Illumicrate #33: June 2025
I hesitated for a long time about the June Illumicrate box. When the announcement said it was a Young Adult book, my first instinct was to skip it. Lately, that genre has been less and less appealing to me. But when I saw which fandoms would be represented in the box, I started to have second thoughts. And once I discovered the book behind the theme and the blurb really appealed to me, I decided not to skip it after all — and phew!!!
The theme for June was Darkly Decadent: Within the lurking darkness, decadence can always be found.
Item 1 is the newest mug in the series illustrated by @rosiethorns88, this time inspired by The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. That book especially stuck with me because of its atmosphere – dark, fairytale-like and mysterious. This illustration also exudes that atmosphere, with beautiful colours and an eye for detail. My kitchen cupboard is overflowing with mugs now, but secretly I’m always happy when another beautiful one arrives, haha.
Item 2 really made me happy. Coincidentally, I’d just had the idea to look for an easy-to-clean, portable picnic blanket — and lo and behold, Illumicrate reads my mind!
This foldable blanket, which transforms into a practical bag including a handle, is illustrated by @kristinhekdtart and inspired by House of Hollow — another wonderfully lush, dark, and creepy story.
The pattern perfectly matches the book’s atmosphere and looks very pretty and fitting for a picnic blanket!
Oh la la, Illumicrate continues to impress with this box, with – so far – all items I can use right away!
Item 3 is a small ceramic plate with a recess where you can rest a spoon while cooking, without immediately dirtying your kitchen countertop. Wonderful!
The design is by @_studio_ao and inspired by This Ravenous Fate, a title that doesn’t immediately ring a bell, but that doesn’t make the plate any less beautiful.
Finally, Item 4 is a pad of recipe cards where you can jot down your favorite recipes. It’s a super cool and handy idea, although I have to admit I’m not the most diligent about keeping track of recipes… So I doubt I’ll ever use these sheets for this intended purpose.
I do love the design of the cards, though. They’re beautifully designed by @julie.reinhart_ and inspired by Hungerstone, another book I haven’t heard of. The design reminds me inevitably of the myth of Hades and Persephone, thanks to the abundance of pomegranates in the illustration. Nice!
And then the main event: the book! This was A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek.
Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It’s perfectly simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the king’s enchanted crown and restore magic to the kingdom.
But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she’s forced to recruit the help of Marie d’Odette, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust.
Soon though Odile must decide – her mission or the girl she’s falling for?
The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice. . .
I’ve always found Swan Lake to be a beautiful and fascinating fairy tale, so books inspired by it are naturally appealing to me. I remain a little skeptical because of the target audience for this book (Young Adult, that is), but I’m perfectly willing to give it a fair chance, especially considering the beautiful edition Illumicrate delivered to me!
I’ve mentioned before that Illumicrate was focusing more on design due to no longer providing hand signed books. And yes, this book got a completely new cover with an incredibly beautiful illustration by @cedarcia, designed by @perrycuffdesigns. The placement of the gold foil, the chosen font, the continuous illustration… gah! Honestly: I think this is a stunning cover and without a doubt 100 times more beautiful than the original.
It’s funny that this cover prominently features the two main characters. Something I normally don’t like. But here, it just works for me. Maybe it’s the art style, maybe the way the characters don’t look at the reader but only at each other… Whatever it is, I’m completely on board.
The hardcover features a full-colour illustration with gold foil accents by @peachie.mochi. Also very, very beautiful!
The sprayed edges are relatively simple, but very fitting for a book inspired by Swan Lake. These overlapping feathers were also drawn by @cedarcia and match the colour of the cover perfectly.
The endpapers also feature two beautiful and highly detailed illustrations by @kudriaken, again with gold foil accents.
While I certainly find these illustrations beautiful as well, I was hoping for even more illustrations by @cedarcia. It would have made it feel more cohesive. And yes, I do like that drawing style a bit better.
Instead of a signature, this book comes with a digital signature at the bottom of the bound letter from the author.
Ultimately, I’m so glad I didn’t skip this box! This is, without a doubt, one of the strongest Illumicrate editions in recent months. All the items are not only unique but also, and above all, practical — something I really appreciate. Moreover, the designs speak to me, both in terms of style and theme.
And then the book itself: beautifully designed, with a cover that immediately won me over and truly shines in this edition. Even though I’m still a bit hesitant about the YA target audience, the visual presentation makes me incredibly eager to dive in.
More of this, Illumicrate!
Cheers,
Charlotte
