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 box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This is a review of the Young Adult, $29.99 a month, crate.
About LitJoy Crate
The Subscription Box: LitJoy Crate
The Cost: $29.99 per month + $8.99 US shipping, $14.99 shipping to Canada, and $24.99 shipping internationally.
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: US for $8.99 (USPS), Canada for $14.99, and $24.99 shipping internationally.
LitJoy YA Crate Review for November 2017
There's an info card for the box. There's information about this month's featured fan artist on the back!
There's also a card that explains a bit about the subscription and mentions the theme for December!
I also got a coupon for the LitJoy store.
Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller - Retail Value $18.99 (Found here for $11.96)
First of all, yes, THAT Jason Segel. Freaks and Geeks, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother Jason Segel. I had no idea he was an author, too! Geez, what a talented guy.
This book is pretty wild. It's kind of a dystopian vision of how our tech-obsessed world might end up. Technology is everywhere in this story. You don't really use it—you're just kind of... in it. It's a little bit of The Matrix, a little bit Westworld, and it's packed with eerie adventure.
Book Summary from Amazon:
“Full of high stakes, thrillers, and fantastic twists and turns, fans of Ready Player One are sure to love this addictive read.” —Buzzfeed.com
"A fantastic journey from start to finish." —Hypable.com
“A potent commentary on how much we’re willing to give up to the lure of technology.” —EW.com
New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller imagine a world in which you can leave your body behind and give into your greatest desires in the first book in a new trilogy perfect for fans of Ready Player One and James Dashner’s The Eye of Minds. The future is now. And the future is terrifying.That’s how Otherworld traps you. It introduces you to sensations you’d never be able to feel in real life. You discover what’s been missing—because it’s taboo or illegal or because you lack the guts to do it for real. And when you find out what’s missing it’s almost impossible to let it go again.
There are no screens. There are no controls. You don’t just see and hear it—you taste, smell, and touch it too. In this new reality, there are no laws to break or rules to obey. You can live your best life. Indulge every desire.
It’s a game so addictive you’ll never want it to end. Until you realize that you’re the one being played. Welcome to Otherworld, where reality is dead. Step into the future. Leave your body behind.
The frightening future that Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller have imagined is not far away. Otherworld asks the question we'll all soon be asking: if technology can deliver everything we want, how much are we willing to pay?
“An engaging VR cautionary tale.” —The A.V. Club
"[A] fast-paced adventure." —Publishers Weekly
"Authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller keep the action nonstop.” —Shelf Awareness
There's an about the author card that comes with the book.
Otherworld Postcard Set
To go with the book, there's a set of postcards from different "worlds" within the book. I think this is super clever, though I'm not sure who I'd send them to. Maybe I'll have to share this book with a friend once I'm done with it so that they can be in on the reference! If you love the book, you can always frame these or use 'em as decor.
Otherworld Sunglasses
These sunglasses are also part of what the info card refers to as "Bonus Products from the Publisher." They're just plastic sunnies, but they'd do in a pinch. The arms feature a catchphrase from the book.
Otherworld Luggage Tag
The final promotional item is this plastic luggage tag. It comes with a card to write your address and info on, a plastic cover that clips shut around the card, and a clear plastic loop that you can use to attach it to your suitcase. I'm not one to use promo items all that often, but I'm always happy to get a new luggage tag, especially during winter travel season. I'll be hanging on to this.
Exclusive Ready Player One Quote Tumbler
This tumbler looks a lot like a retro soda fountain glass. The small design on the front says "Going outside is highly overrated," which is a quote from Ready Player One (has everyone watched the trailer, yet?). The 16 oz. cup doesn't seem like it's dishwasher friendly, but it should serve me well in terms of helping me always have water on hand at my desk.
Dumbledore Quote Pillowcase
The book this month is all about negotiating virtual reality and reality, so this Dumbledore quote fits neatly into the theme. It fits a standard throw pillow, so you can toss it on the couch or use it to decorate your bed. It has a silky finish to the fabric that makes the sapphire and gold tones feel all the more magical.
Exclusive Lord of the Rings Wooden Bookmark
Ooooo, I love this bookmark! The designs remind me of retro tattoos. The colors really pop against the light-colored wood, too. I'm great at misplacing bookmarks, or letting them get smushed or shabby around the edges. This bookmark should endure a bit better!
Star Wars Mini Magnets
These are so cute!!! Who else is super hyped for the new Star Wars movie?! (No spoilers!) This little soft-plastic Luke and Yoda are each only about an inch tall. They look like LEGO characters, don't they?
Feyre Art Print by Jo Painter
The featured art print this month I believe is a character from A Court of Thorns and Roses. I think its so cool that this box features different fan artists, though I'm sad to say I don't often hang onto the prints I get, nor display them anywhere.
The Verdict: This was a fun LitJoy Crate. I liked that they chose items that all fit the same "vibe" as the featured book. There was the reality-bending Ready Player One reference, the sci-fi Star Wars pick, the adventurous Lord of the Rings bookmark, and the Harry Potter quote about perception. Referencing so many big-name franchises was probably a smart move, as it's more likely that folks will find them familiar and like the products (as was the case for me). The many promo items weren't my fave, quality-wise, but the other items (the pillowcase and the wooden bookmark, in particular) were pretty cool!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, though they do sometimes sell past crates on their site shop. Order by the 20th of the month to get that month's crate!
Coupon - Use code MSA5 to save $5 off your first box!
Value Breakdown: The box cost me $38.98 after shipping. The book costs $18.99, meaning the rest of the exclusive and promotional items in the box must be worth $19.99. If I count all of the promotional Otherworld items as one set (which is what the info card does), each of those 5 items must have an average cost of about $4.00 each.
Check out all of our LitJoy Crate reviews and the Book Subscription Box Directory!
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What do you think of the November LitJoy YA Crate?
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