OwlCrate
Origin: Canada
Prices: 1 box / $29.99 USD + shipping
Shipping: International
I’m going to start with OwlCrate since it’s the one on my mind as of late. This box is actually a Canadian subscription box but the shipping is still a bit more than that of US shipping. It’s okay though because the box is absolutely worth it. It’s a monthly box with different themes every time. When I had purchased the April box, the theme was Dystopia and the one for this month is going to be Royalty. The box comes with a newly released book along with a bunch of very cool and artsy bookish items that follow the theme and usually a note from the author him/herself.
This box never ceases to amaze me but I think the only thing that takes away from the surprise of it all is that they tend to give out a lot of hints throughout the month. I guess it’s my fault for always checking their Facebook Page but it's just way too tempting not to check. The book hasn’t shipped yet and I already have a basic idea of what I will be receiving along with a guess as to what the book will be. We’ll have to wait and see, maybe I’m wrong! If any of you guys are interested in subscribing to OwlCrate, they have this really cool referral system where if you have three friends that subscribe through your referral link, they will send you a free box! Here’s my referral link, just in case you guys want to subscribe and receive an awesome monthly box while also helping me out (hint-hint). Just to let you guys know, they have mentioned that the boxes they are planning for the rest of the summer are going to be their best ones yet!
Uppercase Box
Origin: United States
Price: 1 box / $23.00 USD + shipping
Shipping: International
Uppercase Box is another cool subscription box that includes a newly released book with a bunch of cool bookish items. The difference between this one and OwlCrate is that this one has no themes and so it is always a surprise. Along with the bookish goodies, the book will either be autographed or be accompanied by a signed bookplate and when I purchased my boxes, they had these notes placed throughout the book with links to videos and exclusive content. It was a really neat experience. I believe now though, instead of having notes throughout your book, they give you a card with all of the page numbers and links instead. They also give you another box option if you would like the same reading experience without the bookish items. This box is called the Book Exclusive Plan and it’s only for $17.00 USD.
I personally had a really good experience with both of my Uppercase Boxes and really recommend it. The only reason why I haven’t subscribed again for another box is because I’ve been wanting to give other boxes a chance and see if I could find the perfect box that fits my interests. If you’d like to check out both boxes that I have received, I will link the one from November here and the one from December here.
Illumicrate
Origin: United Kingdom
Price: 1 cycle / £29.99 + shipping
Shipping: International
Instead of it being a monthly subscription box, Illumicrate is actually a quarterly subscription where they only send out four boxes a year. The next shipment is going to be in August and from what I’ve seen through past box photos, there are a lot of neat bookish items and great newly released book selections. This box will also come with items from the book’s publisher and can even come with exclusive items that go with the book from the author. Also, it doesn’t seem like there is a theme for every box and so I’m sure it will be quite the surprise every time! This is a box that I have considered subscribing to in the near-future and I cannot wait to see what I would get when the time comes!
Lit-Cube
Origin: United States
Price: 1 box / $34.95 USD + shipping
Shipping: International
When you subscribe to Lit-Cube, the first information that they need is your t-shirt size because a lot of their boxes may include a really cool bookish t-shirt. In the box, you will also find a book that is a new release but they don’t judge a book by its publishing company. They like to choose award winning books that are indie published or small/medium press published. They aim to find amazing and unique reads for this box. There’s even a monthly theme to this box! The theme for June is actually: An awfully big adventure. Though this box does send out YA books, it is not a YA only box. On a side note, they have mentioned on the site that they do not send out any books with erotica content so for those who are not interested in this genre, you would not have to worry about receiving that style of book when subscribing to Lit-Cube. This is another box that I would love to check out one day!
The YA Chronicles
Origin: Australia
Price: 1 box / $29.99 AUD + shipping
Shipping: International
The YA Chronicles is probably one that I am most interested in purchasing. The books that they have chosen in the past and the awesome bookish items that have been included have seemed absolutely amazing. The books selected have been some that I would have loved to read. Along with a TYAC exclusive bookmark, the book that comes in this box is always a new release and so you don’t have to worry about having already purchased the book that will be in the box. This is also another box that contains a monthly theme and I believe that for this month, the theme is: Pride week. The idea that this one comes with a theme every month really helps me out because I’m pretty sure shipment to Canada might be super high from Australia. Whenever I choose to subscribe for a box from The YA Chronicles, I could make sure to choose a month with a theme I know I will absolutely love.
BookCase Club
Origin: United States
Price: 1 box / $9.99 USD + shipping
Shipping: Only USA
Though this box sadly doesn’t ship to my country, I still wanted to mention it because I thought its variety is really cool and unique. This subscription box has 8 different themes that you could choose from and you receive two handpicked books with one bookish item. There are so many different themed cases such as the Thriller Seeker case, the Teenage Dream Case and the Blind Date Case. Depending on the theme that you like, it can either be a monthly box or a quarterly subscription. What’s great about this box is you can get two mystery books for only $9.99 a month and it’s even partnered with Books for Keeps, and so they donate a children’s book for every subscription. Though the ones above have been mostly boxes containing a new release, I don’t think this one focuses on that so there might be a chance that you receive a book you might already own. I still absolutely love the whole of it though and I wish it was international.
These boxes have been on my radar for quite some time now and I’d love to know if there are other kinds out there that I may have missed and should check out!
What are your thoughts on Book Subscription Boxes?
Would you subscribe to one?