Illumicrate and Fairyloot are getting worse?! I Tracked 100+ Book Box Picks So You Don't Have To

Super thank you to my members Kristy, Rebecca, Melissa, Aryagon, Caty, Kat, Nicole, Kathleen, RandomKP, JC, Emma, Kayla, Nina, Em, Marisa, Kate, Anne, Viena, Sakurelle, Zehnmalp, Jennette, Michele, Tahlia, Vic and Jennifer! Are Illumicrate and Fairyloot actually getting worse? In this deep dive, I’m putting the "subscription fatigue" debate to the test by tracking and analyzing over 100 book box picks to see if the quality of selections is truly declining. If you’ve been wondering "is Fairyloot worth it in 2026?" or considering cancelling your Illumicrate subscription, this video breaks down the data on average ratings, quality change and the "excitement factor" of recent monthly picks. We look at everything from the 2024 Illumicrate dip to the changing skip limits that are frustrating the bookish community. In this video, we cover: A "Scientific" Deep Dive: Tracking 100+ past picks from major book boxes. Fairyloot vs. Illumicrate: Which one is maintaining its standard? The Skip Policy Problem: Why cancellation rates are rising. Data-Driven Review: Average Goodreads ratings vs. community hype. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 The Big Question: Are book boxes declining? 0:20 My history with Illumicrate & Fairyloot 5:45 The Methodology: How I tracked 100+ picks 06:25 Illumicrate and Fairyloot Performance & Analysis 15:34 My own view on Goodreads ratings for book picks 22:10 Fairyloot and Illumicrate quality since 2022 review 27:45 The internets favourite Fairyloot and Illumicrate special editions What do you think? Let me know your thoughts on the data in the comments! #booktube #fairyloot #illumicrate #booksubscriptionbox #bookunboxing #readingvlog #bookish No shopping links - please buy local and independant if you can or utilise your local library :) BECOME A MEMBER FOR AD-FREE EARLY ACCESS:    / @wanderness   📚 BOOKSHOP: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/wanderness GOODREADS:   / vanessachloe   BOOK INSTAGRAM:   / wandernessbooks   ABOUT Book lover by day, Booktuber by night. I'm always reading some kind of YA/Fantasy/Sci-Fi book. I live in the North East of England, have a useless archaeology degree (thanks Tomb Raider for the inspo), and when my nose is not in a book you can guarantee I'm off travelling. I have over 400 unread books, so come join the reading journey, it's likely to last a lifetime!