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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

Recent Posts

Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event

A tablet lies on dry grass and surrounded by dandelions in a natural outdoor setting. The screen displays the cover of the book Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon. The cover features a colorful, fantastical illustration of a female figure with glowing eyes and curved horns, holding something mysterious in her hands. Stars and swirling cosmic elements fill the background, giving the cover a magical and otherworldly feel. The title text is in bold, colorful letters across the top and middle, with the author's name at the bottom.

Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

[Book Blogger Hop] Book Subscription Boxes

November 9, 2018      Erica Robyn      32 Comments

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer, where you answer a question and join a “hop”. The purpose is to help bloggers discover and get to know one another.


For this week’s question, Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer asked:

Do you subscribe to any book subscription boxes? 

My answer:
I do not subscribe to any boxes. I just can’t personally justify the cost per month, and I can’t stand clutter so they end up being rather wasteful for me because I end up giving away or donating most of the items.

Though I do love getting a box here and there! They are certainly a lot of fun so I love to learn about ones I hadn’t heard of yet!

I gave PageHabit a try. I was so excited for this box because it let you pick the genre you were interested in, so of course I picked horror. But wasn’t very impressed. The bookish items felt cheap and the customer service was bad. Feel free to check out my PageHabit Unboxing here.

The one box that I have really enjoyed so far was a special edition box from OwlCrate! I saw the email go out about this one and I jumped right in! The items for this box were incredible! I kept many of them for myself and I was so pumped about the book. Check out my OwlCrate Vicious and Vengeful Box subscription box here!

Thanks for reading!
Do you subscribe to any book subscription boxes, or any other kind of monthly boxes? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Here are a few more recent posts you might like:

  • Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event
  • Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review
  • Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angela Lawrence says

    November 9, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    I'm with you – I can't justify the cost and don't feel I would end up using a lot of stuff in the box. It's not really a subscription box, but I'm considering asking for BOTM for Christmas, just to try it out!

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:33 pm

      YES!! I LOVE BOTM! I forgot to add that here!

      Reply
  2. Barb says

    November 9, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    I was burned by Nocturnal Reader's Box and while I got my back, it made me super cautious. I did recently buy one from Nightworms as they are piloting a new one but haven't gotten it yet. It has 3 books in it but I haven't received it yet.

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:34 pm

      I totally hear ya! That's how I feel with PageHabit… and ooh! I hope the Nightworms is a great one!

      Reply
  3. GothicVamperstein says

    November 9, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    I recently got a six month subscription to Blind Date with a Book Club, as it was for "just" $70 or so for all six months (if you live outside the US). The other bonus is that it was a book only subscription, so at least I don't risk recieving a bunch of knick-knack I don't need nor care for.

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:35 pm

      Oh that sounds fun!! I hope you enjoy the books! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Just Another Girl and Her Books says

    November 9, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    I have a hard time justifying the cost too. Hope you have a great weekend. – Katie

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:39 pm

      Have a great weekend as well! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Katherine P says

    November 9, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I kind of have the same the problem with the book boxes. I love the idea of bookish stuff but not sure I would get that enough enjoyment out of it. Plus, I'm just not sure I want to take the risk of getting a book I've already read or am not interested in. I love the idea and I subscribe to a couple of other boxes but I just can't justify it.

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:50 pm

      Totally agree. I would much rather a subscription when I can choose the book πŸ™‚ Like with BOTM.

      Reply
  6. BiblioSanctum says

    November 9, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    I subscribe to a geek/pop culture-type subscription box, but I don't think I could ever subscribe to a book box. I have way too many books to read already, and reading tastes being so subjective, it's hard to justify the cost knowing there's a risk of receiving a book I have no interest in reading.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:51 pm

      For sure! I've heard about a Marvel box that Amazon puts together that sounds pretty cool!

      Reply
  7. Jessica @ a GREAT read says

    November 9, 2018 at 9:38 pm

    From the ones I've done, I can say that Owl Crate is my favorite! Though sometimes the items inside aren't quite what I would use, so I usually give those away as well!

    Thanks for visiting my BBH!

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:51 pm

      πŸ˜€

      Reply
  8. Nicki J Markus says

    November 9, 2018 at 11:38 pm

    The cost is the biggest factor for me too. And, as you say, you can't guarantee you'd want to keep all the items, or even like the book sent. I love the idea of opening a mystery box, but they are so pricey when it really involves taking a big chance.

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 9, 2018 at 11:51 pm

      Yeah… if my budget for random things was larger, I would be more willing to subscribe I think πŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. Tracy says

    November 10, 2018 at 2:04 am

    Those boxes are SO EXPENSIVE! And I feel like half the items end up laying in a drawer. I did get one Owlcrate just for the book once, though!

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 10, 2018 at 2:06 am

      Right?! It's fun to open, but afterwards it's a bit upsetting just giving the items away if you don't want them…

      Reply
  10. Helena @ The Life of a BookNerd Addict says

    November 10, 2018 at 6:18 am

    I've gotten a few from Fairyloot and OwlCrate. I mostly order them for their special covers. I don't use any of the things in it. The extra stuff is so small and basically useless for me. So i'm basically paying $40 to $55 for a special edition.😱 I did found out that you can order just the the special edition books from Owlcrate on their website. So that is something to look forward to.
    I do find it horrible though, because most of these boxes are directed at young kids and they don't have that kind of money. I feel like some are just try to explode kids, like that one boxe that after shipping it ends up to be $100😳

    Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead. πŸ’‹ xoxo

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 10, 2018 at 6:00 pm

      Oh that's so awesome! I love that they give you the option of buying the book! And yeah, that is certainly a bummer. But it's a great gift idea if a parent or grandparent could afford it! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Katisha Smith says

    November 11, 2018 at 12:23 am

    I would love to try out one of those book subscription boxes, but for now it is not in my budget. Maybe I'll try it for my birthday or some other special occasion, just to say I tried it out.

    Katisha @ Reel Literature

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 11, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      That's a great idea! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  12. Billy B. says

    November 11, 2018 at 12:30 am

    My wallet is pretty tight right now, so I'm not currently interested in a subscription box. Maybe next year I'll have the extra money to try a box out a for two or three months, that way I can write a review on the service.

    Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 11, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      πŸ˜€

      Reply
  13. Shooting Stars Mag says

    November 11, 2018 at 1:55 am

    I would have loved the special Vicious box. I think boxes are fun, but I never know what I'll actually like from the boxes so it's not worth the money to do all the time.

    -Lauren
    http://www.shootingstarsmag.net

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 11, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Yeah, I think that's why I prefer just keeping an eye on the special edition ones πŸ™‚

      Reply
  14. Suzanne at The Bookish Libra says

    November 11, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    I'm with you. I'm always tempted because the boxes look so cool but deep down, I know I would never use most of the stuff that come in them so the expense doesn't make sense for me.

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 11, 2018 at 3:00 pm

      Right?! Gah, it's such a struggle. Just this morning I went through and put together a bag for donation. Many of the items were bookish related that I just don't have space for.

      Reply
  15. chucklesthescot says

    November 11, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    I haven't found a book box that would give me the new Indie horror books I love so much! The costs are way too high on the book boxes for my budget and I'm not keen on hardback books either so it isn't really my kind of thing!

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 11, 2018 at 8:51 pm

      πŸ˜€

      Reply
  16. Maria Behar says

    November 12, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    I first became aware of these subscription boxes through a couple of YouTube videos I watched about a year ago. Don't remember which companies they were from, though.

    Opening one of these boxes sure sounds exciting! On the other hand, I think that the inclusion of other items in these boxes is just a way for the companies to get more money out of the subscribers. I mean, the most important thing is the book, right? Lol.

    As you know, I included Owl Crate in a list of these boxes, in my BBH post. I've also just watched two Owl Crate unboxings on YouTube, and am not impressed AT ALL. The items included in the box simply do not justify the $29.99 monthly price tag!

    Another problem with these subscriptions is that the companies don't let you pick which books you want. It's usually a "surprise". Well, I don't like that! I want to pick out the books I WANT to read.

    So I think I'll just stick to good ol' Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Ebay!! Lol.

    Thanks for commenting on my BBH post! Hope you're having a nice day!! <3 πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Erica Metcalf says

      November 13, 2018 at 12:17 am

      Ugh! That's my biggest struggle with the boxes! When I got the PageHabit box, it was mostly junk! Totally not worth the price!! And I'm the same way with wanting to choose the book! That's why I LOVE BOTM! πŸ™‚

      Reply

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Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
 

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