Born of Illusion (Born of Illusion, #1)

by Teri Brown

For fans of Libba Bray and Anna Godbersen, this thrilling historical suspense novel is the story of a budding magician who has spent her life playing sidekick to her faux-medium mother—and trying to hide the fact that she possesses magnificent powers.

As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so her mother claims—gifted illusionist Anna Van Housen easily navigates the underground world of magicians and mediums in 1920s New York, though the real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. But as Anna's powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions that lead her to explore the powers she's tried so long to hide.

Lovers of historical fiction and stories filled with romance and intrigue will fall for Born of Illusion and its whip-smart, savvy protagonist.

• ISBN10: 0062187546
• ISBN13: 9780062187543
• Publish Date: 11 June 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[melanchalina]

Эпоха джаза. Нью-Йорк. Город мечтателей, авантюристов и миллиона огней. Время стрижек боб у девушек, сухого закона и веселой, беззаботной молодежи.

В центре всего этого юная Анна Ван Хаусен – талантливая иллюзионистка, помощница своей самовлюбленной матери – «медиума» и внебрачная дочь самого Гудини. Но это не все. Анна храните тайну. Она не такая как все. Ее способности и силы выходят за рамки простых иллюзий и обмана. Но откуда в ней эта сила?



Анна всегда была необычной девушкой. С эгоистичной, жадной до славы матерью, ей пришлось рано повзрослеть. С тринадцати лет она спасает мать от тюрьмы, участвует в ее спектаклях и мошенничестве, а также следит за деньгами семьи. Она также с детства из-за всех сил старается скрыть от матери и окружающих свои странные, пугающие возможности, такие как чтение мыслей и эмпатия. Но последнее время ее силы выходят из под контроля, и кажется это связано с их новым соседом Коулом. И возможно ее силы выходят далеко за рамки обычной эмпатии.



Должна признать, книга стала приятным сюрпризом. Я не ожидала много от «Порожденной Иллюзией», но книга стала приятным открытием. Атмосферная история не лишенная романтики и волшебства. Если вам понравились «Пророки», то обязательно прочитайте эту книгу. Их нельзя назвать идентичными, но, несомненно, присутствуют общие черты. И как можно забыть про Нью-Йорк 20-х? Он незримый герой книги, фон, придающий окрас и яркость всем событиям романа. В моей голове ярко всплывали картинки того времени: веселые вечеринки с молодежью, живущей одним днем, огни большого города, изысканные женщины и джентльмены в костюмах. Невероятная красота.

Тери Браун также мастерски прописала взаимоотношения Анны и ее матери. Начиная с их противостояния, борьбы за внимание публики и друг друга, до любви, настоящей любви матери и дочери. Это непросто очередная история о необычной девушке и ее поиске своего места в мире, это история взросления. О том, как Анна становится взрослой девушкой, начинает жить своей жизнью и пытается жить своей жизнью, а не только быть в тени матери.

Романтическая линия изящная, тонкая. Я бы даже сказала изысканная. Она не пошлая, а утонченная. Коул обаятельный юноша, сразу покоряет сердца читателей. Их взаимоотношения с Анной притягивают, в них нет никакой перенасыщенности или недосказанности. Всего в меру. При этом любовь не перекрывает другие сюжетные арки, а умело с ними взаимодействует.

Анна – замечательная героиня. Она умная, смелая, но при этом не теряет своего женского очарования. Тот тип героини, который вызывает симпатию и сочувствие. Ее мама – очень яркий персонаж, запоминающийся. Мне понравилась история их отношений. Приятным сюрпризом явилось наличие в книге Гудини, люблю отсылки к реальным людям в книгах. Это приносит ощущение магии и волшебства в повседневность.

Пожалуй, единственный минус – не самая сильная детективная линия. Злодей (злодеи) вполне очевидны, но все равно читать было увлекательно и приятно.

Моя оценка: 8/10

[Jyc]

☆ // the positive: i won this book via online contest of a local bookstore. the negative: everything in this is just so horribly bad.

[celinenyx]

Born of Illusion is a lovely mix of paranormal and historical with interesting character dynamics but a rather weak plot.

Together with her mother Anna has a magic and spiritual act; only her mother doesn't know that Anna's powers are for real. She can feel people's emotions, see the future and converse with ghosts. She has to be careful with her secret, but it's getting harder since her powers are growing and they get harder to hide.

Anna and her mother have a deliciously difficult relationship. Her mom is selfish, ambitious and a jealous person. She's not exactly the best mother around, but she still loves her daughter in her own way. Anna's relationship with her mom was realistic and interesting to read about. They both seemed very lifelike to me, and Anna's conflicting thoughts rung true to me, even though her ambivalence seemed to annoy some other reviewers.

Born of Illusion is set in New York during the twenties. For me the time period was pretty convincing, with mentions of period clothing and the glitzy life-style, but I wasn't all that impressed with Ms Brown's New York. It could have been set in any US city as far as I was concerned; there are some mentions of restaurants and bars, but none of characteristic New York landmarks that are needed for authenticity.

The weakest part of Born of Illusion is the plot. Before the real exciting part even got started, I knew what was going on and who the bad guy was. There is no amazing revelation, just a soft realisation on Anna's part who's after her. If you are used to pay attention to clues the twist is glaringly obvious from the start.

Deflated plot aside, Born of Illusion is an enjoyable paranormal read. There are two love interests but the word "love" is never uttered (which is a good thing in my book) and there are plenty of juicy séances and flapper parties to keep you entertained.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Full of mystery and intrigue, Teri Brown's Born of Illusion will absolutely leave you spellbound with its mystical enchantments. It's breathtaking and enchanting in ways that will keep you caught up in the pages thoroughly captivated. Beautifully written and full of mystique, this is a beguiling story filled with wonderful magical elements and hints of dark secrets sure to tantalize and tease your appetite. Brown's writing style is superb and the mystical story that she weaves will have you tangled up in no time and ensnared in its glorious web. The overall feel and theme of Born of Illusion will send you back in time to the roaring 1920's and leave you reeling from the fantastic atmosphere.

Teri Brown write's her characters in such a way that they come across real and incredibly easy to connect with both emotionally and in many other ways. The dark and illustrious story that she weaves together involving mediums and magic from the glorious 1920's era, will leave you gasping for air. The story, as much as the characters themselves, are complex and complicated. Dark and seductively beguiling in every sense of the word, Born of Illusion, is probably one of the more suspenseful and magical books that I've read within the last year. Brown's writing is as challenging as her characters are illuminating, which makes this novel even more fantastical!

Anna, is such a strong well liked character, that comes with her own set of circumstances that she has to deal with. Brave and careful, are the best two words that I could possibly pick to describe her. She longs for a sense of normalcy, yet it seems that around every corner, she finds something else besides that lurking in the shadows. In spite of everything that she has to endure and always coming second to her mother, she is still very protective of those she cares about at the end of the day. This is part of what makes her such an amazing heroine to root for. Her story leaps to life on the pages in so many interesting and inspiring ways, that it's hard not to come away loving this character whole heartedly.

The love triangle in this young adult mystery novel, was written in such a clever way that in many instances it didn't at all feel as if I were reading a love story with a triangle in it at all. This is the mark of a great author, when they can take a cliche or troph that you would normally dislike and write it in such a way that you actually didn't realize it was there, until you were finished reading. I loved that just about as much as I loved getting to know the two boys in Anna's life, most especially the one who ultimately wins her heart. Watching that romance develop was about as charming and sweet, as the boy himself was.

Born of Illusion is such a fantastic young adult mystery, that you'll definitely want to get caught up in and swept away in the magic. The atmosphere is rich and amazing, as it pulls you into the story and it comes alive to the sound of the roaring 1920's in the distant background. It will make you long to step inside the TARDIS and take a ride back in time to another place, filled with mystery and intrigue, dark secrets, and gripping mediums and magicians. Beautifully compelling, I would recommend picking this novel up and giving it a go.