The Bookling’s Crate is a monthly book subscription service that delivers a Young Adult fantasy read along with bookish merchandise. The new book subscription service is the brainchild of Ms. Uthara Mehta and was launched this month (Jan, 2017). Each box contains a newly released paperback copy of a YA novel and carefully selected bookish goodies that adhere to a theme.
Book subscription boxes are gaining popularity these days but a majority of the boxes are US based, which means Indian book lovers would have to pay a heavy shipping fee to enjoy such boxes.The best part about The Bookling’s Crate is that it is based in India. And guess what? It has free shipping all over India. More good news? You can get a 10% discount using the promo code SATCHEL10 .
I have not done product reviews as these on The Book Satchel before. So I was in two minds whether I should limit my review to my daily updated Instagram account, or put up a post on the blog as well. After receiving the box, I was really happy with it. So I do want to give a shout out to this emerging business here as well.
About The Bookish Box
Now, about the box. The January box was centred on the theme “Dreams of Heart”. Here are the products that were included in the box:
- Two tea sachets from Tea Treasure – Kashmiri Kahwa and Herbal Tisane Caffeine free Tea
- Vanilla Dreams Candle
- A Dreamcatcher keychain
- A pack of golden playing cards
- A book mark
- The surprise book wrapped in brown paper
The Book
The surprise book turned out to be a paperback copy of Heartless by Marissa Meyer, a retelling of the story of the infamous Queen of Hearts before she became the villain of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. Being a fan of Alice in Wonderland, I thought this was a perfect start to the New Year.
Goodreads synopsis
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.
Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Review of The Bookling’s Crate
I had high expectations from a new bookish box because of the steep standards set by the already established book subscription services. I am glad to say that The Bookling’s Crate met them all. The packaging was excellent. The items were bubble wrapped and there is no way any merchandise in the box would be damaged on transit. The choice of book was great too. Also, the box contains a card with the cost of all the items included in the box, incase you want to check if the box is worth the monetary value.
There were enough goodies to surprise myself with something new each day, be it to try a new type of tea or flaunt the Dreamcatcher keychain or have a quiet evening listening to music with the vanilla candle lit. It is the golden pack of playing cards that truly won my heart. Those who follow me on Instagram would know that I like to play a game of cards on most Sundays (Oh no! I am not good at it. I need a recap of the rules before every single game). The cards look elegant and classy with a matte finish on plastic. So I am confident they are a durable set of cards.
Note : This post was scheduled for last week. But I got to know that there were very few subscription boxes left by then. So it did not make sense to post it. All the January boxes got sold out last week. I think being sold out in the first month speaks volumes about the service.
How to Subscribe
I hope this post is right in time for you to consider getting yourself a February box. Or maybe even gift one to a friend? The theme for the February box is “Ready for Anything”. You can order on the website or DM on Instagram or sms 9061659039 for more details.
Don’t forget to get a discount of ten percent on your purchase by using the promo code SATCHEL10 .
Disclaimer : Much thanks to The Bookling’s Crate for a subscription box to review. All opinions are my own.
What fun! If there was one that had books other than YA I might consider this! 🙂
Karen, do you know about Boxwallah? They have well curated books – mostly literary fiction and translated works among the newly published fiction. I love their selections and the books are usually ones that are hard to come by. I have not been able to purchase one for myself but I think they are a great bookish box. Also, I think their selections are in sync with your reading tastes.
Here is a link if you are interested – https://www.theboxwalla.com/shop/2023/book-box
What a fun treat! I’m glad there is a subscription box service that is centered in India. I don’t usually read a lot of YA but I want to read Heartless!
Yes, now few small businessnesses are cropping up which is great!
This box sounds great. I also popped in a look at Boxwalla. Love that one. Pity, it seems to be for US 🙁
Yes, if only all bookish items had free shipping everywhere? 😀
What a great box! I’ve actually never ordered one of these before, but you really have me so tempted to get one now.
Haha. I am guilty as charged. 😀
I like the concept. Neat. 🙂
Nice to see a new business mushrooming in India.
This sounds like a great subscription box! I’m glad you liked it. I’ve been researching bookish subscriptions boxes to try and I just heard about this one recently.
Yes! It was a good one. I hope they are here to stay
What a cute little subscription box! I love how the items tie in with the book. So happy that subscription boxes are becoming available in other countries and not just here in the United States.
I am glad to see subscription boxes based in India. And it was good to see a well curated one too.
This is wonderful! It’s about time India got a book subscription box and what a quality one it is. 🙂 I love the goodies that came in the box and would have fun taking pictures of them for Instagram. Excited to see February’s box!
This sounds like such a good box! I have read many of Meyer’s novels and loved them all, so Heartless is one which is on my TBR. I also really love candles and tea, so you really can’t go wrong with me there. The keychain is adorable! Enjoy all these items and the book 😀
This is an awesome box– particularly for the first release! It’s a shame I don’t live in India. 😉 I love how the items are all themed together, but they aren’t all the *same* thing. For example, not everything is based around card suits or hearts. And the tea is perfect! What a lovely accompaniment to the book. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this!
Yes, it was wonderful to open all the goodies. And there were so many surprises inside. 🙂