Comparing Book Boxes: Illumicrate, OwlCrate, & Fae Crate
In March, I decided to order three separate book subscription boxes—Illumicrate, OwlCrate, and Fae Crate—to compare their price, items, delivery time, and overall value. Here's what each box included and how they stack up against each other.
Illumicrate
Delivered: April 5
Price: $48.99
Book: The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
Book Features:
Unique hardcover design
Sprayed edges
Signed by the author
Author letter
Endpaper artwork
Items Included:
Embroidery Kit (Warden of the Wood)
Storybook setting magnet (One Dark Window)
Coaster (The Jasmine Throne)
Fantastical forest book pot
OwlCrate
Delivered: March 13
Price: $54.20
Book: Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
Book Features:
Unique hardcover
Reversible dust jacket
Sprayed edges
Endpaper artwork
Signed by the author
Author letter
Bookmark ribbon
Items Included:
Book Purse (Emily Wilde’s)
Snowfall bookmark (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)
Enchanted elixirs enamel pin (Howl’s Moving Castle)
OwlCrate 10th anniversary pin
Book Pot (Alice in Wonderland)
Fae Crate
Delivered: April 3
Price: 44.99
Book: Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
Book Features:
Unique hardcover
Sprayed edges
Endpaper artwork
Signed by the author
Bookmark ribbon
Items Included:
Zipper pouch (Threads That Bind)
Magnet bookmarks (Godly Heathens)
Blanket (Phantasma)
Plant stake (This Is How You Lose the Time War)
Book Comparison Breakdown
The Illumicrate Book was missing both a book mark and a reversible dust jacket
Fae Crate was missing an author letter and a reversible dust jacket
OwlCrate had all the features I looked at, and my favorite part is the reversible dust jacket
Out of the books, I opted to keep the OwlCrate book and the Illumicrate book. However, had the books not been a double I would have kept the Fae Crate one as well. OwlCrate was my favorite though in terms of design and features.
Item Thoughts
After going through everything, I decided not to keep the Emily Wilde’s Book Purse from OwlCrate—it hangs upside down when worn, with the zipper facing the floor, which just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m also not keeping the Embroidery Kit from Illumicrate—it feels like too much work for something I’m not likely to love the outcome of. Aside from those two, I’m keeping everything else!
My favorite items overall were the book pots and the metal bookmark from OwlCrate, it’s both pretty and practical. The plant stake from FaeCrate was a little odd and didn’t feel super useful, but it’s unique at least.
In terms of item quantity:
Illumicrate had 4 items
OwlCrate had 5 items, but one was a 10th anniversary pin, which is a one-time bonus. Normally, you'd get 4 items
FaeCrate had 4 items
Each box had a solid selection, though OwlCrate felt the most “fun” overall in terms of variety. If I had to rank based on just the items, OwlCrate might edge out the others, especially if you like themed collectibles. OwlCrate also arrived over 2 week before the others.
In the past I have enjoyed Illumicrates’ items more, so it is possible this blog caught them on a down month. Overall, I would recommend Illumicrate. I have had their box for years and am rarely disappointed. Finally, Fae Crate, came in at the cheapest price and had the blanket which is always a nice surprise. But the rest of the items didn’t really hold up for me.