Illusions of FateAuthor: Kiersten White
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 9, 2014
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.
Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor.
What an absolute delight Illusions of Fate was! I love every book that I’ve read by Kiersten White so far. They’re all on different levels of love – some higher than others – but loved, none the less. And Illusions of Fate ranks very high on the love meter.
Jessamin moved from Melei, her warm and sunny island home, to cold, cloudy, and uptight Albion (think England) for school, where she unwittingly discovers a world of magic. Unfortunately, getting involved puts her in extreme danger.
Here’s the thing, I don’t really gravitate towards historical fantasy type books, because they often feel like so much work to get through. When I first saw Illusions of Fate, I didn’t even look to see what it was about or what genre it belonged it. All I saw was Kiersten White’s name and the gorgeous cover, which was all I needed to know.
Thankfully, the world-building was wonderful without feeling bogged down or tedious. It was light, yet thorough enough for the story. Honestly, it has a magical Jane Austen feel to it, especially when it comes to the characters.
The characters are actually my favorite aspect of the book. I’m such a character driven reader, and Kiersten certainly knows how to write them. I loved Jessamin (Jessa) immediately! Not only is she strong and independent, she’s also very intelligent. Best of all, her sarcasm and dry wit completely won me over.
The romance between Jessa and Finn is so much fun! There is no denying the chemistry between these two. Their banter and flirting had me smiling way too hard.
I can’t not mention Eleanor, who immediately declares Jessa as her best friend. Seriously, this girl had me rolling! She’s a flirt, a gossip, and much more intelligent than she lets on. Eleanor is definitely a standout character.
While I do think the “big showdown” was a tad anti-climactic, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Illusions of Fate is a quick read, but the twists and turns, and the mystery and danger were well done. As much as I love a good standalone, which this book is, I would be elated if there more of these characters in the future.
After reading and loving Illusions of Fate, I know without a doubt, that I’ll continue to impulsively grabbing any book written by Kiersten White. She hasn’t let me down yet!
Just a side note: The cover seems to get messed up when uploading to my blog, so it looks terrible. You can see it much better on Goodreads.
I really like White’s Paranormalcy series, so I am pretty excited to read this one too. It sounds like I will enjoy it ans Jessa sounds awesome. Great review.
YAY!!! I’m so glad you approve of this one!! I’m pushing it up and reading it sooner! I’m woefully behind (again) so now it’s all about priority.
I still can’t figure out why your image would be goofy!? Mine came in fine – you just nab yours from GR, right? What an odd thing…
Woohoo! I am thrilled you loved this. I was worried about the historical feel to it, I was afraid it wouldn’t’ be your thing but you are right, the girl can write and can write anything!
YESSSSSSSSSSS! Loved Jessa and Eleanor, perfect characters! And of course Finn, and I am glad the romance wasn’t straight in, because the banter was hilarious. But, they were so damn cute together that I wanted more. So yeah, series please? 🙁
Oh yay!!! I just got a copy of this one yesterday Christy, so I’m super excited that you enjoyed it so much. I’m a big Kiersten White fan (and a fan of character-driven stories as you are), so I’m really looking forward to starting this. And yay for a standalone! That means I don’t have to worry about an epic cliffhanger at the end. *happy dance*
I’m so happy you loved this, Christy! I thought it was great, especially White’s sense of humor. I have to agree with you about the ending, but overall, this was delightful.
Great review!
I SO agree about her characters! I can’t wait to read this!
I am glad that all the reviews I have read except the first have been glowing. I need to read this one. It sounds fantastic.
Oh I want to read this book! Now you have me really wanting to read it for those characters. I do love that cover (it still looks good here lightened…) 🙂
I haven’t read anything by White, but this looks good! “Magical Jane Austen” definitely has me intrigued. And the cover? That is ridiculously gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I love good characters! I haven’t read anything by this author, but I do own one of her novels. I need to check her out. 🙂
Great! I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that this is going to be publish on audio, so I’ll make sure to add it to my TBR! I remember because of that pretty cover. I can’t wait now 🙂
Thanks Christy!
I have no idea why but this one just doesn’t appeal to me. Happy it was good though.
Yay, I’m glad to hear you ended up enjoying this book! I really enjoy the author’s light hearted writing, but it’s been hit and miss with me so far.
I inteded to read this a while back but Heir of Fire won the debate. The reviews for this that I’ve read are mixed but I love KWhite, like you said, she knows how to write great characters so even if the plot itself is so-so, her lively fictional peeps more than make up for it.
It is great to see that you Loved this one. It sounds like a great read and it is good to see that you were able to get swept away in it even though it had a historical feel! Great review Christy!!
I think I want to try this one on audio. Yea-ha for a standalone.
I’ve had pretty good luck with Kiersten White and I’ve been wondering whether to get a copy of this. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it and you also like her other work. That makes me feel more confident that I’ll enjoy this. Great review!
Great book with a strong, sarcastic and witty heroin ? I’m in ! Great review !
I am definitely going to read this one now, Christy! Great review! 🙂