Review: Illusions of Fate

Illusions of Fate by Kierstan White

ISBN: 0062135899
Pages: 278
Source: Own/Ebook

Publication Date: September 9, 2015

Initial Reaction:

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

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 review is so overdue I am ashamed but I finally got around to editing my bullet points and putting them into sentences...better late than never...)

This book has been pretty raved about across the internet and it took be way too long to see what the hype was all about. I picked this book up half out of boredom and half out of curiosity and was completely swept away into this magical world. Even though I feel like everyone was talking about it when it first released, I actually managed to go into the story pretty blind which just made the whole experience all the more magical. 

Right from the start, Illusions of Fate takes you on this rollercoaster adventure into a world that is cold and gray. I've noticed that I really like the juxtaposition between a prim and proper world versus a colorful and wild one. At first, I was a bit confused over what was going on but Kiersten White quickly clears that up and sets into motion the overarching plot while throwing in different bits about the history of the world. 

Jessamin is such an intriguing character as she's born of a Melei mother and an Albion father - she's essentially a combination of the two worlds. The Albion world looks upon her with distaste because she has a sense of fire within that clashes with their rigid society. She travels to Albion to study at the university her father teaches at and gets swept up in a dark and deceitful world of magic when she meets Finn. We have Lord Downpike who plays the evil villain who wants to take over the world and in order to do that, he needs access to all the powers which he believes Finn has the key. 

Honestly, there were some parts of the story that were just so dark it caught me off guard but nothing was ever too terrible to handle. Lord Downpike is just so many shades of messed up that as the story unfolded and his identity was revealed, I was just completely blown away. On the topic of Downpike, he uses ravens to be his eyes around the city and I must mention my favorite raven of all fiction: Sir Bird. Even his name is perfect! (Sorry Chainsaw...) Sir Bird plays such an important role and I just...you must read this book to find out! Another side character I want to mention briefly is Eleanor. She's the younger sister of one of Albion's elites and while she doesn't have a ton of magical ability, she definitely knows how to use her abilities to her advantage. Also, she's just such a bright person compared to the rest of dreary Albion.

Illusions of Fate just left me completely mind blown and I can't believe that Kiersten White managed to create such fantastic story and characters in under 300 words. I definitely need to pick up more of her books in the future and I'm secretly hoping for another story in this world. 

4 out of 5 stars

Thursday Tracks: Only One

Hello everyone! I'm back with another Thursday Tracks post and I have so many songs right now it was hard choosing one but I've made a list so hopefully I'll be able to share all of the songs with you guys. Anyway, this week I thought I'd share Only One by Apink which is the title song off their 3rd album titled Pink Revolution.

I never heard of any Apink songs prior to the release of this album but I have to say I'm completely in love with pretty much all their songs. Since I can't understand a big chunk of the text, the words "You are my only one baby" has just been stuck in my head for the past week. 

Now to pair this with a book, I was going to go with a book that is number one in my heart but as all book lovers know that is a virtually impossible task. Therefore I decided to choose a book that is currently on my TBR pile that I hope to read before the month ends. 

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
ISBN: 978-1-144342-846-0
Pages: 400
Publication Date: August 24, 2014

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam—a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .”On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand—and fear—the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?
Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

What have you been listening to? Let me know in the comments below~

Bookish Style: Book Shopping

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first Bookish Style post! This is a topic that I've wanted to try branching into for a while but never actually did. Today's post is in collaboration with Stylewe, an online retail store, that kindly reached out to me. Be sure to check out the logo at the bottom of the post to see the amazing things they have on their site.

Since I'm a book blogger, I was a bit surprised to be receiving an email asking for a collaboration from a clothing store, but us readers have to be fashionable too right? I decided to look around the site and pick out an outside that I might wear if I was going book shopping. Now that I'm in the Boston area for college, there are so many awesome small bookshops that are just waiting to be explored so I drew my inspiration from there.

Outfit 1: Cute and Chic

Mini Dress - $77.99
Green Satchel - $64.00
Black A-Line Sweater Dress - $73.00

I've been loving a good dress these days and these are two that just caught my eye. The mini dress looks super light and comfortable for the summer while the long sleeved dress lets you look chic while still keeping your arms warm. And can we please talk about how adorable that bag it! The cat ears and everything~

Outfit 2: Casual

Black Casual T-Shirt - $42.00
Multicolored PU Backpack - $68.00
Casual Skinny Jeans - $86.00

I'm a super casual person when it comes to dressing and a pair of jeans with a t-shirt is always my go to. The black t-shirt here has some nice lace detail and cutouts which make it a tad bit more fancy than a plain black tee. The backpack is another thing that I'm completely in love with. I would choose a backpack over a handbag any day and this one just has such a cute pattern and design, it looks like a perfect schoolgirl backpack that you see in cartoons!

Additional Links:
Check out other amazing bags HERE
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In collaboration with

TOUR: The Daemoniac

The Daemoniac by Kat Ross

ISBN: 0997236248
Pages: 334
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Publication Date: October 12, 2016

Initial Reaction:

It's August of 1888, just three weeks before Jack the Ripper will begin his grisly spree in the London slum of Whitechapel, and another serial murderer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. With taunting messages in backwards Latin left at the crime scenes and even more inexplicable clues like the fingerprints that appear to have been burned into one victim's throat, his handiwork bears all the hallmarks of a demonic possession.

But consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell is convinced her quarry is a man of flesh and blood. Encouraged by her uncle, Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry hopes to make her reputation by solving the bizarre case before the man the press has dubbed Mr. Hyde strikes again.
From the squalor of the Five Points to the high-class gambling dens of the Tenderloin and the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, Harry and her best friend, John Weston, follow the trail of a remorseless killer, uncovering a few embarrassing secrets of New York's richest High Society families along the way. Are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? And will the trail lead them closer to home than they ever imagined?

Kat Ross has done it again with her magical writing! The Daemoniac is this haunting read that takes place in 1888 New York City just a couple weeks before Jack the Ripper unleashes his terror on London. In New York City, another killer is walking the streets and our MC is convinced that it's the work of demonic posession. Harry is the younger sister of Detective Myrtle Pell and with no connections, she sets off to solve this case. Determined to solve the case of Mr. Hyde, she works with her best friend John Weston to uncover the secrets of the upper class.

This story is definitely different from the previous books I have read by Kat Ross but it was still absolutely amazing. If you're looking for a nice spooky read for the month then this is definitely something you should pick up. I'm not a big reader of scary books because I'm often reading late at night and The Daemoniac definitely gave me a couple of jump scares. 

The writing style just reflects the story so perfectly and paints a haunting picture of New York City that I never saw before. Growing up in NYC, it's definitely a different view and one that was absolutely fascinating to read about. It's pretty obvious that the high society of New York is corrupt but taking a little journey into the deep dark passageways was just so fun. Additionally, the characters were just so well developed, especially Harry. Kat Ross just knows how to create characters who stand out and just grab your interest. It was so cool that our MC's full name is Harrison rather than a feminine version. Harry's growth throughout the story is just incredible since she starts as a young naive girl who wants some of her sister's fame and connections to someone with considerable knowledge and wisdom.

The supporting characters are just as amazing and the journey they take throughout the story continues to blow my mind. From the SPR to all the different connections that Harry finds in order to solve the crime, there is just so much that this story delivers that it's an absolute joy to read. The Daemoniac is definitely a great read for this time of the year but it's one that will be fun any time. The pacing and mysterious allure of the story just keeps the pages turning! 

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AUTHOR BIO

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.

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3.5 out of 5 stars