I was really excited to be able to get a one-off Illumicrate box this month. The box and the fandoms sound incredible and I can't wait to unbox it. After this month, I'll be getting the Illumicrate book-only boxes, unless any full-box spots open up! Before we get started, here's a quick reminder of the March 2021 theme reveal: Our March theme is FIGHTING SPIRIT! 💛 Our chosen book this month follows a soldier and a princess both with divided loyalties. Should the soldier be loyal to the homeland she barely remembers, or the nation she was conscripted to fight for? Will the princess choose her desire to claim her rightful throne, or the opportunity to aid a colonised land? There are many battles to fight and with their budding feelings for each other complicating matters, which path will they both take? 💛 If you like yearning, scheming and #WomenWithWeapons then this North African-inspired debut is absolutely the book for you. Our Illumicrate Edition comes with exclusive sprayed edges, an exclusive hidden cover and is signed by the author! Both the book only & full box option also come with a matching pin designed by @stacey.mcevoy.caunt 💛 Our featured fandoms for March are The Court of Miracles, Kingdom of the Wicked, Winternight, The Bone Witch and an officially licensed The Dark Artifices item! This is also a @rosiethorns88 mug month! Our items this month are all beautiful and useable, we can't wait to bring you some reveals. I have no idea what book this is but it's a diverse, f/f fantasy, and it sounds fantastic. I'm also really excited for the Winternight item and the mug, I haven't had a new mug bookish in forever! Okay, let's get unboxing! Obviously, there will be spoilers for this box beyond this point, so stop reading now if you don't want to know what's in this one. ⠀ The Illumicrate art by chattynora is so bold and colourful, but I wish it was on a card like Book Box Club do so I could add it to my bookish art prints folder! This month's Illumicrate also came in a plain box with the book in a clear bag due to supplier issues, but it didn't really make much of a difference to me since I don't really have the room to save boxes. Right, let's get to it! First up, we have the all important exclusive mug designed by RosieThorns88. This mug is much bigger than I expected and the artwork is stunning, it's much more detailed and beautiful than this photo gives it credit for. It's inspired by The Dark Artifice's Series by Cassandra Clare (I haven't read this yet) and is simply gorgeous. The next thing I spotted was this absolutely stunning Winternight tote bag designed by Kelly Chong. I AM IN LOVE!! 😍😍😍 I've only read book one in the Winternight series (The Bear and the Nightingale) but I loved it so, so much and this bag is so colourful and detailed. None of my other totes are this pretty! Next out of the box were two really pretty items. First, is the exclusive enamel pin inspired by this month's book and designed by Stacey McEvoy Caunt. I really like the design, and it's quite a large, striking pin. I'm really interested to find out how it ties into this month's book when I read it! The next item I pulled out was this cool looking skeleton style heart necklace. I love the intricate design by NooneDesigns. It's inspired by the Bone Witch series (another one for the TBR!) What a great item!! I've never had an embroidery hoop before and this design by Viki @Forensicsandflowers is bloody gorgeous. I'm almost sad to read that it's intended to be a pin hoop, something to stick enamel pins into, which I've been wanting for absolutely ages, but this design is far, far too pretty to hide, so I don't think I can use it for it's intended purpose! This item is inspired by The Court of Miracles, a book I do have, but still haven't read yet! I almost missed this item! It was buried at the bottom of the box upside down and I didn't realise it was there until I checked the spoiler card! This Wrath's Daggermark was designed by Stacey McEvoy Caunt and is inspired by The Kingdom of the Wicked. This is one of the most beautiful bookmarks I've ever seen, I'm actually a little worried that it's too pretty to use! Finally, we have the book! The whole reason I decided to sign up to Illumicrate again is that they've started featuring LGBTQ+ books more in their boxes, and this one sounds fantastic! Here's the synopsis for the The Unbroken by C.L. Clark, book one of the Magic of the Lost series: Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought. Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne. Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren't for sale. So, it's an f/f fantasy featuring what sounds like two incredible badass female characters! I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT! This Illumicrate edition also has stunning red sprayed pages, a gold-embossed secret cover to die for and it's signed by the author! It's exceptional! Overall, this box was incredible and I've had to ask Illumicrate to upgrade me from books-only for my next box because I just really, really want the items too! So, fingers crossed!
Thanks for checking out my unboxing! If you prefer watching unboxing videos, go check out my Instagram stories! Now tell me, which items do you like the look of? Let me know in the comments! 3/4/2021 20:51:51
WOW, this looks like a great box! I love the consistent quality for illumicrate but wish shipping weren't so expensive for the US. 3/4/2021 22:39:12
It really was a fantastic box, Kal! I'm so sorry to hear the shipping is so expensive for the US. Shipping is such a buzz-kill! Comments are closed.
|
Never miss a post!
About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
Recently Read:
#Bookstagram:Upcoming Blog Tours:
|