Title: Born Of Illusion (Born of Illusion #1)
Author: Teri Brown
Published: June 11th, 2013
Source: E-arc from publisher
Buy The Book: Amazon/Kobo/Barnes andNoble/Book Depository
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
ANNA
VAN HOUSEN HAS A SECRET.
A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage shows and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians and mentalists in 1920s New York. For Anna, the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini - or so Marguerite claims - handcuffs and sleight-of-hand illusions have never been much of a challenge. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her mother: because while Marguerite's power may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people's feelings and foretell the future.
But as Anna's powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions of her mother in peril, which lead her to explore the abilities she's tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a society that studies people with gifts like hers, she begins to wonder if there's more to life than keeping secrets.
As her visions become darker and her powers spin out of her control, Anna is forced to rethink all she's ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna's visions merely illusions? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite's tricks?
From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, with the temptations of Jazz Age New York --- and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny.
A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage shows and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians and mentalists in 1920s New York. For Anna, the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini - or so Marguerite claims - handcuffs and sleight-of-hand illusions have never been much of a challenge. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her mother: because while Marguerite's power may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people's feelings and foretell the future.
But as Anna's powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions of her mother in peril, which lead her to explore the abilities she's tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a society that studies people with gifts like hers, she begins to wonder if there's more to life than keeping secrets.
As her visions become darker and her powers spin out of her control, Anna is forced to rethink all she's ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna's visions merely illusions? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite's tricks?
From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, with the temptations of Jazz Age New York --- and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny.
My Thoughts:
I was really
looking forward to reading Born of Illusion, I am not normally a historical
fiction fan but, the summary made the book seem so intriguing and I loved the
idea of magic and Houdini, Brown weaves a beautiful tale full of mystery and
magic, I for one can't wait to read the next
book and find out where Anna's story will lead to next.
Anna is a magician and an assistant to her mother
who is a "medium", growing up with a traveling circus Anna learned many
things from her fellow performers like knife throwing, finally for the first
time in her life Anna's dream has come true her and her mother have a real home
in New York City. But, as much as Anna
loves being a magician she always has to be a part of the background, she is
just the opening act to her mother's show and her mother make sure to let her
know that she is not the star. I had a really hard time with Anna's mother, she
was cruel and cold towards Anna and I really felt for her. Although, towards the
end of the book she redeemed herself a bit and her reasoning for the way she
acted made sense although I never really
agreed with it. Also, with the fact that Anna may be Houdini's illegitimate
daughter had me wondering, did her
mother just say that it was so to start rumors and attract more crowds
to their show, I am still undecided.
Although
Anna loves magic, she does possess real powers, she has visions of the future,
but she has kept them a secret from everyone around her, until Cole comes
along. Cole is a young man who moves into the apartment below Anna's and they have an immediate connection
from the moment they shake hands and Cole leads
Anna into a whole new world she never even really knew existed, he was
of course one of her romantic interests in the inevitable love triangle and
although it felt a bit insta-love I really liked Cole's character and felt that
he had a genuine heart and really cared for Anna. Anna's other love interest comes to be her
manager's nephew, I was definitely wary of his character and my instincts
proved that I should be because he was not who you believed he was through most
of the book.
Overall, I
really enjoyed Born of Illusion it felt a bit long at times but, the story
flowed well and I was left wanting to read the next book and continue with the
adventure, with the mix of illusion and real gifts Brown created a story that
was definitely something different for YA in my opinion, definitely check this
one out!!
Want some more thoughts on Born of Illusion? Check out the links below!
I haven't read this one yet but it's on my TBR list. I'm glad you liked it! I'm excited to read it.
ReplyDeleteI really didn't like the romance in this book-either guy. I much preferred the complicated mother-daughter relationship even though the mother was so often cruel. It was still fascinating to read.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one...I'd read some reviews that led me to believe I wouldn't, but I was really surprised. I liked the time period and the illusions, and the inclusion of Houdini was awesome. Great review!
ReplyDelete