IVORY TOWER: Pink Shimmer Bedroom!

 

For the past few weeks I have been up to my eyes in wallpaper and paint, redecorating my bedroom and giving it a bit of a makeover. My inspiration was the series of background art images I purchased for my blog, pictured above and the Elven ambient video you can watch here - I love the soft pink world they portray, with roses and doves, books and candles. Its the kind of world I dream of. As a girl, I always had a pink bedroom, but as I grew older my tastes changed slightly, so I have been in the process of turning my deep royal purple room into a shimmering shade of light pink. This was much harder than I thought it would be and it took twice as long as I imagined!

I told my editor that I would be unavailable for the month of October, as I knew if I didn't book the time in to do it, it would never get done. I spent a while packing down all my belongings; clothes, makeup, perfumes, pictures, books etc;  I moved furniture to other rooms and then made a start in October. The room was finally finished at the weekend and I couldn't be happier with the result. It was very hard work and I'm pretty tired out by it, but it was well worth the effort. 

I wanted the room to be soft pink, but I also wanted it to glimmer, like my kitchen and hallway that I redecorated last autumn. They glow in the light and I wanted a similar effect in my bedroom. I chose a beautiful pink wallpaper that has a subtle shimmer in it and we covered every wall. Before, when the room was royal purple, it hugged you as you walked in - like a dark sanctuary. Now it feels like stepping into another realm - one of bright romance and optimism. The walls gleam and glimmer like starlight and when the sun comes in, the whole room lights up with a shimmering rosy glow. I have lots of chiffon and sparkly butterflies dotted around the room, and of course, my swan queens and unicorns. It wouldn't be my room without enchanted swans and magical horses!

I went all out and bought new crushed velvet curtains and bedspread in a soft blush pink, with new golden curtain poles to replace the old ones that had seen better days. I replaced the tired chrome knobs on a cupboard with sparkling new rose gold ones, and put up rose gold hooks for my dressing gowns. I painted the faded gold leaf accents on the bedstead in golden metal paint and I used leftover wallpaper to place new backing behind all my Pre-Raphaelite prints, so that they blend nicely into the pink walls. This makes the actual artwork stand out even more and it looks much nicer than the standard white background such prints usually come with.  I added iridescent bead curtains and pretty butterfly faceted crystal suncatchers to the windows, which make dainty rainbows dance around the room. My old a-ha framed posters were also given a makeover with a coat of sparkling glitter paint (because everything can be improved with a bit of shimmer!) and a few decoupage butterflies glued to the frames. My pretty Viking boys in pretty frames! They look so cute - I'm in love!

I found a hack on You Tube to turn your TV into a golden framed TV with a bit of inexpensive tape, so I did that too and I'm amazed at how well it turned out! My TV now looks like it has a rose gold frame and it looks so nice, I think I will do the TV in the lounge too.  I also got a new picture of glittering roses, which is just lovely. This room was quite a big project and I'd been putting it off for that very reason, but now its all finished, I'm so glad I did it. 

It's my birthday this week and so this room makeover is my birthday present to myself.  There are a couple of things I still need to do - I plan to place faux winter rose vines by the window frame, and hang a few sparkling crowns on the wall by the wardrobe, but I'm still waiting for those to arrive. I also need to spray paint the briar rose candle sconces I have as they are looking a bit worse for wear after all these years, so I'm going to give them a new lease of life with a coat of shimmering rose gold spray paint.  My mother also bought me a tall CD tower in white and a pink rug with roses on it for my birthday, so they are in place too. All in all it has come together quite well and I'm so pleased with how the room looks. 

I am very influenced by my surroundings and my mood is better when I am in a pretty place. I guess its the truth behind the saying 'tidy house, tidy mind'. That has always been true for me. I stayed at my mum's house while I decorated because I just wouldn't have been able to sleep amid so much chaos. Even now, there are all the boxes to unpack and things to organise and put away, but I can do that a box at a time. It will take a little while, but its a good excuse for a declutter and a reorganise, so I'm happy to do it. I'll probably just get everything squared away and it will be time to deck the halls for Yuletide!

For the most part the room is finished and I love the rosy glow it has. It looks pretty in all kinds of light, from sunlight to lamplight to candlelight - it simply shimmers! It feels very magical and it has renewed my own sense of enchantment. Everything sparkles and that sparks joy in me too. The room nurtures me and makes me feel like anything is possible once again. I had lost my sense of possibility I think, but now its back and with it a renewed optimism. 

Because I work from home I spend nearly all my time here, so I need my home to be as beautiful as I can make it. Transforming my bedroom was probably the best birthday present I could have given myself as it has really boosted my mood. Its just so pretty and I feel more like myself now that I have a pink bedroom again. Its a beautiful, glimmering, enchanting space to escape to when the world gets too much and I just need to retreat into a soft, peaceful space. 

My goal was to try and recreate the pink artwork of my blog background to the best of my ability - looking around my room I'd say that I have achieved that. This is still a magical room, but it is now much softer and more feminine, so it reflects the essence of my personality more accurately. With the dominant purple stripped away and replaced with the much softer pink, the room feels more fey than witchy, more enchanting, yet still quite regal in its own way.  It was hard work and time consuming, but the subsequent rosy glow has made it all worth while in the end and it feels like life is coming up roses again. Now all I need is an Elven Prince to charm me with his forever love... a girl can dream!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

BOOK NOOK: East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Jackie Morris

"So you are the one that should have had him. You are the one he waited for all those years and now he waits again. I hoped it was you when I found you in the woods, and wearing the necklace and all." 

The Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favourites and this novella version by the artist and illustrator, Jackie Morris, is a beautiful retelling. I have been dipping into it as I spent the last few weeks decorating my bedroom, and after long days up to my eyes in wallpaper and paint, reading a chapter or two each night has been the perfect way to unwind. The book sweeps you away to a cold Nordic landscape from the opening pages and it holds you fast in its grip until the very end.

Similar to Jackie Morris's other books, such as The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow, it is lavishly illustrated with beautiful watercolour images that dream into one another, lending an even greater sense of enchantment to an already magical fairytale.  It is a beautiful hardback book, with a slim ribbon bookmark attached and the image of a polar bear embossed in gold on the cover. I do love polar bears! 

In this story, a great white bear comes in the night and asks a young girl to spend a year and day with him at his castle in the far northern mountains. She agrees and soon learns to love the bear, though she suspects that he might be keeping secrets from her. When she learns what his secret is, the bear disappears and she is left bereft. Determined to find him, she embarks on a snowy adventure, seeking out the enchanted castle that lies East of the Sun, West of the Moon, where her beloved is being held captive. 

This retelling is told in a very traditional way, with all the usual tropes of a classic fairytale - there are three gifts, three magical sisters, seemingly impossible tasks, glamour magic, a seductive Trickster and elemental helpers. The tale whisks the reader along from quiet, gentle woodlands and through desert storms, culminating in a land of ice and snow at the very top of the world, where the bear-prince sleeps alone in his tower as he awaits his rescuing maiden. 

It is a stunning book and a very pretty retelling of a charming Nordic fairytale. The illustrations add to the atmosphere of the story, with polar bears aplenty, rich woodlands and snowscapes all brought to life with the expert stroke of the artist's brush. I especially like the Queen of the White Bears scene, with the Northern Lights in the background, its so pretty.  There is a twist at the end, and while personally I would have preferred a more traditional ending, this new ending is more in keeping with a modern reading audience. It is a nice ending, but I would have liked the original better and found it more satisfying, I think.

Having said that, East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a very charming book, with both the prose and images living up to the high expectations readers have for Morris's work. Its a lovely story to read as the darkness gathers and the nights draw in. The snowy setting makes it a perfect winter read in the run up to the festive season. It's like a polar bear hug in a book! And who wouldn't love to be friends with a polar bear? I know I would - I could do with a bear-hug! Enjoy.

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book is about to be re-released on 24th November 2025 and is up for Pre-Order now in hard cover format. 

BOOK NOOK: The Witching Hour

 " 'A general reading, then,' said Noelle, beginning the shuffle with more vigour than she meant, 'will reveal to you an insight into your past, present and future. It shall serve to help you understand the aspects of your life as it stands, and reveal to you the consequences of your intentions or actions. Will this suffice?' "

from A Midnight Visitor by Susan Stokes-Chapman

The Witching Hour: Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights is the third seasonal anthology of ghost stories to be published by Little, Brown Book Group, following on from The Haunting Season (2022) and The Winter Spirits (2023).  These collections have become firm favourites of mine for the dark season and this new edition is no exception. It features many of the same authors, including Bridget Collins, Natasha Pulley, Jess Kidd and Kiran Millwood Hargrave, to name a few, so you can be sure of the masterful storytelling contained within the beautiful covers of the book.

As the title suggests, the thirteen spooky tales in this particular anthology are all built upon the central theme of the midnight hour, when anything can happen and strange spirits come out to play. Each tale is complete in itself and together they create an atmospheric and macabre reading experience. The tone is traditional, akin to that of M R James, although the authors are all modern masters of the Gothic genre. 

In this anthology you will find a haunted dolls' house, a vengeful curse, teenage friends who refuse to be parted by death, a couple of modern ghost hunters and much more. Some of my particular favourites are The Signal Bells by Natasha Pulley which has a spooky fey slant (I would have accepted the invitation too!), The Midnight Visitor by Susan Stokes-Chapman in which a tarot reading goes awry, Feast by Kiran Milwood Hargrave where a midnight feast at a girl's boarding school has deadly consequences, and Macaw by Catriona Ward because it is narrated by an all-seeing parrot! I also very much enjoyed The Terror By Night by Bridget Collins for its dark academia vibes, and Dr Thrales Notebook by Michelle Paver which is set in snowy Norway and has macabre Frankensteinian elements to it. 

All in all, this is another fantastic anthology of ghost stories, just perfect for the dark winter nights.  The publication of these anthologies is something that lots of bookworms look forward to each autumn, and this new edition definitely lives up to the hype created by the first two volumes in the series.  I also like that the tales within The Witching Hour are all based around the same midnight theme, yet the stories are completely individual and unique. It is a companion volume that is certainly worth adding to the collection and the three books look stunning sitting together on a spooky bookshelf.  So dim the lights, burn a candle, curl up with this latest ghostly offering and wait for the clock to strike... Enjoy The Witching Hour!

Happy Hauntings!

Marie x

AD: This book was published by Little, Brown Book group on 16th October 2025 and it is available in hardcover, digital and audio formats. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Happy Birthday, Mr Scorpio!

 I'm a Scorpio, yeah the sexy jealous kind,

You had me when you said hi...Hi!

I'm feeling fireflies - oh my oh my!

It takes one to know one, so Happy Birthday, Mr Scorpio!

Love always, mo caraid, 

Marie

xxx

BOOK NOOK: Forest of Hearts by M A Kuzniar

 ' "Would you prefer the cold embrace of death?" I whispered seductively, apparently unable to play nice. Gods, this stranger, this huntsman, had creeped under my skin. His chuckle was deep, dark. Delicious.'

Forest of Hearts is a beautiful reimagining of the fairytale, Snow White, and the latest offering from bestselling fantasy author M A Kuzniar who wrote the wonderful novels Upon a Frosted Star and Midnight in Everwood. 

I really love this author's work so I was especially delighted when the publisher, Simon and Schuster, sent me a ARC for review prior to the book being released. I have been engrossed in it for the past couple of days and it has been a very surprising read. M A Kuzniar is best known for her literary reinterpretations of famous ballets and her work is full of sparkling enchantment that dances off the page like the sugarplum fairies and swan queens she writes about. This novel however, is something of a departure from the dazzling worlds she usually creates.  Instead of bright snowy landscapes and innocent girls entrapped in magical realms, Forest of Hearts takes place in a very dark forest and the main protagonist is not exactly innocent - she's a murderer.

In its original format, Snow White is quite a dark fairytale and this novel takes that darkness once step further, into the Gothic fantasy genre, where hearts are eaten for breakfast and PG rated sexual tension bubbles beneath the surface - it is a YA book after all. In this tale Snow White is called Elka, the huntsman becomes her ally and together they are out for vengeance against the wicked queen. 

It is quite a compelling read and perfectly pitched for its target audience. Teenage girls are going to devour this in one sitting! The dark forest setting gives it Twilight vibes and in some ways it reminded me of the film, Beastly, as the forest roots of her mother's curse snake beneath Elka's skin like poisonous tattoos. Add in the forbidden romance with the huntsman sent to kill her and you have a melting pot of magical mayhem, murder and tender hearted love. 

In Forest of Hearts you will find angels of death, helpful house spirits, fantastical creatures, a forest demon, the cutest baby dragon, glass coffins for the undead and lots of snippy banter between Elka and the huntsman. It retains the charm of the original fairytale, but mixes in darker themes as Elka tries to come to terms with her actions, her trauma and the things she has been forced to do just to survive. In this story the heroine is struggling to come to terms with her own shadow-self as much as anything else, trying desperately not to become a monster like her mother, yet still win the battle and emerge victorious. 

Its an enjoyable book and perfect for those of you who like fairytale retellings and folklore from around the world. I'm already looking forward to M A Kuzniar's next novel! Happy reading!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me for review prior to publication by Simon and Schuster. It will be released on 23rd October 2025 in hardcover, digital and audio formats. It is available for Pre-Order now. 

BOOK NOOK: These Dreaming Spires

 "Every part of me, every cell, every atom died with you, and like Theseus there is no telling what I am anymore. 

I wanted to be strong, Art. I wanted to be noble like you always were, finish my work and not let this grief drown and consume me."

Ever since I read In These Hallowed Halls a couple of years ago I have been hoping that the publisher, Titan, would release a second anthology of Dark Academia short stories. This book, These Dreaming Spires, is just that and I was very excited to read the ARC that was sent to me a while ago, but I've been so busy with writing my own books that I have only just found the time to pick it up. 

Its an interesting collection and on the whole I found it quite enjoyable. It has some great stories with Gothic vibes and a few surprises for good measure. Here you will find restless ghosts, student rivalries, forbidden romance, secret cults, blood rites and more. I will say that this edition isn't quite as Gothic or traditionally Dark Academia as the first one was - in fact, this volume seems to lean more towards the sci-fi aspects of the genre, which isn't really my cup of tea.  Also, its a little heavy on the trigger warnings, but you'd have to be a real wimp to be bothered by any of the content in this book, as even the so-called body horror is so cartoonish as to be comical rather than actually horrific! But that's just the snowflake society we live in these days, where disclaimers are offered up as standard procedure, just in case someone takes offence. 

That said there were a few stories in this anthology that really stood out to me and that I very much enjoyed. Tallow's Cove, Within the Loch, Poisoned Pawn and The Coventry School for the Arts were clear favourites. I also liked Olivie Blake's God, Needy, Enough With the Screaming, in particular the aloof superior tone of voice of the main protagonist Seraphina, who was tremendous fun to read, despite her difficult circumstances.  These tales were all of a more typical Dark Academia vibe than the other sci-fi ones and so I liked them much better for that reason. If the entire anthology had been compiled of such stories I would have enjoyed this second volume as much as I did the first. However, if sci-fi is your thing you might prefer this second anthology. 

These Dreaming Spires is a compilation of scholastic tales that feature ghostly lovers, magical chess games, toxic potions, twisted initiation rituals and an enchanted book, so it has a lot to offer.  It is perfect reading material as we head into the dark season and it will keep you company as the nights begin to draw in. Happy reading!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Titan, for the purposes of review. It was released on September 2nd 2025 and is available in hardcover, digital and audio formats. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM: Happy Birthday, My Love!

 Enjoy your special day, my love...

Think of me when you cultivate your orchids - 

I'll imagine you chopping wood!

Love always,

Marie

xxx