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 crate, which costs $29.99 a month.
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 February 2018
Here's the booklet for this month's box. I like that they have little images and descriptions for every product!
There's also a promo for Restore Me, the next book in the Shatter Me series.
The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross - Retail Value $17.99 (Found here for $12.31)
Okay, first of all, how gorgeous is this book cover? I love stars and celestial patterns—there's just something instantly magical about them that really draws me in. The second I pulled this velvety smooth book out of the box, my interest was piqued!
I loooved the writing in this book. It's poetic and carries the austere tone of a classic fantasy story. I feel like Brienna's struggle to find her place strikes the perfect coming-of-age tone for YA readers. And the world that author Rebecca Ross paints feels unique and new.
Book Summary on Amazon:
Grave Mercy meets Red Queen in this epic debut fantasy, inspired by Renaissance France, about an outcast who finds herself bound to a disgraced lord and entangled in his plot to overthrow the current king.
Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—she is left without a patron.
Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.
And now, with war brewing, Brienna must choose which side she will remain loyal to: passion or blood.
One of the cool things about this subscription is that it not only gives you the book but a note from the book's author as well! This one was printed on the back of a postcard-sized print that you could totally use as decor.
There's also an autographed bookplate!
Exclusive Constellation Scarf
Given my love of celestial patterns, I totally swooned over this sheer scarf. It's meant to be a nod to the cloak Brienna receives in the story, but you don't need that context to love the rich sapphire blue and delicate star patterns strewn across this look. The weave is soft and comfy—it's a silk and cotton blend, which is super nice. Stylish, too!
Stone of Eventide Necklace
Ooo, if there's anything I like more than stars and moons, it's crystals! This necklace is a tribute to the magical Stone of Eventide from the book, and I. Just. Love it! The chain is about 13 inches long, plus 2 inches of extender chain to work with. It's hefty compared to other necklaces I've gotten in subscription boxes, which gives it more of a fantasy novel feel. The clear quartz-like crystal pendant is almost 2 inches long and a solid half inch wide. It's quite the statement piece. I love that it's not just relevant to the book, but rather on-trend style-wise, too.
Sansa Stark Art Print by Yara Noe
Every month, this subscription features a different artist. This month, it's Belgian artist Yara Noe. (There's a short feature about her inside the cover page of the booklet.) I love the dramatic, almost Edward Gorey-esque style of her work. This 5" x 7" print appears on a nice piece of smooth card. It'd be cool to frame or just tack on your wall.
Heartless Quote Bookmark
More sapphire blue hues! This bookmark features a quote from Marissa Meyer's book, Heartless. I'm a big fan of quote prints and products with sayings emblazoned on them. This quote should give me strength the next time I find myself struggling in the middle of a super long book!
Passion Bath Bomb
In the book, the characters are matched with their passion, which is either art, music, dramatics, wit, or knowledge. According to the info booklet, subscribers will get one of five different colors of bath bombs, each coordinating with a different passion. My purple one is... music! The scent is almost like a latte or the way my cardigan smells after a day working from the coffee shop. A little espresso bean, a little toasty caramel aroma, and a really pretty lavender-purple color. This bath bomb was made by Fizzy Fairy Apothecary—while I couldn't find this specific bomb on their site, most of their products fall around $5.00.
The Verdict: I liked this month's celestial LitJoy box a lot, especially that giant crystal necklace—it's already earning compliments! I appreciated that the book had a different tone than the majority of YA novels I get. I love me some dystopian futures, but I enjoyed that this book felt like a classic fantasy novel with a unique and well-imagined world. I like this subscription a lot. The balance items focused on the book itself (the author note and book plate) and bookish items that are just adjacent to the theme of the book is fun. Plus, it makes the experience feel more curated and worth the almost $40.00 price tag (after what I feel is a relatively steep US shipping fee).
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, which means that each of the 6 items in the box (not including the author's note and bookplate) has an average cost of $6.50.
Check out all of our LitJoy Crate reviews and the Book Subscription Box Directory!
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What do you think of the February LitJoy YA Crate?
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