Illumicrate High Stakes – September Unboxing

I was SO excited when Illumicrate announced their September ‘High Stakes’ box. I knew that the book was going to be Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barton, which I love. The publisher was kind enough to grant my wish of an e-arc on Netgalley during summer. It is a book that I REALLY wanted in hardback for my shelves!

Kingdom of Souls

Kingdom of Souls is an amazing YA fantasy novel that I can’t recommend enough. I love books with witch doctors and darker magic, which this has in buckets! Although it is YA fantasy it has a lot of mystery woven in. The writing is great and there are plenty of twists throughout the book. You can check out the full synopsis on Goodreads here.

Illumicrate have created a fabulous edition, which is something they are very good at. Unlike the standard edition this one has stencilled sprayed edges and is signed by the author! I also love the cover of the book.

Illumicrate High Stakes Items

Popular fandoms announced for this box included Children of Blood and Bone, Carry On, An Ember in the Ashes and Good Omens. I have been meaning to read COBAB and Carry On for a while but was excited to see a Good Omens item.

‘Now We Rise’ Ceramic Travel Cup

Practical items are always welcome and a ceramic travel cup is a great addition to a book box! The artwork is by Jess Taylor and is lovely. The colours are quite bright, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Yes, pun intended. It is a fab item, which suits the COBAB fandom well although it’s a bit bolder than my normal taste. It is definitely going to be useful for car journeys now that the weather is getting colder!

Watford School of Magicks Scarf

Speaking of cold weather, this scarf arrived at the perfect time. The fabric is a polyester-acrylic mix rather than the fleece you might expect. I’ve gifted it to my partner as I’m not a fan of the material but it is perfect for him. He also loves the colours! I think this is a really nice item but I think I will appreciate it more once I have read Carry On. It is designed by Hey Atlas Creative, who have some lovely designs if you haven’t come across them before!

The End is Nigh List Pad

I do love a pretty notepad and this one is designed by the fabulous Fable and Black. It is the Good Omens item so it is perfect for an important to-do list… you know, like saving the world, that kind of thing.

DNA Lanyard

This lanyard is inspired by This Mortal Coil, which is a seriously underrated series! If you like dystopia with a scientific edge then I highly recommend that you check it out! This will see some use when I eventually make it to a blogger event. I understand that some people don’t have a lot of use for lanyards but they only appear in book boxes on rare occasions, which works for me. The DNA helix design is perfect for the fandom and was created by Fable & Black.

Blackcliff Academy Wooden Postcard

This is the second wooden postcard I have received in an Illumicrate box recently! The first was in the Illumicrate Darkdawn Special Edition book box and they are really cool. I feel like the best way to display them is on a shelf so mine are going to go and live with my books. The artwork is by Pinapali and gives a slightly creepy vibe. There is a glossy topcoat to the postcard, which looks nice when it catches in the light.

Collectible Coin

This month’s coin features Katniss Everdeen! I love The Hunger Games so I am pleased to see Katniss feature on a coin. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is one of the books that I can’t wait to read! I featured it in my recent post Books I Can’t Wait For. I have a feeling we will be seeing A LOT more Hunger Games merchandise appearing in boxes soon.

Final Thoughts

I think that the Illumicrate High Stakes September box is a very good book box. Some of the items weren’t exactly to my personal taste but they are all great items. I think there was a nice mix of items and it is great to see two larger items in one box. Everything is good quality, as I have come to expect from Illumicrate. The book choice is excellent and I believe that there will be a lot more Kingdom of Souls fans out there very soon!