Illumicrate Dearly Departed – April 2021
Well, after a 3-month hiatus, I am back. The break was not planned, life just got kind of busy, you know? This break was the longest I’ve ever had since I started my blog back in 2012. I missed it. Of course, I still post on my Instagram page (I now have two). One for books and one for beauty, I figured I would try and keep them separate as I had two very different audiences. I’m so glad I decided to make a book-only account, I have discovered so many amazing people within that community and of course, I’ve discovered a whole heap of books! As a bit of a catch-up, you can find my beauty page here and my bookstagram page here.
So, what is this post all about? Long-term readers may be surprised to see this today and I get it, it’s a bit different to my usual content. Let me explain. Alongside beauty, I love books. Always have. I discovered book subscription boxes last year but only subscribed to a few this year. This box is the Illumicrate Dearly Departed box from April 2021 (I’m a tad behind). Illumicrate is a monthly subscription service in which you receive a surprise book (I always find out what the book is beforehand) along with a few items which are either linked to the book, or other books within that genre; they are called fandoms. Illumicrate offers a book-only subscription in which you also receive the monthly pin or the full box which I have here. As of November 2021, I have decided to drop down to book only, for two reasons mainly. One to save a little bit of money but also, I don’t have use for the majority of items which is a shame. I have a box of items from the last few months that I’ll end up giving away or trying to sell on eBay. I would say that there are some items I have liked and have kept so it’s not all of no interest, it just seems that I’m wanting to give away more than I want to keep so it makes sense for me to drop to book only.
That being said, I really do appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating these items. At least by me having a book-only subscription then it will give somebody else the chance to subscribe to a full box. Win-win I say.
So, for each monthly box, there is a theme. The April theme was ‘Dearly Departed’ and it featured the book In The Ravenous Dark by A, M Strickland. Each book tends to have special features which are exclusive to Illumicrate, making them rather collectable and more importantly, exciting to receive! As you can see, this book has stencilled edges which are just beautiful. The book also has unique endpapers which are designed by Lilith_saur, unfortunately, I have forgotten to photograph these, oops! The artwork is beautiful though, definitely check out Lily’s Instagram account if you’re an art lover. The cover itself is the same cover that you can get by buying the hardback in any bookstore or online. Sometimes Illumicrate will completely change the cover which again makes it more exclusive, I like the cover on this one and the stencilled edges match it really well.
So, what is the book about? I’ve taken the summary from Goodreads:
“In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception. Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul. together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.”
As you can see, there are a number of items within the box. My favourite item is the Book of the Dead Book Pot, this is a ceramic pot (I think it is ceramic) and I display this on my bookshelf. I really like these although I have no real use for them, so, I’ll have to get over my fear of missing out when future pots are released as I just don’t need them. This one is awesome though! This isn’t based on any particular book to my knowledge. The book pot was designed by Chattynora.
There is also a book organiser which is based on the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff. This is a really awesome item, I love the designs on this and have used this to store books beside my bed that are on my list to read, to make sure I read them! This item was designed by Fez Inkwright. You can see the designs on this in the bottom photograph, I did try to take a better photo of it in use but I just couldn’t get the angle right. I’ll try again some other time and will share it on my Instagram page.
The next item is the glass mason jar which is inspired by The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh. I haven’t read this book personally so I can’t really relate to the item, I have kept it though as I use it to water my plants! I’m not sure how well it would hold up in the dishwater or indeed by being washed up, I am worried the design might peel off so when I’m not using it to water my plants I just display it on my bookshelf.
The monthly pin designed by Stacey McEvoy-Caunt is inspired by the book itself, In The Ravenous Dark. I love the floral skull design. I really like these pins and do plan on collecting them going forward. They’re easy to store and small so I am happy to keep these. I do have a pin banner but as of yet, I haven’t taken them off to pin to it.
The two items which I’m not a fan of and will be giving away or selling on eBay as a job lot of goodies are the following. The Sickle Keyring by Daniella which is inspired by Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. To be fair this book does sound good, I’ve stuck it on my Goodreads list but the item itself just isn’t really for me. I do like that it has a quote on there though, that’s a nice idea.
Lastly, the two magnets designed by Dri and inspired by Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir are again two items that are not for me. I think the artwork is awesome, but I have no real use for magnets. I haven’t read this book which probably doesn’t help, although I am planning on picking it up next year. Again I’ll pop them in a giveaway or eBay box so that they go to a home that will enjoy them.
Overall, for my first Illumicrate box, I was thoroughly over the moon with the contents. Out of all the items there were only two I don’t plan on retaining which I think was quite good. The full box costs me £33.55 which I don’t think is bad for what you get, of course, if you purchase the book-only subscription then it is cheaper, this is roughly £20.
Let me know what you think of this and indeed this post. I know it’s a bit different but it is nice to share another interest alongside beauty products don’t you think?
You can find out more about Illumicrate here.
