The Book Riot: Young Adult subscription box is a brand new subscription box from Quarterly focusing on YA books, and other bookish goodies. (I'm a little obsessed with book subscription boxes lately, so I was thrilled when they announced this box!)
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Book Riot YA Quarterly Box
The Cost: $50 a box + shipping (ships every quarter)
The Products: At least 2 YA books in every box plus book-ish goodies. (No overlap with the original Book Riot Quarterly box).
Ships to: US and International
Each Quarterly box comes with a letter from the curator detailing the items included and why they were selected. The theme for the first box is about "the power of telling stories and seeing them through more than one lens."
How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon - Retail Price $17.99 (On Amazon for $13.73)
This book gets great reviews on Amazon and is a 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book. (The letter also includes a note and deleted scene from the book by the author). Here is the synopsis from Amazon:
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.
In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.
Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier - Retail Value $18.99 (On Amazon for $14.95)
This is another well-reviewed book and a relatively recent release too (March 3rd).
The synopsis from Amazon:
The notoriously bloody history of a mob-run Sydney, Australia neighborhood is fertile ground for this historical thriller with a paranormal twist: two girls' ability to see the many ghosts haunting Razorhurst.
Sydney’s deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace—one maintained by “razor men.” Kelpie, orphaned and homeless, is blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see Razorhurst’s many ghosts. They tell her secrets the living can’t know about the cracks already forming in the mobs’ truce.
Then Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell, a legendary beauty and prized moll of Gloriana Nelson. She’s earned the nickname “Angel of Death” because none of her beaus has ever survived knowing her. Unbeknownst to Kelpie, Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and she knows that Gloriana’s hold is crumbling one henchman at a time. As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens the two girls at every turn, Dymphna is determined not only to survive, but to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.
Today I'm Reading... Mug & Chalk Set - Value $8
I think this is such a fun addition to the box! I will definitely buy more as gifts for book-lovers in the future too!
Rory's Story Cubes - Value $9
This dice game is a creative story telling game - you make your own rules and use the pictures on the cubes to tell a story. They recommend using the game for party games/ice breakers, speaking and listening skills, creative inspiration, problem-solving, mental workout, etc.
Novel Teas - Value $2.50
These go well with the mug, and I like that the tea tags have different book related quotes on them.
Verdict: Going by retail prices, this box has a value of about $56.50. (Using Amazon prices it is about $48.50). The original Book Riot boxes tend to have values higher than their cost, so I was expecting the same with the YA box. That being said, before I looked up retail prices on the box I felt like the box was going to have a higher value (for one thing, I thought that mug set would cost more than $8).
Value discussion aside, I think this is a great first box from Book Riot: Young Adult. I love that they selected two books that have unique premises in the YA genre. (As much as I love a dystopian future story with a young girl becoming the face of a revolution, I also like to mix it up a bit!)
And the bookish items selected are really thoughtful and fun too - this box feels like a wonderful gift for a book lover.
What do you think of the first Book Riot: Young Adult Quarterly Box?
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