Hello everyone!
I’ve been super interested in all of the different book crates/book subscription companies that are out there and I’m dying to get my hands on as many as I can. So, I’ve decided I’m going to create a fun series on my blog where I order book subscription boxes, unbox them and review them on my blog. The first box I’m starting out with is Owl Crate.
Owl Crate is a monthly subscription box that pairs YA books with different items that fit the month’s theme. The items range from art, pins, letter openers, windchimes, exclusive audiobooks and sneak peeks to upcoming novel. They also offer Owl Crate Jr which has middle school level books and items. Owl Crate’s subscription list is currently closed, but you can enter your email to joint the waiting list. The monthly fee for the box is $32.99. If you choose to prepay 3 months, it’s $95.97 and for 6 months it’s $185.94. Prepaying does save some money.
I am not on the subscription list so instead I purchased a previous box, which they have listed in their shop along side exclusive items from their shop and previous boxes. I chose the November 2020 box which theme is Growing Wild. I chose this book because of the other boxes available, I already owned the novels, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong and Legendborn by Tracey Deon. I did an unboxing of the crate that is on my Instagram page, I will link it down below.
Let’s start with the individual items from the box.
The first item is a wooden flower press kit with design by Peppermint Lines. The design is in reference to V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series. I’ve always wanted to press flowers but never knew how. I think I’ll use this in the spring when our own flowers start blooming.
The next item is the Reading Planner by Blue Star Press exclusive to Owl Crate. I love this planner. It has a ton of pages and its not dated so you can start or stop whenever you want too. I currently have my own method of bullet journaling my books so I don’t anticipate using this method now. But once my journal is filled, this is the next one to try.
Here are some of the page layouts
To go with the planner, they included stickers by Pipsticks. I love that the stickers match the theme of the box. The forest stickers are holographic and really fun. When I start to use the reading planner I’ll definitely use the stickers too.
The next item was a dandelion pendant necklace by Studio Kyra in a black box with a decorative quote from Wild Beauty. The necklace is super cute and goes well with the quote.
They also included Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings) plants cards by Rheannon Ormond. These are beautiful. I love flowers and I like that the illustrations look like something you’d find in a gardening book. The Lord of the Rings series is on my tbr so eventually I will get to the books but the flowers are something nice to hang up.
The big item, however, was the signed copy of Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston that also had a handwritten note. The book has an exclusive Owl Crate cover and reversible dust jacket.
Here is the summary on the dust jacket
Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.
I am super pumped about this book. I love YA fantasy and I had seen this book a couple times on Instagram so I was planning on buying it away.
Each month Owl Crate send an enamel pin that themed to the book. This month it was a bear enamel pin inspired by the novel by Morgane Brret Shop. The bear is so cute! It looks so cute next to all of my other pins. I like that each box has one so you can build a collection of just pins.
I LOVE this crate. All of the items are well made and well themed. There was not anything in the box that I did not like. I started reading the book and I hope to finish it before the end of the month. I would definitely buy another Owl Crate and I hope to sign up for the monthly subscription.
Until next time!
Links
Unboxing video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMnTF9kJfD-/
Owl Crate: https://www.owlcrate.com/pages/owlcrate