You might have noticed, but I’m always over-the-top enthusiastic when a book box arrives. I just love discovering new books that I might have never read otherwise.
This week, I received my very first book box from De Boekenbuit.
About De Boekenbuit
De Boekenbuit is a Dutch online company offering different types of book boxes. Each month, they offer 1 English and 1 Dutch box. One of them is always Young Adult, the other genre can differ. Next to these, De Boekenbuit offers seasonal boxes and specials (e.g. for Halloween, Valentine’s Day). The goodies are fitted to suit the theme, but there are multiple book options to choose from in these seasonal and special boxes.
The teaser
As a first box, I chose the English August box, called “Queen Bee”. There weren’t a lot of hints if I recall correctly, except that it would be an enchanting English YA Fantasy about dreaming of bigger things. And I agree, that was more than enough to become enthusiastic about this box!
The goodies
You know that feeling when you see something and everything just fits? I experienced that quite strongly when I opened this box. From the colour of the wrapping paper, to the goodies, to the spoiler card, everything just fit perfectly together like a puzzle. Perfect esthetical experience, I loved it. (Double points because the main colour was gold, of course. My favourite <3).
The first thing I found in the box were three scrunchies in matching shades. I immediately liked them, not only because they fitted so nicely visually, but because they are practical and I love wearing them.
Then, I found a cute little honeypot shaped like a bee hive and a charm shaped like a bee. I really like the charm, it’s elegant and just right in size. While I think the honeypot is adorable, it’s a little bit too small for our use. I think it would be nice for people who take honey in their tea though, then it’s just the right size to put on the table when having guests over.
I was most excited about the art work, which is to me often the highlight of a book box (next to the book itself of course). There’s an amazingly pretty card created by I dream art entitled “Queen Bee”. Definitely check out her Etsy, she also has marvellous fairy drawings. The art on the spoiler card is also stunning.
I was also happy to discover a bag of seeds that will grow into flowers popular with butterflies and bees. We are trying to make our garden as attractive to bees and other insects as possible, so this was definitely a nice addition!
The final goodie I could smell throughout the whole room even before I had found it in the box: a couple of bags of Rooibos with honey. I cannot wait to taste them, my kitchen cupboard now smells delicious.
The book
I have to admit I had never heard of Small Favors by Erin A. Craig before. It scores very well on Goodreads though and while I’ve never read anything by this author, I’ve heard many good things about her work. So I’m super excited!
The summary sounds promising: it tells the story of a girl in a small, quiet village, whose days consists of tending to the family’s bee hives. Until one day, creatures from long ago make an appearance again. They’ll fulfill any wish, in return for a small, seemingly harmless favour. But are these really innocent requests or do they hide something far more sinister? Update: I’m happy to report that the book was as great as I suspected! You can find my review here.
Definitely convinced by this book box! The coherence is done beautifully, the book sounds great and the goodies (esp. the art work <3) were very nice. I’m looking forward to my next two boxes!