Series: Standalone
Genera(s): Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Subjects: magic, love, diversity, racism
Setting: Albion, a country much like London in the
early 1900s
POV/Tense: 1st person POV, present tense:
Jessamin
Age/Grade Level: Teen
Length: 275 pgs.
HC/PB: Hardcover
List Price: $17.99
Publisher: HarperTeen
Summary/ product description: “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.
Kiersten
White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy
trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She
returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions
of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra
Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.”
My Review: Illusions
of Fate is a standalone fantasy novel that reads more like a paranormal
historical fiction novel. I’ve never been a fan of historical fiction;
especially ones set in late 1800s/early 1900s London, England (The only series
I like set there is The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd). This book is
basically set in an alternate version of early 1900s London. It’s got some of
the historical sounding English phrases that I hate to read. It’s got carriages
and some cars and limited electricity and so on.
But enough of the thing that I did not enjoy. I loved
Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy series. She’s good are writing interesting
heroines that are determined and sometimes stubborn. She adds humor and
lightness and makes pages fly by. Chapters are never too long. There are always
interesting elements and side characters. Her books are usually fun. That said,
I read Illusions of Fate in one day.
The main character, Jessamin, is half Melei and half
Albion. Melei is an island colony much like Tahiti, or maybe the Philippines.
The natives have dark skin, Asian features. Albion is basically England and
Jessamin’s father is a professor there. Jessamin is studying history though her
real passion is math. She’s always doing equations in her head. She meets a guy
named Finn and he flirts with her and they run into each other a few times and
Jessamin gets invited to a Gala and he’s there. Finn is an interesting
character too. He’s charming and sometimes infuriates Jessamin because of it.
There’s a character named Eleanor who becomes Jessamin’s friend and she’s very
dramatic and loves gossip. She has a brother named Ernest.
I really love Sir Bird, a black bird (Crow or Raven
possibly) with yellow eyes that turns into a book. Jessamin is really annoyed
with this bird at first but grows to like him. He’s a familiar. He does not
talk but he seem to understand some thing. Crows and Raven are smart birds and
definitely not evil, but some other black bird seem to be spying on Jessamin.
Also there’s a man called Lord Downpike who has evil intentions and threated to
hurt Jessamin if Finn doesn’t give him what he wants.
This book has themes of colonizing and race issues. It’s
a diverse book since the main character is Asian, even if it’s the fantasy
world version. I recommend this to fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The
Madman’s Daughter, books with Asian main character and books that may be
steampunk or set in Victorian London.
Cover Art Review: Lovely cover. The title with the
violet glow and the bird coming out of the painted cup is just gorgeous.
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