Illumicrate #36: September 2025
When the theme for the September Illumicrate box was announced, I was genuinely curious to see what they would do with it. The theme’s illustration, for me, was definitely spot on, capturing exactly the vibe I was hoping for.
The theme was called Knightcore, with the tagline: “A true knight can fight anything… except his feelings.” With such a promise, I was hoping for items with truly medieval-inspired styles and a book dripping with chivalry and romance.
Would Illumicrate live up to that expectation?
The first item was a sword replica, yet another in their popular series, and that fits perfectly with this theme. This time it’s a replica of Excalibur from the Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn. I was never really a fan of those books myself, but as an item, it fits the concept perfectly. The sword is heavy, solid, and beautifully finished with impressive details. A clever design by @stacey.mcevoy.caunt
Item two is a large makeup bag, designed by @vellumoth, and inspired by The Song of the Lioness, which I’m unfamiliar with.
The main colour is beautiful, and the pattern combines a sort of knightly motif with a cute twist. Technically, this is a makeup bag, but since the material is water-repellent both inside and out, with handy pockets in the lid and elastic bands for smaller items, it also seems ideal as a toiletry bag.
My knitting and crocheting heart also immediately recognized it as a perfect project bag, with enough space for an ongoing project plus compartments for needles and scissors. In short, I’m very happy with it and will definitely be able to use it!
Item three was a set of eight bookmarks inspired by Gideon the Ninth, illustrated on both sides by @merwildandco. They’re undoubtedly beautifully made, but since I haven’t read the series, they don’t really appeal to me. And honestly, eight feels a bit excessive, lol.
The fourth item raised my eyebrows: a garland to decorate your bookcase, inspired by The Knight and the Moth, with moths designed by @swanbones. Nice idea, aesthetically pleasing and nicely executed, but not really my style.
The book of the month is The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino. I wasn’t familiar with the author. She appears to have written primarily YA novels, and this is her first book for adults.
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to use. Grey would do anything for Kier – be anything for him – if he would only ask.
When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation’s war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.
For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke – the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.
The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of The Knight and the Moth and The Six Deaths of the Saint.
The blurb certainly screams chivalry and medieval vibes, with that touch of magic and mysticism so characteristic of Arthurian tales. So I’m really curious about this story.
The Illumicrate cover didn’t quite make my heart flutter as hard as I’d hoped. While the original cover really captured the knightcore vibe for me, with its close-up of armor and sword, and dramatic typography, Illumicrate opted for a rather frontal, very YA-esque character portrait by @teradiamart. The costumes and armor are beautifully drawn, and the artist’s style is certainly admirable, but a full-frontal portrait cover feels too in-your-face for me. I would have expected this kind of character art to be featured on the endpapers or as an alternate cover on the back, not as the main focus of the single cover. It’s a shame; there was room for a more bombastic, medieval approach—think damask patterns, close-ups of weapons and armor, and more aged typography—and I really miss that here.
The hardcover itself is already closer to what I had in mind. Design by @chattynora with illustrations by @dominikmayerart. The deep, glossy deep green background with a printed crackled leather effect works very well; it looks like an old, weathered book but feels brand new and luxurious at the same time. The front features an intricate gold foil braided pattern framing the title, which is fitting for a medieval copy and exactly what I wanted.
The back cover is original, and frankly, a bit unexpected. There’s a gold braided border, but in the center is an illustration I can’t quite place at first glance; something that looks like it’s bursting into flames. Is it a sword? A tower? I appreciate the originality; it’s unusual and creative. But not being able to immediately interpret it also makes it a bit strange for me.
All in all, I’m a bit torn about this hardcover. On the one hand, I think the colour is truly beautiful, and the printed crackle effect gives the cover extra depth. At the same time, that feels a bit contradictory to how new and smooth the book feels. I do love the gold foil details on the front and spine, but the back feels a bit strange overall. Really a warm-and-cold experience.
The sprayed edges, again by @chattynora, immediately reminded me of Illumicrate’s After the Forest (October 2023). The green background with yellow accents is vibrant, but too bright for my taste and therefore doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the cover. I think it’s mainly the green colour that stands out in this case, since the yellow is quite accurate, while I find it a bit too bright overall. The illustration itself is beautiful and does add to the medieval vibe.
The endpapers are by @emmagilletteart. The style is lovely, and the scene in the back particular heightens my interest in the story. Unfortunately, the style feels a bit too young for what I expect from a mature, chivalric novel.
The edition also includes a bound letter from the author, bonus content, and a digital signature. I couldn’t immediately find the latter in my copy, unless it’s the name in the letter.
I also wanted to highlight this title page, which appears several times within the book at the beginning of a new story section, because this design perfectly captures the vibe I expected from the entire box, and sorely miss.
In short, this box feels very hit-and-miss to me. There’s one truly fitting item (the replica), one beautiful and usable item (the bag), but also two items that appeal less to me. And unfortunately, little of that hoped-for medieval style is present.
Illumicrate undeniably delivered a beautifully crafted hardcover, with that deep green colour, the subtle gold foil, and the distressed leather effect. All strong choices. But at the same time, it feels like the box didn’t fully commit to the knightcore theme. The items lack that distinct medieval-romantic feel I’d hoped for, and the cover looks a bit too modern, too much like a straightforward portrait that leans a bit too much towards YA.
So, the overriding feeling with this box is more of disappointment. After unpacking it, I even left it for over two weeks without touching it, simply because I lacked the motivation to photograph the contents for this post. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high, or maybe Illumicrate could have simply explored this theme a bit more creatively. Either way: you win one, you lose one, and hopefully October will be another smash hit.
Cheers,
Charlotte
