In August I received my Oh So Criminal Illumicrate box. I thought the theme for this box was really interesting, and even though I knew what the main book was going to be, I was still excited to see what other bookish items would be included in the box. With the theme being Oh So Criminal, there are loads of different fandoms that could be used.
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Unboxing
The first item in the box was this Exclusive Villains Are My Bag Tote Bag by Kdpletters. I really like the design of this bag and I think its very eye catching. The bag feels like it’s very strong and sturdy, and that it’s made from very high quality materials.
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The second item was this Exclusive Sirius Snacks Coaster by Katieabey. I love anything to do with the Harry Potter world, and I really like this coaster. Its fun, its pretty and I like that its about Sirius, not many bookish items are about him.
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The third item was this Exclusive Darkdawn Nail File by Heyatlascreative. I really like the Nevernight series by Jay Kristoff, and I cant wait for Darkdawn to be released. The nail file feels very strong and fits in with this months theme perfectly.
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The next item included in the box was this Exclusive No Mourner No Funerals Lanyard designed by Fableandblack. The design is very nice and I really like that its from the Six of Crows Series but I don’t think I will get much use out of it.
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There was two different designs for the next item, there is Antagonist or Protagonist Necklace by _down_the_rabbithole_. I like the design but again I don’t think I will ever use it.
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The next item was this Exclusive Perfect Heist Candle by Elvenwickcandles. The candle smells of lime, sweet melon, water lily and musk. I love the scent of this candle, it smells so fresh and fruity, and its very sparkly.
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There was also this Exclusive Easiest Lies Mirror designed by Reverieandink. The quote is from the book White Cat by Holly Black. Its a nice and simple design and I think the quote is perfect for the theme of the box, but I don’t have much use for pocket mirrors.
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The last bookish item was this Exclusive Gotham Sirens Print by Jamilamehio. I absolutely adore this print, I love everything about it. I like it so much that I would love to have this blown up and have it hanging up on my wall.
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Finally the book included in this box was Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas. This was an exclusive edition of the book because it has purple sprayed pages, which I really like. The book also came with a bookmark.
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Overall Thoughts
I had very high expectations for this box because of theme, and I thought there were going to be some really interesting bookish items, but I am a little disappointed. I love the book and the fact that its a hardback edition with sprayed pages is one of the reasons why I liked this box, but for me there are many other reasons why I was also a little disappointed. I think I was also missing the second book. the past few boxes had had two books in them and I am not going to lie when I unboxed the contents I thought I was missing a book until I checked the information card.
This is my 12th Illumicrate and I have subscribed to every one of their quarterly books from the very beginning, and their next box is their third anniversary box. I have even bought their special edition V. E. Schwab box which should ship later this month. But I am debating on whether to cancel my subscription with them after the anniversary box. I just feel that quite a few of the items included in every box I wouldn’t really use or like. I am not going to lie the boxes are always jammed packed with different bookish items and most are exclusive items, and I know they can’t please everyone. But for me I would rather have less items in each box and instead have some different types of items. The last few boxes seemed to have been very similar, yes the fandoms are different in every time but the items inside are very samey.
Perhaps the anniversary and the V. E. Schwab box might change my opinion and will make me want to continue subscribing to Illumicrate.
The next Illumicrate will be out in November, check out the website for more information. Illumicrate.
Mike Reads 