Tag: Subscription Boxes

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: In the Dark Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: In the Dark, May 2022

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 to admit themes like the one for this month always give me hope for good items. The unboxing will go from the featured book a the top and clockwise:

  • The Book of Night by Holly Black, which is apparently the first adult book from her and I am still to read it but curious. This edition is utterly stunning.
  • A replica “Gravebone” dagger, I have mixed thoughts about these because they are cool but Id like them to be longer so I could use them as hair sticks or some other use beyond a fancy enamel looking blade. But they look cool.
  • I love fancy bookmarks and this one is stunning, plus it it for Monstress which rarely features as part of the merch and I am loving how graphic novels are being included more into fandom items.
  • Nyx, Goddess of the Night teacup and saucer. The photo does not do it justice but it is a gorgeous one again.
  • Dark the Night blackout journal which looks cool and gorgeous and I am hoarding it until I have a use for it. because that is how it is with notebooks and journals.

Overall the contents were very good, fitting the theme well but also being useful and probably my least favourite is the dagger, but the rest I am quite happy with and will get some use out of all of the even if I am precious about the teacups and saucers, because they are fancy.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: A Life of its Own Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: A Life of its Own, March 2022

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.

Nevermind the fact that I accidentally scheduled April before March, because what is time? Instead let us look at what was inside the box, because with that colour scheme matching so well, you have to just go for it. Starting at the top left and going clockwise:

  • Theme leaflet, as usual, details the contents and makers.
  • Cushion cover, which honestly, the artwork is very pretty, but I genuinely do not like cushion covers like this one or actually 99 of the ones included in book boxes as cushion covers. They tend to be dark or have a quote on side or both sides, or just do not appeal to me. I don’t want cushion covers with faces of people. I want cute animals, nice patterns or maybe good quotes I relate to, but not the usual fandoms. And I mean this one is gorgeous, but damn, I do wish for less of these or a different approach to their design. Something I would actually display in my living room.
  • The main book, Gallant, which I read and reviewed a while back.
  • A notepad list type thing. I love these and usually magnetise them so they can go on my fridge for all the chaotic lists. Win 100
  • Gideon the Ninth mug, gorgeous, gorgeous.
  • A camera case? Not sure why this item since I haven’t used a camera that would fit here in almost a decade and it is such an odd size that you cant really fit anything else but I do like the case as a design choice just sad it is utterly useless.
  • Howl’s Moving Castle keyring. An odd choice of design but ok.

Overall, the theme was on point and I loved how cohesive it looks. I sadly didn’t like half of the items or found them useless which was a little frustrating. But points for the theme and content looking amazing.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: In the Post Tales by Mail

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Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: In the Post, April 2022

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing a Tales by Mail subscription, you can do it on their website. They have a new owner and I did not resubscribe because I am curious to see what happens

Tales by Mail is a bi-monthly middle-grade book box that comes with two books, some activity pages you can collect, or copy or use in various ways, a pin and one or two items.

As usual the box was small so let us start at the top and go clockwise:

  • A set of postcards for Adventure Awaits.
  • The Boy int he Post by Holly Rivers, which looks like an interesting adventure.
  • The theme activity pages.
  • A pencil for notes and writing
  • Collectible pin
  • Page holder also theme based
  • Ajay and the Mumbai Sun, more adventures to come.
  • Promotional bookmark

This was a cute one, even if I didn’t know the books, which usually makes them a bit of an odd box, since it surprises me and the theme wasn’t as exciting as others but I liked it still.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Royal Secrets Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Royal Secrets, January 2022

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.

This box had two books which is always a gamble because sometimes that means not as good a content, but let us see if it was true this time, starting from the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • We Hunt the Flame jigsaw puzzle, which I love this collection that looks like books in a box
  • This Woven Kingdom, which I still haven’t read but it is gorgeous
  • The Ivory Key, I was excited for it.
  • A pair of super comfy soft fluffy socks
  • A Never Tilting World inspired necklace for both “sides” and I love it.
  • Theme leaflet.
  • Mobile phone stand with a keyhole and “Youre a survivor”. I amdit I prefer the wooden ones over acrylic.

Overall not a bad box, I am still using the socks, love the necklace and the puzzle. Was not crazy about the phone stand but otherwise it wasn’t a bad box, and having too books didn’t really take anything away from it, which is always nice!

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Cursed Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Cursed, December 2021

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 slowly catching up, just 6 months behind, right? But let us investigate the contents nevertheless and see what I liked and didn’t like or what my thoughts were, starting from the book at the bottom left:

  • A Marvellous Light with an interesting jacket made of like a plastic see-through version.
  • Starcrossed Lovers calendar, I admit in general I don’t really use wall calendars so this was wasted on me and I am less into quotes but still, I appreciate the free calendar in case it would be used.
  • Gorgeous pin flag, one of my favourite ones sent so far, with a beautiful design, even if I don’t use them. You can totally see a theme of me not hanging things.
  • One of my favourite items in the box, is a pencil tin, I love the tins that protect pencils, and this one is creepy awesome and with a great quote.
  • A Winternight trilogy inspired mug is one of my favourite ones now. But in general, I love the mugs and this is the other favourite item.
  • The collectible pin which is now not a thing but still, lovely to see it.

Lovely box overall, however rnow I am here thinking about how sometimes they don’t consider we don’t all have loads of space to hang things or won our house and therefore in a rented place you cant really fillt he walls of items, so I do wish here were alternatives to hanging things like a desk calendar which would limit the hanging items here to just the one? But this is me just thinking of more possibilities that fit more people.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Spellbound Book Box Club

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Subscription box: Book Box Club

Theme/Month: Spellbound, December 2021

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. Sadly they have announced they are now on their last box so you can’t buy it anymore.

Book Box Club is a young adult subscription box, the unique thing is the Clubhouse where you can chat to the author a month (or so) after the box was shipped and ask questions and just chat around. It also includes several goodies and usually, the choice of book is one that is unique and not in other book boxes so very few chances of duplicate books and a lot of new reads discovery power.

I am still way behind on unboxings, woops, but this December box was a lovely one to have and I am sad that I am behind because there won’t be any more boxes but also glad I’ll have a few to talk about even once they have stopped. But I digress, let us talk about the context of this one starting at the bottom left and going clockwise:

  • Spellbound theme card
  • Crane pencil holder. I love these for fountain pens or for brushes, very useful and the roll up is kinda fun to do.
  • A Rush of Wings by Laura Weymouth. I love her books, what can I say?
  • Clubhouse invite
  • A little Reading Journal notebook to keep track of that reading goal if you do one every year.
  • Stickers for the reading journal which I thought was a fun approach to encourage you to use it and adorable extra.
  • A hanging wooden sign to say “This is where the magic happens” and its witchy and spooky but cool.
  • I forgot to mention but it obviously came with a cute pencil to put in the pencil roll up case.

Overall, a lovely little box with useful items preparing you for the new year and reading goals but also a little bit of magic and decoration.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Reads: Never Enough Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Never Enough, July 2021

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.

The box to complete the sapphic trifecta with a very summery look and some interesting item choices, starting from the book and going clockwise:

  • She Who Became The Sun, trying to rival the sun with sprayed edges and looks of the book.
  • A Descendant of the Crane fan, very good of a hot summer day to keep cool.
  • Poppy War inspired mug, which is very loved by me.
  • Another of those odd print in a glass kinda portrait holder. I like the portrait holder, not so much the print and I do not care for the fandom.
  • A compact mirror inspired by Dorian Gray
  • Lila Bard bust which I mean, a bust is cool but I don’t need it, see no use for it except gather dust and honestly not crazy about it, however I do appreciate the artwork.
  • The Upper World taster.
  • Monthly in which is stunning
  • And finally the theme leaflet!

As much as the previous box was really up my street, this one was a huge miss, between fandoms and the items, it just failed to hit the spot with almost everything except the mug and fan, which seems to be something that happens when there is a mug included, I am less keen on the rest of the items. Hopefully the box for August is more up my street.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: The Stranger The Better Tales by Mail

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Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: The Stranger the Better, for August 2021

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing a Tales by Mail subscription, you can do it on their website.

Tales by Mail is a bi-monthly middle-grade book box that comes with two books, some activity pages you can collect, or copy or use in various ways, a pin and one or two items.

With a very interesting theme, let’s see what was in the box, starting on the top left corner and going clockwise:

  • A Raven Heir promotional bookmark.
  • Crowfall by Vashti Hardy, which looks very intriguing to me.
  • The activity pages for the month which go into the collectible ring binder.
  • The most adorable keyring, which is the mascot for the box and I was so taken by it.
  • The Tentacle Boy which wasn’t in my radar but looks intriguing and creepy weird.
  • Promotional bookmark for The Tentacle Boy and Pizazz
  • The collectible pin

It was a very cute choice and maybe not my favourite box of the year but my absolute favourite was that keyring which I thought was super sweet and honestly, it won my heart.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Change Your Stars Illumicrate

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Subscription box: Illumicrate

Theme/Month: Change Your Stars, May 2021

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.

This is probably the one box I was looking out for the most because I love Tasha’s books but of course, this would be the one box that got lost in the post and therefore I had to wait for a replacement for a whole month, but now I have it and I am a very happy critter, so what was in the special box?

  • The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, you can find my review here, but this one has edges that have a botanical motif and are gorgeous.
  • The monthly pin is inspired by it and it is basically the building where a lot of the story happens.
  • A weird Illumicrate key that is probably my least favourite part of the box.
  • A gorgeous book sleeve which I think is inspired by the Winterwood series.
  • A dress pin, it is cute but not entirely sure I want it as a pin.
  • A notebook inspired by V. E. Schwab and probably Addie LaRue, but I like the botanical style and the quote overall.
  • The theme leaflet
  • And finally a tea caddy which is now holding some Earl Grey I got gifted for my birthday.

Overall I really enjoyed the box except for the weird key, however I have to say I am not particularly sold on the fact we had a monthly pin, another pin and the key taking space as items in the same box, it feels a little bit like the same type of item, but otherwise it was good and quite nice, and the book wins over everything.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Lotus Merkababox

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Subscription box: Merkababox

Theme/Month: Lotus, February 2021

Ownership: Bought January and February. If you are interested in purchasing a subscription, you can do it on their website.

Merkababox titles itself as a holistic mystic box and comes with a selection of items to help nourish your mind, body and spirit. I was quite intrigued by the contents of previous boxes, particularly the Forager’s one, and thought to give it a go.

So lets see what was inside it, going clockwise and starting top right:

  • Lotus theme card. On the back it has a ritual to follow using all the items and not in the picture there is a smaller part that includes all the ingredients, value of each item and a few more details and how to if you need which I appreciate a LOT.
  • A rhodonite.
  • Chill out Fragrance Oil, which has lotus and hyacinth that is meant to help you calm and feel nurtured.
  • Another item from Pulvers Apothecary, this time a Love Elixir which is meant to be a bit of happiness and heart in it.
  • Love Spells book.
  • Damask Rose Hydrolat, which is a herbal distillate for your skin that is meant to be soothing and toning.
  • And finally a brass heart tea infuser from Sass and Belle.

I liked the box this time but it was once again not a 100% my thing. It is more of a “the box contents do not fit what I want and need right now” rather than that the box is bad or not worth it, which is quite hard to review. However I do think it is worth it if it fits for you.