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Paper Street Books and Comics Box Review – March 2017

Sarah Paul
BySarah PaulMar 8, 2017 | 3 comments

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Paper Street Books and Comics is a bi-monthly mystery book box for those who are obsessed with reading! Each month you’ll receive a graphic novel and an adult fiction novel from the sci-fi, fantasy, or horror genre. This box features both indie and mainstream publishers.

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

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Paper Street Books and Comics has three subscription options. All subscription options include awesome bookish goods, with the Book Addict option containing a featured novel and the Comic Addict option containing a featured graphic novel.

This is a review of the Book Warrior, $44.99 every other month, box, which includes the novel and graphic novel!

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The Subscription Box: Paper Street Books and Comics

The Cost: $44.99 a box for the Book Warrior subscription + shipping. The Book Addict (includes the featured novel) and Comic Addict (includes the featured graphic novel) subscriptions are $29.99 a box + shipping 

The Products: A featured novel, graphic novel, and 1-3 items related to the theme/book.

Ships to: U.S. for $6.95, Canada for $19.95, and U.K. for $24.95

Check out all of our Paper Street Books and Comics reviews and the Book Subscription Boxes List!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

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The information booklet included each item with a brief description and a note from the curators. This month’s theme is “Drink the Stars and Sea." Both books are murder mysteries tied to the sea or the stars. 

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Rum Salt Water Taffy - Value?

I think the last time I had taffy was at an actual boardwalk so this felt like a great addition to a sea themed box. The rum salt is a nice combination of sweet and salty. The taste, smell, and packaging reminded me of the summer and the ocean. It was cool to get a little snack to enjoy while reading my new books!

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Princess of the Sea Socks - Value $11

As far as wearables in subscription boxes go, I prefer socks or smaller accessories over shirts because I know I’ll wear them often. So I was excited to see these socks. The information booklet lists two variations for these - Princess of the Sea or Sea Captain. I kind of missed the mermaid craze that has taken place over the past couple years so this is my first, subtle introduction into that. I love the bright color and the cute design.

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Call of Cthulhu Quote Notebook - Value?

I’m a notebook addict and mini notebooks are my favorite. I always like to have a small notebook on hand and I go through them quickly. This white notebook feels well made and I like that it has a bookmark and an elastic band to keep it closed securely. This features a quote from The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft and you can see a bit of Cthulhu's tentacles creeping in from the top. I will definitely use this and it inspired me to revisit some Lovecraft.

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Zodiac: A Novel by Sam Wilson - Value $17.24 on Amazon (retail price $25.95)

This is a really interesting novel with a seemingly familiar plot. It opens with a murder/kidnapping and leads us into an investigation. The twist with Zodiac is that this is a world where your place in society is determined by your astrological sign. I love novels that take a familiar story but place it in a world that's just slightly different from our own. It's an interesting look at nature vs nurture in regards to personality traits. I enjoy reading an occasional horoscope and it's interesting to imagine my astrological sign deciding everything in my life. I always enjoying alternate or dystopian society books that give us a new way to look at class systems (factions, districts, etc.) and this is one I would have never dreamt up. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and the world of San Celeste has really drawn me in.

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This is always one of my favorite parts of the box - a note from the author! I love getting a little insight into the mind of the author.

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Book Summary from Amazon:

In a volatile society ruled and divided by its citizens' zodiac signs, a serial killer is on the loose: is it a misguided revolution or something more sinister?

A starting new thriller with one of the most original concepts in years, where the line between a life of luxury and an existence of poverty can be determined by the stroke of midnight.

In San Celeste, a series of uniquely brutal murders targets victims from totally different walks of life. In a society divided according to Zodiac signs, those differences are cast at birth and binding for life. All eyes are on detective Jerome Burton and astrological profiler Lindi Childs―divided in their beliefs over whether the answer is written in the stars, but united in their conviction that there is an ingenious serial killer executing a grand plan.

Together, they will unravel a dark tale of betrayal, lost love, broken promises and a devastating truth with the power to tear their world apart . .

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Dept H by Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt - Value $13.33 on Amazon (retail price $19.99)

This story introduces us to Mia. She's headed down to the bottom of the sea to investigate the murder of her father, a scientist aboard an underwater research center. This takes a murder investigation and places in an unfamiliar, claustrophobic environment. It does a great job of capturing the isolation of a self-contained facility at the bottom of the ocean while also exploring the fear of the unknown right outside of their door. The story includes the investigation of the murder which opens up a larger conspiracy that Mia needs to explore. The station also begins to flood, adding even more tension to the investigation. This trade includes issues #1-#6. It looks like they're up to #12 right now, with the second trade available for pre-order. I think I'll check out the next couple issues and maybe invest in the next trade. I'm enjoying the story and really loving the art.

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The watercolor effect is so pretty but can also feel a little spooky. I love the simple look of watercolor, especially in this underwater setting.

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The book includes a sketchbook at the end. This shows early concept drawings of different characters, color tests, and the original issue #1 cover.

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Book Summary from Amazon:

From New York Times bestselling Mind MGMT creator Matt Kindt comes an exciting and new undersea sci-fi mystery.

Mia is a special investigator hired to uncover possible sabotage taking place at a deep-sea research station. What she uncovers is a mind-blowing crime scene filled with suspects with terrible secrets, strange deep-sea creatures, and an impending flood!

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Empowered and the Soldier of Love #1 - Value $3.99

Empowered is a manga inspired comic from Dark Horse and this is issue #1 in the Soldier of Love trilogy. This opens with a superhero getting drunk because of a failing relationship and then our antagonist, the Soldier of Love, uses her “assault wand of love” to put the superheroes on her hit list under a love spell. This results in some over the top behavior and is only step one in their plan so it looks like EMP has her work cut out for her. This was a fun, quick read to add to this box. As they admit on the information booklet, it doesn’t really have anything to do with the Sea theme but I’ll never complain about an extra comic!

Verdict: Paper Street Books and Comics has been a real hit with me. The curation of this box has introduced me to some awesome stories. The retail value of the novel and two comics alone comes to about $50. You can get that down to around $35 if you buy the books on Amazon but the added value of the socks, notebook, and snack would bring you to or over the cost of the box. As always, the real value in this box is the introduction to new stories, authors, and artists. I really loved the cohesive theme of this box and can't wait to see what's coming next!

What do you think of Paper Street Books and Comics?

Sarah Paul
Sarah Paul
Sarah’s first box was Honest Company and she was excited to learn that there are boxes to cover many of her interests which include coffee, sci-fi, books, pop culture, comics, and makeup. She’s currently loving Stars Hollow Monthly and Vegan Cuts, and can’t wait to find more!

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3 comments

Michelle

The socks are wonderful and that 1st book sounds so good hope I can swap for it.

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Carrie

What a great box! And I adore those socks!

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Sarah

The socks are so cute! I’ve only been getting this for a few months but I’ve enjoyed reading everything they’ve sent and used all the other products. So far it has been a great subscription for me!

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