Illusions of Fate
Author: Kiersten White
Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~
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
You guys, Illusions of Fate is so freaking just as good as I
thought it would be, and though I really enjoyed Kiersten White's Mind Games
series, Illusions of Fate has taken the spot of my favourite of hers. It's just so witty and fun and clever and whimsical.
There's no shortage of magical books being released this
year, and don't get me wrong by saying that this is just one of them, but while
it may not be the most unique one, it gives magic a different life and let's it
breathe. We have feuding races and magical importance. It kind of reminds me of
this one episode of Charmed in season six, episode five, Loves a Witch, but
much more ingrained to the background of Illusions of Fate that set's the today
of Illusions of Fate, if that makes sense. It's a huge part of the story and it
takes in the actions of the characters. The magic set-up here is a little different to
what I usually find, Magic is based upon power in standards, it goes down into
the line of Nobles of High Standards, it's in their blood and it depending on
stature and position etc, it waters down, some have stronger power than others,
and we see that mix with our supporting characters. The logistics of the magic
can be learned but not obtained, power can't be taken, but stored in things
(e.g books) that can be later used. 