Last week I talked about my quest for hardcover books and my latest FairyLoot book subscription, so this week I thought I’d post about a different book subscription I have. OwlCrate features different Young Adult and Adult book subscription options, as well as book-related items. They also have an online shop where you can purchase individual boxes, books, and all kinds of literary themed paraphernalia.

Currently, I receive OwlCrate’s Adult Fantasy book subscription which includes one newly released, exclusive edition, hardcover book. As is par for the course for a lot of book subscriptions, the April pick arrived on the late side and just appeared in my mailbox a few days ago. The theme is “The Corrupted Crown”.

April’s selection is “The Sins On Their Bones” by Laura R. Samotin.

OwlCrate had this to say about it:

“Our April Adult book is a dark and queer romantasy that will appeal to history lovers and fantasy fans alike. When our protagonist’s once-beloved ex-husband usurps his throne, throwing the country into war, he finds himself fleeing in grief, going into exile with the last remnants of his court. But as the war rages on his ex-husband, now Tzar of his country, gathers power of the darkest kind for his own purposes—and if he succeeds, the world will pay for his greed. The only solution? The Tzar must die.”

Like other book subscriptions, OwlCrate has its own special customizations/extras for its exclusive editions. The April Exclusive Edition comes with:

🖤 Exclusive redesigned dust jacket by @superstarfighter
🖤 Reversible dust jacket by @gildedruin
🖤 Foil hardcover case designed by @sheydgarden
🖤 End pages illustrated by @_saintdri
🖤 Sprayed edges⁠
🖤 Signed by the author on a page designed by @divineliterary ⁠
🖤 Author letter bound into the book⁠
🖤 Bonus content bound into the book⁠

Laura Samotin writes in her bound author letter:

“…as a queer person and author I want acceptance for every person…I wrote myself into these pages in the hopes that other readers would see themselves too.”

the pro(se)

A novel based on Jewish folklore with queer protagonists, is not the kind of story you find overflowing from the fantasy bookshelves, so this is definitely a unique pick. While I enjoy dark romance and different kinds of folklore, I’m not sure the setting of a reimagined 19th century Eastern Europe would have been compelling enough. However, I think it will be interesting to see how the folklore elements weave into the story. For the book itself, I think the artwork on the front and end pages is beautiful and adds richness to the edition. I also really like that the author’s letter is bound into the book along with additional content.

THE CONS

It’s hard not to compare the visuals of the April OwlCrate with the April FairyLoot, and the latter unfortunately does a much better job with the physical aspects of the book. For the OwlCrate edition, I don’t think the reversible dust jacket does the book justice. It’s not eye-catching, or as unique as the premise. I find the design of the gold foiling uninspired. As someone who can’t read the front inscription, I’m going on the design itself to tell me about the book. If I took this book out of context, I’d think it’s a religious text because of the images of the candles, keys and the goblet–nothing about it screams out “dark queer romantasy”. It feels pretty generic for a book that is anything but. I think it would have been better served to tie into the style of the front and end pages. They are so much warmer and interesting than either the dust jacket or the foiling. I’m a huge fan of sprayed edges, but the choice of plain black is doing the book no favors. Just choosing gold (which is part of the color scheme anyway) would have helped. I’ve also noticed OwlCrate has done a lot of black sprayed edges for the adult editions. A pop of color, an ombre, or a design (like FairyLoot’s florals) would have really elevated the edition.

VERDICT

While this isn’t the most beautifully rendered exclusive edition, it’s still quite a lovely book and better than a standard hard cover. I don’t have a similar book in my collection, so I’m happy to try something completely out of my comfort zone.

Have you tried a book of the month subscription or club?
Have you read romantasy? If not, would you?
Would you like to see a review of “The Sins On Their Bones”?

THE BACKSTORY

Description: OwlCrate’s Adult Fantasy Book Subscription is a monthly subscription service that delivers newly published hardcover novels to your doorstep. All books are newly released hardcover novels that are either signed by the author or feature a digital signature. They also have exclusive covers and design elements only found on OwlCrate editions. All of the books chosen for this subscription are various kinds of fantasy, which can include high fantasy, paranormal, romantic fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, urban fantasy and more! All books included in this subscription are recommended for ages 18+ by the publishers and may contain mature content.⁠

Cost: The plans for the Adult Fantasy Book Subscription start at $28.99 USD per month + shipping. Skip, pause, or cancel at any time. Subscriptions renew automatically on the first of the month.

• Monthly plan = $28.99 USD + shipping and applicable taxes.
• 3-Month plan = $83.97 USD + shipping and applicable taxes. This plan saves you $1 per book.
• 6-Month plan = $161.94 USD + shipping and applicable taxes. This plan saves you $2 per book.

Shipping: Shipping within the US starts at $9.99 USD per book. Check their Shipping Rates list HERE (international and within the US).

The Adult Fantasy Book Only Subscription is currently sold out, but you can sign up for the waiting list here.