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 "Through the Enchanted Forest" November 2019 Review
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Each box comes with a card detailing the theme and the items included. This month’s theme is “Through the Enchanted Forest.”
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They also included this booklet featuring an interview with the author, a word search, and an interview with a vendor. They also included some information about their monthly photo challenge and a new section this month with a link to a playlist to go along with this month's theme. Fun!
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Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw - Retail Value $18.99 (found here for $13.79)
Our book this month is incredibly beautiful! I absolutely love the white with this intricate blue design and shiny gold moon. It really is stunning, especially when you take into account the sprayed blue edges! This book is also signed by our author!
This month's book is a tale that takes place in an ominous, eerie wood referred to as the Wicker Wood. While it's not safe for most, Nora Walker comes from a long line of women who are able to wander these woods and find things that are lost. Most are trinkets, some valuable, some not, but when she takes to the woods after a dangerous snowstorm, she discovers a boy who has gone missing from the camp across the lake. While we are first introduced to Nora and told the story from her perspective, the story switches back and forth between her perspective and the boy, Oliver's. While Nora comes from a family of witches and has rumors spread about her, it is Oliver who holds all of the secrets and the key to what happened to the other boy who died the same night he went missing. Oliver has no memory of what happened, but as things start to come back to him, he worries he may be a danger to Nora.
This story goes at a slow pace with the suspense steadily building as does the attraction between these two lonely characters. The author has such a wonderful sense of imagery and is able to create a beautiful, detailed picture of their world that you quickly become consumed with as you try to navigate through the secrets these woods hold within them! I am hooked and thoroughly enjoying this book!
From Amazon:
"Be careful of the dark, dark wood…
Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.
Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.
But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.
For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why."
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We received a letter from the author which is always such a nice, personal touch!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Amber Dusk & Diamond Dawn Promo Card
We received this promotional card with a link to where we can read exclusive excerpts of these new novels!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Throw Blanket
Our first item this month is probably my most favorite item that I have ever received from OwlCrate. This beautiful, super-soft blanket is inspired by Holly Black's The Cruel Prince series and features a fitting quote from the first story. The magical design was created by Bookmark'd Tattoos and features officially licensed artwork from Holly Black. While this is from a book, I think this design is perfect for anyone since most people can relate to the sentiment that forests are magic. As for the details, there are acorns, leaves, butterflies, and bugs, all in a deep indigo shade with this beautiful purple and green in a style that is reminiscent of Eric Carle's collage artwork.
This is a lap blanket and it is the perfect size to cuddle under for reading a book. Here is my tall 5-year-old nice and cozy underneath on our love seat. The throw measures about 56" x 42". I am 5'7" and when I have it on my lap covering my feet it comes up just past my stomach, so it really is a perfect size! I plan on getting cozy with this all winter long!
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Exclusive! Wooden Ornament
I appreciate the little bit of holiday this wooden ornament brings to our box, without overdoing it. The ornament is beautiful so hopefully, everyone will be able to find use for it! This was designed by Juniper and Ivy and features a quote from The Raven Cycle that is very fitting for our theme.
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Exclusive! Metal Tassel Bookmark
This metal bookmark features another gorgeous design on both sides created by Her Paper World! I love the deep purple and the trees that look like they have a light dusting of snow on them. The purple tassel is also a perfect complement. This design was inspired by Uprooted and features the following quote from Naomi Novik: "There was a song in this forest, too. But it was a savage song, whispering of madness and tearing and race." This is a perfectly bookish item that further brings our enchanted forest theme to life!
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Exclusive! Reading Planner
This next item was created by Blue Star Press and made exclusively for OwlCrate members using feedback and suggestions. This year's planner is bigger and better than ever and I love the simple, yet beautiful floral design. The size is equivalent to one of our novels so it should be just as easy to carry with you and it features a quote from Neil Gaiman on the back.
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This planner is undated so you can use it at any time which I love! Each monthly section begins with a full-page calendar for the month followed by a book wishlist, a monthly TBR, and then a few pages for weekly planning with to-do lists and even a section for reading lists and pages read. Then there are four pages of book reviews and a section for your favorite quotes and a monthly wrap up followed by a few pages for notes.
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There is a section at the front for your favorite books and then the back finishes with a great End of Year Wrap Up section. I was so impressed with how thorough this planner was! I think it should suit anyone's schedule and I love the attention to detail!
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Exclusive! Planner Stickers
They even teamed up with Pipsticks to create these exclusively designed stickers to go along with your planner! I love that one is a sheet that you can color in on your own and the other is magical and shimmery, perfect for our forest theme! Plus they provided a coupon for 25% off their sticker club subscription!
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Exclusive! Monthly Enamel Pin
This month our enamel pin is inspired by the bone moth in our story and it was designed by Four Seasons Fox. It's so pretty, but also just a bit haunting, like the woods it comes from!
Verdict: All I can say about this month's OwlCrate box is Wow! This box just felt so special and the items were so beautifully done! The book was stunning visually with the sprayed edges and then there's that blanket! It is gorgeous, cozy, and so unique - definitely my favorite item, but that's not to say that everything else wasn't amazing as well. The reading planner was so nicely done and it felt like they put a lot of thought into it and I love that they included exclusive stickers to go along with it. The ornament was just the right amount of holiday bookishness and that metal bookmark fit in so nicely with the rest of the box. This was definitely my favorite box that I have received so far and I feel like we got a fantastic value at $37.98 ($29.99 + $7.99 US shipping) for this magical box!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but subscriptions are now open for the December box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $29.99 + $7.99 shipping, which means that each of the 7 items in the box has an average cost of $5.43.
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