You know that giddy feeling in your stomach when new books arrive? That times 12 is what I felt when my personalised box with second-hand books arrived. Thanks,  AnderWereld, for the voucher I won with the Bookish Summer Photo Challenge!

About AnderWereld

AnderWereld is a great bookstore specialising in Fantasy, Science Fiction and Young Adult fiction in both Dutch and English. They offer different monthly book boxes as well as a yearly subscription. Next to that, you can also ask them to create a personalised second-hand book box for you.

The briefing

In order for them to create a personalised book box, you have to provide some information regarding your tastes. I also included a link to my Goodreads, so that it was easier to see what I read, what I have and which books I didn’t finish.

So what did I tell them?

• Genre: YA/NA/Adult fantasy
  • For YA: no books for young teenagers
  • Adult: no epic fantasy
• Language: English (or Dutch if that’s the original language)
• Type: Character driven/plot driven over worldbuilding. I love stories in which romance plays an important part! (Whether straight or gay, whether with or without spice)
• Authors I loved: Brigid Kemmerer, Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, Hafsah Faizal, Robin Hobb, Anne Rice, Leigh Bardugo, Floortje Zwigtman, JK Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, VE Schwab
• Authors whose work I loved less (but who I would give another chance): PC Cast, Lauren Kate, Dante Madema, Naomi Novik, KA Knight, AN Roquelaure, Mary Weber, Melinda Salisbury
• Pluses
  • Fairytale retellings
  • Impossible romances
  • Paranormal romances
  • Enemies to lovers
  • Morally grey characters
  • Thieves, assassins, spies
  • Sarcasm
  • Psychological themes like PTSD and Anxiety

Book 1: Pandora by Anne Rice

Hints provided:

• Fantasy – Paranormal – horror – vampire
• A new tale of a 2000 year old vampire
• Telling her (his)story
• One of your favourite authors

I guessed the book while reading these hints, would you have?

I have always adored The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. The tragic tales of these souls trapped in time stole my heart from the moment I first saw Interview with the Vampire. I couldn’t let these characters go and rewatched the movie a hundred times before I finally realised that it was based on a book series. Imagine my joy! The first book, Interview with the Vampire was the first book I’ve ever read in English.

The Vampire Chronicles is made up of thirteen books, but Rice also wrote another vampire series, which is maybe less known: New Tales of the Vampires. To date, this series consists of two books: Pandora and Vittorio.

Pandora is the autobiography of a highborn Roman woman in modern-day Paris. It is considered by some to be Rice’s “most beautifully written work”. Somehow, I’ve never gotten to reading it, so I’m looking forward to diving into Rice’s spellbinding narratives again!

Book 2: Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff

Hints provided:

• Fantasy & LGBT
• A princess who has elemental powers as a bard. She can summon the spirits of earth, air, fire and water through singing.
• But 10 years after she left the palace to study at the Bardic Hall, her life will be turned upside down
• She’s on the run with the father of her unborn child, guilty of treason

I had absolutely no clue what this could be, and I was excited to discover Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff.

I’m unfamiliar with Huff’s work and this is not a type of book I would have typically picked up, out of fear of buying an epic fantasy, so I was immediately glad when I saw it. A big part of the fun of mystery boxes is discovering titles you never would have otherwise, no?

This first part of the Quarters series tells the tale of Princess Annice, who is studying to master musical magic but has to flee when she becomes pregnant. I like the sound of this elemental magic system, so I’m looking forward to diving into it!

Book 3: Bring me the Head of Prince Charming by Roger Zelazny & Robert Sheckley

Hints provided:

• Fantasy, humour & Fairytale
• A demon has his sight set on the millennial Evil Deeds Award
• The being whose acts do the most toward reshaping the world gets the Award
• He wants to persuade a sleeping princess to commit a treacherous act
• But his evil plans go astray

I nearly died from laughter when I read these hints and, afterwards, the title of the book. I’m not sure what to expect, but I love it already. Bring me the Head of Prince Charming by Roger Zelazny and Rober Sheckley sounds like nothing I’ve ever read before!

Book 4: Shadow Histories of the River Kingdom by Juliet E. McKenna

Hints provided:

• Fantasy
• Few people know that there is an unseen realm next to their world
• This realm can give make-believe creatures form and substance
• These dangerous creatures can sometimes escape and those few people have a duty to keep the kingdom save!
• Different stories

When I looked up Shadow Histories of the River Kingdom by Juliet E. McKenna on GoodReads, I was pleasantly surprised by its rating: 4.2. Granted, only five people reviewed it, but still 😉 I have a chronic shortage of short stories, so I’m happy that this book found its way into my collection. Curious to discover these tales!

Book 5: The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Hints provided:

• YA fantasy
• Elanna is devoted to the king who raised her like a daughter
• When he dies under mysterious circumstances, she’s being accused and has to flee
• Returning to the magical legends of her homeland, she has to deal with her traitor father and the forces that stir within her
• A threat is drawing near and she has no choice but to lead a rebellion against the kingdom
• Trapped between divided loyalties, she must confront a destiny that could tear her apart

I’m always super excited when I discover a Young Adult Fantasy novel that I had never heard about previously, so I was happy to find The Waking Land by Callie Bates as the final book in my box. Turns out it is the first novel in an epic trilogy. I’m not sure whether the word “epic” is used here as a reference to the genre itself or to the “greatness” of the story, but I’m eager to find out!

Final thoughts on this mystery box? Very much convinced! All the books match my briefing perfectly and I have read none of them before! 10/10 AnderWereld!