Cruel Illusions: the deliciously dark and addictive magical fantasy

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The next trial begins and after Nadine bows out because it’s getting too real, it’s Ava and Ethan head to head. They both manage to make it out. Mom pushes into my mind again. I needed Parker tonight. I needed a distraction, but I don’t want to tell him why. I doubt he knows that this week is the anniversary of her death. She died when I was eight, just before Parker turned three. Dad died not long before I turned six, and I only have blurry memories of him that blend together. Parker doesn’t have any memories of them at all. Taken in as their apprentice, and beguiled by the young man Xander, she agrees to join them at the competition of magicians that year and hopefully earn a chance to become an immortal, another young man with his own apprentice tries to warn her off the idea, but she disregards his warning, knowing that by following this troupe, she’ll have a chance to learn more about her mother and get revenge against the vampires who killed her. I think he might know something about her family or something. I don’t think it is just guilt about running off the troupe’s previous apprentice. Either he got her killed and the situation was thus way worse than it seemed, or he knows more about something that has happened or will happen. Personally, I lean more towards him knowing something about her or her family because he is only trying to get her away, as if it is about her personally and not per se the other competitors.

The troupe is in a competition to win some magic BLOOD jewellery that makes their new troupe member immortal. Or something like that. I forget. Also if they lose one of their members has to leave the troupe forever. Ava thinks this sounds very logical and not at all like she’s missing vital information, and decides to join despite the fact all she knows how to do is flip a quarter around. The competition takes place in a big mansion that no else in town seems to have noticed exists. Ava?” My name in her mouth is always a question that she doesn’t know how to ask and I can’t answer. Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston, from chapter 30 to the end of the book. Please only read on if you’ve finished Cruel Illusions! -!SPOILERS!- Cruel Illusions is one of those books which consistently surprises you. There’s vampires and magic, family secrets and revenge. The magic was fascinating to me because it merges illusion magic with this idea of receiving our magic from the applause of others. People almost ‘feed’ our magic. This becomes a very interesting juxtaposition with the vampires. They obviously feed off the blood of others. Immediately, Cruel Illusions begins to complicate this dynamic.

Featured Reviews

Monster/Slayer Romance: Roman is a vampire and ends up in a romantic relationship with Ava, a member of the vampire slaying group of magicans called the Society. Played with in that Roman hides the fact that he's a vampire from the rest of the Society and they think he's just a normal member of their magician organisation and are unaware of his true nature as one of their enemies.

Ava is a broken but determined character and I loved how she was constantly having to change her morals based on new information. Her journey to revenge isn't as simple as A to B, and all the twists make it so fun. The troupe had a unique blend of characters that made them fun to interact with. So recently I found a wonderful book called Vampires, Hearts and Other Dead Things so as you do when you love a book, you immediately look up what else the author has done... and I was so pleased to find another new book coming, and quite soon. I wanted to participate in the Fairyloot readalong but I didn’t have the time, and I’m kind of glad because going through the comments there it seems like I’m the only one who didn’t like this.I think Ava has rushed into joining Xander’s group but spontaneous new friendships happen a lot when you are younger. I do not trust any one. Instalove. Haven’t even really spoken to Xander and Ava’s freaking out because he was standing with Aristelle. Girl, that’s so many shades of red flag I can’t even begin to list them. This is not the behaviour of someone pushing people away for fear of loss. That shit with Xander being her prince and her treating Roman like shit because of his little secrete. She had known them both for about three weeks, Roman had a reason, Xander was a manipulative arsehole, yet who did she forgive first??? Not the dude trying to keep her alive. But this was a common theme right through, she was a bitch to the people who was kind to her and was forgiving to the scum. Drove me mad.

Since today is day 1, we’ll be reading from the beginning to the end of Chapter 6. Get comfy and let’s get started! Ava spends her days rolling her eyes at her grody foster-whatevers and walking around at night with homemade stakes looking for vampires like some sort of middle school-aged Bleach fan. She’s invited out of nowhere to join a troupe of magicians who are also vampire hunters, and she accepts because her foster-whatever is a total drag and her parents were stage magicians. Also she’s 17 and she can run away to join the circus if she wants to, because she’s a grown-up, so screw you, Deb. Roman was not a surprise at all, saw his vampness a mile away! I like how this challenges Ava view of the world though, and makes her question her own desires and moral code. Very much needed as she is able to grow from here, whereas she may never have thought differently if she was only around Xander and her troupe and their views. Here we have Ava, who had been moved about foster home to foster home (with her brother Parker) since the death of their parents, who were stage Magicians. Parker seems to have found his place in their newest home but Ava isn't sure where, or if, she fits in there too. Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)I think it might be a bit of Willow’s doing which makes me suspicious, but for Ava’s sake, I hope so (despite them competing for the same opening).