OwlCrate - July 2017

          Before I get into the box I'm just going to say I'm going to take a bit of a break from the OwlCrate box because I have so much books that I have not read yet and I'd like to make a dent into them before I restart my subscription.

          The theme for the July OwlCrate box is “Strange & Unusual”.  There is a lot of interesting bookish things in the box as usual so let us get into it. 

          The first thing that came out of the box was a cute keychain Funko, and you could get one of two options - Dustin or Eleven - from Stranger Things. I got Eleven.

          I love spooky things and this box included two that are really cute and spooky. The first is Ouija Board mints from Boston America Corp, and the second is a set of spooky skull push pins created by the Team OwlCrate. 

          The wallet they included in this box is really interesting and beautiful. It could also work as a clutch bag. It came from Reverie and Ink.

           There was supposed to be a vinyl sticker in the box created by TJ Lubrano. But either they forget to pack it or it was lost when the customs officials opened the box to check what was inside. I think the second option is probably correct. So let me move on to the beautiful art print created by artist Aun-Juli Riddle. I love that it has things that I love...whale, books and coffee cups.

          The last bookish item to come out of the box is this pennant flag designed by Risa Rodil and inspired by Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

          Finally, we come to the book and the goodies included with it. The book itself, My Plain Jane, is a fun retelling of Jane Eyre. You’ll be taken on a journey through orphanages, and the Victorian occult scene. The book was signed by it’s authors and as usual has a hand written letter from them. Included with the book is a fun paper craft inspired by Mr. Rochester’s eerie home. 

          I loved all the items that came in the box especially the wallet and the push pins. I can’t wait to read the book.

         

OwlCrate - June 2018

          The moment I opened this box I felt refreshed like I’d been to the beach. The cheat sheet on the top was really beautiful. 

          At first glance, even before looking at the cheat sheet for information, I knew this box contained a mug and a towel. However, the first thing I pulled out of the box was the microfiber towel. It was designed by Stella Bookish Art. I love towels of any size and this one is a good sized one.

          The mason jar mug came out next. It was designed by Michelle Gray and Team OwlCrate. I love the color of the mug and the slogan on it.

          I’m not a tea drinker, but if it is a different kind of taste I will try it. Riddle’s Tea Shoppe gave us Apple Picking At Night. 

          I love bookmarks and I love wood so this wooden bookmark from Ink and Wonder Designs is my favorite thing right now.

          Cactus pen from BC Mini, it writes in black and is very smoothe. 👍

          And finally, the book. It is From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon and comes with a letter and an exclusive keychain. From the cheat sheet: “Twinkle Mehra is an aspiring filmmaker who dreams of breaking new ground in the Industry. When fellow film geek Sahil offers Twinkle the chance to direct a short film for the upcoming summer film festival, she jumps at the opportunity. And who knows? Maybe getting to know Sahil will help Twinkle with another goal - getting closer to Sahil’s twin brother, Neil. What could possibly go wrong?”

OWLCRATE - May 2018

          I’m very excited by OwlCrate’s May box, both for the theme and the fact that the box had something different from usual (at least since I have been subscribed).  May’s theme was “Fight Like A Girl” , so let us get into the box. 

          From Evie Bookish comes this wall hanging, which was inspired by Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Mass.

          This bath bomb is created by Whipped Up Wonderful and is inspired by the character of Zéilie from Children of Blood and Bone. 

          Indigo Eleven created this double sided bookmark. It was inspired by both The Wrath of Dawn and Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh. 

          I really love this print. Mélanie Bourgeois illustrated this art print and was inspired by Inej from Six of Crows. 

           Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan it is a story about a powerful witch who is just trying to survive in the grim city she calls home. Her path crosses with Maddix, a young man who is wrongly thrown in prison and has just escaped. They become the most unlikely allies. This is an exclusive from Oftomes Publishing. 



 

          Finally, the main book for this box, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. This story is about Eelyn, who grows up as a member of the Aska clan of warriors. Loyalty is everything to her. She ends up facing her brother on the battlefield, a brother that she thought was dead. This battle takes her to live with a rival clan, and there she learns things that will change her life forever.

           I’m very excited by the fact that this box contains two books instead of one. ☺️

OwlCrate - April 2018

          The theme for April's Owlcrate box is "Shadows & Secrets". One of my favorite things was included in this box...I'm sure by the end you'll know what it is. Oh! And no it is not the book lol.

 
          Speaking of the book, this month's book is the first in the Shadow Games series by Amanda Goody, Ace of Shadows. From Goodreads.com: "Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play."

I have another book by Amanda Foody, Daughter of the Burning City, but I have not read it yet.


 
          Next up is a sneak peak for a book by Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval. This is an excerpt from her latest which goes on sale on May 29, 2018.



          COFFEE!!!! Need I say more? This brew is from Bones Coffee Company.


   
          This is the second time that I have seen Owlcrate include a pillow case in their boxes and as usual, good quality with a quote from Crooked Kingdom and designed by Stella Bookish Art.



          As the label says, handcrafted Bar Soap from Three Sisters Apothecary by Soap Cauldron.



          Finally, these pretty pencils with quotes from Harry Potter on them. They were created by Owlcrate and Jubilee Designs.

Have you guessed my favorite thing in this box??

Owlcrate - March 2018

          My box from OwlCrate really came to me banged up that I was so worried for the items inside. Luckily the people at OwlCrate really know how to pack the items so that they are not harmed. The theme for this box was "Across the Galaxy".

          This was an exclusive candle from Wick & Fable. They sent out two different seats and the one that I got was Kady Grant from The Illuminae Files. I didn't even have to open the candle lid to smell the scent of the candle it was all over the box the moment I opened it. It smells like heaven.

       

          Next up is something really cute from FUNKO. They are pint-sized heroes and there were three different ones sent out; I got my personal favorite Baby Groot! It is totally going to go sit next to its brothers and sisters lol.

          As someone who reads everyday, and sometimes reads a few books at a time, it is never a waste of space to give me a bookmark and this beautiful one from Lexy Olivia is just what I like to see in a book subscription box. It is a watercolor bookmark with a quote from Star Wars.

          I was very confused when I got this out of the box. At first before taking it out of the package I thought it might be a pillow or a blanket but then when I opened it I was like huh?? Then I went to check the card that had the spoilers. This is an exclusive infinity scarf made by OwlCrate. The print on it is very beautiful and the material is so soft and stretchy! I can't wait to wear it.

          What can I say about this beautiful mug? I drink tons of coffee a day and this mug is just an enabler for me to drink me. It is inspired by the Lunar Chronicles and designed by Sasha Natasha. It is a ceramic mug so it is dishwasher and microwave safe.

          Finally this beautiful (and signed!) book. It came with a letter from the author along with a character poster. The edges of the book are a beautiful color purple. From Goodreads:"Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?"

This book is the first in the series.

Owlcrate - February 2018

          The theme for Owlcrate’s February box is Hidden Worlds. At first I thought the box just didn’t have as many things as it usually does but then when I saw the items I knew why. So let us dive in. 

          This beautiful Skeleton Key Pendant Necklace is inspired by the story of Coraline and was designed by Team Owlcrate.

          I love the candles that Owlcrate have in their boxes. This one is a handmade soy candle of pine, mint, and vanilla and is created by Books on Candles. 

          I love pouches with zippers. I can store a lot of things to carry safely in my bogs when I travel or have to go somewhere. This one is inspired by Daughter of Smoke and Bone and was made by Risa Rodil.

      

          This cute sticker is from Naomi Lord and is obviously inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 

          This was the surprise of the box for me apart from the book. It is a wall tapestry by Evie Bookish. The design is beautuful and the material is gorgeous! 

          Finally, the book. From Goodreads:  "Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong."

Owlcrate January 2018

      I was wondering if a blog post was going to be possible today because I had not received any subscription boxes for a while thanks to delays at Aramex. I was going to review some paints and Markers I had bought but have not tried out yet but then the bell rang this morning and Aramex brought me a box! It was the Owlcrate box, January 2018. Funny part was that they had a typo on their info card and it had 2017 instead...eh, it happens to the best of us! So the theme for the box is Fearsome Fairy tales and I really am in love with the items in the box.

          The first item is a box of gingerbread scented wax melts from Spireside Candles and they are exclusively made for Owlcrate! I can’t wait to try these.

          Along with the wax melts there was a burner to use them with. This burner can be used with the wax melts ir with essential oils. This burner was designed by Owlcrate.

        A handmade bracelet from Authored Adornments that featured a quote from Rapunzel. It has a faux leather strap and the charm can slide on and off.

          From Stella’s Bookish Art, we have a pillowcase which I can’t wait to use. It was inspired by the story of Sleeping Beauty.

          This print was inspired by the story of Little Red Riding Hood and is by Anne Lambelet.

          Funally we have the book. As usual it comes with a signed plate, and a letter from the author. It also has an Owlcrate exclusive cover and sticker.

From Goodreads:"Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. 

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. 

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. 

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself."