Unboxing: OwlCrate’s September 2018 Box ‘Masters of Disguise’

All I ever do is take photos of my subscription boxes.

Today I’m unboxing OwlCrate’s September box!

The theme is ‘Masters of Disguise’. These are the inserts that come with every box~ a mini zine and a pamphlet detailing the box’s ccontents.

The first item is an art print of character Lila Bard from the Shades of Magic series! (Illustrated by Kirsty Carter)

The second item that took up most of the box 😂 An exclusive Prisoner of Azkaban ceramic mug by Cara Kozik! I believe OwlCrate is doing a series of these mugs and they’ll only be available in boxes.

Other side of the mug~

A package of foaming bath salts inspired by The Diabolic and created by Leeloo Soaps. These look so fun. I can’t wait to use them!

This ‘The Kiss of Deception’ balm from Geekfire Labs was the next item. It’s apple mint!

Probably my favourite item! These fingerless gloves, inspired by Six of Crows, were created exclusively by OwlCrate.

A little freebie & promo for an upcoming book (which sounds interesting).

And this month’s book! Mirage by Somaiya Daud.

‘In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection…because one wrong move could lead to her death.’

I’m so in love with every item from this month’s box!

xo!

Unboxing: OwlCrate’s April 2018 Box – ‘Shadows & Secrets’

I skipped March’s box because I wasn’t interested in the theme~ but I liked the ‘Shadows & Secrets’ theme of the April box!

These were shipped super fast this time so I received mine yesterday!

This month’s insert listing all the goodies inside. I look at this at the end of my unboxing so I don’t spoil the contents for myself. All of the items are inspired by YA fandoms and created exclusively for OwlCrate.

First item~ a Mortal Instruments themed soap by Three Sisters Apothecary! The box for this is amazing and well-made, and the berry-scented soap smells soo good!

A button inspired by this month’s mystery book…

Third item! Harry Potter pencils designed by Jubilee Design Studio. They say ‘I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good’, ‘Mischief managed’ and ‘Property of the Half-Blood Prince’. I love these but I’m scared to use them…😂

The fourth was mentioned on the FB page (or made an email)…an exclusive ground coffee blend by Bones Coffee Co.! I don’t drink coffee often (made the switch to tea five years ago) but this one smells ah-mazing 😍 I’m excited to give it a try!

Another high-quality sticker. This one was inspired by Marie Lu’s The Young Elites series. I have yet to read those books but I love Marie Lu’s writing.

This lovely pillowcase by Stella Bookish Art was the next item! It’s inspired by ‘Crooked Kingdom’. This is ridiculously large for my spoonie-friendly pillow sooo I might sell it 😂

A sneak peek at the next Caraval book! I thought this was a cool addition. I’ve never read the books but I hear a lot about ’em.

And for this month’s book…

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody!

‘Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.
Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.
Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…
And she’ll need to play.‘

(My last book from OwlCrate had a similar ‘mom goes missing’ storyline….hmm.)

The book has an exclusive cover, is signed by the author, and came with a letter from the author AND a guidebook to the city the book is set in.

A look at the back of the box insert~

And next month’s theme! Ooh, I’m excited for this one!

I believe the book is set in the Viking age?

Well, that’s it for this month’s OwlCrate! A wonderful assortment of items and I highly recommend it for YA fans.

If you’d like to subscribe~ please use my referral link!

xo,

Rhia

Unboxing: OwlCrate’s February 2018 Box – ‘Hidden Worlds’

I’ve been following OwlCrate on Facebook for a while~ I like the idea of subscription boxes, but it’s very hard for me to find one that offers decent shipping to Canada and items that I’d be interested in. I know it’s supposed to be a surprise 🤷 but I still like knowing I’ll be getting my money’s worth!

OwlCrate is a YA/juvenile fiction subscription box that themes each monthly box and offers a variety of exclusive goodies alongside a new book! The books also feature exclusive covers made just for OwlCrate. Plus, shipping is so affordable! The company is based in British Columbia but now ships out of Portland~ The price for one box was $29.99 and shipping was only $10.59!

I was very interested in OwlCrate’s February 2018 theme; ‘Hidden Worlds’. I looove Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. So I signed up to be notified if a box became available – and one did! Woo! I immediately purchased it and decided to consider it my sole birthday gift to myself this year. (It’s been a rough year.)

I managed to avoid spoilers and on February 22nd, a week after shipping, my OwlCrate arrived! The box was smaller than I expected at first look but I tore into it eagerly.

The box!

Right on top was this postcard. The other side lists the box’s contents, with a spoiler warning in case you’d rather uncover the contents yourself! I’ll share a pic of the other side at the end of this post.

First item was an OwlCrate button! I have a ridiculous amount of buttons and nowhere to display them…

The second item was this Narnia-inspired soy candle. It smells of pine, mint and vanilla; ‘just like a forest in winter.’ Exclusively created by Books on Candles!

I really like candles in reusable containers 😭

The second item! A gorgeous, well-made zippered pouch inspired by Daughter of Smoke and Bone! (Illustrated by artist Risa Rodil.) The graphic is the same on the other side. This pouch is a nice, sturdy size. I haven’t decided what to use it for yet…

An adorable velvet OwlCrate pouch was the next item….and inside…

…is this skeleton key necklace inspired by Coraline 😍😍😍 See the button?! The chain is a bit long but I like layering my necklaces.

This is the whole reason I bought the box 😂 I was hoping for an awesome Alice in Wonderland item and I wasn’t disappointed with this adorable Alice-inspired sticker by artist Naomi Lord! This high-quality sticker will look great on my laptop.

Bruh. I couldn’t take a photo of this for the life of me. Maybe you can find a better photo online – but this is a MASSIVE wall tapestry designed by Evie Bookish! Seriously, go find a better photo. It’s lovely.

And for the great reveal of this month’s book…

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert! Ahhhh! The exact book I had on my birthday wishlist! This is a hardcover first edition, signed by the author and printed with an OwlCrate exclusive cover 😭 It also came with a sticker sheet and a letter from the author!

If you haven’t heard of this book yet, here’s a synopsis from GoodReads~

‘Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother’s stories are set. Alice’s only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother’s tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.’

Doesn’t it sound ah-mazing?!

Moving on! Here is a little zine featuring interviews with the author, an illustrator, and a few OwlCrate tidbits.

The other side of the aforementioned postcard.

March’s theme is ‘Across the Galaxy’! Join the waitlist at http://www.owlcrate.com to be notified if any spots open up for this upcoming box.

Did I think this box was worth the $29.99 price tag? Uhm, YES. The exclusive hardcover book alone makes the price worth it 😭 But the vast array of book-themed goodies – all different sorts, too! – definitely made this box worth purchasing. I love how these items can’t be purchased in a regular shop, and everything is inspired by a book close to my heart.

The only thing I didn’t like was the amount of plastic packaging…but hey, nobody’s perfect! And maybe OwlCrate will start to explore more environmentally-friendly ways of packaging their items.

I haven’t had any direct interactions with the OwlCrate team yet – other than the automated email service keeping me updated on shipping & whatnot – but from what I can see, they’re on top of their game! They’re very involved with the community of OwlCrate subscribers and offer a reading club, Twitter chats and contests to participate in. EDIT: I have now interacted with the team and I can inform y’all that their customer service is outstanding! I had an issue with my account and they promptly rectified the issue. I’m a fan for sure 😍😍😍

I highly recommend this subscription box service to fellow YA book lovers. Be sure to sign up for wait lists to ensure you get a chance at a highly coveted spot!

xo,

Rhia