Small Treats Fix Big Problems

Illumicrate, Goodreads, and that Cait Corrain Mess

I do not go on the app-formerly-known-as-Twitter very often these days, for fairly obvious reasons.¹ However the last time I did, I managed to time it with a literary world scandal that I am affectionately dubbing the Cait Corrain Mess.

For background, you need to know this: Goodreads has had problems for years with users posting fake reviews, and review bombing books that aren’t even out yet. Often the authors impacted are POC. If you’ve heard of Rotten Tomatoes’s Review Bombing problem, this is basically the same thing, but with books. This issue wasn’t a primary motivating factor in me switching to The Storygraph, but it certainly made me feel justified in my decision.

In December of last year, it emerged that a white author (Cait Corrain) was review bombing fellow debut author’s unreleased books. She was creating fake Goodreads accounts and targeting POC authors. When she was confronted with this information, she denied it, and all hell broke loose. I’m not going to explain all the drama, but Xiran Jay Zhao, author of Iron Widow², summarizes it all nicely here:

@xiranjayzhaoA full explanation of #reviewbombgate. #booktok #caitcorrain #crownofstarlight

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Let’s get a few things clear here: what Cait Corrain did was unacceptable, and she was rightly punished for it. Her agent and publisher dropped her, and she had a deal with Illumicrate (we’ll get back to them) that was canceled. She issued a non-apology, and the whole debacle made it to mainstream news. What’s even more baffling to me is that Cait’s book had received positive pre-release press. Truly, it’s the biggest self own I’ve ever seen.

What this did for me was: 1) affirm my reasoning to stay on The Storygraph and 2) introduce me to Illumicrate.

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I first learned about Illumicrate from my friend Emilie (again, hi! She’s got all the cool book info), but didn’t make the connection until the Cait Corrain Mess. Illumicrate is a British company founded in 2015³ that does special editions of books, as well as monthly book boxes. They’re available in the US, and have a months long waitlist.

I’m not a big special editions girlie. If I’m going to collect things (books, mugs) I’d rather have lots of distinct items rather than multiple of the same. Special editions have become more popular recently, and on the one hand, they give smaller artists and creators greater exposure, but on the other, this practice has driven a rise in overconsumption. This isn’t just a phenomenon in the book world, either.

Clara

of

Hmm That's Interesting

had a post on this last week, specifically in relation to the Stanley Cups craze. (If you don’t know what that is, gods bless you and don’t ask, you’re living in a better reality than I am.)

no, calling out hyperconsumption is not sexist

I am, how shall we say, ambivalent. Not because I am anti-buying things. Oh, no. I think money is fake and I will enable you to buy that small treat because life is meaningless and we have so little. My friend Sam even got me a shirt to that extent for Christmas.

Sam wanted to see a real time reaction. Hence the video still. I love raccoons.

It’s more that this particular trend does nothing for me. If you want to get special editions of books you like, great! If you don’t, great! Good for you, not for me, an ethos I learned from Amy Poehler’s book Yes, Please.

Since I now had some knowledge of Illumicrate, I actually went on their website and started perusing. Mainly to understand what the Big Deal was. I would have escaped unscathed if not for the British version of the site and The Winternight Trilogy.

The trilogy in question

The Winternight Trilogy⁴ is by Katherine Arden, and is based on Rus folklore and myths. I’m say Rus, not Russia, because we’re dealing with 14th century medieval Russia, which would be Rus, not Russia, historically.⁵ The trilogy is historical fantasy, starring a young girl named Vasya, as she grows up and tries to navigate the push and pull between her ‘pagan’ beliefs and the growing influence of Christianity. They were published in 2017-2019, and I’m honestly surprised how under the radar these books have been. I read them during the early parts of the pandemic, and at that point I borrowed them from the library. I loved them so much that I then ordered hard copies as soon as I was done.

The Winternight Trilogy impacted me for a number of reasons: namely that I thought they were written really well, and have a similar tone and style to the trilogy I am currently writing. I will be using The Winternight Trilogy as a comp when I get to that point, and I want to take the time to re-read them and do an analysis of structure to see how their plots and multiple points of view work. I wouldn’t be doing that if I didn’t love them.

On a personal note, I don’t often see books that include Russian and Slavic folklore. Despite the excessively Italian name, I’m half Polish and still have family in Poland. I’ve seen a million retellings of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies, but Slavic and Russian is few and far between.⁶ So they make me feel at home in a comfy-cozy sort of way, and allow me to connect to a part of my heritage that I don’t often see in American books.

Illumicrate’s British site had a special edition box of The Bear and the Nightingale, so obviously I had to get it. And don’t worry, this was acquired before Christmas, so it did not break my No New Books™️ rule of 2024. It only just got here last week because shipping, holidays, etc. So, let’s discuss if it was worth it.

Mild spoilers ahead

I swear to you on all that is holy: I did not intend for my couch to match this box.

I did not know what items I’d be receiving ahead of time, only that there’d be a copy of the first book. The book has new art on the outside and inside flaps, and sprayed edges. The cover shows Vasya with (I believe) her horse Solovey,⁷ and the back cover has Konstantin. It’s beautiful, and now I just have to find somewhere to display it.

We also have:

• a blanket featuring the Firebird

• a leaflet explaining all of the items and their artists

• a tea light spinner

• art featuring Vasya and Morozko, I believe from The Winter of the Witch

• a metal bookmark displaying, again I believe, The Girl in the Tower

• and a winter themed necklace

All of these items are gorgeous, and the only dud for me is the tea light spinner because 1) I do not own any tea lights and 2) cannot for the life of me figure out how to put the thing together.

Was it worth it? The box itself was £51 pounds, which converts to about $65 USD. I then had to pay for shipping on top of that so…it was a tad more expensive. I do think $65 for the value of a new hardcover book plus five additional items is worth it. The average hardcover price is ~$20, which means I spent $45 and received 5 further limited edition items. When was the last time you got an art print or blanket for $9?⁸

Illumicrate will (hopefully) have special editions of the other two books in the future, so I will get those when they’re available.⁹ Otherwise, I’m good. It was worth it as a special treat, but I’m not sold on the subscription box for books model. Even if I wasn’t forbidding myself from buying new books this year, I’ve tried book subscription services previously, and much like all the other books in my house, they start to pile up. I’d much rather choose when and what I acquire than just receive something passively. This might seem like a bunch of words to say ‘you do you,’ but I wanted to share my experience, especially if you, too, had questions about Illumicrate.

I shall leave you with a photo of the blanket fully spread out.

It is so very warm and cozy.

1. Elon Musk destroying what has essentially become a public utility will do that.

2. Another great book that has a sequel coming out this year mwahahah.

3. Another footnote doing its job!!

“Our Story.” Illumicrate, 8 Jan. 2024, www.illumicrate.com/our-story.

4. The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, and The Winter of the Witch

5. The series does overlap with some historical events, including the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

6. I am fully aware Russian and Slavic cultures are two different entities - no argument from me there. However, many of the creatures that are mentioned in these books appear in both cultures’ mythologies though, which is why I’m grouping them together. The bad blood between Russia and Poland (and other Slavic countries) is not lost on me, and I am not calling these distinct cultures and folklores one and the same.

7. There are a lot of horses in this book. I’m just not sure which one she’s having a moment with here.

8. If the answer is last week and TJ Maxx, please just keep that information to yourself and let me make my point.

9. Because obviously now I need a full set.