June BOOKLOOT Review

I'm a subscription box junkie, and this month I got my first ever BOOKLOOT!

BookLoot is a monthly subscription box that provides a new release book with several related gifts. The June theme was "Call of the Water." Let's check it out!

If you've never done a subscription box, you're totally missing out. It's always a thrill when they arrive.

When I opened the box, here's what I saw:

The box was packaged very nicely. Notice that the book-- the biggest surprise-- is buried underneath. On top, there are already several gifts to explore.

First, you get a print of the month's theme. June 2017: Call of the Water. Perfect for summer! I'm already excited.

One gift included is lotion bar-- the bar inside smelled great, and the Pirate Princess jar fits the theme of the book. A fun extra gift!

The next gift was a reading journal. On the inside were all kinds of prompts and whatnot so you could keep track of what you read and what you thought about it. BookLoot is a YA themed box, so I think this is perfect!

The next gift: cool art print and short story! Definitely a sexy print to go with the book. Fun! Plus, this is an extra-short story BookLoot published. You can submit your own stories to be featured in the box. How awesome!

Finally, the big prize-- this month's featured book! It came with a letter from the author and a signed card. Let me tell you: This is a beautiful edition. The hardcover looks and feels great, and it's something every book collector would enjoy on their shelves. Definitely a nice-looking book, even if I am judging it by its cover.

It currently has a 4.01 on Goodreads. Here's the summary:

"Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.

Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.

From debut author Sarah Tolcser comes an immersive and romantic fantasy set along the waterways of a magical world with a headstrong heroine determined to make her mark."

What a cool summer read! I look forward to it.

So, you get all of this for just $29.99. Check 'em out and subscribe here!

AND GUESS WHAT? DID YOU KNOW BOOKLOOT subscribers will be the FIRST to get BURY THE RABBIT? Yep, I've signed on to be featured in their October box. I can't wait to see the scary extras. Not just that, but subscribers get an exclusive TRILOGY edition! See more details about that here.

Follow me on Facebook for all sorts of extra fun updates and contests, or visit my webpage here.

SpearCraft Book Box Review

I'm a huge fan of subscription boxes. I love getting gifts and surprises in the mail every month. I'm a big horror nerd, so of course I subscribe to Horror Block. I recently added Bark Box for my puppy. I've tried lots of others-- Loot Crate, Geek Fuel, and more. I enjoy them all.

Recently, I ordered my first book subscription box. Like other boxes often do, this one announced a theme but the contents of the box are a surprise. You get a book selected by the company that fits the theme with other related gifts.

My first book subscription that I ordered was SpearCraft Book Box.

View when first opening the box: Everything is packed neatly and to make the surprise even better!

The theme was "Cloak and Dagger"-- so we're promised a mystery/spies/detective kind of story. Every book is YA themed, too. And personally-- I don't care if I'm a 38 year old dude, YA tales are fun and for all ages. So whether you're a teen, have a teenage kid, or just enjoy stories with teen characters, you can get into this.

Subscriptions are $29.99 plus shipping. There are options to do just one box, gift a box, or even get a box with just the extra gifts without the book,. SO, the questions are: How was the box? Was it worth the price? Will I keep subscribing?

Here's what was included:

Sherlock inspired ribbon bookmark with magnifying glass. How fun!

Signed print by author Lannie Sheridan

Sherlock Holmes inspired necklace 

Bookstagram confetti from Pretty Little Liars

Harry Potter origami magnets!

Sherlock Magnet Bookmark (my puppy thought it was her toy, so excuse the teeth marks)

The Book!

The book was buried last under all of the above gifts (and even more I haven't mentioned yet!). It's a brand new, hardcover release called The Love Interest. It's about teens who were taken from their homes as infants and raised/trained to be spies. But the cool twist is this: The teen spies are used only to get someone important to fall in love with them so they can report back to their agency with valuable information. The agency classifies spies as either NICE or BAD, and they send one Nice and one Bad to compete for the girl's love interest. (There's a really cool section about why they don't just send one-- giving the person a choice is more effective). So, two bad ass male spies have to win over a super important girl, and guess what happens to the won who loses?

He's killed.

Sounds fun. Oh, and want one more twist that I THINK is coming? Well, Cale Dietrich, the author, included a letter and a signed card with the book. The letter makes me think that the two male spies actually fall for each other-- or at least one of them isn't really into girls at all. So we've got a whole lot of interesting twists coming.

I'm 60 pages in, and I enjoy the writing style, the unique plot, and the fast-paced nature of the book. It's a great choice by SpearCraft-- fun, fast, and fresh. 

Here's a list of everything that was included in May's box:

So, do you think that's worth $30? Hell yeah! The hardcover itself would cost you about $20 plus tax. Then all those unique gifts-- bookmarks, art, magnets, autographs. WOW. What I love most is that it's not stuff you'd find in a store. I love my Funkos and things like that, but to get handmade crafts that are truly unique greatly enhances the value of the box.

So, I'd say the box is 5 stars, 10/10, A+. Great job, SpearCraft.

Is it worth the price? No doubt about it.

Will I subscribe again? I already have. I'm excited for June's theme-- it's Mansions and Manors, inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion. How fun!

For more about SpearCraft:

Visit them on the web at https://www.worldofspearcraft.com/

Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram!