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. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: A new YA book and 3-5 book-related goodies. Recommended for ages 14+.
Ships to: The US for $7.99, Canada for $9.99, and International for $19.99
OwlCrate YA "Fear the Night" September 2019 Review
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Each box comes with a card detailing the theme and the items included. This month’s theme is “Fear the Night.”
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OwlCrate also included a booklet featuring an interview with the author, a word search and an interview with one of the vendors for this month. There is also some information on their photo challenge at the end.
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The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones – Retail Value $17.99 (found here for $16.19)
Our book this month has such a unique cover, which is an exclusive edition just for us! I love the white with that intricate gold skull; it's just as haunting as the creatures within its pages. Our book is also signed by the author inside.
Aderyn is the daughter of a gravedigger who discovered that there is magic within the forest when she was quite young. Her father described these creatures who had risen from the dead with sunken cheeks and hollows where their eyes should be as "bone houses" and while they are rather unsettling in appearance, their magic is limited to the forest meaning that their family is safe. Years after her first sighting, Aderyn has now assumed her father's role as gravedigger after he disappeared on a guide trip into the woods. She also assumes the position of caretaker for her younger sister along with her brother since their mother has also passed and they are not very well off financially, partly thanks to their uncle's debts. Lately, Aderyn has noticed that there are "bone houses" roaming closer and much further from the woods than before and soon their village is under attack. In order to save her family home and her village, she agrees to accompany a young mapmaker into the woods in hopes of ending the magic that keeps the dead rising each night. This story should really feel scarier than it does, considering the concept, but the author develops these characters in such a way that you see everyone has their own story, their own reasoning, and their own pasts, which are meaningful, even after death. This book is suspenseful and I thought it felt very original and not terribly predictable as the events unfold and you learn more and more about this magical world and all of its inhabitants.
Book Summary from Amazon:
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of the mountains, where they will have to face both the curse and the deeply-buried truths about themselves. Equal parts classic horror novel and original fairytale, The Bone Houses will have you spellbound from the very first page.
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We received a letter from the author of this month's book which tells us how she was inspired by several myths from Wales.
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Exclusive! The Bone Houses Bookmark
This die-cut bookmark is so pretty and I love the unique way the skull holds your place!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Ceramic Trinket Dish
This trinket dish is another pretty item with the black background and beautiful gold script. We have a great quote from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and I think those white lines through it are reminiscent of a bolt of electricity! This was designed by Stella Bookish Art and it will make for some perfectly subtle Halloween decor!
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Exclusive! Team OwlCrate Fingerless Gloves
How fun are these? I can't wait to wear these when I take my kids trick-or-treating! They are really fun and perfect to keep your hands warm and your fingers free. They feature the same design on either side and have separate cutouts for the thumb and fingers. The tiny stitching at the bottom looks like little hearts to me which I think is a fun contrast to the nice skeleton at the top!
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Exclusive! Scare-amel Corn Coffee
This 4 oz. bag of coffee is pretty fun and it smelled amazing! From the great design to the cutesie name, this coffee from Bones Coffee Company was the perfect addition to our box. The flavor Scare-amel Corn was a nice roasty blend with just the subtlest hint of caramel corn to it. It wasn't over-the-top sweet or flavorful and I thoroughly enjoyed sipping it while reading my book. They also provided a coupon for us to use and I might have to since they have some seriously fun flavors like "Jacked-o-lantern" and "Frankenbones."
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The Haunting of Hill House Penguin Horror Paperback Edition by Shirley Jackson - Retail Value $10.14
I always love when they send us a second book! This month we received a classic, and this edition is part of the Penguin Horror Collection which is curated by Guillermo del Toro. The book features a foreword by the man himself as well as an introduction by journalist and critic, Laura Miller. I have never read this story, nor have I ever seen the Netflix show, but it seems like now is the time to try and tackle both seeing as it is October! Horror is a genre that I have always been a fan of through films, but I've never actually read any truly scary horror stories, so I'm looking forward to reading this (although somewhat apprehensively!).
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Exclusive! Something Wicked This Way Comes - Inspired Art Print
This art print is designed by Anne Lambelet and was inspired by Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. This scene is spooky and somehow whimsical which makes me think of The Nightmare Before Christmas (a favorite in our house!), but maybe a bit more grown-up. It reads "Beware the Autumn People," a quote from Bradbury's book. This will be a great piece to display seasonally!
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Exclusive! OwlCrate Free Preview: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh
So much to read this month! This little excerpt is from an upcoming book by Renee Ahdieh and is an OwlCrate Exclusive free preview. There are just a few pages to read, but enough to know that I could definitely get into this story! The author was inspired by Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and it sounds like this will be a story full of murder and romance which sounds both mysterious and intriguing!
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Exclusive! Monthly Enamel Pin
In every box, you will receive an exclusive collectible enamel pin that is inspired by that month's book. This beautiful design comes from Lapels and Spells and is perfect for our story! The coolest part though is that the flowers glow in the dark!
Verdict: This month's OwlCrate box was such a perfect mix of items to get us in the mood for one of my favorite holidays without being over the top! I really love the fingerless gloves and that trinket dish is already on display and looking gorgeous. There was also so much to read this month; our main book with a beautiful exclusive cover, a classic horror story in a special paperback edition, and even a free preview of an upcoming book. They are all perfect to pair with our exclusive and delicious coffee. This box really was so full with a total of nine items if you count the bookmark we received! I think it was an incredible value for a $37.98 ($29.99 + $7.99 US shipping) box full of exclusive and beautiful items!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but subscriptions are now open for the October box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $29.99 + $7.99 shipping, which means that each of the 8 items in the box (not counting the paper bookmark) has an average cost of $4.75.
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