OwlCrate is a YA book subscription box. Each month they send you a newly released YA book along with some bookish goodies.
FYI - COVID-19 Updates: You can find OwlCrate shipping updates right here.
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 U.S. for $7.99, Canada for $9.99, and worldwide for $19.99
OwlCrate YA "From Olympus With Love" January 2021 Review
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Each box comes with a card detailing the theme and the items included. This month’s theme is “From Olympus With Love."
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We received this booklet featuring an interview with the author and one of this month's vendors as well as a chart to figure out our Homeric Epithet. Looks like I would be "sweet-voiced, Brandi, the bold". Wonder if I can get my husband to call me that. 😉 They also included some information about their monthly photo challenge and a link to a Greek mythology-inspired playlist.
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Lore by Alexandra Bracken - Retail Value $18.99 (found here for $13.45)
Ahh! This cover is so hauntingly beautiful and cool! The golden eye and the marble skin with those milky white snakes, it all comes together for a stunning cover! This book is also signed by the author and it looks like it's a pre-release which always makes it feel even more exclusive.
From Amazon:
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
I have always loved learning about Greek mythology; all of the gods and their powers fascinated me, so I was excited and intrigued by the premise of this book. As of now, I am about halfway through and I'm still not certain what the relationship between Lore and Castor is. It feels like there is a romantic undercurrent, but I'm not so sure where this is heading and that seems to make it even more exciting! I have to admit, my head was sort of spinning trying to keep up with all of the gods, houses, and bloodlines, (until I discovered the handy guide at the back of the book!), but I was still able to get the gist of it enough to be engrossed in this epic, and sometimes gory, competition as mortals compete trying to gain the power and immortality of the gods. It certainly is a novel concept, and all of the action is easy to read and the characters are likable. While I am to the point where the main players are formulating a plan of attack against their enemies, there are still a lot of unknowns and it's not clear how things will go. This makes the story so much more captivating since it is not predictable in any way.
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We received this letter from the author where she describes her own love of Greek mythology which inspired her.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Pin Banner
Since it is the January box, that means a whole new year of OwlCrate pins (each box contains one, scroll down to the end of the review to see this month's design!) and what a gorgeous way this will be to display them! I think our pins will stand out beautifully against the black background and the gold foil olive branches designed by Michelle Gray will be the perfect accent!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! 2021 Lunar Calendar
This is such a cool and unique item! This tapestry contains the 2021 lunar calendar so we can be sure to never miss a full moon. This is made from satin so it has a nice sheen to it which really makes all of these incredible designs pop. Eden Cooke designed this calendar and I think her use of gold throughout is so nicely done! It seems to be accurate, too since I am writing this on our first full moon of the year and sure enough there is a golden moon on our calendar to mark it.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Nectar of the Gods Loose Leaf Tea
It's always fun to get a bag of tea from Riddles Tea Shoppe. This vendor is featured in the magazine and their unique teas frequently make their way into our boxes and I am always ready to brew a cup! This particular blend is fitting of our story made with decaf Ceylon and rooibos tea along with peach, marigold, apple, caramel, and vanilla flavors. I love rooibos tea and this blend had the right balance of vanilla and fruit flavors along with some subtle notes of caramel. I'm looking forward to having a few more cups!
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Wooden Bookmark
The front of this thin, wooden bookmark is simple and beautiful with a sweet quote from Circe, but the back features a truly stunning design, all of which come from In the Reads. The quote on the back is from The Song of Achilles, which is another Greek mythology retelling from Madeline Miller.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Felt Letter Board Kit
This item is one that I was pretty excited about! While it's not necessarily unique to subscription boxes, it is certainly something we have never received in this box before, and this mini design is so much better than the letter board I already have. I was really impressed with the quality.
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The mini board is thick and sturdy while the spacing between the lines is nice and tight meaning the letters actually stick in the board so placing the letters is a frustration-free experience. It also has a hanger on the back so this board is ready to hang up and display!
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To store our pieces in, they included this awesome felt zippered pouch which ties into our theme by featuring the messenger of the gods. Fitting for a message board! They also included two sets (this is only one set pictured here) of these letters, numbers, and symbols, so I am sure you could write anything you wanted since there are so many multiples.
So cute! Some of my letters still need to be trimmed a bit; I forgot my brain for a bit and tried to twist them off instead of getting scissors to cut them. Once I grabbed the scissors, it was easy to get them all cut off and packed up into the little felt bag, which still had plenty of room to spare.
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OwlCrate Exclusive! Monthly Enamel Pin
Each month you'll receive an enamel pin to go along with your book. This month's design features the head of Medusa and comes from Icey Designs.
Doesn't it look great on our new pin banner?
Verdict: I cannot say enough about the aesthetics of this month's OwlCrate box! From that hauntingly beautiful book cover to the magical lunar calendar, and of course that gorgeous bookmark, it is always so amazing to see how much talent they can fit into one little box! Our theme this month was such a fun one and the book was such a unique read. While I really loved everything in this box, that letterboard was just top-notch! This box is one that I look forward to each month because you can see just how much love and effort they put into the curation from the incredible artists they work with to the quality of the items they include. It is certainly an experience every time I open the box and there is so much value in all these exclusive designs!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, this was the January box, but you can join the waitlist for the February box here.
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.
Check out all of our Owl Crate reviews and more of our best book subscription boxes!
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What did you think of OwlCrate this month?
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