About the Book
-
Author:
- Aprilynne Pike
- Genres:
- Boy-Girl Romance
- Fantasy
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Fine
BFF Charm: I Just Can’t
Talky Talk: Covergirl
Bonus Factor: Camelot, Mysterious Loner Faerie
Relationship Status: I Wish I Could Quit You
Cover Story: Fine
I find this cover to be completely inoffensive. It’s not something I’d decorate my walls with, but it didn’t embarrass me in public.
The Deal
Everything’s going great for Laurel and David, now that they’ve defeated Barnes and haven’t heard anything from the psycho troll-hunting lady, Klea, for a while. But Laurel feels conflicted about where she belongs: half of her heart is in California with her friends and family, and the other half longs for Avalon and her studies. And Tam. Because she misses him a lot, even though she chose David.
Then Tam shows up as a student at her school with the news that the trolls might not be all dead after all, and Klea stops by Laurel’s house with the news that one of the new exchange students, Yuki, is some sort of special creature (Laurel reads: faerie). Now she’s got to be constantly on guard against trolls trying to harm her and her friends, AND try to befriend Yuki, AND deal with her feelings for both David and Tam. What’s a girl to do?
Every time I pull a Mommie Dearest and shriek ‘NO MORE FAERIE BOOKS!!!!!’ I find another one on my TBR pile. Not only that, but I find another in a series of books I’ve already read and reviewed. So I find myself thinking ‘okay faerie books, I’ll give you ONE more chance…’
BFF Charm: I Just Can’t
I’ve been contemplating giving Laurel my BFF charm for three books now and, you guys, I can’t do it. She’s not so bland as she was in the first book, and she’s continued on the path to growing up that she started in the second –and while I think being her BFF would be super exciting, what with the cute boys and trolls hunting her and her trips to Avalon where she learns to create potions and stuff — but I really don’t think SHE’D be a very good friend to ME. I get it, I mean, she’s really not part of our world, so while she might hang out with me at the picnic tables outside during lunch, I could never really join her in fighting off the baddies, and I wouldn’t be allowed to cross over into Avalon with her. Plus, I hate to tell you Laurel, but you’re kind of selfish. You never really give thought to what’s going on with your friend Chelsea, and if you really loved either of them, you might try to understand what David and Tam are both going through.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
So, as with the first two, there’s a lot of kissing in this book, which is nice, but didn’t really light any fires in my underpants. Laurel and David together are just as sweet as can be, but, as is often the case with sugary things, left me with a toothache and craving something salty. Tamani, by comparison, is a virtual panty flame-thrower, but I found the whole love triangle to be really tiresome. I mean, Laurel’s pretty and all, and she’s special — or at least that’s what everyone keeps saying, I’ve yet to really get that myself — but to have these two awesome guys both completely in love with her, fighting over her, and not once saying ‘bish please!’? Sure, an occasional love triangle is believable, but one that spans years, with both boys professing eternal love? Call me an old crank, but no vagina is that magical.
Talky Talk: Cover Girl
So part of the reason these books keep calling me off the faerie wagon is how easy and breezy Pike’s writing is. Even when I’m having problems with the characters, I’m totally engrossed in the story, and as much as I complain about them, I still HAVE TO KNOW HOW THINGS TURN OUT. Also, she kills me with her cliff-hangers.
Bonus Factor: Camelot
Another area in which Pike excels is writing fun and interesting lore for her world. In the last book, we got quite a bit of faerie lore, and in this one, she folded in tales from Camelot. And tales from Camelot give me a happy.
Bonus Factor: Mysterious Loner Faerie
I already made this guy a bonus factor in my review of the first book in the series, but it’s worth mentioning again. Tamani is probably 85% of why I keep coming back to these books.
Relationship Status: I Wish I Could Quit You
In theory, these books and I aren’t a match made in heaven. I don’t really think about them when they’re not here. But as soon as I open one of them, I can’t stop reading until I finish (which, in truth, is only about three hours total, so maybe that’s why I let myself get sucked in). Or maybe it’s just that I cast Sturridge as Tam. Yeah, that’s probably it.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of the book from HarperTeen. I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Illusions is available now.
