Owlcrate is a subscription service that mails out a young adult novel and other book-related items based on a monthly theme. Past boxes have included Funko figures, journals, socks, art prints and jewelry, amongst other treasures. This month’s theme was Darkness. I love creepy, eerie stuff, so I was looking forward to seeing what was inside and here’s what I found.
At the top of this article, you’ll see the box the goodies were shipped in. It’s their usual logo box. It’s a cute package and features their owl mascot. Inside everything is packed in shredded cardboard to be sure it gets here in good shape. I’ve never had anything break yet.
First in the box was their collectible monthly card with a matching button pin, a bookmark and a storage pouch. This is the second month they’ve done the pin and I think it’s a great idea. This month’s pin features a lonely darkened owl statue. It’s creepy in a good way.
The bookmark is from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s on my pile of future reads. The bookmark reads, “When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.” It fits well with the darkness theme and features a picture of a crow sitting on a skull.
Lastly, the storage pouch is from the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs. It’s black with white writing that reads, “Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time,” a quote from Hollow City. The pouch is perfectly timed for the movie that just came out and was made by Out of Print. Tucked inside was a $5 off coupon for their website.
Next in the box was a book excerpt, the first part of a serial novel; a candle and a bath bomb. The excerpt was made up to look like a “passport to a new world.” It’s a piece of P.C. Cast’s upcoming novel Moon Chosen. I’m not a huge fan of Cast’s House of Night series, but I’ll give this a read through and see if I’m better suited for the new series.
The serial book is Series 1, Episode 1 of ReMade, written by Matthew Cody. The whole series will consist of 15 different episodes written by six different young adult authors including Gwenda Bond and Kiersten White. It’s a dystopian story set in modern day. A new episode will be released every Wednesday until completion. I think serial stories are a great idea. They get people reading who don’t normally do so because there’s not as big of a time commitment. It’s like waiting for your favorite TV show to come on each week. I’ll definitely give this book a read through to see if I want to continue.
The candle is based on the main character in Throne of Glass, specifically Celaena’s love of cake. The candle smells like vanilla cake and was made by The Melting Library on Etsy.
The bath bomb was unique. It’s a fortune telling bomb with a berry scent. After dropping it in your water, it fizzes and dissolves leaving you with a floating piece of paper that gives you the answer to a yes or no question. Mine read, “Most likely.” I’m used to buying the handmade bombs from shops on Etsy and wasn’t as thrilled with the chemical components of this bomb instead of natural oils, but it still felt nice on the skin. The scent wasn’t strong enough to carry on my skin after leaving the bath, but it smelled good while I was soaking.
Next in the box was this month’s novel, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. It’s a dark fantasy novel geared towards older teens. It’s about three princesses with magical powers who have to fight to the death to become the next queen. The story looks intriguing. It’s a brand new hardcover release.
Also included with the book are a letter from the author, an autographed bookplate and a fortune teller. The letter tells a little about why the author wrote this book, including her love of evil queens. A signed bookplate is always great. I always stick them on the front page of the book to make them more of a collector’s item.
The fortune teller is just like the folded paper fortune game you played as a kid. You fold it up and open it in different directions based on the words and numbers you pick. When it’s finished, you open it up for your fortune. All the fortunes are based on the book and the goal is to become queen. Very clever.
All in all, I felt like this was a good box, but not great. I didn’t feel the value of the items lived up to past boxes. Most of the goodies were cheap or paper items. I’m glad this isn’t the first box I received from them because I might not have wanted to continue. However, the other boxes I’ve received from OwlCrate have been awesome, so I’ll definitely keep my subscription.
See my review of August’s box here.
If you’re interested in signing up for this YA book subscription box, click here for OwlCrate’s website. There’s still time to get the October box that ships out around October 15-20. The theme will be Once Upon a Dream. Boxes cost $29.99 plus shipping.