Tag: Illumicrate

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Darker Academia Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Darker Academia, September 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box that usually features fantasy and sci-fi, and curates a wide range of books, including both young adult and adult fiction. It usually contains a new release and several bookish goodies.

I have mixed feelings about Dark Academia but let’s go into this with open eyes, starting bottom left and going clockwise:

  • The Dark Academia Bookcase jigsaw puzzle. I love when they send jigsaws, because they’re very fun and I find it a nice activity to do, so this is already a win.
  • A task journal (interesting concept) with a gorgeous cover.
  • Reading prompt cards, not a concept for me particularly since I am a mood reader and being prompted or forced to choose something does not work, but I did like the idea behind it. It has genre suggestions but also things like “a book with dragons” and so forth, which is quite fun.
  • A satisfying closure glasses case, which I don’t use simply because I don’t use a glasses case for my all the time on glass except when I sleep.
  • The monthly leaflet as usual.
  • And the featured book which was A Dark and Drowning Tide, which is on my list to read and I haven’t got to it annoyingly. But still looking forward to it.

Overall a very dreamy box, which had some very good items and some less useful for me but still creative and useful for others. Visually it’s one of my favourites of the year and the book was also a big favourite.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Look What You Made Me Do Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Look What You Made Me Do, August 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release and several bookish goodies.

August box definitely had a distinct colour vibe going on here. So let’s go from the featured book and clockwise:

  • Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright which I still have to read, I just haven’t felt particularly compelled to, and so I don’t know when I will get to it.
  • A weekly pill box inspired by Ruthless Remedy. I like this one but I had one in use already so haven’t used it yet.
  • Silver Under Nightfall inspired snack bowls. I love these and they are perfect for snack sizing. I generally love almost everything that is dishware they bring out.
  • Underneath it we have a black and a red packing cube, which I gifted out as I didn’t need any but these were gorgeous.
  • Then we have the usual monthly leaflet of contents
  • And finally a replica dagger from The Serpent and the Wings of Night which I didn’t read so no clue. I generally don’t keep these since they’re too heavy to use as hair pins (if they were good as hairsticks, then I’d be all over them, but they’re much too heavy) and I don’t have much reason to keep them otherwise.

Overall, it was definitely a box in theme but I didn’t keep much from it, even if the snack bowls were absolute winners (they are still a winner). Part of me wishes the collectible was more useful but I get the nice unique factor here for the replicas.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Magical Menagerie Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Magical Menagerie, July 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

Sometimes the items go beyond my backdrop and then you get a weird photograph. I probably need to better my picture taking skills. But in the meantime, starting from the leaflet on the left and going clockwise:

  • Magical Menagerie leaflet
  • Hidden Ones magnetic critter bookmarks (adorable as always). I don’t use magnetic bookmarks a lot because I find after clipping and unclipping them they break and wear down too much and too quickly.
  • Birds of a Feather desk mat. I love desk mats and this one is gorgeous, so it has been used (though it is not the one currently in use).
  • Mythical Creature reading journal. super gorgeous both inside and out. I just wished it was a plan sketching notebook rather than a reading journal. I don’t really journal my reading.
  • The featured book, which was The Phoenix Keeper, is still to be read (sometimes I read the book, sometimes it takes me a while to get to it).
  • A lipstick holder, which was interesting because I have never even thought about using a lipstick holder, but it was cool even if currently unused.

The items were very much in the theme, but sadly about half of them aren’t in use or haven’t been used which is a bit sad for me, but I still like them and think they are lovely items, just not as useful for me overall. I think the biggest miss is the reading journal, because we keep being sent reading journals and I don’t need more of those, I want notebooks that have epic nice paper to sketch on instead.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: I Will Fly Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: I Will Fly, June 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

I am still super far behind on this, but one day I will catch up, I promise. This is still really the only book box I buy and I enjoy it enough to keep it going so far. Apparently for about ten years. How does time by so fast?

Anyway, let’s dig into the contents of this one:

  • At the top we have two mechanical pencils (I have not used these, mostly because I am particular on the mechanical pencil I use for drawing, and otherwise I don’t really use them) inspired by Empress of Salt and Fortune.
  • Bandits of Liagnshan enamel pin inspired by The Water Outlwas. I like the pin, it has been added to the ever growing collection.
  • The monthly leaflet with the photo challenge and contents description. I used to keep these but have been recycling nowadays.
  • A metal bookmark inspired by The Bone Shard Daughter (I haven’t read that one yet), which is super cool.
  • The main book, which was Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen and I have yet to read it. It somehow didn’t become a priority amongst the choices I have made to keep around in my super minimal bookcase.
  • And finally a print album inspired by Girls of Paper and Fire (that was a good series). I like these albums because I actually use them for prints and they are awesome for keeping them tidy and I can browse them nicely.

Overall, it was super on theme and very well tied together for pictures and showing off all the elements. Most of the items were good and useful (the mechanical pencils would’ve been in use if I was taking more notes and going places). So can’t complain on this box, I like it when they items all look good together and seem to stick incredibly well with the theme and each other and that was a win here for sure.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Magical Bonds Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Magical Bonds, May 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

Now we’re back to our regular posting schedule and somehow we are on the right month for illumicrate, just a year behind. Woops. But let’s check the contents, starting from the top left and going clockwise:

  • The featured book which is Goddess of the River, which I have read and reviewed already. And absolutely loved it. Big win here.
  • We then have some little clips, which I have been using for bags of crisps and other little things like that, very handy, even if a tiny bit big.
  • Anther one of the storybook setting magnets, which live on my fridge happily holding recipe cards of the things I tend to need the recipe often enough.
  • The usual content booklet.
  • Another lovely mug, which I cannot for the life of me remember what the fandom was, but they are generally my favourite style of mugs and I love them very much.
  • And finally, a book carrier. These are so so amazing, I have them all over the house, they’re the perfect thing to be at the base of the stairs to put things that need to go upstairs, and to have in the office for things that need to move form here to another room, and you get the idea, right?

This was a big winner box with lots of useful items and fun things that I have loved having, and that are regularly being used at home, so nothing really has ended up gathering dust or making me feel like it was wasted on me.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Magic vs Science Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Magic vs Science, April 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

I have no idea what March was and no pictures or any evidence of the box, so hi, welcome to April and this beautiful box, which was just very pretty overall! Let’s go from the top left and clockwise:

  • Pencil case, I love these as they are always so pretty and useful. The only thing that would make them better is if they were the ones that can fit two levels and have a little tray in between.
  • Eco friendly makeup cleaning pads. These are pretty and I haven’t used them for two reasons, one is that I don’t wear a lot of makeup, and the other is that every time I have used this type of pad, they end up not taking the makeup well off my face and they end up slightly modly or yucky even after a wash, or leaving them to dry, just bad experiences and I don’t want to ruin them so they exist happily in my makeup drawer waiting to be used.
  • Our regular leaflet letting us know what is inside and the photo challenge.
  • The featured book which is To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang, still on my list to be read.
  • Gardening gloves, this went as a gift to someone who actually gardens, but they were very pretty and very well liked by the person who received them.
  • A jigsaw, I love these so much! This time the science fiction bookcase which I have yet to do.

Overall as I had already said, a very nice box with very pretty items and for the most part all in use except the makeup pads but that’s me not the box itself. I did like this one quite a lot.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Caged Hearts Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Caged Hearts, February 2024

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

In which I discover that the tea towel I thought would be a super cute background ends up being a bad background, woops. But this was February’s box and let’s see what it had insidestarting from the leaflet and going clockwise:

  • Monthly Leaflet, detailing the contents and the photo challenge.
  • To Cage a God by Elizabeth May was the featured book, and I have actually read this one, go me, after so many unread ones.
  • Anohter fo the collectible daggers/swords. I always forget which one is which as I don’t really collect them.
  • A glass jar, these are meant to be user for drinking water or whatever or some storage, but I have only kept two since I only have so much space, sadly.
  • A fairytale keyring, very cute.
  • A plastic container bag thing. I assume it’s meant to be for like airport stuff or something, but I wasn’t too crazy about it.

Overall, not a bad box, with some cute items and some used less, but it was still nice.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Principle of Moments

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The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

I actually can’t remember how I came to have a proof copy for this book, since I know it was not one I requested, so it either came freely from publisher or through BlackCrow (who are awesome with proofs).

As you may have seen from the previous post, I also have a hardcover copy of it but I read it on the proof copy.

Now, this si one of my lowest-rated book reviews in a while, and the main reason for it is that this book needed more editing and more work. It is a book written during school by the author and then reworked, and it shows as you read through it. The characters are wishy-washy and feel shoehorned into making the prophecy work (the prophecy parts were probably the most interesting). They just seem to be carried forever by the plot to make the plot happen while trying to figure themselves out, and not in a good way.

The format of it, with the prophecy, the time travel, and the trying to make reason of the side plots, was interesting and had a lot of potential, but for me, it falls flat. I did not care for most of the characters except George, who felt like he had just been dragged into this nonsense and had no choice (see? Everything is very much an “I have no choice but to do this” all over the book), so our two main characters in themselves are flat and boring, plot puppets overall to fulfil a prophecy and you could swap them for other characters and still get the same story.

The premise is that there is this prophecy about 3 parts of a story, and you are having that slowly told (the people talking of the prophecy talk about the person who made it, and make notes on it and therefore this was the most interesting part and you could read just the bits of the prophecy and get a decent story, skipping more than half the book, way more enjoyable) but you also get several points of view by a variety of characters on how they are going to save the world, or maybe just themselves because they are selfish and want to live and yet they are cowards and nothing like what they are supposed to be.

The overall summary is that this had potential, had an interesting idea, and formatting and the “prophecy” part was pretty decent, but the execution fell flat and steamrolled through the characters just to fit the prophecy and “plot”, and it could have been done better. They deserved better.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: In The Stars Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: In the Stars, December 2023

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

A box to end the year with a lot of items for the new year. Starting at the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • Theme leaflet
  • A money jar (or ideas) inspired by a quote from Addie LaRue.
  • A calendar with art for each month based on books, usually pretty nice.
  • Weekly planner with a habit tracker and space for each day. It is currently on my fridge and used somewhat for meal planning and notes.
  • The featured book which is The Pricniple of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, and surprisingly I’ve actually read the book (review coming soon!).
  • Finally, underneath all of it, a tea towel for space, quite nice design but the fabric is not particularly good at drying which is one of my biggest issues with it. It’s cool but useless.

Nice box to end the year, and I have used most of it except the towel which I tried to use, found it unusable and gave it away. I have this problem a lot with Illumicrate towels and tea-towels, they never dry enough and are pretty much useless for their intended purpose despite being very pretty which frustrates me because I would like to use them and have awesome towels. But the rest was cool!

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Anit-Hero Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Anit-Hero, November 2023

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing an Illumicrate subscription, you can do it on their website.

Illumicrate is a book subscription box, it usually features fantasy and sci-fi but not exclusively young adult, sometimes it features adult too. It usually contains a new release, a pin and several bookish goodies.

A dark and spooky box for Illumicrate with some interesting items. Starting at the top left and going clockwise:

  • Featured book, Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. I’ve read her books before so I expected to like and have yet to read it, woops. The reason it doesn’t look amazing in the pictures is because it has a see through slip cover and therefore really difficult to show in all its glory, but it’s pretty cool.
  • Theme leaflet.
  • A spooky tree ornament which I loved, to be fair I generally enjoy the tree ornaments Illumicrate sends and they end up on my Christmas tree.
  • I think this was a foldable bag (vaguely from memory) and I gifted it to someone who needed cool bags(I have a massive collection of tote bags to last me an eternity and that I do use for my shopping).
  • A classic mug from Illumicrate which is fun but not one I have currently in rotation.
  • Book ends, which I also do not have in use currently but I kept them because they are cool.

Overall, it was a box with lots of usable parts and that makes me happy, even if a few of them are not currently in use but that’s not because I don’t appreciate them. Nice little box and well themed I think.