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 worldwide for $19.99
OwlCrate YA "A Power Within" February 2020 Review
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Each box comes with a card detailing the theme and the items included. This month’s theme is “A Power Within."
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They also included this booklet featuring an interview with the author, a word search, and an interview with an artist. They also included some information about their monthly photo challenge and a link to a Throne of Glass inspired playlist.
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All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace - Retail Value $17.99 (found here for $12.79)
Our book this month is signed by the author and features a unique and exclusive cover!
From Amazon:
Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer―the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder―and more peril―than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stowaway she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
Our main character, Amora, strikes me as somewhat headstrong at first, although I think a lot of her confidence comes from how much importance she has placed on demonstrating to her people that she can protect them and that she can rightfully claim the throne. We meet her on the night she is to face the task that will determine her future, and we get to witness quite an awful scene as she realizes that her powers are a bit more than she can control at times. In the aftermath, she is immediately imprisoned and when someone unknown comes to her rescue, she has no choice, but to believe him and let him helps her escape by ship otherwise, she faces execution. As they sail away, she realizes that her meek fiancé has snuck aboard as well. I almost feel badly for Ferrick since he seems like a bit of a fool in Amora's eyes and she seems to wield her power over him a bit, while Bastian, whom she has come to learn is a pirate, seems to be more of her equal. Together they must go on an adventure that opens Amora's eyes to the world her father had hidden from her and try to save her kingdom and also prove to her people that she is capable and worthy of ruling. The unlikely group of people who come together to help her accomplish this make it an interesting read, and while I wasn't sure how I would enjoy this book at first, now that we are into the adventure, I find myself devouring the pages just a bit faster to see how it ends! The author paints such beautiful and detailed visuals and I enjoyed how descriptive she was of the scenes...well most of them, anyway, since a few are a bit more graphic in nature (more of what a surgeon might describe)!
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We received a letter from the author which is such a great personal touch!
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Team OwlCrate Bento Box
Our big item this month is this cute green bento box. It has one large and two smaller compartments inside and a latching lid. On the top, there is a plastic case that has OWLCRATE written in Scadrial's Steel Alphabet (from the Mistborn series) with a metal spoon and two metal chopsticks inside. This is a pretty unique item and will be great for packing snacks to take on the go! Judging by the little symbols on the bottom, it looks like it is heat resistant, freezer safe, and can be washed in the top rack of the dishwasher!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Playing Cards
These playing cards were designed by Team OwlCrate and Michelle Gray. The deep purple color is so pretty and the sides have a nice shiny coating on them that really makes them stand out. The back features gold and white accents with the numbered cards in light purple and white, while the face cards feature beautiful colored illustrations of characters from Throne of Glass as depicted by various artists including Jo Painter, Salome Totladze, Diana Dworak, and Jana Runneck.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Bookmark Rulers
This next item is meant to be shared with your BFF, or Threadsister, since it comes with two matching metal bookmark rulers designed by Hey Atlas Creative. These are inspired by Truthwitch and the Witchland series and they come with two cords to tie to the tops of each bookmark. These are thin and a nice size to mark your place!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Screen Cleaning Cloth
This item is a really unique one, and a very useful one, too! I love that they took the idea of having a microfiber cloth and turned it into a beautifully bookish accessory! This cloth can be used to clean your glasses, phone screen, or any other screen with a simple swipe. The fan art depicts Nadya from Wicked Saints and was designed by Nicole Deal. The quote, "a witch is just a girl who has realized her power is her own," is hand-lettered by Leaf and Lore.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Keychain
This keychain design is so pretty and subtle, which I appreciate since I'm not familiar with the series it comes from, The Magicians. This reads "Brakebills Alumni" and will hopefully be a little more meaningful to those who have read the series. Luckily, I can appreciate it for the practicality and beautiful aesthetic courtesy of Blooming Library
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Sneak Peek
This month we received a pretty substantial sneak peek at Chain of Gold: The Last Hours Book 1 by Cassandra Claire and goes all the way through Chapter 2. This book was just released on March 3rd, so our exclusive sneak peek came with plenty of time to check it out before its release!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Monthly Enamel Pin
Each month you'll receive an enamel pin to go along with your book. This one features a great crown and quote from our book, "Still, I will fight" and was designed by That's Lovely Dear.
Verdict: I always enjoy seeing what uniquely bookish items OwlCrate will include each month and I thought there were some useful and fun items this time around! While this month's curation didn't seem to hit on the theme as much as other months, I still enjoyed the items and our book. Since everything is exclusively designed, it's so hard to value this $37.98 ($29.99 + $7.99 shipping) box, but our book alone is $17.99, so I think that $19.99 is well worth it for the other 6 exclusive and beautifully designed items we received along with that lengthy sneak peek!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but subscribe today for the March box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $37.98 ($29.99 + $7.99 shipping), which means that each of the 7 items in the box has an average cost of about $5.43.
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