OwlCrate YA Book Subscription Box Review – October 2015

OwlCrate is a YA book subscription box. Each month they send you a newly released YA book with some bookish goodies.

FYI – this box is usually in waitlist mode, but as of today (10/25 at 5 PM ET), it is currently available. If you sign up for a subscription, your first box will be the November box.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: OwlCrate

The Cost: $29.99 plus shipping ($6.99 to US, $10.59 to Canada, $19.99 Worldwide)

The Products: A new YA book and 3-5 book-related goodies.

Ships to: Worldwide!

Check out all of my OwlCrate reviews!

Each box comes with a card detailing the items included. This month’s theme is Spooky!

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis – Retail Value $17.99 (On Amazon for $12.63)

Book summary from Amazon:

Mindy McGinnis, the acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, combines murder, madness, and mystery in a beautifully twisted gothic historical thriller perfect for fans of novels such as Asylum and The Diviners as well as television’s True Detective and American Horror Story.

Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace’s brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.

This book also came with a mini-poster and a letter from the author giving Owl Crate subscribers a background on how the book came to be.

Out of Print Edgar Allen Poe-ka Dot Canvas Pouch – Value $12

Love the “Poe-ka” dots! (And the library card Out of Print tag is great too!)

Adventure Scents Scent Pack in Vampire’s Lair – Value $4

This Scent Pack is completely new to me. The key scents are described as “Blood, dirt and wine.” (These scents are designed to be used for special effects for games, costumes, theatre, etc). I took a close up photo of the scent beads below. Turns out blood and dirt aren’t my favorite scents (who knew?!), but it is an interesting idea. (And very appropriate for a Spooky themed box).

Crafted Van Monster Bookmarks – Value $6?

LOVE these magnetic bookmarks! They are so cute, and I love that the skeleton has a heart! (This is the level of spooky/scary I like in a Halloween themed box!)

NPW Sugar Skull Erasers – Value $5

These Sugar Skull Erasers are another fun addition to the box. I think Owl Crate does such a good job at curating around a theme and finding products I didn’t know existed!

(This box also included an Adventure Scents bookmark. On the back, it lists every scent they make).

Verdict: This box has a value of about $40 (using the Amazon sale price of the book). I think that’s a good value for a book box, especially with the curation and bonus book extras that OwlCrate includes each month. I’m not sure if I can handle reading A Madness So Discreet, though. (I don’t do scary movies, books, etc) I’m drawn to the mystery/crime solving part of this book summary, so I may give it a try. (But this won’t be a read-before-bed book!)

What do you think of the October OwlCrate box?