Illumicrate Unboxing April 2024 // Magic Vs Science
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Thankyou for joining me in unboxing the April Illumicrate, with this month’s theme Magic Vs Science.
Illumicrate is a monthly adult or young adult fantasy/sci-fi book subscription service. Each month you have the option to receive a book only, or the book along with 4 bookish items. I like to open the book and the items :) As always, thank you for joining me, and I hope that you enjoy this unboxing!
Michelle
📦 Illumicrate
Website www.illumicrat...
Instagram / illumicrate
📚 Books Mentioned in the Video 📚
📖 To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, Molly X. Chang
Waterstones tidd.ly/3IosC1H *
Amazon.com amzn.to/3PaMDMS *
👯♀️ Be my friend
Goodreads: www.goodreads....
📚 My Amazon Wish List
www.amazon.co....
Useful Links for products/services that I use regularly
📘 Book of the Month
www.mybotm.com...
(not an affiliate link, but I do get a free book if you join BOTM using my link)
📦 Stackry
(ship from the US to the UK, and lots of other countries)
Referral Program ... get $10 off your first shipment (and I get $10 off my next shipment)
My referral code: 7762291
www.stackry.co...
Kit I use
⃤ Tripod (how I hold up my phone to record) amzn.to/49IBkUU *
🖥️ Computer (how I edited this video): amzn.to/460Bq7L *
📱 Phone (how I recorded this video): amzn.to/3Z0rUPF *
☺️ Skin and Me
Get your first Daily Doser for only £3.50!!!! … and if you use my code it lets me donate £10 to charity or get £10 credit on my own account: MICHELLF9WTJ
www.skinandme.... *
Skin and Me Instagram: / skinandmehq
Thank you so much for supporting me and my channel
Michelle x
Affiliate Links are marked with an *
If you click on the link and make a purchase I will make a small commission off the sale, with no additional cost to you
Please also note that linked editions of any books mentioned may be different to those shown in the video. Please check with the supplier before making a final purchase.
Hi everyone!
Thanks for stopping by for this one; any thoughts?
❤️👍
Thank you 🙏🏻 😊
I agree about the edition. I like the color of the original cover. I do like the end papers though.
A lot of people are agreeing that the original colours are actually better. It makes me feel so sad for Illumicrate :(
@@MichelleReadsandVlogs Instead of the color change adding foil with the other embellishments that they added would have made it a special edition. The edges match the original better, in my opinion.
I always wonder how when all you lovely people do these unboxings, how you know off the top of your head that its a completely different front cover or just a colour change :v I could never retain that amount of info of all the books i've ever read. I could not bring myself to use those facepads, they are too pretty I think i would turn them into coasters xD As for whats better, as a beutician, the pest is to just use your hands and then anything be it cotton, face towel, pads etc to remove any leftovers. The worst thing you could use is the makeup remover tissues, we only recommend those for a trip or as a once in a while use because they dehydrate the skin.
Haha I do not remember it all at all! I follow two instagram spoiler accounts (TheLibrarysGhost and TheAutumnBookReads); they are both brilliant and so I know what books to expect because of them and what the original covers look like. Following spoiler accounts is great for people who want to be more selective with which months they want and so skip the months that they're not interested in. ... oooh that's interesting about the pads; thanks for sharing :)
🪴 🧩 📚 ✏️ the Chinese says ‘Heavenly God’
Thanks lovely :)
I think this box is very underwhelming, especially compared to the Fairyloot one. I think that there are only so many items that would fit bookish boxes, and when you have been around for as long as Fairyloot and Illumicrate, you just end up doing the same items again and again with different designs, which I don't get the appeal for. I'm happy they all have a book only option. However, I do think that the book is a miss for Illumicrate this month as well. The last few months, the book they had selected have mediocre reviews, which makes me honestly question the way they select the books. Seems more and more a marketing choice than actually bringing SE of their favourite upcoming books... And I am sad to see that even the customisation is lacking... the colour change is actually not better than the original cover and there was so much potential for the edges, and they came up with that (not saying they are not nice, but they could have done much more). I understand your point of saying that having lower quality boxes makes you enjoy the good ones more, but I'm signing up for good ones only, not to be disappointed most of the time just to be happy to get an actual good month every now and then...
I agree with every single point that you have made... and it makes me sad. I think of Illumicrate as being one of the top dogs in terms of fantasy book subscription service, but over the past few months they have been slipping at a fast rate. I've heard a lot of Booktubers not liking the book picks at all; and it's giving them a bad reputation. I hope that they can find a way to improve and bring their reputation back... I am worried for them!
Quite ok with having skipped this one.
Bit sad about the jigsaw but pretty sure i could easily buy a quite similar one
It was definitely the best item in the box... and to be honest could probably be picked up quite cheap with someone selling theirs.
I liked this box! I love the puzzle as it matched the Afterlight one, and I am a puzzle person! I use the face pads and I have used the gardening gloves a few times at the allotment, and they seem sturdy enough so super useful!
The only thing I don’t like is the tin, I get fed up of getting stuff to put stuff in (bags, tins, cases, pin banners etc etc) I need the actual stuff! X
@@lifewithlinz11 ooooh I haven’t seen the afterlight one; but the idea of matching sounds good 😊
there are some lovely ravensburg ones with fantasy book shops and shelves
@@lessariel914 Ooooooh I might have a look at these too!
I quite liked this box, I think it was always going to feel a bit mediocre compared to the April one. I really like the puzzle and i will use the gardening gloves. The wash pads are really pretty. Tbh the bookmark tin was the only thing I didn’t like, the design felt a bit lazy. I’ve finished reading the book and although it wasn’t perfect I did really enjoy it.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the book :) This really is the main aspect to me. I agree that there were some very good items in the April box, and as humans it is in our nature to compare.
I agree with you regarding the items, from when I got my box. This was only my third box and I’m already thinking I’m not going to continue as most of them have been ok🙁🙁
It's such a shame; I really hope that they can do something amazing soon as their reputation in the fantasy book community is slipping fast. They used to be my favourite service, but not any more :( ... hope that you're well Jeanette!
I loved the jigsaw, gloves and pads so just the tin was a bit meh for me. 🥰🥰🥰
Glad that you enjoyed this one 🥰
Hi Michelle, Well for me I prefer the more vivid colours in the original cover. The sprayed/stencilled edges are pretty and I like them. The front page is gorgeous and the back is nice too. The naked hardback is nice (Ew! That word ... nice!!! So whimpy, eh?) Nice to see it's signed by the author. The extra stuff is "meh!". I think that the gardening gloves would disintegrate with the first use, the face pads I wouldn't use and I don't use book marks so would have no use for the tin either. I am, however, a rabid jigsaw puzzler and I love that design a lot so that puzzle would have delighted me. As for the book itself .... does the heroine really have to fall in love/lust for the prince who threatens her family and oppresses her people and conquered her country?? Would you??
"Snort"!!!! Ah well. That's it from grouchy me!! Cheers!!!
Hi Judy, a lot of us our preferring the original colours! It's so sad that it's all just mediocre... again! This time last year Illumicrate was my favourite fantasy sub box, and now I just feel let down.
I know that your question was rhetorical, but no I would not fall in love with a price like that. Maybe a younger, more naive version of me might have... but is that because I grew up reading storylines such as this?
I don't blame you for being grouchy about this one at all.
Hope that you're well! x
I just received the Evernight box and my god…what a mess. I think you might like it if you get it for colour choices. I was really disappointed and preferred the original cover. I was absolutely gutted
I loved the Evernight book for this month! I know that cover is going to be very divisive, but it worked for me.
@@InfectiousFizz I’m glad you liked it, I just didn’t think it matched the vibe of the book. Still it would have ticked a lot of boxes for some and others not many at all. Don’t know what it is at the moment but Illumicrate seem to be lagging in the sub box stakes.
I skipped Evernight this time, and might end up cancelling it :( I'm just not reaching for the three books I got from it already. Did they do a reverse dust jacket with the original cover? I might need to take a look!
@@MichelleReadsandVlogs No reverse dust jacket. But the printing on the front and back of the case was a hand-drawn map - very cool. And the endpapers were like a scrapbook of old Polaroids. I had already read the book, and thought it was just ok. But I’m keeping it because of the customizations.
I’ve enjoyed the previous books more than this one, so the sub is working out for me. I hope you start to enjoy it more, because I would miss your reviews! ❤️
@@cleg78 I definitely get that. I’ve liked the Evernight books, because they seem to be getting more creative with the customizations. But the main sub (for me) is getting more lackluster with both the picks and he designs. It seems like we are seeing “design from the publisher” more and more often, which always makes me want to skip. I don’t know what’s going on with that.
I'm about to echo what most people are saying about this month.... lackluster. I used to feel suck FOMO about special editions and now i have tp worry about problematic authors and items I wouldn't even get from the dollar store. This may be the end for me I fear 😭
Yes very lackluster :( I agree that I don't have FOMO over special editions like I used to; it is far more about the book itself for me now.
If I’m being honest just doing a color change is kind of a big let down when opening the box. Like you said the end papers were absolutely gorgeous but I like when the covers are actually different THAT makes it special!
Also I love your book shelves any chance you’ll do a bookshelf tour? 👀
Agreed... we want our special editions to be special :)
Thank you; I have done a bookshelf tour a few months back... but I will be making some big changes soon so will definitely do another in a few months time :)
but that cover was too gorgeous to change
I’m very glad I skipped this box. The items were all so random, and I wouldn’t have used any of them. As for the book, I don’t understand the point of just changing the colors to make them more bland. Asian fantasy book covers usually have such vibrant colors, and the original cover for this one did, but in order to call the cover “exclusive,” they picked boring colors.
I did love the end papers and the art on the case. And hand-signed!
Yes the theming was so poor (didn't think to mention this whilst filming); it seems as if a lot of us had the same thoughts on this one (I don't blame you for being glad about the skip). So sad :(
Google Translate is telling me that it means God from heaven. The first two characters are Heaven and Outside.
This makes a lot of sense; thanks for translating it for me (I forget that google can do this) :)
If this was your first box then it being mediocre means you won’t want to get another box down the road. Overall, it was quite disappointing.
Very true! This one didn't feel like good value. I reeeeally hope that they have an outstanding box, and very soon.
glad i skipped this but i would have loved the jigsaw.
like the colour change, the originall cover was gorgeous
The jigsaw was the best part of this box... you could try to buy one off a selling site if you wanted it?