Review: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Author: 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.

Follow Kiersten: Blog , Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr

Comments

  1. I'm looking forward tot his one. Kiersten White is always mixing up genres and I love when an author can do that.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    ReplyDelete
  2. It really was an excellent book. I truly hope she decides to make this a series.

    ReplyDelete

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