Uppercase Box Selection Reviews: June, July, August, and September

Between papers, quizzes, exams, and required reading, I have had very little time to read for pleasure during the last month. I have been able to squeeze a chapter or two in every once in a while though. My top two priorities have been reading Netgalley releases and catching up on the books that Uppercase Box has sent me. I started off with the June selection, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

Of course, each Uppercase Box comes with a cute uppercase bag, a little note explaining the book pick, a book, and extra book-related goodies. For the June goodies, I received a signed bookplate, an Uppercase Box sticker, Bookiemoji stickers, a Bookiemoji tote bag, a Bookiemoji bookmark, and a scarf that has the same pattern as the book cover.

 

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Warning: There are spoilers for the book contained in this review.

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I had a lot of trouble staying interested in this book. The pacing started off slow in the beginning and then was choppy throughout the rest of the book. I loved Shazi, Khalid, Jalal, Despina, and the Rajput's parts of the story but didn't care about Tariq or Shazi's Dad's story lines at all. You thing I did like was that when Shazi was mad or hurt or upset, she stayed that way. A lot of times in stories, the main female will be mad, but then the love interest says 1 nice thing, and the female lI had a lot of trouble staying interested in this book. The pacing started off slow in the beginning and then was choppy throughout the rest of the book. I loved Shazi, Khalid, Jalal, Despina, and the Rajput's parts of the story but didn't care about Tariq or Shazi's Dad's story lines at all. One thing I did like was that when Shazi was mad or hurt or upset, she stayed that way. A lot of times in stories, the main female will be mad, but then the love interest says 1 nice thing, and the female lead melts like putty. I have wanted a character who would get mad and stay mad for a long time! I can't wait until the sequel! I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. ========================================================================= After finishing The Wrath and the Dawn, I started reading Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella   This box came with a coffee sleeve inspired by the book, library card socks, and an exclusive set of 3 Paper Towns bookmarks. As for the book, I actually ended up DNFing it. I made it about two chapters in before I had to stop reading. I found the situation in the book to be too ridiculous. Also, the mother was grating on my nerves.   After putting down Finding Audrey, I immediately started on the August book, Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson.     The August box contained a signed bookplate, temporary tattoos, a fierce reads pen, an ampersand necklace, and a bookmark matching the gear and ribbon from the cover. Nerd that I am, the pen was my favorite goodie!   As for the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story isn't very suspenseful, I guessed the plot twist early on, but it did keep my attention all the way through the book. I liked the characters a lot. They were funny but relatable (even though this book is set in an alternate history earth). Verity was just the right amount of spunky and Lord Henry was an interesting oddity. I especially loved their interactions. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book and I hope this is a multi-book series, not just a duology! I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.   The last book I read was the most recent Uppercase selection, Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, for the September box.   The September box came with a signed bookplate, a bookmark matching the book cover, snitch earrings from Juniper and Ivy Designs, and a TBR notepad by Risa Rodil. The notepad is so cute and I've already used it twice to recommend books to people. The snitch earrings are cute and comfortable too!   When it comes to the book, I have to start off by saying that I had pretty high expectations for it. I'm a huge fan of westerns (I grew up on John Wayne and Clint Eastwood), the synopsis looked fantastic, and it has gotten a lot of hype from the book blog/tube/twitter community. The cover is absolutely gorgeous! The artwork and color is crisp and fitting (I think it would make a cool tattoo). The texture of the book is interesting and I like it a lot too. However, I was disappointed with the story. The writing is excellent (even though Kate's grammar bugged me). But the characters annoyed me to no end. I also have a problem with the plot twist at the end. I felt like it came out of left field and was kind of rushed. Overall, it was decent but I'm not a fan. I ended up giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.   Despite the fact that I didn't love all of the books that Uppercase Box chose, I am super in love with their service. Even though I haven't liked all of them, they did introduce me to books I would not have read otherwise. I would not have picked up Finding Audrey or Rebel Mechanics on my own. I ended up loving one of them and not loving the other, but I never would have had the chance to read them if not for Uppercase Box. I also like to see all of the extra content that Uppercase Box provides as well. It really gives a deeper insight into the story, as well as being a fun way to connect. All of the goodies are cute and functional too. I have been very happy with Uppercase Box over the last couple of months and am happily waiting to see what they come out with next!     =========================================================================   Links: Uppercase Box - http://uppercasebox.com/ Juniper and Ivy Designs: http://www.juniperandivydesigns.com/ Risa Rodil: https://society6.com/risarodil  I have to start off by saying that I had pretty high expectations for this book. I'm a huge fan of westerns, the synopsis looked fantastic, and it has gotten a lot of hype from the book blog/tube/twitter community. The cover is absolutely gorgeous! The artwork and color is crisp and fitting (I think it would make a cool tattoo). The texture of the book is interesting and I like it a lot too. However, I was disappointed with the story. The writing is excellent (even though Kate's gr