Hey, (mood) readers!
I’ve decided to include my bookish buying experience to you all, sharing my (brutally) honest opinion, even though no one asked for it. Ha! The things that I will feature are things I have actually bought with my own money, and are no way sponsored by the shops/stores.
My second feature would be Mermaid Crate (Twitter: @mermaidcrate Instagram: @mermaidcrate), which is a book subscription box from the Philippines. The particular box I’ll be talking about is their October 2019 box themed A World Divided.
I ordered the box October 16th and I paid for it on the 26th. I received the crate by December 14th, which I can say is expected, because some of their suppliers are international.
The box costs Php 1,700, which is roughly USD 35, and the shipping was Php 238, which was roughly USD 5.
So, let’s dive into the contents!
The Box (Literally)
The box arrived quite safely. There was a cute book shaped box inside another box. It also had cling wrap as protection and nothing was damaged inside. The crate itself is reusable and recyclable and I was able to repurpose it for my stickers, bookmarks, and other bookish goodies.
The Book + Character Stickers
The book that I got was The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco. I have to admit I was not that surprised with the book because I am a Mermaid Crate newsletter subscriber and the teaser brought this book to mind. I love how I also received 2 sets of 4 character stickers designed by the author herself!
The book came as a beautiful hard cover with a dust jacket. The best part about it is the personalized signature from the author, which I loved so much!
Spoiler Card
This was just a basic card which presents all the contents of the box. I loved how informative the spoiler card was and not just a basic list of contents. I did not read this card until I have peeked through all the contents of the box!
The card on the lower part of the photo also came with the logo of the company with a letter from the people behind the business at the back.
Letter from the Author
This author letter even brought the personalized touch to a much deeper level. I love how I got a glimpse on the story behind the book itself from the words of the author herself, and in her handwriting nonetheless.
Character Cards
Here are character cards from Day and Eden Wing from The Legend Series by Marie Lu. This were drawn by Kyle Cedrick Folloso, whose Instagram can be found here.
Bookmarks
These lovely bookmarks are designed by madebyalarise. It features a cool quote that makes reading The Never Tilting World much more exciting.
Character Art Print
The box also comes with this breathtaking artwork by Alexei Vinogradov. Each subscriber gets 1 out of 4 designs, and I got the lovely Odessa!
Umbrella
The Philippines has very unpredictable weather, which is usually either sunny or rainy. It is also handy to have an easy-to-carry umbrella wherever you go. This one also comes with the logo inspired by Furyborn by Claire Legrand.
Tumbler
There’s more! This book box also comes with a beautiful designed tumbler with a quote taken from Truthwitch series by Susan Dennard.
The Mermaid Bubble
This book box also comes with a monthly Mermaid Bubble mini magazine that houses some of the artists they worked with on the month’s box as well as an exclusive interview with the author.
Book Page Holder
Last but not the least, here’s a handy dandy book page holder to help the reading experience much more manageable.
Final Thoughts
I have always been interested in getting a Mermaid Crate box because I have watched a couple of unboxing videos on Booktube. The contents always looked like they were worth the price, and their brand had the reputation of one I could trust my money with.
Luckily, I was right and I absolutely enjoyed this experience! I loved everything that I got and I am very happy with the book that I received. I have no complaints with the entire experience and I am 100% satisfied with everything.
If I were to make a suggestion, I can only think of one, I guess. I hope they include an activity page in Mermaid Bubble like a word search or a puzzle that is related to the book! Maybe some giveaways or freebies, too, if subscribers participate with a Mermaid Crate Monthly Photo Challenge. 🙂
Will I order from them again?
Yes, I absolutely would. Mermaid Crate keeps getting better and better and I am so excited for their 2020 plans!
What’s your favorite book subscription box?
Tell me in the comments!
