Subscription Boxes

All the unboxings and details about subscription boxes (bookish or not)

Books, Subscription Boxes

Darkness Calls Litjoy Crate Unboxing

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This is my last LitJoy for a while, as the shipping has spiked up and the box hasn’t really been giving me as much joy as I wish (and I have to decide where to spend my money). But let’s see what we had, starting top right with the contents booklet.

  • Under the booklet, we have the author letter. The art is kinda cool.
  • More collectible cards, I think it’s the last few but I am not sure I got them all as you had to get the Harry Potter boxes.
  • Night Court Stationery, it’s nice not too fussed, could’ve been nicer.
  • Hot pads, I like them, but again. nothing special.
  • Nocturna by Maya Motayne, super excited to read this one!
  • A Prince Cardan cushion cover, also not fussed (see, a pattern emerges). The art is cool but not my thing.
  • Malfoy Men Magnets, made a friend very happy with them.

Basically, I kept the book, the hot pads and that’s it? Which isn’t a really good outcome considering it had to come from the US and it costs the shipping fee and everything.

I have to say I wish the stationery had been a bit nicer, more fancy, more thoguht inot it as I would’ve loved to have more of that (I am not keen on paper items but good stationery is good!).

Books, Subscription Boxes

The Final Frontier Illumicrate Unboxing

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I am glad I chose a six month subscription when Illumicrate moved into monthly boxes. Because it meant easily being able to get this box. Yes, it had Aurora Rising in it and it is pink! But let’s go around and see every nice thing in it. Starting from the book and going clockwise:

  • A hot pink Aurora Rising with sprayed edges also in hot pink. I thought purple was awesome, but hot pink is also awesome!
  • An engineering dreamy pillowcase (this is how you do awesome pillow cases) with Kaddy and Ezra on one side and AIDAN quotes on the other.
  • A sampler of Emily Eternal peeks from the right corner (I really wanted to showcase that pillowcase, so much case here!).
  • Another sneaky sampler, but this time for The Furies. This sampler has been in almost every single box I’ve had recently, did they not sell enough copies or what? Instead of selling the book to me it’s making me not want to read it.
  • Howler luggage tag. Snazzy, relatively discreet but unique and matches my suitcase.
  • Illumicrate items booklet.
  • Space sticky notes. They have a moon for this Moon so I am in love. (All the gorgeous Moon themed stuff and I will love your book box)
  • Squad 312 (characters from Aurora Rising) glasses pouch. I’ve never used one of those despite wearing glasses most of my life. Probably won’t keep but it is nice (it’s due to not using it, not to not liking it).
  • The collectible magnet coin thing. I am still not sold on them and find them a waste of “space” (but they are small so whatever)
  • And a Lunar Chronicles cooler bag. I like cooler bags but this one doesn’t have a self closing system. I gave it away to a friend that loves them so that made her happy (I do use cooler bags).

All in all, a box that made me quite happy with only a couple of items I won’t keep (and that collectible but it seems I am just not into this thing and I am not seeing any reason that will make me like it) and I am still happy with the exclusive edition and that pillowcase.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Seize The Crown Book Box Club Unboxing

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A box for royalty, or at the very least, a box with a royal theme. Let’s start from the top left with the main thing, the book!

  • Romanov by Nadine Brandes. I think it is a retelling of Anastacia so I am intrigued.
  • Evil Queen mirror, maybe it will tell you who is the fairest of them all, or at the very least show you if your makeup is spot on 😛
  • Lost Princess candle, I wasn’t too keen on the scent of it but maybe it is just me and that sweet orange isn’t my thing.
  • A pair of socks inspired by The Cruel Prince. I like them even if I am not into that book.
  • Bathing salts, which look glorious and I am so happy for them being in the box (plus they match teh candle perfectly in looks)
  • Two psotcards for other books, Beauty Sleep which I reviewed recently and the sequel to Fandom
  • A bookmark to match the book.
  • The clubhouse invite, which lets you chat with the author and ask questions (alongisde the rest fo the subscribers but it is still awesome!)
  • The theme card in the center.

Probably not my favourite box, but not the worst either and I like receiving and, plus I am intrigued by the book and how well it will go (I am not always keen on retellings as some are not idea but some are really good. so wondering which way this will go).

Books, Subscription Boxes

Epic Adventures Owlcrate Unboxing

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May’s Owlcrate had the theme of Epic Adventures and I am a bit unsure on it. I mean, it fits the book really well, but I mean more on the items. So I will do the unboxing, starting on the theme card on the top left and going clockwise:

  • Theme card, the artwork is cute and at the same time full of longing.
  • Underneath everything there is a pillowcase that is what I would put in a kids room if I had a child or a guest room. I would need a matching duvet to go with this if I were to use it. Plus I don’t use pillows so pillow covers don’t do much for me. (And even I did this one doesn’t do much anyway).
  • A sleep mask, which I like except that is the design that is in everything SJM themed and like yeah, love a sleep mask, SO tired of the SJM mountains and stars and quote thing. There are many other options that could be quoted on a sleeping mask.
  • The collectible pin which was designed by the author of the book, so woohoo as that is pretty neat, right?
  • A sticker for Howl’s Moving Castle which is super cute and one of my favourite things from this box.
  • The book, We Hunt the Flame which I had been looking forward to so happy to have this one and it has silver instead of gold and somehow I like that more so bonus points.
  • Character artwork.
  • A passport wallet. This is a fun idea and I like it but I have never been sold on it as you still need to get your passport out of the holder when you’re going through customs… But the wallet is nice nevertheless.
  • A glass water bottle. It is smallish and apparently it has broken for people (it does come with tbhe caveat that it appears it isn’t tempered glass, and well, it really should be). Haven’t used it but a glass water bottle doesn’t appeal to me and bottles with just quotes on them in pretty calligraphy aren’t my thing anyway.

That’s all there was, the box felt a bit weaker this time than previous months and that’s a bit sad. Hopefully June’s box will be nicer.

Books, Subscription Boxes

The Dark Side Owlcrate Unboxing

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I am warming up to Owlcrate boxes. The theme for this one was The Dark Side, and I am very very glad they didn’t include anything Star Wars in it, but instead the whole box felt dark and murdery but also gorgeous. Let’s check the contents, starting from the bottom right and going clockwise:

  • Wicked Saints with an exclusive cover colour which makes it look even darker than the original one (I really like both)
  • An exclusive fabric book map for Wicked Saints, it is like a silk handkerchief and I like that. May use it as a fun handkerchief or headscarf or something.
  • Vicious isnpired phone holder (like a pop socket) which I enjoy a lot. Again, I am a bit confused on how many phones book boxes think we have, but I guess at least one fo the thingies they send will be to my liking (this one it).
  • Pin banner, neither here nor there for me but it has more effort than a similar attempt by another box, so yeah, happier about it.
  • And on top of it, the collectible pin of the month, inspired by a necklace worn in the book .
  • Theme card (there was also a themed zine but I don’t keep those).
  • A shorthand notebook (the style that it has the spiral on top rather than on the side) with a quote from one of Sarah J. Maas’ book which isn’t the same star one as always and it doesn’t bother me so much. The notebook is gorgoeus with hard cover and back so useful.
  • Finale sampler. Not bothered but samplers are usually bonus that I pass on.
  • Six of Crows socks, I love socks and this are red! I don’t have many red socks (yeah not crazy about Six of Crows, but I like socks)
  • A Grisha scarf underneath it all. This is my favourite item. It is a lighter scarf than what bookboxes usually include and it has a gorgeous tone of purple that almost seems like a gradient. The design is Grisha but even if I am not in the fandom it is just “specific and generic” enough I can wear it and get lots of compliments. Because it is lighter, it has made it through the “it is getting warmer” part of the year and I am still wearing a scarf (this one).

All in all a nice box, with a lot of things I liked and few I didn’t (which is always a bonus for me). I am still keeping this one as on and off but for now it is ore on than off. Keep it up Owlcrate people!

Books, Subscription Boxes

Your Majesty Illumicrate Unboxing

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As you may know Illumicrate are doing monthly boxes now. This is their second monthly box, and they had kind of spoiled the book by sending the signed bookplate for it by mistake in the box (for the previous month). However, I have to say they do not cease to wow me.

Just look at that bounty! Starting from the bottom left corner and going clockwise:

  • Theme leaflet. What I like is that it “sorts” the items into categories. You have the general items, the Book, the Collectible and the Photo Challenge, all neatly inside it.
  • A Once Upon a Time Book tin. This is gorgeous and made me sqeual a little. It is delicate but also beautiful and useful.
  • We Are Blood and Thunder sampler.
  • Descendant of the Crane, the book for this month, and I have been wanting to read it so yay! Plus it has soft deep red sprayed edges that match the red of the book cover.
  • Another sampler, for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which everyone should read.
  • Crown of Power candle, very fruity scent.
  • Moth and Mirth mug. I love this item the most because this type of mug is gorgeous. Plus the artwork is stunning. I love love love this item so much.
  • Scattered around the picture are the character cards. They were also preorder incentives so I had already seen them but they are still gorgeous and are a nice bonus to have.
  • Descendant of the Crane print with author letter on the back.
  • Travel psoters for Three Dark Crowns. I am not into paper bits but this are simple yet stunning and I don’t need to be into the fandom to enjoy them.
  • Iron Throne phone ring. I like the idea of it, but I only have so many phones (work and personal) so yeah, this won’t get used sadly.
  • And to me, the most puzzling item, the collectible. A Magnetic coin. The silly coin kept falling off the “necklace” so I do not recommend wearing it (and that only while I attempted to set this photo up, not actually wearing it, very little movement made it fall). Apparently we get collectible “magnetic coins”. It is an original collectible, I’ll give them that, but I am not into it (we shall see, giving it a chance). And most definitely will not be wearing it as a necklace.

So overall it was a box that gave me two favourite items, one puzzling one and oen I just won’t use btu the rest is good, so not bad at all. Plus it felt full of stuff even if there aren’t that many items (or not many more than usual) and absolutely feels like value for money.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Born Rebel Litjoy Unboxing

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This is going to be my second to last Litjoy. I am trying to keep costs down and it is hard to choose which boxes to keep. Since I’ve been skipping the last few months of Litjoy, I decided it was a good idea to not renew. And this box confirmed it, as I am just not excited about it.

Contents of the box from top left (book) and going clockwise:

  • The Tiger at Midnight. I knew this was the book and want to read it.
  • A book sleeve with a Throne of Glass quote. I am terribly bored of SJM quotes however I like the sleeve because it feels perfect for a tablet.
  • A set of Snake Handle Makeup brushes, makes me think of Slytherin. I don’t really do makeup and alreayd have a set of brushes so this is a cool item that sadly I have no use for.
  • A collectible bracelet Percy Jackson themed. It’s neat, they have sent bracelets of this type before. I like them, do not wear them at all.
  • Aladdin magnetic bookmarks. Super cute, but my issue with magnetic bookmarks is that they break quickly.
  • A fearless rune sticker, assuming it is from Shadowhunters (yes the leaflet says so). It’s kinda meh because it is just a rune sticker, doesn’t mean much to me and it is huge so hard to mix with other laptop stickers. Space is a prime thing.
  • The theem card, I do love the artwork for it.
  • The collectible cards, Infernal Devices trio.

As you can see it wasn’t a bad box, but it just wasn’t for me. The only things I am keeping is the book and the sleeve. Which isn’t worth the price of it for me (considering it costs the shipping to UK). And they’re moving furhter away from themed fully on the book, which is the main reason I loved this. It used to be very thoughtfully curated to match the book but this feels more like a hey thrwo nice stuff in.

Subscription Boxes

Bold & Brave Book Box Club Unboxing

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The theme for this box sounded great and I was looking forward to it, but you all should know by now I have a soft spot for Book Box Club because they have the Clubhouse meeting with the authors and they were the very first ones to do something that connected author and readers.

The whole box seems very in tune with the theme, but let’s go round, starting from the theme card on the top right:

  • Theme card, very much in tune with the rest of the box and setting the theme.
  • A sampler of The Furies. I’ve heard interesting things for it.
  • Another sampler, for The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods.
  • A Mother of Dragons metal bookmark (the picture doesn’t do it justice)
  • A chocolate lip balm (it smells like I should eat it instead of just apply it to my lips).
  • Underneath we have a tote bag with a Mulan in it (I like the art a lot and that the tote bag is a blue).
  • If you have bought more than 20 boxes, you get this snazzy pin designed by yours truly (aka me)
  • A listpad to be more like Hermione. I love that it isn’t stuck with being a specific year or week, but more of a fill as and when you feel like it.
  • The Clubhouse invite.
  • A promo bookmark.
  • The Hand, the Eye and the Heart. This book has caused some conversations on Twitter, but I am interested in reading it.
  • A gorgeous marble watercolour biscuit that is gluten free. It didn’t last long after the picture.

The box was very on topic which I loved, and the items are gorgeous so I was happy with it.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Adventure Awaits Illumicrate Unboxing

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First proper monthly Illumicrate. I have liked their quarterly boxes (and their special editions) for too long to not give this a go.  So here we go. Startin from the theme card on the far right bottom corner and going clockwise:

  • Theme booklet. ~I like that you have to open it to see what is in the box, so you don’t spoil yourself accidentally.
  • LOTR pins. That Eye of Sauron, is so beautifully detailed!
  • The red and blue notebooks aren’t together but they’re meant to be a set of them inspired by The Raven Cycle (interesting that also Book Box Club box had something to do with this fandom, however, totally different items and both gorgeous).
  • Excalibur water bottle, which came at a good time as I have resolved to drink more water at work, so this one is now on my desk.
  • Muse of Nightmares postcard
  • Mistborn socks. I have a soft spot for socks, and this pair is discreet enough but also gorgeous, so win.
  • The Grand Tour mug rug, I have used it as a “teapot” rug instead and a “cooking pot” one too, and it is great at that. I had no clue what fandom it was at a glance and Grand Tour to me means cars and Amazon Prime show, so I knew I had it wrong. It is from The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice & Virtue and their tour (I wasn’t into this series, so yeah, wouldn’t have guessed).
  • Once & Future, the book and a “card” with the author letter. The book ahs gorgeous teal sprayed edges and I was smitten immediately!
  • PROUD bookmark
  • Do you dream of Terra Two? sampler. (Interesting but doesn’t feel like my thing…)

So overall, I liked this box. It felt a little more hodgepodge than the usual quarterly boxes but I am hoping this gets better as they make more monthly ones and figure out how to make it work.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Favourites Fairyloot Unboxing

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I bit the bullet for March’s Fairyloot because I wanted both book that would be in it, and a theme of Favourites should be pretty spectacular, right? Sadly, this box confirmed that I am not that into their boxes.

But let’s see what was inside, starting from the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • Three prints. The only one I recognised was the Warcross one. Apparently the other two are from The Cruel Prince and An Ember in the Ashes. The artwork is nice, but 3 paper items aren’t really winning me over for this box.
  • A golden metal bookmark that is embossed and inspired by Strange The Dreamer. I liked it but it’s not that amazing and the design gets lost in the metal.
  • Theme postcard.
  • Alice in Wonderland socks, probably one of the best items as I do like socks. But also, nothing special about them. I can easily buy socks like this just going to Oxford for the day and visiting the Alice shop.
  • Bookworm Page Tabs. I like page tabs and have loved the potion ones they sent in a previous box, but this ones are less striking. Still not too bad, not too good, or rather, not a favourite.
  • Theme bookmark
  • Tarot cards, not collecting them  so neither here nor there for me. The artwork was very nice which at least was a bonus here.
  • Viper by Bex Hogan. That cover is gorgeous and I am so happy with this!
  • Author letter with artwork (for To Best the Boys)
  • To Best the Boys by Mary Weber, also another book I am looking forward to reading!
  • A purple Fairyloot pin. I wasn’t crazy about it, it is a bit “blurry” so not really stunning or striking.
  • And finally, underneath it all, a scarf with “favourite” books. It has spelling errors (I proof and proof my artwork if it has text, and when I “interpret” titles, I change to other words, not just omit letters), it is too translucent to actually show the books as books when you wear it, just looks like blots of colour, so not impressed. The artwork in itself has mmostly titles I don’t care about and that aren’t favourites.

All in all I was underwhelmed by the box. My favourite items were the books only, nothing else really made me think “oh yes, my favourites”, so for me the theme missed the mark. I am sure others loved it, but since I buy too many boxes and preorder too many books I have to be picky with what I get and sadly Fairyloot isn’t for me.