Subscription Box :: Owl Crate August 2015

Last updated on 3 January 2025

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You may recall my post about this awesome subscription box back in May, when I told you about the April box. In it I talked about what was in the box, the pricing, the shipping and all that sort of stuff. I really really love this subscription box, but the main thing that stops me getting it every month is the price.

At the end of this post I’ll give you a bit of a rundown of the pricing etc, but I thought that I’d get another box this year, and to tell you the truth, I was actually hoping to subscribe and get the September box, because the theme is going to be Leading Ladies, which I would totally be up for! Buuuut I re-subscribed a little early, and managed to get into the August box lot. Which isn’t a problem at all, and I’m super pumped about what was in this box. It does mean, however, that my bank account won’t let me get September’s box. Ah well.

Maybe I should just quickly mention: each month, Owl Crate sends out a recent YA hardcover novel, and an assortment of bookish goodies to do with it. Each month has a different theme, and for August’s box the theme was Mystery. Here’s what was in the box (although I realise I did a weird collection of the items in the photographs. Sorry. It might be a tad all over the place):

Sherlock Holmes notebook, from The Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild
Okay, so how cute is this notebook!? I love it! Also, I feel like I need to be a part of the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild, because, while I am currently employed, technically I am a Philosopher, as per my BA in Philosophy. Am I right? Right. Gorgeous notebook, though, and I kinda don’t want to use because it’s too awesome.

Nancy Drew keychain, by By The Book Boutique
Oh key chains. How I love you. I have 3 keys that I use, but connected to those 3 keys are about 8 key chains. I just keep adding to it. *rolls eyes*. But I love how this is a Nancy Drew key chain! So cool. This one is made by By the Book Boutique, but in the box you could have received this one or one made by Forever Always Designs.

Trouble is a Friend of Mine pin
With the book (a few items down), there was a little pin, which is super cute. If you can’t really tell, it’s a girl holding binoculars up to her eyes, which is the cover the book.

Information Card
Each month you get an Owl Crate card, which has all the details of the items in the box, why the included it and who made it.

Custom Designed Artwork Print, by Shaileyann Designs
This is so sweet! I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to put it, but in case you can’t read the quote, it says Sometimes you have to lie, but to yourself you must always tell the truth, which is a quote from Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. Check out the other awesome designs from Shaileyann Designs. 

Trouble is a Friend of Mine bookmark
Both boxes from Owl Crate I’ve received come with a bookmark, which goes with the book. It’s sort of like an advertisement-type bookmark, with the book release details on one side, and then a quote on this side.

Sherlock Holmes Nail Decals, by Inspired Nails
How awesome are these? I love nail decals, and while I haven’t quite mastered getting them on, I definitely want to put these on my nails. These were made by Inspired Nails, which you can find on Etsy. 

Trouble is  a Friend of Mine, by Stephanie Tromly

This book sounds awesome! I hadn’t heard of it before (one of the things I love about Owl Crate!), but it sounds like it’s going to be a great book. Good Reads says:

Of course I didn’t like Digby when I first met him. No one does. The first time Philip Digby shows up on Zoe Webster’s doorstep, he’s rude and he treats her like a book he’s already read and knows the ending to.

But before she knows it, Zoe’s allowed Digby—annoying, brilliant, and somehow…attractive? Digby—to drag her into a series of hilarious, dangerous, and only vaguely legal schemes all related to the kidnapping of a local teenage girl. A kidnapping that might be connected to the tragic disappearance of his little sister eight years ago. When it comes to Digby, Zoe just can’t say no.

But is Digby a hero? Or is his manic quest an indication of a desperate attempt to repair his broken family and exorcise his own obsessive-compulsive tendencies? And does she really care anyway?

This is a contemporary debut with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and a dynamic duo you won’t soon forget.

Sounds great, and it’s not a book I would normally read. Definitely looking forward to getting into this one sometime soon!

Pricing 
It’s $29.99 US dollars a month, plus shipping. If you live in the US the shipping is $6.99, Canada is $10.59 and everywhere else in the world is $19.99. Apparently they are looking into how to make international shipping less expensive, but for the time being, that’s what it is. If you quickly do your maths, that’s about $50USD for international subscribers. It’s cheaper if you buy 3 months or 6 months, but still, that’s quite expensive. If you convert that to NZ dollars, that’s about $60…which is a lot of money if you do it every month.

However! I checked all the products out from the various stores, and had a look at the US price for the hardcover book on it’s cover, and the combined total in New Zealand dollars is just over $80. Considering you get all of that for a decent amount less (and even better if you live in US or Canada), and you get the excitement of mail, and the suspense of not knowing what you’re getting, that’s not too bad at all!

Shipping time
Considering I live on the other side of the world, the shipping is pretty good, time wise. It takes just under two weeks, sometimes less for it to arrive here. I think that that’s pretty good!

Verdict?
I seriously love this box. The price is high, but mainly for shipping (considering it’s nearly the same price as the box itself), but if they manage to get the international shipping down, then I may get it a little more often (but still not every month). If you live in the USA or Canada, the shipping is great, so it makes it even more worth it.

And that was August! I’m keen to see what September’s box will be like, seeing as that’s the one I was hoping to sign up for, but got in too early. Ah well.