Illusions is written in a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. Every magician wants to create the perfect performance. They want their final act to give the audience an overwhelming sense of something spectacular. Neville Wighton is no different. He learns a secret which makes his act go from mediocre to spectacular. His shows become sellouts but the secrets to his final act could be deadly.

Saverio is obsessed with finding out how his trick can be done. He's so obsessed he starts attending every performance. He will do literally anything to work out how Neville's new trick is done. Saverio is even willing to seduce the magicians assistant.

Thomas wishes he was studying at a top school. He loves literature and wants to write his own material, poems are his forte. Thomas is special. He has a talent a magician could use and his parents choose this path for him. He becomes Neville Wighton's assistant.

Thomas wants to be loved and find himself. Saverio is obsessed and willing to do whatever it takes.

I have to be honest I struggled with the writing style of this book and I would recommend you try a sample before diving in. I actually read this book in two halves. The story is interesting I just wish it wasn't written in diary form. Thomas doesn't get to live his dreams he only gets to help others. Illusions is bittersweet.

3 stars out of 5. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa... I'm always skeptical reading books that are done in a diary format as I feel it's really difficult to really capture atmosphere and emotions without being forced or one sided BUT WOW 💫

I had the absolute pleasure of reading an e-arc of this beauty courtesy of @netgalley and @entangled_publishing so HUGE thank you to them! ❤

Illusions is set in 1800's London and is a story magic, Love, betrayal and mystery. (what more could you want?💁) Thomas is a magicians apprentice helping his master become the most renowned magician of his time. But Thomas has a secret.😉 Saverio is also a magicians apprentice. He works for the direct competition. His master is not happy with his rivals new-found fame and sends Saverio to find out the mechanics behind his competitors new tricks and fame.
When Thomas and Saverio cross paths both of their worlds change and get turned completely upside down and we're taken on a rollercoaster of Magic and emotion until the very last page.😱 This story is lodged in my heart and will be for a while ❤ I honestly loved the whole tone of this book and the realism of the characters even with magic being intertwined.
Thank you @monnia for such a beautiful story 😍 I love both Sav and Thomas and their story is absolutely stunning 💫

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My Review: This book is written in a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. Which are a hit and miss for me. This one worked out ok though. This one had a lot of twists but the format of the letters, entries, and newpapers just kind of took away from the story as a whole. I would really say that you should try this one maybe at the library before you spend money on it.


Go Into This One Knowing: Written in a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings

3.5*

I was intrigued by the blurb for Illusions, (which I see has now changed on the retail sites), not having read too many books about magicians. And while I did enjoy the story and it had great potential, it didn’t turn out to be quite as entertaining as I had hoped. I didn’t actually mind the way the story was told through the journal entries of each character, and that may be because there was a lot more detail to them than what you’d normally expect to find in a diary format. The beginnings of each of the longer entries (chapters) started as if someone was writing in their journal, but then morphed into more of an actual narrative as each section progressed. That led to me wondering why it wasn’t just written in alternating point of views, instead of the hit and miss way with the journals.

It took me a bit to get pulled into the story- it really wasn’t until the last half of the book that I was truly invested. To be honest, the first 50% or so dragged. I know the set up was necessary, to get to know Thomas and Sav, but nothing really happened except for a few minor surprises. There were a couple of times I did think of waving the white flag, but by the end of the book I was glad I had stuck with it, because Thomas is one of those endearing characters that you want all the good things to happen to/for. Ms. Reynolds threw in a few twist and turns that were unexpected and that helped win me over in the end.



***Thank you to Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review.

Rating 4/5

Breathtakingly beautiful. Illusions is the next magic-infested trophy in the YA genre. Written almost entirely as diary entries, this story follows two magicians each with their own ambition who fall in love and sacrifice for each other and for that love. A fantastic take on a LGBTQ romance set in a historical time where being such was a crime. How will our lovers unite and fight the world designed and destined to tear them apart?

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this to all YA readers. It is more mature than others so definitely caution against very young YA readers. But the morals and strife of this story are profound and can teach such great morals that it almost surpasses that warning tape.

4 stars — Guess who has a crying headache now? Oh, that would be me!!! I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this one, as it’s a bit out of my wheelhouse in a couple of ways: a) I don’t tend to read historical; and b) it was written as a series of journal entries, which I wasn’t sure I was going to like. But that blurb just sucked me in, you know? Which, I must say, now that I’ve read the story, I feel like the blurb is kind of misleading. I kept expecting something because of the blurb, and maybe I’m just not thinking correctly, but I don’t feel like the blurb *quite* fits into the story. Regardless, though, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself.

Since this book was outside the norm for me, I was super reluctant to start it. But once I did, I became intrigued. And the further along I went, the more invested I became in the story and our characters. I’m not sure if the way the story was told (through journal entries, and the occasional newspaper clipping, etc) was actually necessary. Part of me says yes, definitely. Part of me felt like the journal entries didn’t always feel like real journal entries. It was like the author was trying to stick to that, but occasionally it felt more like narrative. But honestly? In the end it didn’t matter to me, because my love for Thomas and Saverio overshadowed everything else.

Thomas broke my heart so many times. He was so shy and nervous, and struggling with so much. And seeing all those people using him was just disgusting. He had such a sweet, pure heart that it just made it worse. But I did love seeing him grow throughout the story, build confidence, and become more self-accepting.

Saverio took a bit longer to get his hooks into me. Which is not to say I disliked him at the beginning, but I was wary of him. Even with what we know of how he grew up, it was still hard to watch him being so cold and almost mercenary. But I think that made his slow fall that much more satisfying, and believable. If the turnaround had been abrupt, it wouldn’t have felt authentic. I even appreciated the occasional missteps he made after falling for Thomas, because that was believable too.

I thought it was interesting how Sav was fine with his sexual preferences, even at that time. It was so different from Thomas… It was SO HARD to read about the way they had to hide their love in that time period. I mean, I know it’s hard to be gay in the here and now, but I can’t even FATHOM how hard it would have been back then. BUT their romance was so sweet and beautiful, and I just truly felt their connection to one another.

This book truly took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I had no idea where we were going to end up, but I was satisfied when I got there.

On a side note, I will admit that this book didn’t feel young adult to me. It wasn’t that it was explicit or anything, it just didn’t feel “teen” to me. But honestly, as an adult reader, I’m not sure I know what YA is anymore.

So yeah. I went into this one with trepidation, and it surprised me in all the best ways.

Illusions was told through the alternating perspectives of Thomas and Saverio's journal entries and letters. It was captivating from the very beginning. Thomas is a reluctant apprentice to an illusionist. While Saverio is an apprentice trying to improve his lot in life. Thomas seems to be more innocent trying to do what his parents want when he wants to be at Oxford writing. Saverio is more jaded and cynical. He would gladly take advantage of others if it meant improving his life. When Saverio happens to run into Thomas and discovers he is an apprentice to another illusionist, he decides to use that to his advantage. As Thomas and Saverio get to know each other, their relationship evolves into something more. There was plenty of intrigue in the story and you can't help but feel for Thomas who has people trying to use him left and right. There is magic, mystery, love, and lots of illusions in the book. It was a beautifully written book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the story, magicians competing to be the best of the best, one uping, vying for one anothers secrets to their tricks...such a fun plot! I however didn't enjoy the writing style. Journal entries, articles, letters, etc just distracted me from the story.

I love magic and book about magic, and even more when it's real magic. So obviously I had to read this one. Most of the book is written through our two main characters' journal entries, letters, newspaper titles or else, making us feel like the story was documented to us, until the very end (I found it a little sad we found out about this other narrative not until the last pages because I was suddenly way more invested, but as I said, it was at the very end).

The whole book seemed a little slow and there wasn't as much magic as I hoped, but it's because it mainly focused on Thomas and Saverio, their relationship and as characters by themselves. I admit I had a hard time with their romance since for the entire first part Saverio only think of Thomas as a tool to use, it was cruel how he manipulated the younger boy who is just a pure cinnamon roll who must be protected at all cost, and even though Sav ended up really falling for him and their relationship was quite sweet I just couldn't shake that feeling of wrongness I had for the first part. (I mean, I ended up rooting for them but boy this really didn't start in the greatest way)

I still wish we'd learned more about Thomas' magic, it felt like the entire magic was just a subplot when it was actually way more important, and I have so many more questions.

I liked this book very much. Set in late 19th century London, it narrates the meet cute of two magician apprentices: a cute MLM paranormal romance. It's well written, the characters are nuanced, well rounded and developed, if a bit stereotyped. The story, while relying on tropes and clichés, is compelling and flows very nicely, never boring the reader.

So I came for the magic and ended up staying for the characters. For some reason, books about magic seem to be a soft spot. Maybe because I'm obsessed with that brief moment right before the reveal, where people's eyes light up, and you can see hope. That second where anything seems possible.

But I ended up staying, because how can you say no to a conman who actually falls in love and a precious cinnamon bun character who is afraid of his own powers? I can't stay away. My heart was almost always in a soft tender mood. Whether it be from Thomas' innocence and awful parents. Or Sav's tougher exterior hiding a cynical heart beneath.

A wonderful and beautiful LGBT+ story with more than a hint of magic, this book chronicles the relationship between rivals who become lovers and is largely told in the format of letters and diary entries.. Thomas Pendleton is more than the average magician's assistant, despite being born into wealth, from an early age it becomes obvious that he is something special. When he is older, he is sent by his family to work as an apprentice to a stage magician, where his unique powers can be hidden while simultaneously be used to create "illusions" that defy explanation.
Saverio Moretti is also a magician's apprentice, working under a famous Italian maestro. Sent to uncover the secret behind these new illusions, he seeks out Thomas, thinking to use him to uncover the trick. However things become complicated when the two young men develop feelings for each other, and soon Saverio is worried that Thomas will find out about his scheming, while Thomas struggles with his family and the demands of his boss.
Superbly crafted, beautifully written and with a touching love story and a compelling plot that keeps the reader hooked to the very last page, this book is truly something special. My only criticism is that I would have liked a little more explanation of Thomas' abilities, particularly where they came from , that is completely glossed over in the book., but that really is a minor gripe given how much I enjoyed the book overall.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The premise of this book is great. This is why I wanted to read this book. It would have been really good if the story had started out with the one scene towards the ending as the starting point of the story and then made its way backward. Due to the layout of the story being all in journal format. This way I would have been sucked into the story quicker. Not that I wasn't interested in the story but it just took me a bit longer. Also, it didn't help that I found the pacing of the story to move slowly. The second half of the story picked up speed.

In regards, to the two dueling illusionists Neville Wighton the Great and Paolo, they played second string to Thomas and Saverio. Thomas and Saverio were the voices of the story. Thomas really intrigued me. A man of mystery. Saverio is like the boy from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for the rich boy. The romance between them was real and mature. Nothing childish about it. The story does end on a high note.

If you are pondering about reading this book as a nice quick read, do it. But be aware and it’s also packed with a strong “punch of feels in the gut” and should be approached carefully.

This is the story of two magician apprentices: Thomas Pendelton and Saverio Moretti.

Thomas has a secret. He can do real magic. Saverio has a mission, learn the secret of Thomas’s mentor last trick that is enchanting people all over Victorian London.

Magicians, Victorian London, magic... let’s be honest here, this story has everything to sweep you away into a fascinating ride. And over all it’s almost perfectly executed.

I say “almost” because there are points in the beginning and especially in the ending that could have benefited of a bit more of work. Notably the end, that although it is sure to maintain the reader craving to finish the book, hissing at everyone that dare to distracted him, it wasn’t as good and rewarding as I would have wanted it to be. Yet I am still here trying to deal with all the feels that I have been left with so it was still worth it!

With that out of the way, what are the good points?

The story it’s told through the diaries of the two apprentices pointed above, fact that makes this whole book feel more intimate and sweet.

The writing is inviting and draws us to the private lives of our main characters.

Also the connections established between characters feel real, to the point that you don’t have trouble imagining them happening in the real world, not like other romances where everything feels to hasten and build over sand.

And over all the characters are well built with both strong and weak points. Even the antagonists do not feel like complete one dimensional brick walls that are only there to make the heroes tremble.
Concluding, you just need to read this book!

With her debut Madeline J. Reynolds made a strong and lovely entrance on the literary world and has set herself as an author to be aware of.

I'm a bit conflicted on how to rate this, but for now I'll say it's 3.75/5 stars.

To start off, I'd like to say that this book is written in a journal entry format interchanging between the characters. If you aren't used to this format, it could be something you need to get used to, but it shouldn't be much of a bother. My only drawback with this format is that while I do get to connect with the characters really well as I see multiple perspectives, it does make the plot go much slower in the beginning than what I deem to be normal. However, when Thomas and Sav eventually meet, as per moving the plot, the journal style helps develop their relationship and questions, thus making the story pick up pace. I'd give this style a solid 4 stars in execution, with 1 star knocked off, and the writing style paired with the format was making the beginning a tad too slow for my taste.

A drawback I had with this book, while not something that broke the experience for me, was the actual magician aspect. I felt that it was quite lacking in many areas, despite the beginning seeming to be a central part to moving along the story and for character development. I wish it was more exciting in a sense. It definitely needed to be expanded more in my opinion. However, I will say that if you're interested in more character development than magicians themselves, then the balance should be perfectly fine for you. I personally would have liked a bit more. I give it a 3.75/5 stars as I feel it just wasn't enough for me to get a 4 star rating.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I'll definitely have to come back to this at some point though and see if my opinions become more positive in certain aspects mentioned prior. I'd recommend this more so for those who enjoy a journal type format with strong character development, and not so much central focus on magic. If you're on the fence, I'd suggest borrowing from a library on release or read the first few chapters before purchasing.

All opinions in this review are my own and are in no way influenced or biased by any external source. ARC was kindly given to me for free through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books where I like the story, but the writing just didn't thrill me.

Illusions is told in a series of journal entries from two boys, Thomas and Saverio, who are both apprentices to competing illusionists. Sav is tasked with finding out how Thomas's master, Neville, is getting away with an incredible trick. The journey diverges, though, when Thomas and Saverio inevitably meet.

The story is good and the characters are fun to read; I truly did love getting to know them.

The writing, however, made it tough for me to want to keep reading. I'm already not a fan of books told in journal-entry format, but I gave this one a go anyway. It took me a while to get oriented with the style, though I'm not sure I ever was fully used to it.

I wish the writing, too, was just a tad better. I recognize that with a journal-entry format we're hearing about events after they've happened, but I just think the overall writing could have been stronger.

All in all, I enjoyed the story told, though I wish it hadn't been told through these journals.

This book was not what I expected both in a good and bad way. For some reason, I anticipated a story somewhat reminiscent of <em>The Magicians</em> by Lev Grossman. I absolutely loved those books, so I was a little disappointed this story wasn't even a little similar. On the other hand, it turned out to be a really good story that holds its own.
I'm mostly over love stories at this point. Currently, my favorite books are about fantasy, magic, and strong women as an MC. But this was just so beautifully written, I just couldn't help becoming a huge fan.

The story follow Thomas and Sav through journal entries and letters written by them. This was also something I didn't enjoy at first, but it just took a few chapters to get used to. It also turned out to be important to the story later on in the book.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars. The writing was beautiful, the characters and their development were interesting and entertaining. The plot was intriguing with a mostly surprise result. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an original, magical love story.

Thanks for reading!
-V

An intriguing and promising concept, but the book's format of alternating journal entries made it confusing and difficult to follow at times.

“This whole time I had thought that what I wanted was for Sav to sweep me off my feet. The other night I realized I wanted to be the one to sweep him off his.”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Entangled Publishing, LLC. Trigger warnings: physical abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia.

Thomas is a magician’s assistant with a dangerous secret: the magic he performs is real. Saverio is the assistant of a rival magician, and he’s been tasked with unraveling the secret of Neville’s newest trick. Somehow, the man is able to disappear into thin air and reappear on the balcony. He decides to get close to Neville’s assistant in order to learn the secret, but Thomas has a sweet charm of his own. Before long, Sav is more concerned with winning his heart than stealing his trick, but how can he convince Thomas that his affection has been genuine all this time? More importantly, how will he protect Thomas from a magician who will stop at nothing to maintain his reputation?

I don’t think epistolary style was the best choice for this novel. In the first place, it isn’t done very well. Other than the occasional poem, there are few style changes between Sav’s writing and Thomas’s, so it doesn’t feel like I’m peering in on the private thoughts of either character. There’s also the matter that no one remembers that level of detail or specific dialogue in their writing, so it never feels authentically like a journal. I could probably get past that, except that it’s also constantly dragging at the pace. Instead of being directly in the scenes, we’re frequently being pulled out of them and reminded that we’re reading someone else’s interpretation of what happened. Unfortunately, the characters’ innermost thoughts on the events don’t bring a lot to the story. It made it difficult to get invested in what was happening.

That’s not to say much does happen. The magician angle that drew me to the novel is sadly underplayed. Thomas hates magic; it takes him well over half the book to start practicing, and Sav is never actively on the page with his magician mentor. We never once see him perform or practice an illusion. In a novel almost exclusively about magicians, there just isn’t enough magic. The plot is highly character focused instead, and the actual conflict isn’t apparent until well over halfway. For readers who don’t mind introspective character books, this won’t be a problem, but it’s not for readers who prefer fast-paced or complicated plots.

The two main characters aren’t bad, although the side characters are mainly caricatures of villains–which is fine, because this story isn’t about them. Sav is a charming playboy who’s sworn off love, and Thomas is a shy poet with little life experience and more than one secret that could get him killed. The character development is well done on both sides. I preferred Thomas learning to stand up for himself to Sav overcoming his fear of love, but only because it felt slightly more original. The pretend-romance-becomes-real-romance trope is strong, but it’s a cute one. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress. I dislike the fact that homosexuality is illegal in every historical fantasy novel ever (magic is real, but we can’t imagine a world where LGBTQ+ people aren’t persecuted?), but it ends up playing a distinct role in the plot.

The last quarter of the book is faster and more suspenseful as there’s finally a conflict outside of the characters’ relationships. It becomes clear why the journal format is necessary, which resolved a few inexplicable things about the writing (why Thomas’s journal switches randomly to second person, why the last section of the book abandons the journal format and moves to plain narrative–I guess), but I’m not sure it’s enough to justify the damage it does to the pace. I think I would have felt more connected to the characters without it. Reynolds never really had me fooled with the ending, but I didn’t want to be. All in all, Illusions is a cute, fluffy gay romance that’s high on tropes and low on drama. It doesn’t bring a lot of new things to the table for either magician stories or romance, but there are thousands of hetero romances out there that are cut from the same cloth. I see no reason not to write and read another thousand of the same stories with more diverse representation.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC of Illusions by Madeline J. Reynolds. I voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Illusions is a story about two magician apprentices whose lives come together in the most magical way. Thomas is the apprentice of Neville Wighton, a job that he despises and with a secret that he anxiously wants to keep. Saverio is the apprentice of Paolo il Magnificente and tasked with discovering the secret behind Neville Wighton's greatest illusion. To fulfill this task, Saverio's plan is to use the boy Thomas to reveal Neville's illusion. But the more he gets to know Thomas, the more difficult his task becomes.

This was such an unique and wonderful story. I really enjoyed the way the story was set up. By reading the different diary entries, we truly get the sense what Thomas and Sav are feeling. These boys really have my heart. I loved the premise and was really surprised by it. I don't think I've ever read a story about magicians and magic in this way, and that made the book even more interesting for me.

The book did start a bit too slow. But from the moment that Thomas and Sav began to interact, the story came alive for me. The relationship between Thomas and Sav really made this book. I loved how real, heartwarming, heartbreaking and true their relationship felt. I did miss a lot more backstory on Thomas's gift: where did it come from, how did he discover it, what else could he do? Throughout the story I didn't feel like those questions got answered.

All in all, I highly recommend Illusions by Madeline J. Reynolds. If you love a story about magic, illusions and love, then this is the book for you!