Review: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication: September 9, 2014
“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.
Review
After
Jessamin leaves her simple Island home to attend a prestigious school
in Albion, life becomes a perfect balance of work and school with
little time for social interactions. When Jessamin meets a strange
but handsome man named Finn who takes an interest in her she thinks
nothing of it. However, Finn is keeping a big secret, one that if
revealed will change both Jessamin's and his life forever.
One
of the best parts about Illusions of Fate, were the characters. I
absolutely adored the entire cast. It's a rare thing to like everyone
on the page (yes, even the villains) but I did. Every character was
given a personality all their own whether on the page for just a
single scene or part of the main cast. Even the background servants
who flitted in and out of scenes in short clips made their presence
known. I really enjoy when an Author makes every character feel like
they played a significant part in the story no matter how big or
small and I have to commend Kiersten White for doing that so well.
Oddly
enough one of the things I liked the most was the romantic build up
between Finn and Jessamin . Usually I don't enjoy insta-love
scenarios or romance heavy books for that matter but this one was
crafted so well, how could I not? Finn and Jessamin were just perfect
for each other and all the little moments where she's trying so
desperately to resists his charms made me swoon that much harder.
Also, I adored the sweet romance on the side between the servants.
They might not have had much page time as a couple but the love they
shared was felt nonetheless.
Unfortunately,
my one small issue with the story was the ending. I wouldn't call it
anti-climactic (it wasn't) but it was resolved a bit quicker than
anticipated. The story had such a momentous build up leading to the
moment when the villain finally makes his move and then, poof, it's
over. Now granted, this could be because the story was keeping me so
enthralled that it seemingly flew by but nonetheless, I thought I
should mention it since this is a review after all.
Overall,
I really loved Illusions of Fate. The characters, plot, world
building and pacing all combined together to create one finely
crafted story. I cannot stress enough how happy I am to have spent my
time reading Illusions of Fate. I feel the Author has really written
herself a gem of a world here and hope that she considers revisiting
it at some point in the future. While the story was certainly fine as
a stand alone, I do feel that we can learn more about the magical
aspect of the world and the characters and nobility who reside within
it. In fact, I could easily see a series being created based on the
events that take place in this story (hint, hint). If you haven't
done so already, I highly recommend going out and picking this one
up. Seriously, go now, what are you waiting for?
With
that being said, I'll be rating Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
★★★★★.
*Copy
reviewed provided by Edelweiss. All opinions are my own and I was not
compensated in any which way for providing them.
About the Author
Kiersten White is a bestselling author of paranormal young adult fiction. Her Paranormalcy urban fantasy series includes her debut novel, Paranormalcy, along with Supernaturally and the final book in the series, Endlessly. She also writes short stories, one of which appears in Corsets and Clockwork, an anthology of 13 steampunk romance tales, and another of which, Tangle, appeared under the name Kiersten Brazier in the speculative fiction journal Leading Edge.
I'm looking forward tot his one. Kiersten White is always mixing up genres and I love when an author can do that.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
It really was an excellent book. I truly hope she decides to make this a series.
ReplyDelete