A good book and a hot cup of tea is a proposition that sounds really good to me almost any time! Muse Monthly is a subscription service that delivers just that - a book and hot tea pairing!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Muse Monthly
The Cost: $21 + $8.32 shipping = $29.32 per month
The Products: One book and one hot tea to go with it
Ships to: US and Canada
Check out the Drinks Subscription Box Directory and make sure to add Muse Monthly to your subscription list or wishlist!
A Mid Winter's Night Dream by Mr. Trombly's Tea (4 oz.) - Value $13
This tea is nothing short of amazing! It's not exactly seasonal, but it smells and tastes like Christmas. It's a black tea with peppermint, chocolate, cacao, and red pepper. I guess the chocolate and peppermint kind of explains it, but it seems so much more complex than that. How is it creamy? I don't know, but my husband and I both loved it.
A Gathering of Shadows by Victoria Schwab (Hardcover) - Value $17.31
I started reading this book over the weekend, and even though magic / fantasy isn't really my thing, this is definitely a page turner! I also kind of don't like that this is the second book (of two) in a series, but I'm really hoping that won't matter much. I also hope that I'll love the book so much I will go back and read the first book. In any case, this book got 4.5 stars on Amazon. They write:
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...in V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows.
I think this subscription would benefit from an info card, but there was none included. Instead, they included a promotional insert for the books of Victoria Scwab (above) and a cool transparent bookmark (below) with what I think is the London skyline in silhouette.
This is the inside of the promotional insert, with praise for this book series.
Also inside the promotional insert were these four postcards, introducting four new characters from this book. They are really beauifully illustrated and very intriguing! They definitely make me want to read the book.
In addition to the extras listed here, I was pleasantly surprised to find a playlist to go with this book and tea pairing on the Muse Monthly blog! It's pretty good, too!
Verdict: I am really objectively impressed with my first package from Muse Monthly! For one thing, I'm actually pleasantly surprised that the value of the contents ($30.31) outstrips the cost of the box ($29.32), even if it is only by 99 cents! I was looking to get an excellent book suggestion and hot tea pairing, which I got, but I expected to have to pay a bit of a premium on that. I really didn't expect to get any savings. I mentioned that magic / fantasy isn't my favorite genre, but if I'm going to read it, I appreciate that this is such a highly rated book, and that it's a new publication. I appreciate even more this delicious tea pairing! It's excellently paired - a dark and mysterious blend for a dark and mysterious book! I can't wait to see what's in next month's box!
What do you think of Muse Monthly?
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