Subscription Box Review: May Owlcrate and Whimsify

May Owlcrate: Comic Explosion

I kept searching through Goodreads trying to figure out what the book in the May Comic Explosion box would be and I never did guess. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zapia looks good though. It's about a girl who draws a comic and includes comic panels in the book. The story reminds me a little bit of Gwenda Bond's Lois Lane books, which I love, and I Am Princess X, which I have and keep meaning to read. There's also a signed bookplate and an art piece from the author.

I actually like that the Owlcrate boxes include advertising for upcoming books. This month it's a chapter sampler for Afar from Image Comics.

I have mixed feelings about the rest of the box though. It included a full size Funko Pop and there were seven different ones. I got Wonder Woman so yay. (Others got Deadpool, Captain America, Harley Quinn, Batman, Loki and apparently one other one that no one posted on Instagram.)

I love getting candles in boxes. This one included a custom Wonder Woman candle from Dio Candle Company. It smells like tropical fruit - I mostly smell pineapple. I really like this candle but it's tiny. It's called "adorable size" and just slightly bigger than a lip balm pot.

There's also a comic-themed zipper pull which is something I haven't seen in a box before, a six color comic-themed pen from Ooly, and coffee candies from Kafe Zing. I haven't tried the candy yet, though it's definitely up my alley, I just think it's an odd choice for this box.

The June box theme is "Get Out Alive" and I'm pretty sure I know what the book is. It's a scifi/dysopian that I'm hearing good things about so I'm looking forward to that. This is my second Owlcrate and I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep the subscription long term. I do like that you can opt out each month if you aren't interested in the book or just don't have the money.

May Whimsify Box: Fight Like a Girl

The theme for the May Whimsify box is Fight Like a Girl. I knew what this book was going to be and in fact I've already read it. Check out my review of Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh here. I didn't have a hard copy though, so I'm happy to own this gorgeous book. There's still no swag or signed bookplates, but next month's box will have them.

The Mulan stickers from Little Surprise Shop were packed inside the book, which was a nice surprise when I unwrapped it. These are super cute so I'm hiding them from my kid.

I just mentioned that I love getting candles, right? I really love this custom candle from Happy Piranha. It's inspired by Manon from Throne of Glass and smells so good - it's pomegranate and fig. I love the color and the fact that it's a nice big candle. (I think it's 4 oz.) My only concern is that the label is very thick and looks like it might come off. Hopefully it won't since it's so pretty.

I also love the smell of the blackberry tea bath salts from Tea Soap Books. These are custom made for this box and inspired by Inej from Six of Crows.

The box also includes a Mockingjay magnet from Ohana Central, a bracelet from Hoo Me Designs in honor of Mare from The Red Queen, and a custom Nevernight bookmark from The Bookish Shop inspired by Mia.

This is only the second ever Whimsify box and I think they're doing a great job so far. All of the items have been things I might buy either for myself or as gifts and they fit the themes well. I think I'll be keeping this subscription for a while. The June box is called Magic and Misfits and I have a guess about the book but I'm not confident. I'm looking forward to finding out though.

*As always, I paid for both of these boxes and am not sponsored by the companies.*