Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White {Yomna's Review}

Blurb:

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.

My rating: 4.5/5

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Forget any other fantasy book you've read! This one is probably better!

My rating: 4/5

The cover:  It's so pretty. I love the birds and the cup, if zoomed in on, is also really pretty. I love her ring and the skin tone she is hated for in the book is beautiful. 

Finn: Now for my amazing boy scale. I rate boys from 0 to Peeta, 0 being horrible and Peeta being the height of all boy perfection. Finn would be a solid 8. He is well-built, kind, romantic, and funny. For those of you who've read this book, don't you agree it would make a great movie? It's so well-described and magical and I would love to see this translated on screen. Who would make a good Jessamin? I think definitely Naya Rivera from Glee. 

She definitely has that skin-tone, and if you've seen her in Glee you'll know that she is a marvelous actress, and can really deliver. I can totally imagine her pulling this off.

As for Finn, hmm. I see Nick Robinson pulling this off. I think he can do Finn's brainy side as well as his romantic side. He's a great actor, as he's proved so in Jurassic World and he can pull off Finn's vulnerable side when Jessamin rejects him in the beginning.

I really hope some studio out there is smart enough to adapt this. Because all in all, it's a great story.

The Romance: the romance in this book is so sweet. I loved the part where she kissed him and said she was teaching him lesson and then ran off, leaving him lost in his thoughts. It was so cute. I also loved the bed scene where she invites him to her bed. It made me so happy!

The World: I have not read Kiersten White's other books, because the blurb of Paranormalcy did not sound interesting to me (Should I?), but what I loved most about this book, if that it's a standalone with a very built in world. In fantasies it's complicated because it's this new new world you've never seen before so it has to be well built but Kiersten White does it beautifully, through romantic outings and the point of view of a foreigner.

The betrayal: I was really happy with the betrayal because I was afraid a certain character would make there be a love triangle, so I really liked it.

The Ending: A lot of people say that this book has a messy ending, but well here's the deal. It's a great book and there's this kind of reunion at the end and it's really rushed. It's funny, but I wish it had ended maybe a little bit more intimately (?).

Favorite Quote:

For all the fantasy lovers out there, this book is for you! You'll love it!