Kiersten White

Dive into a world of enchantment and romance in this lush fantasy, which Stephanie Perkins, international bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss, called “an absolute delight—a magical, sparkling, dangerous world with witty repartee and a romance that will light your heart on fire.” Fans of Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare will fall in love with this captivating stand-alone novel from Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy. 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 the gorgeous, enigmatic Finn, who introduces her to the secret world of Albion's nobility. It’s a world that has everything Jessamin doesn't—power, money, status . . . and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, and the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess them. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits, can stop him.

Illusions of Fate

Slow start but started to actually like it halfway. Jessamine and Finn are sooo cute, and love Eleanor. Really wanted to learned more background information about the magic. Really love the whole true love and shadows concept. Adorable

Laura

Christian Huss

Special thanks to HarperCollins for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Short summary of the story:
Jessamin is a strong-willed, intelligent, and stubborn young lady from the island of Melei, who has come to the country of Albion to complete her education. Jessa lives and works at a hotel in order to make ends meet. Her dark hair and complexion have branded her as an outsider, nothing more than an island rat to the "civilized" Albions. Jessa despises the country in which she now resides, but is unable to go home, as she will never again receive such an opportunity to further her studies. Her dreary outlook upon her new life soon changes when she meets Finn, a young lord that opens her eyes to a whole new world of wealth, parties, deceit, prestige, and magic.
From this point on, however, Jessa's world falls apart. Finn's affections place Jessa right in the center of a political struggle that has been occurring throughout Albion’s nobility. Lord Downpike, the individual that Finn once suspected for the murder of his parents, wants control in order to execute an even greater plan and he will stop at nothing until he finds out the secrets of Finn's magic. This task has just become that much easier with Finn's newly discovered weakness, Jessa. The question is, will Jessa and Finn be able to save the country, or will Albion, Melei, and countless innocents fall into the hands of Downpike?


My thoughts:
Kiersten White has a gift for creating such believable characters and villains. Jessamin was by far my favorite. I have always loved strong female protagonists with wit, charm, and the ability to outsmart any man. Jessamin definitely fits the bill, as she is headstrong and won't let anyone dictate her fate. I adore the fact that she began as an outsider and perhaps what would be considered a “commoner” and eventually became a loved and accepted individual. Finn saw her for who she was, acknowledged her differences, and never hated her for her background, homeland, societal status, or the color of her skin. The fact that this book had a lead character of color was great, as most novels do not often show much diversity.

The romance was adorable. Finn seems to be the man of every girl’s dreams. He comes across as a bit of jerk at the beginning, but then it is revealed that there is a much deeper and sensitive side. The noble aspect of Finn was his greatest quality. He stood his ground and faced all oncoming dangers, even when it meant going it alone.

The setting was also amazing. Kiersten’s words paint a tangible world that was filled with mystery, intrigue, and my favorite part, magic. I especially enjoyed how she wove a historical setting that felt like a Victorian era Europe. My only qualms with this book would be the fact that it started out just a little bit slow, but it soon picked up and my eyes were glued to the pages. Besides, I never saw the ending coming!!!!

This review has also been posted at knightingalereviews.blogspot.com:
http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.c...

Becky

An enjoyable read with an interesting concept of magic which had a good level of romance, drama and mystery.

Review to come.

Kathleen Boyle

Even though I enjoyed most parts of this book I still had a few issues. 
Firstly, I really enjoyed Kiersten White's writing. I really do want to pick up more books by her in the future. However, I felt that this story lacked a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to make it memorable. The story won't really stay with me and now after finishing it I don't think the characters are that special. I just didn't grow attached to them at all and didn't really care if they lived or died. I've got to admit the twist at the end did annoy me and is one of the reasons why I'm rating this three stars. There is just a bit too much instalove for my liking. 
I did enjoy the world it was set in and the magic system. It was unnerving and disturbing at times but that is exactly why I loved it. 

So all in all this story has not had a massive impact on me. I enjoyed it but for me it was nothing special. I feel like it had been a bit more plot driven and maybe even longer with some more plot action this could have been fantastic. But as it stands, I am left un-satisfied and slightly frustrated. I understand why people like it and would recommend it for the magic system, the author's writing and the society that was created. I wouldn't mind seeing another book set in the same world with different characters.

Kate

Regency England-esque setting + magic + female protagonist = happy Kate. I actually put off finishing this because I knew it was a standalone and I loved the world so much. Turns out the ending was rushed and not very well done, so I wish even more this was a series.
At a signing, Kiersten White described Finn as a mix of Howl from Howl's Moving Castle and I think Mr. Darcy, which is what convinced me to read this, and he did not disappoint. Eleanor is amazing and needs her own Julia Quinn novel but with more magic and less romance.

Stephanie Haynes

Synopsis


Dive into a world of enchantment and romance in this lush fantasy, which Stephanie Perkins, international bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss, called “an absolute delight—a magical, sparkling, dangerous world with witty repartee and a romance that will light your heart on fire.” Fans of Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare will fall in love with this captivating stand-alone novel from Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy.
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 the gorgeous, enigmatic Finn, who introduces her to the secret world of Albion's nobility. It’s a world that has everything Jessamin doesn't—power, money, status . . . and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, and the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess them. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits, can stop him.



"I clench my jaw and narrow my eyes. I am no wilting Alben, I am a fierce and strong Melense woman. And I am not the victim of any cruel jokes. Spirits below, I will make certain he knows I am not to be toyed with."

You go girl.

Okay, firstly, this book was a sold 4 stars before the last few chapters came about. The ending was hastily done, and it felt rushed, as if the author didn't want to drag it on into a series or duology. This is a standalone, so it doesn't have a cliffhanger, but to be honest, I almost wish it did. It would have ended better. 

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the story. Because I did. Leading up to the end, each page was filled with mystery and confusion. I was dying to know who was who and what was what. The premise is solid in that it blends a world of fantasy with historical parallels. It was full of banter, mystery, and magic with a look at colonial life and struggles that woman went through. Though I didn't give the book 4 stars, the reason why it's at 3 and a half is because of this:

It's a full on ride from the beginning. It was a real pageturner as we are introduced into a world full of magic, action, and mystery. I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. Because the chapters have a habit of ending with a cliffhanger, you have to continue on because otherwise you'll be staring at your wall the rest of the night, wanting to know what happened. And because of the dark omens, evil characters, and the sweet forming romance, it's hard to keep away...

To finish reading, visit my blog: http://abibliomaniacs.blogspot.com/20...

Giulia 

3.5/5

È una bella storia, lo stile dell'autrice mi è piaciuto molto e ha saputo trasportarmi nella storia e ad affezionarmi ai personaggi in poco tempo. L'unica pecca che devo fargli, non posso proprio esimermi, è la lunghezza. Il fatto che sia un romanzo di nemmeno 300 pagine implica il fatto che non ci sia molto world building e questo mi spiace sempre molto perché è la cosa che ricerco sempre in un fantasy. La trama non ha delle mancanze, ma se fosse stato più corposo sicuramente avremo potuto esplorare più nel dettaglio la storia di questo mondo. Mi sarebbe piaciuto molto ;). Inoltre la parte finale in cui si deve risolvere tutto è troppo semplicistica per i miei gusti. 
A parte questo, è un buon romanzo, facile e veloce che sa intrattenere e trasmettere tutte le emozioni del caso :)

Illusions of Fate

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