Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books Box March 2016 Review

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books box is a monthly subscription box that sends 'a carefully selected new release' fantasy or sci-fi novel every month along with 3 or more bookish items. A month to month plan is $27.99 + shipping or you can get a 3 month plan for $80.97 + shipping. I purchased the March box. I don't believe they release the themes ahead of time, but the theme for this month was Aliens, Aliens, Aliens!

Dark Energy by Robison Wells, along with a signed bookplate

The novel for this box is Dark Energy by Robison Wells. The book was published by HarperTeen and came out on March 29, 2016. 

(Note: there are no prices on their info card that came in the box and a lot of the things I couldn't find online, so I don't know how to price it. Also, the info card lists the author's name as Robinson Wells, when the book clearly shows Robison. Just an observation, but it's an easy mistake to make.)

From Amazon:

"We are not alone. They are here. And there’s no going back. Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the I Am Number Four series, Dark Energy is a thrilling stand-alone science fiction adventure from Robison Wells, critically acclaimed author of Variant and Blackout.

Five days ago, a massive UFO crashed in the Midwest. Since then, nothing—or no one—has come out.

If it were up to Alice, she’d be watching the fallout on the news. But her dad is director of special projects at NASA, so she’s been forced to enroll in a boarding school not far from the crash site. Alice is right in the middle of the action, but even she isn’t sure what to expect when the aliens finally emerge. Only one thing is clear: everything has changed."

2 Star Wars felt coasters

These coasters are such a fun item. They're entirely made of felt, so they aren't very heavy. I'd imagine the felt wouldn't move easily on a table with a drink on top, so these seem pretty practical.

Guardians of the Galaxy paper clips

How cute! I love the little Groot and Rocket. These are a good size too, so they can be used as bookmarks if you don't want to run the risk of losing them at the office!

Superman/Supergirl Change Purse

You can't really tell from the picture, but the purse is navy in color with the Superman logo. It has a slick inner lining and seems to be well made. My niece actually stole it after I took pictures, lol.

The box also included a promotional bookmark for B. Brumley's newest book Woe for a Fairie which is coming out this month.

Like I said, this is my first box and I think they did an excellent job in keeping with the theme.

Let me know what you think!

If you have any comments/questions/concerns, please feel free to email me at booksunderbed@gmail.com or message me on Twitter @booksunderbed.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton is a YA novel about a girl, the desert, and the way the two intersect. I received the book in March's Uppercase box and read it in a few days. From Amazon:

"Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic. For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three. She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power."

What I Loved: Amani is so strong and determined. You immediately root for her to get out of Dustwalk and I love how survival is her number one priority. Not to get too spoiler-y, but she drugs her love interest in order to escape. How many YA heroines would do that?! And she doesn't spend pages rethinking the decision or feeling guilt. It's clear that, while she is clearly not a morally bad person, she falls into that grey area that very few women in YA stories are allowed to occupy. 

And the world of Dustwalk and the surrounding desert is so well-envisioned, with little details that make it so easy to imagine. I had no trouble picturing the places Hamilton described or the items.

What I Didn't Like: To be honest, there wasn't much I didn't like. The supporting characters in the novel were good, the plot made sense, and the conclusion wasn't forced. It may have been a little abrupt, but that honestly just made me excited for the sequel.

If I was doing a rating system (which I promise I will eventually set up), I would give Rebel of the Sands 4 out of 5 stars.

Let me know what you think!

If you have any comments/questions/concerns, please feel free to email me at booksunderbed@gmail.com.