes to add a little spice to their bath time!
It can be purchased here or in your local Lush Cosmetics shop.


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Thursday, 25 September 2014

New Mac purchases | prettylittlewriter

Over the past couple of weeks or so I've gathered a few new Mac products either via Duty Free at the Airport or ordering online after my recent student loan came through! So I thought I'd give you a little review on what I think about them.


I've purchased three new lipstick shades, Rebel, Good Kisser and Ruby Woo. Good Kisser is from the Limited Edition A Novel Romance Collection. Unfortunately most of the lipsticks are sold out online and in store, however the Duty Free Mac Stall at Manchester Airport had Good Kisser still available so I grabbed it straight away!



Rebel

Good Kisser

Ruby Woo


As you can see, each of these shades are well pigmented. Rebel being a satin finish, it adds some shine to your lips and Ruby Woo and Good Kisser are both matte shades.
Rebel is a great shade for autumn/winter, with it's dark plum colouring and Ruby Woo is deep red shade which would look lovely for autumn/winter make up. 
Good Kisser is a bright pink shade which adds a bit of pop! to any look and is perhaps more of a summer shade.

 One thing I will say is Ruby Woo is quite stiff when applying it to your lips; compared to the other two the application is a lot harder and it doesn't just slide on gracefully.


 I think my favourite shades out of these are Good Kisser and Ruby Woo.

Moving on to eyeshadow, I purchased the shade Woodwinked.




This shade is described as a warm antiqued gold and highly pigmented. As you can see, it gives a lovely shimmer to your lids and is a bronze/gold shade.

And last but not least, I finally caved and bought the Studio Sculpt Foundation is NW20. 



As you can see, the shade is a little dark for my skin tone, however, once blended into my skin it is a great colour and isn't too dark for me. I am also wearing the foundation in the above pictures of me.


So those are my most recent Mac purchases, and there's no doubt in my mind that I will be purchasing many more of their products as I absolutely love them!

Are there any Mac products that you recently purchased that you love?





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Monday, 1 September 2014

Front Cover Palette Review | prettylittlewriter

For today's post I thought I'd give you a little peek at the eyeshadow I have been using a lot lately. 

I've had this Front Cover eyeshadow palette for years now but I hadn't used it in a fair few months and have just rediscovered my love for it!



This was purchased from boots and contains 25 different shades, two brushes and an eyeliner pen. It also gives you some instructions on how to create four different looks using the shades. Unfortunately, Boots no longer stock these lovely beauty kits, but you can purchase them from the official website and Ebay.





There are some super bright colours in there that I don't think I have ever used as I'm nowhere near brave enough to try them!

 My favourite shades are the more neutral shades; Mother of Pearl, Biscuit, Hazel and Clove. 
I recently used these shades with the addition of Chocolate Truffle to create this eye make up look. 


 The photograph really doesn't do the shades justice. In person it was much more pigmented and quite a dark purple thanks to the Chocolate Truffle shade.



As you can see from the swatches, most of these shades are well pigmented and have a shimmer to them, however there are a few matte shades which are Hazel, Clove, French Blue, Buttercup, Carrot and Super Pink. 

 I find that the shades are all really easy to use and give a brilliant finish to any make up look, whether it be the smoky eye or if you're going for the neutral look.

The only thing I will say against this particular product is the size; it isn't travel friendly in the slightest. However, there are other palettes by the same brand which have the shades in separate squares which you can remove and pop into a travel box provided with the palette.

 Have you ever used the Front Cover make up brand? 


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