Author: Aprilynn Pike
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Romance, 3rd in series
Perfect for: Readers who have read the first two books. This is *not* a standalone!
Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Taken 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."
Being as this is the third in the series, this review will be short and sweet. I don't want to spoil anything for readers who might have stumbled upon this review and have not yet read the first two books, 'Wings' and 'Spells'. It is essential to read the first two novels in this series to get anything out of 'Illusions'. It's not a series book that could stand alone.
Just like the Fallen series, I find these books infuriating sometimes. They're addicting and really easy to get sucked into, but because of that, I always get frustrated by the characters actions and plot points. While the plot is executed much better than 'Spells', 'Illusions' still made me just as frustrated.
What did I like about 'Illusions'? I really enjoyed seeing Tamani and David in scenes with Laurel *together*. It always bugged me how Laurel was either with one or the other, but in this novel, we saw the whole crew interacting and I loved it. Adding Chelsea to the mix was a great idea. Her sarcasm was spot on and a nice break from the boys rivalries and Laurel's worrying.
The introduction of Yuki was a welcome plot point, too. While I still don't know enough about her to know if she's good or bad, she helped round out the group in 'Illusions'. I am looking forward to seeing what she brings to the table.
What bothered me about 'Illusions'? My main problem with 'Illusions' is that aside from Laurel taking an active interest in really figuring out her love life, not much more happens. Yes, we meet Yuki, but we don't learn anything about her. Yes, we see a troll, but we don't learn anything about it. The book suffered from 'Empire Strikes Back' syndrome-- it sets up the next book in the series, but on its own, it has no standalone story. Questions aren't answered. I finished the book trying to figure out why Pike couldn't have just created a trilogy.
'Illusions' gets 3 out of 5 stars. The scenes with Laurel and Tam were great, but not enough to really sell me on this book. Still, I'm looking forward to the final book in the series!
3 comments:
I agree. Illusions was a letdown for me, While Wings and Spells had action and romance and fire, Illusions was like stagnant water. However, i will read the next one because i hate not finishing a series.
Thanks for the honest review. I finished Spells and wondered how she could honestly fill up two more books with the story. It sounds like there isn't quite enough in this one.
Oh well. I'll still read Illusions and the last one to see how it all turns out. I'll just know to go in with low expectations.
I love it when someone lets me know right off the top that a series book doesn't do so well on it's own ... I have this accidental tendency to pick up books out-of-series, and then I have to double back to get the ones I missed! :) I DO have Wings on my shelf, but I still need to get to it.
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