OwlCrate is a YA subscription box service that ships out one book a month, plus several gift items, all sticking with a theme. Now, I’m a fan of YA lit and I’m a fan of getting shit in the mail and I know a lot of people who would enjoy something like this as a gift, so I wanted to check it out. I am sad to report that OwlCrate is not actually delivered by owls, which is disappointing but makes sense logistically.

Like most subscription box services, you can sign up for one box, three boxes or six boxes at a time. The more you buy at once, the cheaper they are. Individual boxes are $29.99 plus shipping, which varies based on destination. For me, with domestic US shipping, one box costs $36.98. A three month subscription, plus a 10% newcomer discount, totaled $33.09 per box when shipping was factored in. Most subscription box services that I’ve looked into range from $30 to $50 so this was about what I was expecting.

I was very excited when June’s box came because I was having an exhausting day and coming home to find a present that I knew contained a book brightened my spirits considerably. I poured a glass of wine and tore that box open.

The theme for June was “Royalty.” The book for June was My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. As a fan of historical fiction and a fan of the Tudor era, I was very happy to see this book. Also included were three magnetic bookmarks by Crafted Van. I immediately looked them up on Etsy and found this wedding card which will be the only wedding card I ever buy again. There was also a paper crown and card with a quote from Red Queen ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) on it.

Further digging revealed a Funko Mystery Mini Disney figurine. I will own up to not understanding the appeal of Funko Pop. I kind of the think the figurines heads look like the head of a dick that someone drew eyes on. I opened my mystery mini and got Elsa from Frozen, and that made me happy, too, because I like Elsa.

Inside a bag from Rich Love Shoppe was a metal bracelet featuring a quote from Cinder ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ): “Even in the future the story begins with once upon a time.” Lastly there was a coupon for $10 off a bookmark from My Bookmark Shop.com.

Overall I was happy with my first box. I liked the book, I liked the bookmarks, I really liked the bracelet, and the Elsa figurine was actually pretty cute. I thought the paper crown was fine, but it’s one of those things that’s going to get trashed pretty quickly. The card with the quote from Red Queen was pretty, but I wasn’t going to do anything with it. I looked up the website for the bookmark coupon and discovered that the bookmarks retailed for $25. Even after $10 off, I am not spending $15 on a bookmark.

So let’s price this out: Lady Jane retails for $17.99 in hardcover, but you can get it on Amazon for $10.98. The Funko mini Disney doll can be found anywhere from $6.99 to $10.99. The bookmarks were created especially for OwlCrate and so was the bracelet, but based on the prices of other items on those sites I figure they cost about $7.19 and $17 respectively. I didn’t assign any value to the paper crown or Red Queen card because, honestly, I’m not going to get much if any use out of them. And since I’m not using the $10 bookmark coupon, I’m not counting that either. I did assign a value of $1 to the box itself because Dewey sat in it for an hour, which is exactly fifty-five minutes longer than he’s spent with any toy I’ve actually paid for.

Assuming the lowest price for everything that’s $43.16, so I came out ahead in terms of monetary value. But I wasn’t going to make a judgement based on one box.

The theme for July was “Good vs Evil” and since I’m pretty solidly Team Evil, I had hoped that’s the box I would get. I was a little bummed to get the “Good” box, but hey, the OwlCrate people don’t know me personally so…

Both July boxes featured the book This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), plus a signed bookplate by the author. I’d actually had this book sitting in my Amazon cart, but hadn’t clicked buy yet on the off chance it would be the selection for OwlCrate so I was pretty excited and proud of my psychic abilities. This book is about MONSTERS people!

The box also came with an Alice in Wonderland bookmark from Jane’s Tiny Things, a 4 x 6″ vinyl sticker with the quote “You have me. Until the last star in the galaxy dies, you have me” from Illuminae by Amie Kaufman ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), a Millennium Falcon necklace by Vector Engraving, a small coloring book, and a Dobby Funk Pop.

Now, I still don’t get Funko Pop and even if I did, I think the Dobby one is hideous, but I friggin’ loved that Millennium Falcon necklace. Look how gorgeous it is:

Pricing this box out, the book is $10.36  and Funko Dobby is $10.99 on Amazon. The bookmark goes for $4.00 and the necklace for $16.00 on Etsy. Even though Dobby is getting regifted, I’m still coming out about $10 ahead.

For me, OwlCrate is worth it. I read enough YA to enjoy the book selection, and for two months in a row I’ve loved the jewelry and the bookmarks. I think there’s a component I can’t put a price on, too, and that’s coming home and basically having a present delivered to your door every month. Even if I don’t love every single item in the box, I look forward to it. I look forward to getting mail that isn’t a bill or a request for a donation or a political flyer.

So far I’m keeping up my subscription (and planning my outfit around the Millennium Falcon pendant). Dewey was just as excited about July’s box as June’s, and I gave my husband my sappy sticker, so basically everyone in my house is happy.