Not a Book! Thursday || Illumicrate Magic and Mayhem Unboxing

Here I am, lawless once more, using Not a Book! Thursday to talk about something that’s tangentially book related!

As if I can be stopped from talking about the Illumicrate Magic and Mayhem box, though. Especially after waiting for it for a month and a half.

Shall we dive in? Are you prepared for the spoilers and incredible content below? I sure hope so.

IT WAS AMAZING.

There, that’s the absolute easiest place to start. I’m so grateful my family got this for my birthday because it fulfilled every single expectation and more, which is basically the best case scenario. Taking each item from the box made me grin and laugh and turn it over in my hands, and honestly? My heart is so full right now, which is weird.

Usually, VE Schwab related stuff makes my heart full, but with the caveat of also feeling emotionally stabbed because it was so good but also so angsty.

But my heart is full and there has been no stabbing! Incredible! Amazing! Truly astounding!

Anyways, check out what was inside! We’ll start with the obvious star of the show, of course.

First of all, I ADORE this cover. I think the UK covers are cooler than the US covers tbh, and the red cover is exclusive to this box, which makes it extra cool, and also makes me very happy. My favorite color for book covers is red, after all! Also, my copy is number 890 of 1250, AND it turns out it’s signed! I had no idea the books in the box would be signed until I cracked it open, and lemme tell you, that’s the BEST surprise.

Well, besides the surprises in the rest of the box.

How I dodged spoilers for nearly three weeks after the box first mailed out to folks who ordered it is beyond me, but I did! In fact, this key chain was the only thing I saw besides the cover!

I’m so torn between using it for my keys and hanging it somewhere as a display because I don’t want to lose it or chip it or otherwise damage it. Such a tough choice because it’s MEANT FOR KEYS but I’m scared of breaking it lol. The bottom line, though, is that it’s a beautiful key chain, and I love it so much! Shout out to Fable and Black for producing such a neat item, along with the Vicious-inspired pin that was also inside!

But let’s get bigger. Yes, bigger. Like maybe the fabric items?

I LOVE ALL OF THESE. The tote is so cute and feels pretty sturdy, which is awesome (because totes should be sturdy; they’re obviously for books), and the pouch is roomy but also has one of the most delightful quotes about Lila Bard on it! Gotta love her and all her rule-breaking. ♥ Rowa Tree was responsible for the tote bag design, and Stella Bookish Art designed the pouch!

As for that glorious scarf, it was designed by, once again, Fable and Black!

Fabrics not your jam? More concerned with coffee or water or tea? Wellllllll, the box covered that, too!

I especially love the mug (designed by Temporary Places) because it’s so small and cute and delightful, but the water bottle is also lovely! It’s on the small side, and the neck is narrow, which makes it hard to clean and unlikely I’ll use it, but it does look fantastic and it is Shades of Magic inspired, which means I LOVE IT. The water bottle lettering is the work of Crini!

WE’RE NOT DONE YET, FOLKS.

Of course, what’s a book box without some art, right? And this had PLENTY.

Where do I even begin? I’m so in love with the print of Kellila at the ball from Gathering of Shadows, illustrated by Victoria Ying. The color is beautiful but also I LOVE that scene and I LOVE Kellila, so it’s basically a dream come true. I’m seriously considering framing it.

As for the bookmarks, those lovely creatures are the work of Merwild, while the stunning tarot cards are illustrated by Lorena Lammer! And the postcards, coming from Moledro Craft Co? Ohhhhh, I love them, because they have quotes on the back. Two of them even have some of my favorites: Red London’s has my favorite ACoL quote (“‘Love and loss,’ he said, ‘are like a ship and the sea. They rise together. The more we love, the more we have to lose. But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love. And what a sad world that would be.'”), and Grey London one of the best ever quotes about Lila Bard and her penchant for stabbiness/shootiness (“‘I apologize for anything I might have done. I was not myself.’ ‘I apologize for shooting you in the leg,’ said Lila. ‘I was myself entirely.'”). Absolutely perfect, and honestly? I’ll never send them because I love them too much.

But that’s not all (and please don’t tell me I sound like an infomerical host, I know, I know, I promise there’s no “FOR ONLY $19.99” coming)! The last two items were just as exciting as the rest.

The book sleeve is PERFECT and double sided, and it’s clearly themed after the Villains series, given Victor Vale’s habit of working on blackout poetry. It also has the best quotes: “Plenty of humans were monstrous and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human” and “Let them see us. Let them fear us.” Illumicrate knew what they were doing when they designed this one.

As for the candle, it’s the work of Amelia’s Kitchen Candles, and it smells like bergamot, cinnamon, and vanilla! It has a layer for each London, and if I wouldn’t get in deep trouble with health and safety in the dorm, I would totally burn it. Alas, it has to wait. I don’t want to get caught because then the school would confiscate my precious candle. They take fire prevention very seriously. A tragedy for my personal life, but preventing a tragedy in the long run, I suppose.

 

As you can see, this box was INCREDIBLE, and I’m so over the moon that I finally got to tear it open and marvel at what was inside. I waited for TWO WEEKS after it was delivered, since I was on campus and my family had it mailed home instead. The terrors of going to school out of state, OH NO. But I survived, I made it without exploding from excitement, and it was so worth it!

One day, if I have enough money, I might just subscribe to Illumicrate. Everything inside the box was gloriously high quality, and if they keep that up, the base price plus shipping outside the UK might just be worth it!