Thursday, May 5, 2011

"Illusions" by Aprilynne Pike

Illusions (Aprilynne Pike)***I got really caught up with this book/ review and I couldn't make it spoiler-free. I apologize.***

From Goodreads: "Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail."


When I first started reading this book I kinda felt like it had deviated a bit too much from its original story line- a young girl discovers that she isn't exactly who she thought that she was and is torn between two boys- with all of the troll talk, the introduction of seemingly random characters (Klea and Yuki), and the likes of. However I soon got over that initial thought when I got swept up by all of the action and adventure.

Laurel really got on my nerves in this book- I thought that she was extremely selfish for the good first half of the book. Tamani sacrificed everything for her and the majority of the time she didn't even give the boy faerie a second glance and it wasn't like she was unaware of the fact that he sacrificed everything for her, she totally knew and she really didn't care or she thought that David sacrificed more for her. Though I must admit that I really did start to come around to her halfway through the book when she decided to break it off with both boys. This was clearly one of the most mature decisions she had made in the series. Also I thought that David was extremely childish and unrealistic in this book. Did he really not understand that a relationship with Laurel was totally unconventional (as was Laurel herself), therefore how could be try and stick her in a cookie cutter mold? As for Tamani? Well I didn't think it would be possible, but I totally fell even harder for the boy faerie.

I thought that there were quite a few humorous parts in this book and I really appreciated them- they helped to break up the otherwise quite serious and suspenseful plot. For instance when Laurel was asking Tamani why he couldn't be nicer to her boyfriend he responded with, "I just don't want to cozy up to the guy whose girl I have every intention of stealing". Or when Shar threw Tamani against an invisible barrier to see if Tamani could enter it and Shar (who is a quite stoic and serious character) responded with, "You... bounced!"

When I read the last few sentences of the book (which at the time I did not know were the last few sentences) and flipped the page hoping for more but was instead met with the acknowledgments page I literally gasped aloud and screamed, "Oh. My. Gosh!". I think that this book had an even worse ending than Sophie Jordan's "Firelight"- seriously what is up with YA books that end during the most epic part? Is a little closure too much to ask for?

All in all despite the cruddy cliffhanger ending and some childishness exhibited by the characters this is a great installment to Aprilynne's "Wings" series- in fact, this might be the best book in the series to date.

Rating: 10/10

5 comments:

  1. OMG I so have to order a copy of this book !! I loved the first two book and I can't wait to read Illusions =) !! Thanks for the review !! I'm glad you liked it that much ;)

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  2. Oh interesting that she breaks it off with both boys! Kinda makes me want to cheer for her a little:) Not super excited about the cliffhanger, but obviously since you gave it a 10 it's more than worth a read!

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  3. Oh this sounds good. I still need to read Wings but I'm glad this one is good. I'm glad the annoying Laurel became less so in the book. I was thinking oh no... I hate those type of characters.. but if you like them later on means I really need to give her a chance. Oh great review. I may wait for the next few to come out to really dive in b/c of the cliffhangers, but they are all going to go on my wishlist!

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  4. "Is a little closure too much to ask for?" <-- Exactly!

    This story sound so interesting, especially because the romance angle seems really different, but I don't deal well with books that aren't able to stand on their own.

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  5. Laurel ALWAYS makes me angry! Ugh. She can be so clueless sometimes. Actually, most of the time. Team Tamani FTW!

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