Owlcrate YA Box with Goodies Comparison 2024: Ongoing

FantasySci-Fi

May 23

Have you seen those stunning exclusive edition books with sprayed edges, redesigned dust jackets, and character artwork? If so, chances are you’re familiar with Owlcrate!

Owlcrate is a monthly book box with multiple subscription options, including an YA box with a book and 4-5 merchandise items. And that’s where this page comes in! As the year progress, I’ll post everything you need to know regarding this subscription right here. It’s a one-stop-shop for information!

Get ready for unboxing videos, book reviews, and my thoughts on whether the subscription is indeed worth its pretty penny. You can check back monthly to see updates, or sign up for the newsletter to be notified! Either way, we’re hoarding the love and reveling in the gems received. What more could a book dragon ask for?

THE BOXES SO FAR

Currently Reading: Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Owlcrate has been a STRONG contender this year with their book box subscription. I’ve enjoyed every read (minus a hiccup with Song of the Six Realms) and have put multiple goodies to use! We did have some overlap with FairyLoot in January and February, which was simultaneously disappointing (because I don’t need repeat exclusive editions) and fun (because we got a true comparison of what these boxes create when it comes to the same novel). I preferred Owlcrate’s edition in January, but FairyLoot’s edition in February!

I usually check The Story Eater for book box spoilers, and they have predicted Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen as the June release. I’ve actually seen this all over the place of late and CAN’T WAIT! I think it’s going to be a top read for me and have my fingers crossed that this is in fact the case. Especially since I’ll be getting two editions, seeing as it’s also the Illumicrate pick for June.

DESIGN: Owlcrate put out a stunning edition in Song of the Six Realms. From the redesigned cover to the character art endpapers, I was thrilled by this design! Even the metallic sprayed edges, which I’m not typically a fan of, work beautifully with the color scheme of the book. Your Blood, My Bones had lovely endpapers with detail and care taken to depict important scenes and symbols within the text. I liked the design of A Fragile Enchantment and actually ended up keeping my Owlcrate edition over my FairyLoot one. Heartless Hunter (patterned and pages/lackluster dust jacket) and The Last Bloodcarver (cartoonish dust jacket/busy and blurry digitally sprayed edges) were both unfortunate editions.

CONTENT: Great! Last year there were some significant duds by Owlcrate. (And by that, I mean the only books still on my shelf are Divine Rivals and Garden of the Cursed.) I almost cancelled my subscription, but every time I went to do so, all I could think was that I’d kick myself if another Divine-Rivals-esque edition popped onto the radar in 2024 and I missed it. So, I vowed to give it one more year. And here we are! I’ve truly enjoyed all of the novels thus far. (Song of the Six Realms was a tough one, because the plot is slow and passive, but the world and storyline are intriguing). Though they all are fantasy, the subgenres are diverse enough to where each book has it’s own unique storyline that truly stands out from the others.

GOODIES: I’m an enamel pin girlie, which means I always know Owlcrate will have at least one item for me to get excited about. However, if you loathe enamel pins, this may not be the sub for you. Each year, we get a new collection, and this year that collection is Perfect Pairings! So far, every box has had at least 2-3 items that I currently have displayed or am actively using. I’m so happy with my umbrella, and I’m the proud parent a beautiful pothos cutting that is happily growing in my propagation glass! Thus far, I truly feel I am getting my money’s worth in the extra amount I spend for the items, so I have no interest in moving to the box-only option. We’ll see how the rest of the year fairs!

PRICE: Worth it! These boxes fit both my reading style and my personal preference for goodies. There is a waitlist for Owlcrate subscriptions, though I believe it’s a shorter wait time than FairyLoot/Illumicrate. I will say, I think FairyLoot books are consistent in their beautiful designs. Owlcrate has some … interesting … choices every now and again (see February and March). But that in no way means I don’t enjoy my Owlcrate books! If you’re still hesitant to jump on the subscription train, but you spy a book you love, these are mostly going for about the price of the box in online resale markets (give or take some $$ regarding taxes/shipping/etc.). So you could always take that beautiful novel off someone else’s hands! Depending on the specific book, you may get a deal, or you may have to gnaw off an arm.

GET ALL THE DETAILS

Want to know more about a specific month? Check below for unboxings, book reviews, exclusive edition details, and sneak peeks at upcoming subscription picks!

January: Enchanted to Meet You

*A Fragile Enchantment* by Allison Saft
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned cover (created by No0ne Designs and designed by Lichen and Limestone), reversible dust jacket art (by @giannyfili), hardcover foiling (by Lichen and Limestone), foiled end pages (by @hachandraws), a ribbon bookmark, sprayed edges, bound-in author letter, and a bonus chapter exclusive to Owlcrate

Our goodies include: Metal Bookmark Collection (inspired by Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries; designed by Saiyre), Tote Bag (inspired by Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart; designed by Jade Cunningham, Reusable Napkin (inspired by Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer; designed by @theproseandcons), Regency Coloring Kit and Postcards (postcards designed by Vera Drmanovski, pencil crayons from Team OwlCrate), Perfect Pairing Enamel Pin #1 (inspired by Diana Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle; designed by Saiyre)

Interested in the book? Read my REVIEW

Vie the unboxing

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of January here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?

February: Treacherous Love

*Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth)* by Kristen Ciccarelli
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned dust jacket (by @vera.drmanovski), reversible dust jacket (by @nir4z), foiled hardcover case (by @forensicsandflowers), foiled end pages (by @offthehookstudio), ribbon bookmark, sprayed edges, bound-in author letter, and CHECK bonus content exclusive to Owlcrate

Royalty Drinkware Collection (inspired by Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince; designed by @offthehookstudio and @the.pearledreader), Oven Mitt (inspired by Shelby Mahurin’s The Scarlet Veil; designed by @wanderingmoda), Spoon Set (inspired by Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna; designed by @azura.arts), Stained Glass Window Decal (inspired by C.S. Pacat’s Dark Rise; designed by @vera.drmanovski), and the monthly Perfect Pairings Enamel Pin (inspired by Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna; designed by Saiyre)

*Book review to come

*No unboxing video—yet

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of February here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?

March: Secrets and Masks

*The Last Bloodcarver* by Vanessa Le
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned dust jacket (by @annguyenart), reversible dust jacket (by @golden.rose.art), foiled hardcover case (by @divineliterary), foiled end pages (by @eevientan), stenciled edges (by @annguyenart), a ribbon bookmark⁠, bound-in author letter, and a chapter annotated by the author—exclusive to Owlcrate

Interested in the book? Read my REVIEW

*No unboxing video—yet

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of March here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?

April: Death to the Undying

*Your Blood, My Bones* by Kelly Andrew
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned cover and reversible dust jacket (by @nir4z), foil stamped hardcover case (by @vera.drmanovski), sprayed edges, character art endpapers (by @ouijacine), tip-in page (by @divineliterary), bound-in author letter, and will be signed by the author

Metal Bookmark Collection (inspired by Margaret Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns; designed by Saiyre), Propagation Station (inspired by N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season; designed by @divineliterary), Roller Perfume (inspired by Catherynne M. Valente’s Deathless; designed by Fiction Bath Co.), Reading Checklist (designed by Gretchen Cobaugh and @lichen_and_limestone), and the monthly Perfect Pairings Enamel Pin (inspired by Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer; designed by Saiyre)

Interested in the book? Read my REVIEW

*No unboxing video—yet

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of April here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?

May: Traverse the Realms

*Song of the Six Realms* by Judy I. Lin
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned cover and reversible dust jacket (by @nir4z), foil stamped hardcover case (by@vera.drmanovski), sprayed edges, character art endpapers (by @ouijacine), tip-in page (by @divineliterary), bound-in author letter, and will be signed by the author

Awaiting Owlcrate post for list of items and links to artists.

*Book review to come

*No unboxing video—yet

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of April here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?

June: One Step Ahead

*Of Jade and Dragons* by Amber Chen
Our exclusive edition book features: Redesigned dust jacket (by @lilittwang), artwork on the reverse of the dust jacket (by @ritzbitzfei), sprayed edges, metallic ink artwork on the hardcover (by @saiyre.art), illustrated endpapers (by @llstarcasterll), bound-in author letter, and an author signature

Royalty Drinkware Collection (inspired by Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses; designed by @offthehookstudio and @the.pearledreader), Facial Cleansing Pad (inspired by Lynette Noni’s The Prison Healer; designed by @_francesdesigns), Reading Kit (inspired by Naomi Novik’s The Scholomance trilogy; designed by @lichen_and_limestone .), Tea (inspired by Shannon Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi; designed by Riddle’s Tea Shoppe), and the monthly Perfect Pairings Enamel Pin (inspired by R.F Kuong’s The Poppy War; designed by @saiyre.art)

*Book review to come

*No unboxing video—yet

Trying to choose between subscriptions? See a breakdown of all of my book boxes for the month of April here. Which one would you have been most excited to receive?