Hi all — Emily here! I get a few book box subscriptions, and we thought it would be fun to share some spoilers with you after they arrived. These posts will have full spoilers of everything in the box, so don’t peek if you don’t want to be spoiled!
The theme for this month’s ShelfLove Crate box was Page to Screen, and it featured a bunch of movie themed items and a book that will be turned into a movie next year. Overall, I give this crate a 7 out of 10. The items were well-designed and interesting, and mostly things I hadn’t seen before, but I don’t actually see myself using many of them.
Here’s a quick overview shot and we will get into the details of items below. As you can see, we got one fabric item and a bunch of paper items. We also got the standard 2 chess pieces that SLC always does. Not seen in this picture, we also got two more usable items.
the stuff
The first item that really stands out in this box is the fabric item — which is a wearable, thin scarf. It’s designed by @InkAndWonder.Designs, who is actually one of my favorites, and is covered with house emblems from Game of Thrones. I have to admit, I never watched the show, so I just thought it was fantastical creatures, but either way, it’s really beautiful and has a great feel to it. It would add a great pop of color to anything you were wearing and this was probably my favorite item overall.
Next we have three “movie posters” based on books designed by @CrookedYew. I think these would be awesome items for college students or high school students who love books — they would look super cool framed and are definitely something I haven’t seen before. That said, I’m a 39-year-old lady and quite honestly don’t see much use for these unless my kids decide they love them.
Next is another “paper” item — a Coraline inspired heat transfer designed by @Drawnielle. This is intensely cute, but again I really have no idea where or how I would use it. It seems a little small for a tote bag and I’m not sure where else I would put a heat transfer!
On the more usable side, we got a really cute Honeydukes popcorn holder, which my 9-year-old Harry Potter-obsessed son has already claimed as his own. It’s made out of a firm plastic and is super cute — I particularly love the frog design!
We also got some “mug charms” that I think everyone knows are really wine-glass charms. These are inspired by Lord of the Rings and designed by @taralei. Someone I totally whiffed on taking a picture of them — I am so sorry! They were quite cute but must have gotten carried off before I could take the picture. I blame the 4-year-old. That said, I don’t really use wine glass, ahem, mug charms, but I do like the idea of them.
The book
And finally, what we all came here for, the Book of the Month! This month we got The Grace Year by Kim Liggett. The book came with a bookmark depicting the main character as well as a signed bookplate. The Grace Year is a speculative thriller a la The Handmaid’s Tale where girls are told they have so much pheromone magic oozing from their pores that they have to take a “grace year” when they turn 16 to cleanse themselves and return ready for marriage. But, plot twist, not all of them return. The book sounds super spooky and like a pretty on-the-nose criticism of the real world. SLC marked it as a readalike to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather, and Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand. I’m super excited to dig in!
What do you think?
Now I want to know — do you get ShelfLove Crate? Did you love this box or just think it was ok? What is your favorite item? And what other subscription boxes are you dying for us to check out?
I think it was ok…some of the items I will need to figure out what to do with them.