Let’s talk about loot boxes today! No, not the ones in computer games that have caused an uproar because they encourage gambling. The crates I want to talk about, are book subscription boxes. If you ask Google, you can find all sorts of monthly book boxes, offering various genres and extra items. Some of the most popular ones offering Young Adult books are Owlcrate, Illumicrate, Shelflove Crate, Litjoy Crate and Fairyloot.
Personally I’ve been a fan of Fairyloot ever since I ordered my first box back in October last year. This company caught my attention because they always offer a (newly released) Young Adult fantasy novel. This is my favourite genre, so most of their books are on my TBR list anyway. Not only do I receive a wonderful book every month, they also go out of their way to bring us some amazing bookish items. And as you might know, I just love collecting merch that’s related to books! So what can you expect from these Fairyloot boxes, you ask?
Let’s have a closer look at what I got in my May box!
The first item was an absolutely stunning book sleeve designed by Reverie & Ink. It features a quote from An Ember in the Ashes (a book I still have to read, woops!) by Sabaa Tahir, and is perfect to take your book with you everywhere without risking damage. The inner lining of this sleeve is water proof, by the way. And just look at it! The letters are printed in a glittering gold colour and I’m totally in love with this item!
Every now and then, I stumble upon great quotes in my books, or plot twists that make my heart race. Thanks to Fictiontea Designs I can now bookmark these pages without leaving marks on them. These page flags are based on the wyrd marks in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, mysterious symbols with ancient power connected to them.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who’s found themselves slightly dehydrated after getting dragged into a story for a few hours. Right…? Anyway, it’s important to drink regularly, kids! But at the same time, you don’t want to risk damaging your nightstand with coffee rings. Luckily, there’s this beautiful coaster by Evie Bookish to protect your furniture. It features a quote from The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, and it matches another coaster I got from Fairyloot a while ago!
Beverages and beauty products
Speaking of hot beverages… What’s better than a nice cup of tea to start the day? Or to take a break? Or just about anytime. The Tea Leaf Company created this fun “Wake up, it’s time to save the kingdom” tea especially for this Fairyloot box. It’s English breakfast tea, perfect to fight the remaining drowsiness. I haven’t tried it yet, but it can’t be bad.
Next up we have a bath bomb. You might know these sizzling little thingies as orbs that you drop in your tub that then entertain you for a while with their colour, scent and death struggle. I have to confess I’ve never tried one before, but thanks to Fairyloot this is going to change soon. Little Hearts Gifts created this gorgeous bath bomb in the shape of an actual castle! It’s inspired by the featured book of the month, so I might wait with this one until I’ve read the book. Oh, and it’s with moonstones and berries scent!
Fairyloot likes to feature bath-related products, and this month we even got two! The second item is a lip scrub inspired by The Remnant Chronicles. It’s created by Geeky Clean and comes in three varieties, based on the three kingdoms in that book. I got Venda, which is lemon flavoured. The other two are Dalbreck (melon) and Morrighan (berries and grape). It’s random which one you get, so that’s even more of a surprise.
Book and swag
But what is a book box without a book, you say. And you’re right. So it’s time to unveil the book of the month… *drum roll*… Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett! This book was on my Most Anticipated list for this month, and I figured out we were going to get this one in our box based on the description we got, so I am super happy. The cover is stunning, and the book comes with exclusive sprayed pages! It features dragons that only come out at night (or so people think!), magic and romance. I can’t wait to dive into it!
And finally, there is some other book swag. Like every month we got a signed bookplate and a bookmark with Fairyloot’s artwork of the month. There’s also a sticker, and a letter from the author of the featured book (not pictured here) with gorgeous character art for this book on the flip side. Furthermore, there was a bookmark to promote the upcoming release of Smoke in the Sun, and a playing card to get us even more hyped about Legendary, the sequel to Caraval.
To sum things up: this box was amazing! Gah, I’m such a fangirl, I know, but I can’t help myself. Every month, I’m surprised by how many items they manage to cram into this box, and by how beautiful and useful they all are. If you love YA fantasy and geeking out over book-related items, you should definitely check them out. Boxes are £26 (plus shipping), and you can get a single purchase or go for a monthly, 3-monthly or 6-monthly subscription over at Fairyloot.com.
