Illusions of Fate

by Kiersten White

ISBN: 9780062135896
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Number of Pages: 288
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: 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.

My Rating:  

Kiersten White never fails me! I love every book I've read by her (I only have one left to read - The Chaos of Stars) This book is a wonderful mix of romance and magic with underlying tones reminiscent of colonial times.

Jessamin (such a unique name, which has part of my name in it, so it pretty much rocks) has left her beloved island home of Melei to come to the county of Albion to gain an education (though women can't study math & science, which is what she really is interested in!). She runs into a spot of trouble and a handsome young lord, Finn, steps in to help her.

She is then dragged into this battle between Finn and Lord Downpike, the Minister of Defense.

 

"Yes, sir, I am hiding from two mad magicians, one of whom tortured me, and the other of whom wishes to set me up in a beautiful estate with servants and anything I require." - Illusions of Fate, 101

In addition to all the magic (I love the back story of the royal families), there is this quite a bit of blatant commentary on colonization.

In one of her classes, the teacher (also Jessamin's father, who of course refuses to acknowledge her presence) asks his students what top "improvements" have been made through colonization. The answer?

"Improved infrastructure. Eradication of pagan superstitions and beliefs. Education. Increased safety with Alben police forces and state protection. Introduction of advanced medical discipline." - Illusions of Fate, 11

To this, Jessamin asks,

"What about the steep rise in infant morality for the period of twenty years after colonization. Taking Melei as an example, death rates among infants went from one in ten to one in five and have only recently begun to taper off." - Illusions of Fate, 11

There are references to the dark color of her skin and even her temperament: 

"You have all the spirit and passion they've been careful to breed out of Alben women."- Illusions of Fate, 70

We have the lovable characters of Sir Bird (who freaked me out at first, but he grew on me!) and Eleanor! She was my favorite character I think. Playing the dumb blonde but really is one smart cookie ;)

Lots of romance but I love the fact that Jessamin insists on being independent. She doesn't need a man to take care of her and that is that. Her interactions with Finn made me smile.

Overall, an excellent STANDALONE book featuring my favorite things: magic & romance!

*Interesting fact: Albion, is the oldest name for the island of Great Britain!

After the End

by Amy Plum

Series: Book #1 After the End Series
ISBN: 9780062225603
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Number of Pages: 322

Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

My Rating:  

I loved this book! I went in with an idea of what this was going to be about and the book flipped me upside down! We start out thinking this is a dystopian world (and to Juneau, it kinda of is..) but BAMN - just kidding, the world is still turning without you and your group of "survivors."

The story is told through two perspectives - Juneau (one of the "survivors of WWIII" living out in the Alaskan wilderness) and Miles (the son of the CEO of Blackwell Pharmaceutical, who just got kicked out of his HS). This way of narrative really works for me, as we have two story-lines running parallel to each other and when they do meet, we get each person's thoughts.

Juneau seems kooky to Miles because of what he calls "magic." Juneau has grown up with the Yara (the life force that runs through everything) and has been training to take over her clan as kind of the head spiritual adviser, so this is all natural to her.

"The concept behind Reading is that everything in nature is alive in a certain fashion. So everything has its own version of what it sees or experiences: either past memories, what is happening in the present, or, since we think time is flexible, a 'memory' of what will have happened in the future. Every living thing is connected through the Yara. So Reading is just reaching out to the right element in nature that can give you the information you want to know." After the End, 220

These two meet up because Juneau's clan disappears on her (kidnapped of course) and it looks like Mile's father is the one behind it all. But things aren't what they seem, as Juneau's mentor, Whit, looks to have joined the other side and the fact that there are two sets of people chasing her (Miles himself could be a third).


I loved the relationship between Juneau and Miles and the way it developed throughout the book. Another aspect of this book that I liked was science and "magic." The whole intrigue surround Juneau and her clan and what could possibly make her valuable is well-written. The questions you think of are pretty much answered in the book, but we do come to a shocking ending - where we must now wait for the next installment in what looks like a series.

This book is full of adventure, mystery & intrigue, science fiction and the occult, and a little tinny bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Highly recommend :)

*UDPATE* - Book #2, Until the Beginning is due out May 2015!!

In the Shadows

by Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo

ISBN: 9780545561440

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: April 29th 2014
Number of Pages: 384

Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures. 

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.

My Rating:  

This book gets props for being an uniquely told story. We have a text story with graphics intermixed that tell a story as well. It was a little confusing to me, but by the end of the story, all of it comes together and VIOLA = makes sense! I did go back after figuring it out and "re-read" the graphics. 

The characters are positively creepy and the story is shrouded in secrets. We do get the point of view of all of the characters and I liked "hearing" from all of them. 

Two brothers (Thomas & Charles), two sisters (Cora & Minnie) and the broody Arthur (who may or may not be related to Cora & Minnie) make up our little group. Lots of "I like him but he likes her" and "I like her but it's my duty to protect her instead." So there is romance in addition to the adventure and mystery.

This story doesn't focus on the "supernatural" aspects until the end, it is more of a story where things that can't be explained happen and danger lurks around every corner - the kids aren't even safe in their boarding house! 

"'I'm sorry,' Cora whispered. 'Please don't hurt me.'
'You don't need me for that, do you?' The witch's grin widened to reveal teeth that looked impossibly old and yellowed in her unlined face. 'People are very good at hurting themselves. I never have to do a thing.'" - In the Shadows, 34-35

I recommend this book for all fantasy lovers and any fans of Kiersten White! If you like comic books, this book filled with them will also appeal to you. This is a VERY QUICK READ (took me around an hour and a half!) and the ending makes up for the mysterious plot line!! 

"I do love it when they try to wrap their little minds around it all. The moment they realize what they are up against, and their hopes come crashing down. You can see a bit of their soul shriveling then and there." - In the Shadows, 297