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3.5 

Illusions of Fate

By Kiersten White
Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken.

Illusions of Fate is an absolute delight—a magical, sparkling, dangerous world with witty repartee and a romance that will light your heart on fire. Kiersten White’s best yet.”—Stephanie Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss

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.

Readers who love Libba Bray, Cassanda Clare, or Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell won’t want to miss this captivating stand-alone novel.

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277 Reviews

3.5
“This was a fun, quirky and well-developed fantasy stand-alone with a strong-willed POC (woo!) heroine, a whimsical wizard, a cocky bird and a hilariously charming lady-friend. My only complaint is that a lot of the characters and situations were way too similar to Howl's Moving Castle. Finn and Jessamin are identical in personality to Howl and Sophie and the whole doors-to-other-lands and Finn saving Jessamin felt like straight-out déjà vu. Kiersten White does say she was inspired by Diana Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki but I think it really took away a lot of my love for this story. https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1420063380ra/13162871.gif”
“This book is so severely underrated that it makes me want to toss copies down to people from rooftops. Illusions of Fate is possibly the best standalone fantasy I have ever read. It has a Howl's Moving Castle vibe, complete with quirky magic and warring wizards. The story follows a girl named Jessa, who is studying in a foreign country that is reminiscent to England. She sticks out due to the fact that she's from an island country and has darker skin. The prejudice and racial stereotyping she faces was handled so well, I thought, and realistically. Along with "fate", the theme of stereotypes actually plays a prominent role in the main plot, which was refreshing to read in a fantasy. The story kicks off when Jessa runs into a magician and gets tangled up in magical and political warfare. First off, I loved Jessa as a protagonist. She's witty and level-headed, and I immediately grew attached to her. The magician she encounters is charming and mysterious, and I just loved him to death. There's also a magical blackbird, who Jessa names Sir Bird and who completely stole my heart. He is the purest soul. The only qualm I had with Illusions of Fate was the villain, who was interesting but lacking in cohesiveness. He is dang scary though - let's just say there's a scene involving fingers and a hammer that scarred me a bit. In comparison to Kiersten White's other books, I thought this novel was leagues above her Paranormalcy trilogy, which I enjoyed enough when I was younger but did not love. I was especially impressed with her writing and characterization in this book. To wrap up, Illusions of Fate is now an instant favorite that I'll be revisiting for sure. Though the story felt complete, I almost wish there were a sequel.”

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