OwlCrate is a YA book subscription box. Each month they send you a newly released YA book with some bookish goodies.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About OwlCrate YA
The Subscription Box: OwlCrate YA
The Cost: $29.99 + shipping
DEAL: Use coupon code WELCOME10 to save 10% off your first month!
The Products: A new YA book and 3-5 book-related goodies.
Ships to: US for $7.99, Canada for $10.59, and International for $19.99
OwlCrate YA "The Dark Side" Review
Each box comes with a card detailing the theme and the items included. This month’s theme is “The Dark Side.”
OwlCrate also included a booklet featuring an interview with the author, a word search and an interview with the designer of one of our exclusive items. There is also some information on their photo challenge at the end.
Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy) by Emily Duncan – Retail Value $17.99 (found here for $10.48)
This edition of the book was signed by the author and features an exclusive cover that is pretty haunting and beautiful! This book started out fast paced and got right to the action as we met Nadya who can communicate with the gods and uses them to help her escape the war that has finally reached her home. It did start to drag for me a bit in the middle with all of the difficult names and pronunciations and trying to sort out all of the characters' backstories, but I appreciate how much the author was inspired by Slavik folklore and how she incorporated it into the novel. Each chapter even has excerpts from different texts at the start. It did pick back up again as it hinted at a possible romance and the characters reveal themselves further. This is definitely a dark novel full of blood magic and adventure and I am eager to see how it ends! This book is also the first of a trilogy series.
Book Summary from Amazon:
"A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.
A prince in danger must decide who to trust.
A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.
Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.
In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy."
In addition to being an exclusive signed edition, this book opens up to reveal this beautiful pattern and features a deckle edge (thank you to the reader who explained this to me last time!).
We also received a letter from the author and I love how she gives us a glimpse into her inspiration for the book.
Exclusive! Fabric Book Map
To go along with our book, we received this exclusive fabric book map which looks like the one featured at the beginning of our book. This is about the size of a handkerchief or bandana and is nice and silky. I love the detail here!
Exclusive! Grishaverse-inspired Scarf
This next item is inspired by the Grishaverse and designed by Bookmark'd Tattoos. This scarf is soft and lightweight and I love the nice purple color. While it looks pretty big here against the door, it is not a huge scarf and is perfect for spring or maybe tying onto your library bag for a fun accent!
Here it is on for a sense of scale.
Exclusive! Six of Crows Socks
The next item is these cozy crew socks inspired by Six of Crows and made by Out of Print. Every purchase helps support literacy programs around the world, which is pretty awesome! The version we received is an OwlCrate exclusive version, but you can find a similar pair here.
Exclusive! Hardcover Notebook
How pretty is this notebook? It's also a decent size too and they recommend using it to record your evil plans! This notebook, designed by Stella Bookish Art, features a hardcover with lined pages and is inspired by Manon from the Throne of Glass series.
Exclusive! Vicious Inspired Phone Holder
This is a unique item this month! This phone holder is designed by Hey Atlas Creative and features a quote from Vicious, which I have not yet read but am thinking about adding to my reading list! The phone holder features 3M adhesive on the back so that you can stick it to your phone. It folds flat and then pops up so that you can grip it easily when open.
Exclusive! Pin Banner
This is such a great item! Each month they include a collectible pin and now we have our very own pin banner to display them on. This was designed by Michelle Gray who they work with often and is also the artist featured in our booklet interview this month. I think this design is perfect with its dark background and subtle outliner which will go nicely with the pins they send.
Exclusive! Monthly Enamel Pin by Hey Atlas Creative
In every box, you will receive an exclusive collectible enamel pin that is inspired by that month's book. This one is inspired by the beads that Nadya wears around her neck and uses to speak to the gods. It is designed by Hey Atlas Creative who also designed our phone holder.
It also looks fabulous on our new pin banner!
Exclusive! Caravale Excerpt Booklet
How exciting! We received a special extra this month which is this excerpt booklet from Stephanie Garber's upcoming novel, Finale, which is the third and final book in the Caravale series. It even includes a special note for readers that hints at some more Finale surprises coming soon!
MAY THEME SPOILER:
The theme for May will be Epic Adventures and our book will be a "highly anticipated fantasy debut" about an exciting journey.
Verdict: This month was full of so many exclusive items and I really enjoyed all of the designs! I love that our novel was a debut novel and so far, I am enjoying this dark tale. I'm excited to have that great pin banner to store all of my enamel pins and be able to add to it each month! There is always so much thought that goes into the curation of these boxes and I thought this month was a nice mix of items from the scarf to the notebook to the phone holder. The cost of this box is $37.98 ($29.99 + $7.99 US shipping) and for a box full of exclusive items to go along with our novel, I think that is a great value!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, subscriptions are now open for the May box.
Coupon - Use coupon code WELCOME10 to save 10% off your first month!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $29.99 + $7.99 shipping, which means that each of the 8 items in the box not counting the Caravale excerpt) has an average cost of $4.63.
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