Illusions of Fate

by Kiersten White

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I was sooooo excited for Illusions of Fate, for many reasons. First of all, it's a standalone. Oh, glorious standalones!! I feel like these are few and far between (or at least, the ratio of series-starters-to-standalones feels like 1,000:1 lately). Second, it's described as Downton Abbey with magic. Ummm, yes please.

Illusions of Fate takes place in a sort of alternate-Victorian-England (Albion), where the nobility have magic (but it's a secret that only the nobility know about). When Jessamin, who is in Albion studying to be a teacher, starts spending time with Finn, a noble, and finds out about the magic, she gets thrown into the middle of a conflict between Finn and a man named Downpike. Finn has something that Downpike desperately wants, and he's basically the only one standing between Albion and war.

I really liked the fact that this big struggle and tipping-point was believably pared down to a pretty personal conflict. The book is fairly short, and this was a good way to handle Big Things while still keeping them somewhat manageable within the scope of the story.

Anyway, some background on our characters: Jessamin has traveled to Albion in order to study, so she can someday return to her tropical island home of Melei and be a teacher. But her life in Albion is not wonderful or easy. She's living and working in a hotel in order to make enough money to eat and attend school. And her fellow students have never accepted her - she may be extremely bright and hard-working, but they're extremely prejudiced against her, because she's from Melei. But she deals with all of this in stride - she has a quick wit, and knows that she's just as capable (most likely moreso) than the other students there, so she doesn't let it bother her too much. She's too fierce for that. She's there to learn, so she's going to work hard and do just that.

Finn runs into Jessamin (almost literally) in the street one day, and is struck by her tenacity and ability to take care of herself. Finn is... wonderfully charming. He's exactly the sort of love interest I wanted to see in this book, actually - way too charming for his own good, thanks to his magic, but also really sweet, with a great heart. His and Jessamin's chemistry was so believable and fantastic *cough* even though it took way too long for anything to come of it *cough* umm... what?! You know I'm in it for the ships, shut up. It was definitely a slow-burn, but plenty romantic. <33

But in addition to the ship, there is also a wonderful friendship, in the form of Eleanor, another noble who ends up befriending Jessamin and Finn and helping in their struggle against Lord Downpike. Eleanor is the biggest gossip in Albion (her words! not mine!), and I had my doubts that I would like her very much, but she is incredibly loyal, willing to take risks, and is the perfect addition to their team. Also she says things like, "Unlike the pacing wonder that is Jessamin, I am content to sit inside all day, reading and writing letters and napping. I'm quite suited to a life of protective custody." CAN WE BE BFF'S, ELEANOR?? ...No but seriously.

 
In conclusion...

I know I haven't revealed many details about this book, especially the plot, but that's really because I don't want to - it's short, it's a standalone, and there are many things that are just less fun if you know them going into it! I think the main thing to take away from this very-much-not-detail-filled review is that, this book is good. It's sweet and fun, while at the same time tackling important issues like prejudice, and love, and selflessness.

So in lieu of details, I'm going to give you my feels:



As you can see, I very much enjoyed this book. And in all honesty, it wasn't the plot that made me love it - it was the characters. They were wonderful. They made me laugh and sigh and shake my fist at them (Jessamin was the source of much "YEAH YOU GO GIRL," but also frustration!!), but I loved them.

Downton Abbey + magic = a recipe I highly recommend.

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There were books involved...