Young Adult 2023
Hover over the photo of the wrapped gifts to see the complete unboxing underneath!
Round Table Romance
December Box
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex CroucherPage 21: "He ducked just as the ink bottle smashed against the door next to his head; ink poured down the wood and pooled on the floor, soaking into his boots."
The included gift was a custom 250ml bottle of lavender bath salts.
Page 86: "Gwen slammed her book shut and stood up."
The included gift was a hardcover edition of Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert.
Page 204: "She cast around for something to stop the bleeding; her half-finished embroidery was on the table by the fire, and she hesitated..."
The included gift was a custom 35"x71" linen peach-colored scarf with red, green, and yellow floral embroidery.
Page 325: "He unwrapped the paper and extracted a long pendant."
The included gift was a custom black tourmaline pendant necklace.
Love and Chess
November Box
Check & Mate by Ali HazelwoodPage 7: "I grin at her. Pluck two straws from the bin. Offer her one, which she ignores."
The included gift was a set of 6 silicone reusable drinking straws, 3 pink and 3 blue.
Page 157: "When I sneak out to use the bathroom, I find a brown bag outside my door. Inside are a sandwich, a Fanta, and a pack of Twizzlers."
The included gift was a custom insulated brown lunch bag with the quote: If you never try, you'll never know .
Page 296: "The silver fig leaf earrings that I got her when she wouldn't let me apologize for being a dick dangle prettily from her ear."
The included gift was a custom set of silver fig leaf earrings.
Page 341: "Six and a half hours later, the mayor of Venice, a tall man with a thick black beard and a hard-to-pronounce last name, sets my queen's pawn on d4 in the ceremonial first move of the World Chess Championship."
The included gift was a custom chess set, including a folding board, 32 game pieces, and game rules.
The Wicked Apothecary
October Box
The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
Page 81: "I grabbed one of my hairpins from the floor and stabbed it into his wrist."
The included gift was a gold and amethyst oversized hair pin.
Page 98: "My copper rings had burned up in my last transformation, so I snatched my satchel and tightened the rope, slamming it into the side of the man's head."
The included gift was a customized satchel crossbody bag.
Page 195: "The box was full of red silk embroidered with gold cranes. Several coins fell out of the folds of the fabric."
The included gift was a laser-cut wooden box containing a piece of red and gold fabric, three coins, and a letter inspired by the novel.
Page 406: "Pearls spilled from my mouth, clattering to the floor."
The included gift was a jar of edible sugar pearls.
Leaves of Magic
September Box
Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed
Page 14: "Pulling the seashell from her pocket, Yas stole a glance toward her home."
The included gift was a painted seashell pendant necklace.
Page 31: "She tossed him a rag. "Wipe down the table while you're there.""
The included gift was a custom designed set of four Swedish dish cloths.
Page 113: "He stood behind her, watching her. She tightened her grip on her tote bag."
The included gift was a teal-dyed woven produce tote bag.
Page 254: "She retrieved her case of paints. The brushes of all different sizes, different from what she used on the mural."
The included gift was a custom designed paint set including a palette, 4x6 canvas, three brushes, and twelve acrylic paints.
Secrets of the Sea
August Box
Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith
Page 56: "As I moved the chair out of the way of the desk, in order to unplug my phone charger, I frowned."
The included gift was a custom designed, wireless charger.
Page 105: "Bending down, I grabbed at the flash of brilliant fuchsia under the bed. A delicate silk scarf adorned with white skulls."
The included gift was a custom designed fuchsia scarf with white skulls.
Page 143: "In front of us, Bingo Bob started rattling off numbers. The numbers on the card swam in front my eyes."
The included gift was a custom designed book bingo card.
Page 254: "It was a well-thumbed copy of the Iliad. Flicking through it looked as if several passages had been highlighted."
The included gift was a custom designed desk fan in the shape of a book, printed with the cover of the Iliad.
Written in the Stars
July Box
Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
Page 110: "Arjun lifted an eyebrow at her and picked up the earring. He cleaned it with the edge of his kurta before handing it over."
The included gift was a pair of enamel dangle earrings.
Page 125: "Arjun let go over her hand. He sat down on the picnic blanket and his head fell into his open palms."
The included gift was a custom designed, roll-up picnic blanket.
Page 164: "Madhuri, you're holding our astrological charts in your hand right now and you know that's forbidden."
The included gift was a poster showing the astrological signs and their movements.
Page 215: "Her fingertips trembled as she filled the transparent dropper with the rich oil."
The included gift was a bottle of hyaluronic acid facial serum.
Ursula Awakens
June Box
Our Vengeful Souls by Kristi McManus
Page 6: "I run my fingers over the scales of my tail, feeling each ridge, watching the iridescent colors merge from blue to green to purple."
The included gift was a mint green woven mermaid tail blanket.
Page 43: "My eyes fall on a small painting at the corner of the desk. I expect it to be of my mother, but as I draw closer, I see it is of a woman with long, flowing red hair, and dull, pale skin."
The included gift was a custom designed set of four post cards featuring an eerie painting of a red-haired woman.
Page 59: "With trembling hands, I cup the leaf, bringing it to my lips."
The included gift was a custom designed leaf shaped soap dish with the words 'I am powerful. I am strong. I will overcome.' written on the bottom.
Page 238: "The moment I turn, preparing to flee, the men at my sides leap forward. A net I had not seen hiding in the waves is launched into the air, falling over me."
The included gift was an exfoliating bath net.
Finding Her Voice
May Box
Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Page 99: ""Wilder, this would look so good on you!" She takes the pink baseball cap she's wearing off her head and gets up on her tiptoes to place it playfully on Wilder's head."
The included gift was a custom-designed, screenprinted 'Empowered Women Empower Women' trucker hat.
Page 119: "It's the awkward few days between Christmas and New Year's, and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, watching the red raspberry of my tea flood into the water, ignoring the blinking cursor of my Word document."
The included gift was a box of raspberry tea.
Page 201: "I lift the lid of the box. Inside sits a bracelet on a thin, dainty gold chain. Connecting the chain in the middle is a charm in the shape of a key. I squint and see that in the middle of the key the word BRAVE is engraved."
The included gift was a custom gold chain bracelet featuring a charm holder. Inside is a tiny key charm with the word BRAVE engraved on it.
Mysterious Creatures
April Box
Page 164: "The object continues to flash in the moonlight. It takes me a moment to realize what I'm looking at. It's circular, metal - it's a watch. But...wait. My eyes widen and a scream starts in my throat. Because the watch is still attached to an arm."
The included gift was a custom designed 'Nightfall' brand watch with faux leather strap packaged onto a cardboard cutout of an arm.
Page 201: "She reaches into her jacket pocket and takes out a brightly colored hacky sack. She hands it to me and I look it over, perplexed."
The included gift was a rainbow colored hacky sack.
Page 366: "I notice my grandmother's purse looped around the top of the kitchen chair. I don't have time to think, don't have time to check on Nonna. I grab one of the stakes out of it and rush forward..."
The included gift was a custom designed Dracula book purse containing a wooden stake.
A Kiss of Magic
March Box
Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong
Page 35: "Matilde slips on her Goldfinch mask. It's like a second skin: her truest face and best lie."
The included gift was a black feather bird mask.
Page 270: "He puts his hand over hers on the pestle, tilting its angle. His calluses rub against her skin."
The included gift was a grey stone mortar and pestle.
Page 275: "Jacinta narrows her eyes, rearranging the cards for no reason Aesa can discern. "I painted these cards myself.""
The included gift was a set of three fortune cards, with a scratch off fortune on the back.
Page 360: "As two Wardens drag her away, down hallways and through a series of dark tunnels, Aesa reaches up into her hair. A piece of sea glass is still there, buried deep within a braid she plaited days ago. She rubs it hard, making a wish."
The included gift was a seaglass bar of soap.
Daughters of Expectation
February Box
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
Page 57: "Music drifted from the box on her dresser as she lifted the lid. Carefully, she pried the bottom of the box up. The light glinted off the sharp edge of the ruby hidden beneath, teardrop-shaped and lovely."
The included gift was a small travel jewelry box containing a teardrop-shaped pendant.
Page 102: "In her hand was a slim book covered in pale blue cloth. 'The Art of Being Agreeable' by Margaret E. Sanster."
The included gift was a custom, stretchy fabric book cover.
Page 273: "Only so much could fit in her mother's suitcase. She wished for a full-length mirrors the girls had in their rooms. She did her beset with the small round one on her nightstand."
The included gift was a small, round, gold framed mirror with an Oscar Wilde quote printed along the bottom.
High Seas Heist
January Box
A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
Page 114: "Her eyes landed on the rolled-up paper than Hinnah was clasping in her hands. "What's that?" "Floor plans of the ship.""
The included gift was a 12x18 poster print of the Titanic floor plans to frame.
Page 202: "The Rubaiyat was so close. Josefa could make out the beautiful peacock-feathered cover, green and gold and unlike anything she had seen before."
The included gift was a custom, moleskin journal with elastic closure.
Page 335: "Josefa ran her hands over the book, feeling some of the jewels give way. When the book was hit with the knife, something must have loosened in the cover. She grabbed as many of the jewels from the cover as she could, holding them tight in her fist."
The included gift was a set of fun costume face jewels.
Page 349: "The ticking of it was like a heartbeat against her hands. It looked almost completely like the pocket watch that Violet had carried around with her."
The included gift was a jeweled pocket watch.