Illumicrate - February Unboxing

Not my usual book review post but this month I wanted to give a book subscription a try as I have seen so many amazing things come out of past subscription boxes. This time I decided to try Illumicrate as it's a quarterly box, meaning if I like it I can afford to get the next one as it's only £30 every three months which I think is really great value, especially when you see what I got this month.

First of all I love the overall appearance of Illumicrate. It comes packed in such a neat white box with the yellow blemishes that are a running theme throughout the box.

This months box (February) did arrive a little late but as it was my first box I thought best not to judge until I had seen the contents. Although I didn't receive my Magic and Mischief balm and a couple of other promotional items (I have since received the lip balm and the Flame in the Mist Sampler but I have not received the Following Ophelia bookmark), the rest of the bookish goodies are all great quality and really cute.

The Bare Necessities Pouch by Literary Lifestyle Company is definitely my favourite item in this box. It's a really nice handmade pouch with lyrics from The Jungle Book's Bare Necessities song. This also came with a 25% off coupon for Literary LifeStyle on there website, which I will definitely be using.

My second favourite item is the Newt Scamander bookmark by Jane's Tiny Things. The bookmark features the cutest little Newt with Pickett and Niffler and the quote "My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice." Words to live by and one of my favourite lines from Fantastic Beasts.

Also in the box are two bookish magnets featuring quotes from V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic and these were done by Her Bookish Things. I haven't read anything by this author but the quotes on the magnets aren't so cryptic that you need to have read the books to appreciate them. "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still." and "She bent most of the smiles and she broke the rest."

The next item is a post card for Gilded Cage by Vic James. It's nicely designed and I've never heard of this book so it does it's job as now I want to look it up. The post card reads; Not all are equal, not all are free, not all will be saved.

Onto the books! In this box there are two, which I have come to learn is unusual for Illumicrate so I definitely picked a good month to start.

First is Winter Song by S. Jae-Jones, which I've been wanting to read after hearing so man good
things about it from other book bloggers. With this there was also a book mark with a beautiful recreation of the front cover on it and also a signed title card/sticker than can be stuck in the book if you choose to do that. It's a brilliant little starter pack for the book and I'm sure I'm going to love it.

The second book and boy is it a monster! Is Red Sister by Mark Lawrence, which is a special advanced reader copy as the book won't be out until April 6th.
At the convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few, the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely see since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices' skills to deadly effect. It takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist. 

But even the mistresses of the sword and shadow don't truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder, guilty of worse. 


Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive. 
This book sounds amazing and I can't wait to get stuck into it as I haven't read enough good fantasy novels lately.

I think I would definitely order from Illumicrate again despite a few hiccups with my order, with so many happy customers I'm sure I was just incredibly unlucky and it is no reflection on the business as a whole.