This unboxing contains spoilers!
Theme of the box
Description by Illumicrate
Our March theme is A LIFE OF ITS OWN! Sometimes things don’t act as you expect: sentient houses, skeletons that serve you breakfast, AI gone rogue.
Our featured book this month is Gallant by V.E. Schwab! We love all of V’s work, and this book is no exception. We absolutely inhaled this gothic tale of ghouls, mysterious doors, and the girl trying to find her place. Our edition features all exclusive: redesigned cover, artwork endpapers by @rachelbostickillustration, embossing on the hardback and digitally printed edges (that wrap around all 3 edges of the book!). Please note, this edition is not signed by the author.
Our featured fandoms this month are Gideon the Ninth, Deathless, Murderbot, Other Words for Smoke and Howl’s Moving Castle! This box contains the first @rosiethorns88 mug of 2022 and is one of the most aesthetic boxes we’ve ever put together!
The book at a glance:
- YA fantasy standalone
- Nonverbal MC who communicates with sign language
- All exclusive: redesigned cover, artwork endpapers by @rachelbostickillustration, embossing on the hardback and digitally printed edges
Content warnings:
- Ableism/ableist language
- Parental abandonment
- Child abuse and neglect
- Nightmares
- Alcoholism (implied)
- Blood
- Parental death (off page)
- Death on page
- Murder
- Knife/sword violence
- Strangulation
- Bullying
- Animal deaths
Item 1, 2 & 3
MURDERBOT’S HEADPHONE CASE
ARTWORK BY: CADE
This case is perfect for storing your headphones and chargers for whenever you need to ignore real people
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE MOTEL KEYRING
ARTWORK BY: BLISSFULLY BOOKISH
Keep track of the keys to your own moving castle with this motel-style keyring
OWL IN THE WALL NOTEPAD
ARTWORK BY: DAPHNA SEBBANE
Jot down your to-do list with this beautiful notepad inspired by Other Words for Smoke
The headphone case is basically a small box with some elastics here and there. It looks very pretty and I’m sure that plenty of people will make use of it. I also love the notepad. Really gorgeous and you can write down anything on it. The keyring is really stylish. I like it a lot. It has a unique feel to it.
Item 4
LIKE A WINTER NIGHT CUSHION COVER
ARTWORK BY: KELLY CHONG
DESIGNED BY: CHATTYNORA
Get comfy with this gorgeous cushion cover inspired by Deathless
Oh really gorgeous cushion cover! I really like the colour combination that was used for it. I’m not sure which side is my favourite.
Item 5
WE DO BONES MUG
ARTWORK BY: ROSIETHORNS88
Our latest mug features a stunning papercraft by Rosie inspired by Gideon the Ninth!
Oooh I love this mug. It looks really cool and it feels like a lot is happening. I think that this is one of my favourite Rosie mugs.
Book
GALLANT BY V. E. SCHWAB
Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal – which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home – to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.
Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant – but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unravelled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from. Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior. protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?
Enjoy your Illumicrate edition with all exclusive: redesigned cover, foil embossing on the hardback, artwork endpapers by @rachelbostickillustration and digitally printed edges
The book looks nice. I like the skeleton hands on the cover and the sprayed edges are cool too. The side that goes up feels like the living side because of the red roses. The side that goes down has dead roses. But I won’t lie… when I look at this edition it feels a bit underwhelming? It’s probably because the cover doesn’t really stand out colour-wise. It feels to me quite close to the original. I will admit that I had very high expectations though.
Conclusion
It was an okay box this month. The makeover that Gallant has received feels a bit underwhelming but I my expectations were probably too high. I really do love the mug and the pillow cover. Their aesthetic is very pleasing to me. I also really liked the keyring. It has a unique feel to it. The notepad is very useful and pretty. I’m not sure what I’ll do with the headphone case but I’m sure that plenty of people will like that item.
The Bookerina Blog 