Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Release Date - September 9, 2014

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages -  288 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**received in exchange for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

This book immediately piqued my interest with it's tease of a historical setting mixed with magic. Kiersten White captivates with fantastic characters, and a solid premise. However, the world building was not quite fleshed out enough for me to fully immerse myself in the story.

Kiersten White's specialty is characters. I've adored all of her characters in previous books. She makes them stand out brightly, and this novel is no exception. Jessamin with her spunky, driven spirit will captivate you. Finn will enchant you. You'll giggle, and fall in love with Eleanor. She paints them so vividly that even if you don't learn much about them, you feel like you know them.

This novel's world is filled with wonder. You'll immediately be charmed by not only the characters, but the world itself. From birds that can turn into books, to music made from magic, it made you want to crawl inside the pages to visit this world. The only element that is missing from this book is the finer details that would make everything jump out and let the story grab you. I wanted more from everything. I wanted to know the hows, and whys, and whens. The magic itself is so delightful that it makes you need more. It's a short novel, and could have benefited from a few additions to flesh out all of those details that I wanted to know.

The romance was a mix of hot and cold for me. The playful banter between Jessamin and Finn, combined with Finn's insanely charismatic personality ensured there were plenty of moments to swoon over. Everything seemed to happen so quickly, particularly in certain aspects. I understood why they would have been drawn to each other, but for me it was a case of timing. Expansion of the story could have allowed the romance to unravel a little slower. That being said, I did smile a lot from the cuteness that is Finn (and Finn with Jessamin).

A novel that is filled with magic, wonder and enchantment. This could have easily been a new favourite if it had been fleshed out a bit. The characters, the romance, and the premise itself are all very charming, and I do recommend it. I just wished it had been explored to it's fullest potential because I feel all the elements are there.