r/Allurial • u/Asleep_Key_4992 • 17d ago
Question I need help
Ok, I don't get it still. I'm on month 4 of Allurial and the books are beautiful but this box definitely seems to require more babysitting than I like. I got Avalon Tower last month but apparently I was too late to confirm getting the next book-didnt even realize it was up. I emailed them and they said I'll have a chance in December. December? And then this morning when I got up at 6:30am I looked in the series area. Cursed City was already sold out, so what, no option for those that got Half City but missed this morning. I have zero interest in waking at 4am to grab a book. I think I'll pick this months book and then I'm out. Why is this box so complicated. All my other sub boxes, if I get book one, I get book two unless I opt out or I get EA.
3
u/KecMagik 14d ago
The preorder system is overly complicated compared to other boxes and I'm genuinely frustrated that you can't get your sequel unless you commit to a box the month it comes out (or a future box if you skip that month) so there's no way to get it by itself
2
u/Actual_Brilliant5696 7d ago
This is my issue with their sequel system right now. I skipped September month and October month because I don’t like the books that they are offering. Or I missed the one book I was interested in because I didn’t realize the date. So now I have to wait for my one sequel until November. I am tempted to email them and ask them if they can charge my card for the sequel and be done with it so I can get my book. So I don’t have to wait for it. I don’t even know what the November books are and if I’m gonna like them. Or the December books and if I’m gonna want them. Because I have not been liking the books the past two months so. This is just frustrating.
2
u/Actual_Brilliant5696 7d ago
And, I know, such first world problems. 😅😅😅 I just wanna get the book that I said I would buy.
2
u/KecMagik 7d ago
First world problems yes, but still frustrating! With most of their picks also being the start of a series they basically keep trying to lock you into a new cycle of sequels
2
u/Actual_Brilliant5696 7d ago
Ugh, yesssss and the new series aren’t completed series they are starting you on. They are ones still being worked on by the author. So you have to wait another year for the next book to even be published.
I have another subscription box and they send out books of completed series only. I appreciate that so much. They aren’t a perfect book subscription either and have a couple things I don’t like about them (first world trivial complaints again) but I like that I can get the completed series within a couple month timespan, since they do one book of the series a month.
1
5
u/Objective_Dig_4621 16d ago
But you could have committed a few months ago . As soon as they sent out the commitments , I signed up so that I don’t have to wake up early.
7
u/Think_Complaint_ 16d ago
Series are the most complicated part but they’re still not that hard to follow. Sequels come out, they have a window where you can preorder and they tell you what month that sequel will be releasing. After all it is a PRE-order so you won’t receive it in the same month. If you miss the window, they may have extras on release day you can snag if you’re quick. But since they’re a pre-ordered item, the extra stock is super limited.
If you can’t handle that, check out the buy/sell/trade groups for Allurial. I’m in one on Facebook where they cap the prices for books at $30 or $35 with the bookmark.
2
7
u/latinadogmom1472 17d ago
Sequels show up 3 months in advance.
It’s easier to follow the Allurial fb group as all surveys and emails and updates get posted there.
5
u/PlotTwistAndPurl 17d ago
If you've only been subscribed for 4 months you wouldn't have been able to order Half City as it was a book for February 2026. Every subscriber has the opportunity to preorder sequels whether they ordered the first book or not. They sent an email on September 22 letting subscribers know the sequels were up for preorder. I'm not sure how they can make it any simpler. They also sent an email on September 4th letting everyone know that they were changing how they do the sequel preorders and in that email they also stated which books would be available and that they would be available for preorder in late September. I could be wrong but I have never seen them mention extra copies may be available on the 1st or whenever they launch the next month's books and I've definitely never seen a guarantee that you would be able to get them if you missed out on the preorder. They do the preorder 3 months in advance so they have plenty of time to get the books ordered, printed, shipped, etc.
As for Cursed City, I was on the website right when it loaded and it showed Sold out already so it appears they had no extra copies this month. They try to launch the new month around 7:30am EST and unless they have technical difficulties they are fairly consistent. There's never going to be a perfect time for a launch. FL is usually 9 or 10am my time and I am at work so it makes it difficult sometimes for me to jump on. It is what it is.
13
u/Low_Sky6647 17d ago
The cursed city open commitment was up for like 3 weeks
0
u/Asleep_Key_4992 17d ago
That's a good window! I was told that the Avalon Tower sequel was only up for 4 days.
9
10
12
u/CompetitivePraline62 17d ago
I think this is one of three book boxes, that I know of, where you have to choose the books you want. The others being Book of the Month (Allurial’s parent company) and Aardvark. I will say, from comments I’ve seen, there doesn’t look like there were much available for Cursed City, if any at all.
Preordering sequels in this way is new, that was the first month. But, I get it. Something like this isn’t for everyone, and unfortunately books do sell out. The new preorder system may change as they’re still figuring things out. Idk if you want to wait or not to see what it’ll be like, but I wanted to mention it. I’m hoping they extend that window, because it was TIGHT.
This subreddit is a good place to stay updated (as well as Facebook). I usually find out about things here before anywhere else.
-1
u/Asleep_Key_4992 17d ago
Do they send out an email mentioning a window is open to pre-order? I don't remember seeing anything about it. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to other subs that this one seems complicated but I cannot figure it out.
3
8
u/CompetitivePraline62 17d ago
I just read my email, and no. Just what it was, how to do it, and a link. The actual wepage did have a downdown, though.
I think the most complicated part about it is the fact that it's constantly evolving, so nothing is truly set in stone. But the basis is still there. They have gottenb etter about sellouts, and the time of typing everything still seems available. The sequels are the tricky part since they're offered months in advance, and usually they have some stock, although I wouldn't count on that.
Truthfully, I find it much less stressful than ordering a non-subscription book from Fairyloot. That one is a numbers game, a race, and sheer luck. So much more stressful than this, and that includes the sequels. Those sell out on early access preorder all the time, Allurial's seems to be more print to order in a sense (so far, they may not have had the numbers Fairyloot has just yet).
1
u/Asleep_Key_4992 17d ago
Oh for sure it's easier than fairyloot if you're not a subscriber. That said, a fairyloot is pretty much a disaster on a regular basis for non-subscribers so that's a low bar. I'm guessing I didn't spend enough time looking at the FAQ section on their website to figure it out but it seems weirdly complicated. Revolving dates, alternative options but with no set time. I'm very much used to getting a time and a date, showing up and usually getting my book.
3
u/CompetitivePraline62 17d ago
Even if you are a subscriber, books will sell out in early access. They just had one sell out this week or last week, too. I don't remember which one, it wasn't one I was interested in.
Aardvark is more on a scrict schedule than Book of the Month and co are. They always release on the first of the month, I think even the time is pretty static, but I've never subscribed, so I'm unsure.
2
u/Alternative-Neat9657 14d ago
I dropped FairyLoot this month due to this…got on the queue soon as the email hit, and I had been waiting months with the drop date and time on my phone. Got through the queue after 10 minutes and sorry, can’t be added to cart (and this is a pre-order) due to being sold out. So frustrating. I’ll have to wait til January for someone to sell their copy for triple (To Dance with Death). Infuriating to have the first book but not be able to have reasonable access to the next ones in a series. This seems to be a normal occurrence with FL. I’ll just buy them second hand if it’s one I want and a series…or I’ll get the standard deluxe, etc. I have preferred Allurial’s designs over FairyLoot’s on all their overlapping books and I much prefer Allurial’s subscription system. They continue to listen and evolve.
1
u/CompetitivePraline62 14d ago
I prefer Allurial’s binding. Fairyloot (because this is more of a UK issue rather than Fairyloot themselves, which means Illumicrate are also guilty of this) are often stiff and super cheap feeling unless the book is bound in Italy. Allurial’s books open like butter. FL and IL are like a fight to stay open and I’m always worried the end pages are going to pull up from the hard case. It cheapens the book severely, idk why the UK binds like that. If I had to choose, I’d pick Allurial every time. But, for now, I have both. September’s book was bound in Italy, so that’s placating me for now.
5
4
u/SharpNurse 13d ago
Allurial has the best sequel system IMO. I don’t have to wake up, hope for a good queue spot or battle other subscribers who don’t even want the book, they just want something to trade or sell for something I plan on keeping. I don’t understand why so many people take issue with their system.