Illumicrate #43: April 2026
The teaser video that Illumicrate posted on Instagram for the April theme actually caught my attention immediately. It started with a stately building, followed by a rather eclectic collection of images: old-fashioned keys, a marble statue in a pond full of lilies, an English cottage-style house among the plants, a tiger, a forest, fairy lights, a detail from a carpet, glowing mushrooms… It gave me vibes of Downton Abbey and a dark fairy tale at the same time.
Moreover, the trailer was accompanied by a whole series of keywords, from which I mainly remembered “everything I believed was a lie” and “mysterious faerie“.
Anyway, all this to say that I was very curious about this box.
The theme for the April Illumicrate was ultimately Faerie Bargains, accompanied by a very sweet, Downton Abbey-style illustration, which somewhat confirmed my suspicion based on the teaser. The further description, in which the book was promoted for fans of forest fairies, folklore, and magical mansions, also completely caught my attention.
The first item in this box is immediately perfectly suited to this theme: a mug with illustrations by @rosiethorns88, inspired by Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Just like the book jar in the previous box, I simply can’t get enough of these mugs, even though my kitchen cabinets are already overflowing.
@rosiethorns88 always creates beautiful artwork, and the illustration on this mug is once again stunning and incredibly detailed. Moreover, it fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the books it is based on.
The next item is a single oven mitt featuring illustrations by @_smurfee, inspired by The Courting of Bristol Keats, a source of inspiration that certainly fits this theme, but which I personally have less fond memories of.
Anyway, ultimately, the source of inspiration for this item isn’t really all that important. I don’t think the design is the most beautiful thing out there, but the item is something practical that I can actually use. So I don’t really care that much that I don’t like the design as much, lol.
Ooh, the third item is another cool one! A set to make a cross-stitch bookmark from a magical fairy bookshelf. Coincidentally, I was recently talking to someone who was heavily promoting the relaxing effect of cross-stitch, and I even mentioned that I wanted to try it myself.
Cross-stitch seems a lot less intimidating to me than some of the embroidery kits we received in book boxes before. Moreover, both the end result and the design by @escheeseman are perfectly fitting for book lovers and for the theme of this box.
Indeed, this was a box with four items instead of three! The final item is a set of postage stamp washi tapes designed by @forensicsandflowers, inspired by three different books: Lore of the Wilds, These Hollow Vows, and The Rose Bargain.
I am always happy with washi tape, so for me, this is a successful item. The postage stamp shape also makes it just a little more original than a standard roll of tape.
The book of the month for the theme Faerie Bargains was Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan.
In the wake of World War I, the world is a decidedly unmagical place. Mouse Dunne once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Somme, her cousin Bertie’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother Roger came home with devastating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.
Then Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her Thistlemarsh Hall, a crumbling manor in the English countryside, once blessed by the Faerie King himself. But there is a catch: if Mouse does not rehabilitate the house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It looks impossible, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie – especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant – but she is out of options. There are wild and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past… or lose everything.
Wow, the blurb for this book sounds like nothing I have ever read before. It combines a whole range of surprising elements and, moreover, sounds much darker and more mysterious than what the standard cover and the illustration for this theme would suggest. I am really curious!
When I saw the original cover for this book, I immediately thought it would be a very sweet and cozy story. The cheerful spring colours, the happy flowers, the cute little mouse, and the bumblebee all exude something safe, inviting, and cozy. Even despite the snake at the bottom.
However, this Illumicrate cover embraces a much more threatening, ominous atmosphere. So, I was initially a bit confused when I took the book out of the packaging. But now that I have read the blurb carefully, this detailed illustration by @niallcgrant actually seems to fit much better with what the story appears to be based on the blurb.
I still find the original cover beautiful, but also somewhat generic. This Illumicrate version, on the other hand, has truly won me over.
Oh, but wow. Again, something completely different than I had expected!
The hardcover features an illustration that runs across both sides and the spine of the book, created by @harkalelinai, and wow, hats off. The style is reminiscent of a medieval tapestry or an old depiction of a hunting party. It has a very Wild Hunt feel to it. The tone remains mysterious, dark, and menacing, only increasing my curiosity about the story.
The illustration on the book block, also by @harkalelinai, fully carries that ominous atmosphere forward. This even looks almost spookily creepy. And above all, very beautiful.
The endpapers were illustrated by @olyfrogg, who employs a very different style from the other illustrators of this edition, yet one that feels complementary.
The illustrations have something of an old-fashioned fairy tale feel and once again reinforce that sense of folklore and mystery. Moreover, the depicted scenes only further increase my curiosity about the story.
Furthermore, the book comes with bonus content and a bound author’s letter with a digital signature.
Yes, yet another magnificent box from Illumicrate. Very happy with the items, but the book in particular steals the show, as it really should.
I am extremely curious about this story now that I have seen this edition. I thought the standard edition was nice, but it didn’t really intrigue me. This dark, ominous version, on the other hand, constantly makes me wonder exactly what is going on in this story.
It also makes me wonder which of the two styles will ultimately come closest to the content of the book: the cheerful colours and cute figures of the standard cover, or the dark, menacing atmosphere of this Illumicrate edition. I really hope Illumicrate hits the mark, because these illustrations invite me much more to actually pick up the book. And anyway, a book that visually truly manages to capture the soul of its story always makes a special edition just that little bit more special to me. So, I am extremely curious!
Cheers,
Charlotte
