LitJoy Crate is a monthly book subscription box for babies, kids, and teens. They send books and interesting book related items. They have crates for 3-7 (picture books), and 14+ (young adult). This is a review of the Young Adult crate.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: LitJoy Crate
The Cost: $29.99/monthly, $86.97/3-month pre-pay, $167.94/6-month pre-pay, $323.88/12-month pre-pay. Plus USPS flat-rate shipping, $14.99 shipping to Canada, and $24.99 shipping international.
COUPON: Use code MSA5 to save $5 off your first box!
The Products: depending on your subscription type, you will receive newly released board books (2), picture books (1), or young adult books (1), plus 2-4 assorted book-related items.
Ships to: The US, Canada, and International
Check out all of our LitJoy Crate reviews and the Book Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Each box comes with a fold-out info card that lists each item in the box and how it fits with the theme of the box.
There's also a ton of other promotional ephemera in the box, including this card, which explains how to explore and experience your box. On the reverse side, there's a teaser for the next month's box theme, which is... (spoiler alert!!!!!)...
... Wonder Woman!
There's a coupon for a mermaid tail. (Amazing.)
And there's a card about a LitJoy Crate hashtag challenge called #DropCapLikeItsHot. Apparently, the challenge is to collect and use these randomly chosen drop-cap postcards to create word art in unexpected places in real life. You can also just use the card as a regular postcard. I got "K"—what letter did you get?
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell - Value on Amazon $14.96 (Retail price $18.99)
The book this month is The Last Magician, a bestselling novel that blends time travel, magic, and Gatsby-era adventure!
Book Summary on Amazon:
Gangs of New York meets Six of Crows in this captivating new series about a girl who must travel back in time to find a mysterious book that could save her future.
Stop the Magician.
Steal the book.
Save the future.In modern day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.
Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.
There are all kinds of extras to go along with this (energetic, vibrantly written) hardcover book, starting with this autographed book plate from the author! It's got a peel-off adhesive back so that you can set it inside the book cover if you'd like!
There's also a card with a note from the author. I love all the extra questions and notes she's added in the margins of her own letter.
There's a bookmark, too!
Book Locket Necklace - Value $10.00?
This book-shaped locket was loose inside the box with no tagging or branding information, so I just took a guess at the price that I'd expect to pay for it if I saw it IRL. It's not the highest quality, but it's still pretty cute and sturdier than a lot of bookish or geeky jewelry I've seen. This book is meant to represent the Ars Arcana, the be-all end-all book of magic. The brass-colored pendant opens to reveal two slots for teeny weeny photos and the cover snaps shut pretty securely. The chain is around 28 inches long, but it doesn't have any extra links for adjusting the length.
Wick and Fable "Esta" Orange Blossom Perfume Oil, 10 ml - Value $1.50?
I couldn't find this particular product on the Wick and Fable site, so I estimated the price based on a larger bottle of a similar product in their shop. This rollerball looks gorgeous with the white flowers floating inside. This organic product is meant to echo romantic passages in The Last Magician, and the aroma is definitely decadent and sensual. I actually found it a bit overpowering, just wafting it in front of my nose. It's a super sweet orange scent that stems from orange blossom essential oil. I could see using just a teensy bit for an alluring, summery perfume.
Jane Austen Playing Cards - Value $9.95
I'm not a card player, but I am totally smitten with this set of playing cards! I love Jane Austen, and each of these cards has Austen-inspired art as well as passages from her books. And obviously, every magician needs a set of playing cards to perform with!
Coloring New York Jazz Adult Coloring Book - Value on Amazon $7.25 (Retail price $12.95)
This next item is less of a coloring "book" and more of a fold-out piece of art that you can participate in.
The intricate illustrations, all of which are printed on a really nice stock of greeting-card-weight paper, are as fun and meditative to color as they are to sit back and admire. The images are meant to echo the environment of the featured book—I love their vintage vibe.
There are even some activities to help you develop your free-hand drawing!
Inej Artist Print - Value $1.00?
This item struck me as a little odd, just because it's relevant not to this month's book, but to what's coming to us next month. This print depicts the character Inej from the book Six of Crows—a novel by Leigh Bardugo, who will be curating the August box. The fact that it's not immediately related to what I've currently got in front of me and because it's essentially a 3" x 7" piece of card the same weight as the promotional cards in the box, it just doesn't really wow me. I just guessed at the value, since this is unique to this box. Do you know this character or the book Six of Crows? I know it's supposedly really similar to this month's book. What do you think of this print?
Verdict: I liked this month's LitJoy Crate, and the value seems to be there. (The box is worth about $45.00, and the price is about $40.00.) Apart from the dollar values associated with the items, there's also the intangible value of the signed book plate, the note from the author, and the thoughtfully curated items in the box. I've seen plenty of boxes really dance around a theme, but this box seemed to really try to nod to the world of the book with everything it included.
What do you think of the July LitJoy YA Crate?
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