Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Owlcrate July 2016 - Team Good!

Not Sponsored or Paid | No Samples Featured

Hi!

Y'all know how much I love books. That's a given. It's probably not a secret that I'm a big fan of monthly boxes either, I've tried a few different kinds now - Glossybox, Latest in Beauty, Look Fantastic, Boxcitement (review on that soon) - but there was one I really, really wanted to try.


Owlcrate is a box focused on YA (Young Adult) books. Every month, it ships from the United States to different countries all over the world. It contains one YA book, plus some book related memorobilia and some cool bookish accessories. Every Summer, I buy one "big treat" - last year I placed a Sephora order, this year I took out a 3 month subscription with Owlcrate. I'll get the cost issue out of the way right now - it's expensive if you're an International customer. The boxes are $29.99 each, and shipping to Ireland is $19.99 per box. That's about €45 to have one box delivered - scary, but when I realised I was spending more than that per month on digital subscriptions I rarely use anymore (Slimming World, Spotify, Audible, Netflix) I reckon it's doable if I really, really wanted it and was willing to give up some other subs. I'll make that decision that at the end of the three boxes - for now, here's the July one.

For July, the theme was "Good VS Evil". Half the boxes sent out were Team Good, the other half were Team Evil. My box was shipped from the U.S. on July 14th and it arrived on July 18th via An Post. I actually got my box before some U.S customers.


I was on Team Good! Here's what was in my box:



  • An owlcrate comic card detailing everything in the box.
  • A hardback copy of This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab.
  • A bookplate signed by Victoria Schwab.
  • A letter from Victoria Schwab talking about the book.
  • A YA Covers to Color colouring book featuring popular YA covers.
  • A promotional bookmark for an upcoming YA book. 
  • A vinyl sticker featuring a quote from the YA book Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, designed by Drop and Give Me Nerdy
  • A full sized Funko Pop figure - I got Luna Lovegood.
  • A Millennium Falcon necklace from Vector Engraving
  • A magnetic Alice in Wonderland bookmark by Jane's Tiny Things
  • A spoiler card that reveals the August box theme and a preview of one item. 



I wasn't disappointed with anything in this box - I had only recently bought my first ever Funko Pop figure (Willow Rosenberg) so I was delighted to receive Luna. Other people who got the "Good" box received a Dobby figure. Those on Team Bad received either Draco Malfoy or a Dementor, a different vinyl sticker, a different Alice bookmark, and a Deathstar necklace instead of the Millennium Falcon. The book was the same for both boxes and everyone received the other paper bits and pieces. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. 

I'm a bit afraid that the next two boxes will be just as lovely and I'll want to keep this up forever - but as I said, if I look at my monthly subs more carefully and weed out those ones I could live without (and stay out of bloody Penneys), I'd be more than happy to pay €45 to have this pop through my door every month. I was impressed with the delivery speed, the packaging, and the contents. The book alone retails for over €15 at Book Depository, the necklace sells for just under €15 and the Funko Pop figures are anywhere from €12 up. I'm a huge fan of quirky little handmade things so I was really delighted to see that Owlcrate include items from Etsy sellers.

The only similar thing I know of on this side of the pond is the Nerdy Bookworm Box, and that comes in at £30/€35 with free UK shipping (use Parcel Motel or Address Pal to avail of that in Ireland) - but that focuses specifically on the fantasy or sci-fi genre, whereas Owlcrate have a wider range of themes.

If you want to see what past boxes looked like, check this page out - https://www.owlcrate.com/pastboxes - I WANT THEM ALL.

I think this is the beginning of a very, very beautiful friendship.



4 comments:

  1. I am sooooo happy to see you review this Sharon! I've subscribed to OwlCrate's emails for months now, but am yet to purchase as I have always been put off by the price. I love the idea behind this box, how fun it seems, and the quality of products every month. Now that you have tried it, I think it's about time I finally pressed subscribe! xx

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  2. I love the idea of a book subscription box! How exciting! And I love what you received, especially Luna! X

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  3. Some really nice things inside.

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  4. I've eyed up Owlcrate for months trying to justify the cost to myself but have yet to take the plunge. They really make a lot of effort with the contents and next month's box is looking promising as well. Really delighted that you done a review for us....now I'm off to count the dosh lol

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