Hello fellow book hoarders! This month I tried a new subscription company and was super pleased with what I found. The Dragon’s Hoard (you can probably guess what drew me in there (it’s the word “dragon” if you didn’t guess)) is a relatively new subscription company based in Perth, Australia – my home city! I was thoroughly delighted with the contents of August’s box and am already raring to go to see what will be in September’s.

August’s Theme:

Be Your Best Self

The Dragon’s Hoard is an Australian based subscription company that is absolutely fabulous. They send out boxes monthly on an auto-renewing system. The box costs $30AUD per month (excluding shipping) and is a sci-fi/fantasy specialist (occasionally with some YA). The boxes include one book, not necessarily a new release and usually under 3K ratings (on Goodreads I presume), and 3-5 bookish goodies, with each box curated to a particular theme. The idea is to bring you something you probably haven’t seen before.

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A Quick Overview

As I said, I was really pleased with everything in this box and squealed muchly so as I opened it. I have never heard or seen of the book before and am so excited to get reading it. The items that came in the box were all fabulous and this box is well worth a shot if you’re thinking of giving a bookish subscription company a go.

// THE DRAGON’S HOARD //

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The Book

The Just City
by Jo Walton

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Philosophical
Author: Jo Walton
Published: January 2015
Publisher: Corsair
Pages:  368 {paperback}

One day, in a moment of philosophical puckishness, the time-travelling goddess Pallas Athene decides to put Plato to the test and create the Just City. She locates the City on a Mediterranean island and populates it with over ten thousand children and a few hundred adults from all eras of history . . . along with some handy robots from the far human future.

Meanwhile, Apollo – stunned by the realization that there are things that human beings understand better than he does – has decided to become a mortal child, head to Athene’s City and see what all the fuss is about.

Then Socrates arrives, and starts asking troublesome questions.

So, when I saw the cover for this book I danced around because it’s awesome. It looks like the beginning of a fairytale and I just love it. I feel like, judging by this cover, I’m going to love this book. Then I read the blurb and fainted with excitement. I’m so curious to see how this book reads and was SO happy that I decided to get the subscription box at this point because I would never have heard of this book otherwise. Which would’ve been a TRAGEDY.

The blurb that you’re reading here is actually not the blurb on the back of my book. Mine is far more exciting but you’ll have to buy the book yourself to read it (it’s all dramatic, giving up stats about the citizens of this Just City). This is also part of a series *rubs hands together* so that means we can buy more gorgeous-looking books. Basically, I just can’t wait to see what this is all about.

// GOODREADS // BUY //

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A Delightfully Matching Bookmark

This bookmark is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a hand made design done with foil. There is also a similar pattern on the reverse but I just think it’s beautiful. I love reading books with an appropriate bookmark so you can be sure that when I pick up the book this is what I’ll be using.

// BEHIND THE PAGES //

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Sour Sticky Notes

This is quite possibly the greatest thing of my life. When I first saw it, I was like, yeah, that’s cool. You see, it comes looking like a slice of lemon in the normal stacked-up look of sticky notes. But then you can do this to it! By splaying it out it transforms into a 3D lemon.  I nearly died of excitement.

// CALLICRAFTY //

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Inspirational Temporary Tattoos

I am, weirdly, such a sucker for temporary tattoos. I don’t have any interest in getting a real one, but I do love sticking these bad boys on. The quote reads: Know yourself, you are worth knowing. It’s a quote from the book which has me uber excited to get reading, like most things in this box.

// CREATE EXPLORE READ //

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Gloriously Bookish Quotes

Our good old pal, The Sticker Alley, returns in this box (I swear they’re in every subscription box). These are six inspirational bookish quotes from various people on lovely little stickers. I’m never quite sure what to do with stickers (I’m slowly gathering an alarming hoard of them, though) – but I’m sure at some point I’ll find a surface to stick them on. I’ve been banned from sticking them on my door though, so that rules that one out.

// THE STICKER ALLEY //

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September’s theme is:

The Ties That Bind Us

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Well, I’m pretty pleased with that. What did you think?

Want to join in on the fun in September? Visit their website . . .

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~~ Kirstie ~~

 Follow @ozbooksnail