This Illumicrate marks the final box of my three month subscription. I mentioned in the February unboxing that Illumicrate had changed how they worked, as well as how much they cost and that I would use the March, April and May boxes to decide if I was going to continue with my subscription. I will be talk about what I am going to do going forward at the end of this post, so let’s dive straight into the unboxing.

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Unlike the April box, this month’s arrived on time. That’s why there’s not much of a gap between the two unboxings. I will say I do miss the yellow shredded paper that used to appear in the white box, it was a nice pop of colour. This brown screwed up paper, whilst great at making sure items survive in the post, is not the prettiest thing I have seen.

This month’s box contained five specially curated items, the featured book, a collectable magnetic coin, and two samplers. First up this month is the LUNAR CHRONICLES COOLER BAG designed by @po_jainter which would be great for keeping snacks cool for a mini picnic when you read outside. Next up is the ILLUMINAE PILLOWCASE the illustration was designed by @alice_duke and the quote was designed by @chattynora. Both designs look super cute and fun (I’ve only included the illustration in the photo) but I don’t think the pillowcase itself is cotton, which is a little disappointing. Then there is the HOWLER LUGGAGE TAG designed by @fableandblack which would stand out on bags if you do a lot of travelling, though I’m not sure how practical it would be. Next there’s the SQUAD 312 POUCH designed by @iparwing which I think looks super fun. The final specially curated item is the SPACE STICKY NOTES designed by @fableandblack which are super cute. The book of the month is AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It has an exclusive cover, pink sprayed edges, and it’s signed by both the authors. It also comes with a letter from them. This month’s magnetic coin is designed by @monolimeart and is of Kady Grant from The Illuminae Files. The final two items, the samplers, are for Emily Eternal by M. G. Wheaton (which was published on April 23rd) and The Furies by Katie Lowe (which was published on May 2nd).

In all honesty I think this is the end of the road for me with Illumicrate. This box, and the March and April ones, haven’t convinced me that the change in price and the increased amount of boxes are worth it. There have been some items in the previous three boxes that I have really liked, but most of them have just been ok and I can’t justify paying £31.35 a month for a box where I’m not excited by at least most of the items. I’m really sad to bring my subscription to an end, but that’s how it’s going to be. I hope you’ve enjoyed the unboxings and if you have any recommendation for book subscription boxes that could replace my Illumicrate subscription then please leave them below. They would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading this so far. Until next time.