Monday, September 22, 2014

Review: ILLUSIONS OF FATE by Kiersten White

Title: Illusions of Fate
Author: Kiersten White (@kierstenwhite)
Published: September 9th, 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA fantasy
POV: 1st person
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

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.

For such a short novel, there is so much happening in Illusions of Fate. White builds the setting, which has a bit of a historical vibe, wondrously. It is both familiar and other, and the magic system that is in place in this world is equally fascinating and well written. Jessamin is a dedicated scholar from the island of Melei, studying on Albion in hopes of gaining more knowledge. From the first chapter, she displays her sharp, endearing sense of humor and her good intentions. She's a fiercely determined girl, so when she finds herself wrapped up in a magical feud, Jessamin uses her natural strengths to figure out the best way to solve everyone's problems. Illusions of Fate is a wonderful story filled with action, excitement, humor, romance, and one seriously awesome bird. 

Highlights: Jessamin is a strictly normal girl living in a city with magic, and it's fantastic to read a story where the heroine must rely on herself and her intelligence to get out of messy situations. Plus, she's incredibly amusing, making her voice a fun one to read. Side characters are incredibly well done, from Eleanor (who is so much more than you'd initially expect) to Lord Downpike (who is incredibly creepy). The setting of Albion is vividly brought to life, as is Melei, despite the fact that Melei is a setting we never really get to visit within the story. White creates the perfect balance between dark, intense moments and light, amusing ones, which makes this a fantastic story overall.

Lowlights: I feel like the romance developed strangely - I can't really wrap my head around it. I wish the story had been a bit longer, it would have been nice to spend more time with Jessamin, Eleanor, Finn, and Sir Bird. Also, my favorite side character was murdered1, so thanks for breaking my heart, Kiersten White. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf (4.3 out of 5)Illusions of Fate is fantastic, worth owning, and has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed this story very much, despite a few small issues, and would absolutely recommend Illusions of Fate to other readers.

1 Why do author's keep killing the best side characters?! *cries*


I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for review consideration. 
This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

22 comments:

  1. This one is up next for me and I can't wait! I've always been a big fan of Kiersten White's writing so I'm very glad to see this one earn such high praise from you! Now I'm looking forward to it even more!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it! I'd only ever read one book by White, but this one is definitely my favorite.

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  2. I will have to look for this at the library. I loved Paranormalcy though I wasn't a fan of the sequel.I like the idea of a main character using her mind rather than magical ability.

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    1. I was a bit mixed with Paranormalcy, but really enjoyed this book! Jessamin was a fabulous character.

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  3. I'm glad you liked this one. I thought it was a really cute read and I loved the characters, especially Elenaor…one of my favorite secondary characters…she had me laughing out loud. I also liked the whole setting of this book…very Victorian England. Great review!!

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    1. Definitely a fun book! LOVED Eleanor. She was awesome! And the setting was wonderful. I really hope there will be another book, because I want to see more of these characters & world.

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  4. Jess sounds like a character I could like but sorry to hear the romance developed a little strangely

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    1. She was fabulous! I have a hard time explaining my issue with the romance - it was quick, but slow...too hard for me to explain what bothered me! I think other readers will like it, though.

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  5. Is this the start of a new series?

    I really like that the characters are developed, especially secondary characters. I'm curious as to how this romance pans out.

    Amber Elise @Du Livre

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    1. Oh, I hope so! But I haven't seen anything yet to say for sure. As of right now, I believe it's (unfortunately) only standalone.

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  6. I was telling somebody this last week but I can't believe I really hadn't heard of this book until recently. It sounds like something I would like and the cover is gorgeous. I'm so glad you liked it! I think I will definitely be buying this on my next bookstore run. The world building and overall plot sound like they were executed well and I can't wait to dive in. I feel like all of my favorite characters are always killed off too. Isn't it the worst?!

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    1. The cover is truly stunning! The world is excellent, and the characters make it worthwhile!

      Hope you enjoy the story if you check it out!

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  7. Amazing review Lea. <3 I'm glad you enjoyed this book so much :D But AW. I know which character you mean :( death is never fun in books. Sigh. But yeah. I had some issues with this book :\ I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. So it was a two star for me :p but I do understand why others would love it :D And I'm glad you did. <3 thank you for sharing your amazing review :)

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    1. I'm sorry you didn't end up enjoying it more! Always a shame when that happens.

      Thanks for stopping by, Carina! :)

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  8. Yeah, I think that just a few more pages would have been nice. For me the ending felt a bit rushed. And I can't believe I forgot to mention Sir Bird in my review, because I adored him :)
    Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. More pages would have been great (especially at the end, because I agree that it felt rushed). Sir Bird! The best character of them all :D

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  9. I am so excited to read this one, the story sounds so unique, Sad that the romance was odd, but I am glad it didn't ruin the book! Great review!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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    1. It was a great book! Fortunately, the romance didn't bother me too much - I was enjoying everything else more.

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  10. I enjoyed this book, but I agree with you on the romance. I felt like it wasn't fully developed....

    Kate @ Ex Libris

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    1. Yes! I agree, more development with their relationship would have been nice.

      So glad you also enjoyed it!

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