Spoiler: This is the unboxing of the August 2022 Illumicrate box, a.k.a. the best box I have seen in months. Seriously impressed with this one <3
About Illumicrate
Illumicrate is one of the best known UK book boxes that ship internationally. They offer both a full box and a book-only subscription, and the books they feature are generally YA fantasy, but they also include other genres and adult books. Next to their monthly subscription, they also have special edition boxes and exclusive editions.
The teaser
This is the info we received upfront:
- Adult
- Dark academia
- Historical fantasy
- Standalone
- Dual-heritage Chinese and English protagonists, Muslim Indian main character, Haitian, Creole-speaking Black main character
- Content warnings: Child abuse, Drug use, Racism, Colonialism/imperialism, Explicit violence, Gore, Imprisonment, Parent illness and death, Murder, Epidemic
The goodies
The first thing I found was an enamel pin. I immediately thought “not another one”. However, I have to say it’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while and it will definitely be one of the very few pins I’ll be keeping. It’s designed by Justelfit and inspired by Bunny. Consider me impressed.
The second item is a foldable pencil case, inspired by The Atlas Six and designed by Janine Lecour. This is such a high quality item and beautifully designed, I’ll be keeping this one too.
Next, I discovered a set of bookmarks, inspired by the featured book of the month, with artwork by Merwild. I love these <3
The box also included a stamp set, inspired by A Lesson in Vengeance and designed by Anna Vehling. I have never had stamps in a book box before, how fun! Most definitely keeping these. More stamps, please, Illumicrate!
Oh my. Next, I discovered one of the most beautiful reading journals I have ever laid eyes on. This gem is designed by Madlen Oelschner and has artwork by Dri Gomez. The spoiler card mentions that this was one of Illumicrate’s most popular items in the past and I can easily believe that. So. Very. Pretty.
I think this may very well be the first book box ever that only included items that I am going to keep. I am so very much impressed <3 More! More! More!
The book
The featured book of the month is Babel by R. F. Kuang, to which I have been looking forward for months. The Illumicrate edition is, simply put, stunning. More elaborately, I would say it’s unbelievably stunning. It is an exclusive naked hardback featuring a redesigned cover INSIDE A SLIPCASE 😮 😮 😮 , with digitally printed edges (a text), a bound-in author letter, exclusive bonus content, and it’s signed by the author.
I am positively speechless.
Babel is the story of Robin Swift, an orphan who is brought to London to train for his enrollment in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation, also known as Babel. But for a Chinese boy, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. Robin must decide: can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence.