Melanie McKnight of Unplugged Book Box is launching her next passion project this Fall with Twisted Retreat, a monthly subscription box of horror and oddities for the twisted soul. Each month will be a retreat into the world of all things that go bump in the night. Boxes will contain a newly released horror title with an exclusive cover and theme-related products. “For those with a love for all things dark and wicked, this is the box you’ve been waiting for,” says McKnight.
Twisted Retreat’s October box debut will feature one of Apple’s Most Anticipated Books, River of Ashes by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor (Vesuvian, August 2022). An idyllic Louisiana river town harbors a dark secret. The only son of a powerful family, born into wealth and privilege, is a psychopath whose madness turns to murder in this Adult series filled with mystery, a rising body count, and a chilling pact between unlikely friends. American Psycho with a Southern Gothic twist, Rue Morgue says, “Despite its ghosts and hauntings, this evocative tale presents an all-too-real terror that gets under your skin—and stays.”
Unplugged Book Box is a monthly book subscription box that focuses on self-care. Started in 2018 by psychology and English major, Melanie McKnight, Unplugged was built out of love for mental health and reading. McKnight says, “There is no better way to unplug and recharge than with a good book and some self-care goodies.” Each box comes with novelty items inspired by books and delightful self-care products that support women and minority-owned small businesses.
Unplugged’s horror-themed October box features Throw Me to the Wolves by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks (Black Spot, May 2022) as the Adult book of the month. A cursed young woman returns home to help solve her family’s murder while partnering with a rookie cop who harbors a dark secret in this gritty occult thriller that Booklist promises will, “keep readers glued to their seats,” and Publishers Weekly says, “sizzles with suspense and eroticism.”
Unplugged was voted USA Today’s #1 book subscription box in 2021 and 2022, featured in Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Oprah Magazine, and named in the top 10 subscription boxes 2022 by OprahDaily.
The first Twisted Retreat boxes will ship in October. Sign up for their newsletter at twistedretreat.com for all the gory details.
