Disclaimer I voluntarily read and reviewed this advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. So thank you so much to the autho, Entangled publishing, and Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this amazing book.

I give this book a 3.5/5 starts

The writing style of the books is interesting, and unique. Illusions is written in a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. The story is told in the point of views of two main characters. Thomas Pendleton, an aspiring poet and magician’s apprentice. And Saverio Moretti, apprentice to the magician Paolo il Magnifico.

Spoilers

Thomas has a major secret one that could possibly end up getting him killed. He possesses actual magic. That is how he ended up being an apprentice. His parents thought hiding him amongst what is known to be the false magic of a stage magician was the best way to actually keep him safe. So that is how he ended up being the apprentice of a magician named Wighton. But Wighton is exploiting Thomas powers making Thomas use his powers to make him disappear and reappear somewhere else, all Wighton cares about is fame and being the best. Sadly, Wighton is very abusive(physically and mentally) of Thomas. When Thomas only wishes to be free and attend a university to write his own work.

Saverio (Sav) is an assistant to Paolo il Magnifico. Sav is only longing for a show of his own. So Paolo agrees to let Sav find out how Wighton is able to do disappearing trick, Sav takes the opportunity. He seduces Thomas for information. But his plans fails as he gets to know Thomas more he starts harboring feelings for Thomas. I was happy that i actually got to see the growth in the relationship between them, it wasn’t just an insta love and i enjoyed that very much.

This book was very entertaining and i was hooked from the start.
If you are a fan of The Night Circus, or even a Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I highly recommend this book. You should definitely keep a look out for this book when it releases November 6, 2018.

A good book that mixes romance and paranormal and it's quite entertaining.
I loved the style of writing, the romance was sweet and, even if it's a bit slow at the beginning, I was fascinated by the plot and what I was reading.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

The Quick Cut: Two illusionist assistants find their lives entertwined when they meet one another in the process of their jobs.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a young kid, I was always fascinated by magic. The ability to deceive in a way to delight your audience has always intrigued me and made me wish I had the stage presence and personality to do the same. It meant I watched every magic special on tv and read books on hand tricks. In this historical fiction, the reader finds magic is more real than you realized when given a window into the lives of Thomas and Saverio.

Set in the late 1890s, Thomas and Saverio both work for illusionists. Thomas works for the latest hit illusionist named Neville Wighton who performs a trick where he jumps off the stage and reappears in a balcony box. It's a trick that has brought him plenty of attention along with filled audiences. However, Thomas isn't nearly as simple as an assistant and has his own secrets that he's keeping...

Saverio meanwhile works for a competitor of Neville's named Paolo il Magnifico. Paolo allows Saverio to remain in England for one purpose: determine the secret behind Neville's reappearing trick. Wanting to break away from his master and make his own way, Saverio is willing to go to great lengths to make his dreams happen. When he finds that emotional connections get in the way personal goals, what comes first?

The book itself is broken into three parts, with the first taking up over fifty percent of the length. Everything (except part 3) is written in diary entries with newspaper headings and fliers interspersed through. Part one is where the story is setup between Thomas and Saverio along with their emotional connection. While I appreciate that the setup can be vital, it was also a complete drag.

This didnt hold my interest for very long and although I liked the style it was written in, I never could get entirely entranced in the storyline. Truthfully, I hoped that more of the magic pieces would be talked about along with the romantic angle. Instead it turns into an afterthought and that is unfortunate since this could be so much bigger.

A romantic tale with magic, it drags during the beginning to leave you struggling to keep your interest.

My rating: 3 out of 5

Thomas and Saverio are apprentices for two competing magicians. Saverio is tasked with figuring out how the competition preforms their greatest trick. To do this he gets close to Thomas, and you can probably guess that he ends up falling in love with him, and things don’t go as planned when Thomas finds out exactly whats going on. On the other side of the story, Thomas is dealing with some major life changing things, trying to hide who he is what he is from the world.

This novel takes the form of journal entries, letters, and newspaper clippings. It flows back and forth between out two main characters and we get an inside look from both perspectives. I thought it was super well done, and I found myself not wanting to put it down. This story is set in the late 1800’s in England and I’ve got a weak spot for historical fiction these days. Not to mention that it features a prominent male/male relations ship, which another thing I can’t resist. The story pulls at your heart strings. (It will even cause real tears if you’re anything like me.) You’ll find yourself rooting these characters and on the edge of your seat when things things start to go awry. Lastly, this book is, I believe, a stand-alone-novel, which I greatly appreciate since everything seems to be a long drawn out series these days.

This is an amazing story of love, and magic, and what happens when the two come together. This book would be great for fan of The Night Circus, or even a Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I highly recommend you look out for it when it hits shelves in November! Thanks so much to Netgalley for the chance to read this amazing book early!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me a copy of Illusions in exchange for honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this book. I would call it mature YA with a hint of fantasy. The story follows Thomas and Saverio, the apprentices to two rival performing magicians. At the start of the book, Thomas's employer reveals what seems to be an impossible stage trick. When Thomas and Saverio meet by chance, the instantly smitten look on Thomas's face leads Saverio to form a plan for discovering the secret to the trick.

Illusions is written in the form of diary entries, which I liked because it gave the characters of Thomas and Sav distinct voices. I found myself hooked to the storyline and eager to read on. I liked the characters and the LGBT+ romance was very sweet. The book has an interesting take on magic, while mostly staying rooted in the real world. I will say that the majority of the plot was predictable from reading the description, and it felt a bit repetitive at times in the middle. But I really liked the ending, and it was a fun, easy read overall. I would definitely recommend this to YA readers, especially if you like books about magicians.

"Illusions" was an enthralling historical romance with supernatural elements. The premise set up at the beginning of the book is that we are reading the historical documents held by the London Metropolitan Archives- diary entries of Thomas Pendleton and Saverio Moretti (translated), magician's apprentices. Thomas is the apprentice for Neville Wighton, an up-and-coming magician, and a job which Thomas does not want- his parents have pushed him into it. Thomas would rather write poetry and study at the university he attends.

You see, Thomas is harboring a secret- one that could get him killed- he possesses actual magic. His parents think this is the best way to keep him safe, hidden amongst what is known to be the false magic of a stage magician. Wighton is using his abilities to perform a marvelous trick- he jumps off the stage and disappears, only to reappear in a balcony box. This trick is what is going to make Wighton's career, but Wighton is still verbally and physically abusive of his assistant. Thomas wishes only to be free.

Saverio (Sav) is an Italian assistant to the man who purchased him when he was young, Paolo il Magnifico- however, Saverio is ready to make a career on his own. When Paolo agrees to allow Sav to remain in England to study Wighton's secret for the marvelous disappearing trick, Sav knows that this is his chance. He sets his eyes on the assistant, Thomas, to seduce and get information. However, as he begins his seduction, he gets to know Thomas better and faces an internal struggle.

While the first part of the book seemed to drag, I was soon completely enthralled by the story and the format. Their relationship really drives the story forward and the format worked perfectly for this. The magic takes a backseat to the romance but is a current running underneath the novel, which has key roles to play at certain points. While I liked Thomas right away, Sav had to grow on me, largely through his own epiphanies and gains in terms of his own identity.

Overall, it was an amazing journey, and I found reading about Thomas and Sav really fascinating. Although not quite what I expected (I was expecting more about the magic than romance), I really enjoyed it as-is, and I wouldn't change a thing. I highly recommend for older teen readers and adults who like historical romance- this is definitely a worthwhile read!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was interesting. It didn’t really draw me in like I had hoped it would. The plot seemed to be lacking in a few spots.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A cool magic and love story told through alternating journals. I hadnt read the synopses st all so had no idea what to expect but loved it. Both Sav and Thomas were great characters and the author did a great job intertwining the theme of illusion throughout.

The premise of this book, as well as the cover, were what initially drew me in and the beginning was really strong, but it took some turns that didn’t work for me.

Illusions is about Thomas, a 16 year old English magician’s apprentice who can do real magic, and Saverio, a 19 year old Italian magician’s apprentice with big dreams, set in London, 1898-1899. Saverio and his master, Paolo il Magnifico, come to London because Paolo’s rival, Neville Wighton the Great, is advertising that he’ll be performing the most amazing trick never seen before, and Paolo wants the secret. In order to obtain that secret, Saverio befriends Thomas and in time falls in love, making him no longer wish to betray Thomas.

I really liked that Illusions is told through journal entries and newspaper clippings. Saverio is probably my favorite character because he’s full of big dreams and goals and I like his willingness to do what he needs to to achieve goals. He’s just so devious and nefarious, up to the moment he starts falling in love. Thomas is a major contrast to Saverio, forced to become an apprentice because his family doesn’t want anyone to find out about his magical abilities and working for a magician is seen as a good way to hide his abilities in plain sight.

My biggest problems with this story lie in three aspects.

First, I’m a little bothered by the age difference. This book may be set in late 1800s where 16 isn’t a big deal age for marriage or relationships, but this book is being published in 2018 and marketed to teens. A 16 year old having a sexual relationship with a 19 year old is a very wibbly situation because that small age gap can be a significant difference in life experience. And that difference in Thomas and Saverio is evident because Thomas has been fairly sheltered while Saverio was born to a prostitute and has traveled the world in his 19 years.

My second problem is how Thomas talks about Saverio teaching him to love himself, and Saverio talking about loving Thomas enough for both of them until he can see in himself what Saverio sees in him. It reeks of love saving him and that kind of theme doesn’t sit well with me...

My final problem, and biggest one, is that this story kind of plays into the “bury your gays” trope. I’ll admit that it’s kind of subverted because Thomas isn’t actually dead, but not before we see Saverio suffering through months of grief and heartache, and the reason Thomas was executed was because he murdered a man who beat Saverio and called them sods. I know this had a happy ending, but I’m not super fond of that kind of queer pain to reach the happy ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed the beginning of the story, but the above mentioned factors really affected my enjoyment of this story. I’d be hesitant recommending this story to queer teens because as interesting as the magician aspect of the story was and the time setting, there are ways to tell these stories without queer pain.

At first, I was not sure that I would enjoy this book since it is written completely in journal format and I typically cannot get into this writing style. This was not the case when it came to Illusions! I was absolutely entranced within the first few chapters.

It is such a beautiful story set in 1880s Europe, with two very compelling main characters. First you have Thomas, who is a sweet young man that loves his poetry and has a secret that if found out could put his life in jeopardy. Then you have Saverio, who has had a tough life and wants nothing more than to be center stage. I loved the fact that there were alternating perspectives because you are really able to get an insight into both characters and their mindsets. From this you also get to see the growth in both Thomas and Saverio.

Overall, this book was a magnificent read. A truly wonderful and emotional LGBT romance that will keep enthralled until the very end. This book ruined me in the best way possible and I would definitely recommend reading it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review this book early!

First and foremost, I would like to thank 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.

This book was not what I expected. I had heard that if you liked The Night Circus that you would love this book, however it was nothing like TNC and I am actually thankful! This is an LGBT romance, as well as YA fantasy.

The first thing I noticed about this book is that it is written in a journal format which gives you really good insight to how the main characters, Thomas and Sav, are feeling. Madeline Reynolds did an incredible job at making you feel connected to them; the character development was spot on. The book focuses on Thomas, who is the apprentice to the magician who performs an impossible trick, and Saverio, the apprentice to another magician, sent to unravel the mystery of his rival. I loved that his book focused more on the budding relationship between Thomas and Sav, rather than the world of illusionists. Most people are intrigued by magic, whereas that seemed to a side aspect of this novel. The ending "trick" was perfect and incredibly romantic.

I enjoyed this mysterious, magical, and romantic novel, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a enchanting LGBT read.

**spoiler**
My only real critique of this novel is that the author notes in the beginning that this book is written in the format of journal entries and clippings, not explaining the reason for obtaining the journals or what the purpose of the story is. By the end of the book, it randomly changes to third person without an authors note which left me somewhat confused. An explanation of who is reviewing the journals and for what reason would have gave the book some more closure.

This was a little slow to get going but an enjoyable read from about 20% in. I am not a big fan of epistolary or diary form novels but despite that, I still found myself drawn along by the plot. Ultimately I think I was slightly on the edge of the target audience because the focus was definitely on the romance rather than the action or magic. However it was sweet and engaging and I really rooted for the characters. Recommend for those wanting a queer love story with a hint of fantasy.

I can see why this would be popular for others,
but for some reason it just didn’t seem to click with me, I thought I would enjoy it but the way in which the novel was written didn’t pull me right in and I wasn’t eager to finish this novel.
This book definitely has potential,
It just wasn’t for me, however, I would still recommend it for its genre.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel early.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thomas is the reluctant apprentice to a magician who performed the greatest illusion of all. Sent to find the secrets behind the illusion, Saverio plans on befriending Thomas to find the secrets for himself. What Saverio finds is more than he expected, and it changes him forever.

I have got to say that the premise reminded me of The Night Circus and I got a bit cautious (since I couldn’t appreciate that book like I wanted to). The story is told through the journal passages from both Thomas and Saverio’s point-of-view. I loved the story. I couldn’t help but find the romance adorable. The attraction does feel instant, but time is taken to explore the personalities of Thomas and Saverio. I was able to see the chemistry between them as they both take the time to learn more of about each other, to appreciate the other. There is a lot of character growth for both characters but mostly on Saverio’s part.

While magic does come into play, I find the magic does not play a big part in the story nor are the illusions the focus. The magic is more like an obstacle in their path. The focus is more on the romance that builds between Saverio and Thomas and the trials that they go through. I thought the romance felt realistic and authentic (albeit a bit convenient that both parties have an affinity to the same sex). The story is not always sunshines and rainbows but seeing both boys overcome these obstacles through honesty and dedication made me feel proud of them.

This was one of those stories where I had to take the time to read because I did not want to miss one bit of information. Even though I took the time to read the story, I had no idea were their story was headed or how the story was going to end. There were some injustices that were left open, but in the grand scheme of things, those injustices paled in comparison.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of YA fantasy novels. It was well-written and interesting novel. I mainly picked it because of the cover.

I ended up rating this book 4.5 stars.

"Illusions" is one of my most anticipated books of the year so thank goodness I wasn't disappointed. The beginning was a tad slow, it took me up to 14% to get really into it. After I go through the first part I ended up reading the rest of this book in one sitting it was so good.

"Illusions" is about two boys: Thomas (16), who has actual magic and is an unwilling assistant to a magician, and Sav (19), a wannabe magician and a magicians apprentice sent to seduce Thomas and uncover Tomas's mentor's secrets. They fall in love really fast and recklessly and then soap opera level drama and romance ensue.

This book was written in a unique format of journal entries from both boys, poems from one, and newspaper rippings. The final part of the three-part book was not written in this unique way and was not expected at all (at least to me) but not unwelcomed.

Overall this book definitely more than satisfied me and left me with an overall good feeling (despite almost making me cry.) I would say comparing this book to "The Night Circus" is not unreasonable but I wouldn't go into this book looking for comparisons or anything.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was very hopeful and excited for this book and I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it immensely. The synopsis intrigued me, as I thought it had a similar premise to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, where a couple of magicians take on apprentices in a competition to see who would win in magic and skill. While Illusions did not have such a competition, it did have the same air of mystery, intrigue and wonder that I wanted from such a book.

The story focuses on two main characters: Thomas Pendleton, son of a wealthy banker, aspiring poet and magician’s apprentice, who also harbours a dangerous and life-changing secret; and Saverio Moretti, apprenticed to the magician Paolo il Magnifico whose dream is to take center stage in his own act of magical tricks and illusions. The story is told in the format of a historical account of the events that transpired over the course of the book, with the author using journal entries from both characters, newspaper articles, and third person narrative. Through alternating journal entries we see the interactions between both Thomas and Saverio and their views, emotions, and thoughts of each other. Saverio wants to use Thomas to gain knowledge and fame in the world of magic and prestidigitation (had to look that one up), and Thomas seeks a friend, and perhaps more, who keeps him on his toes with mystery and intrigue. Both characters have gripping and engaging arcs throughout the story, going from player and pawn to being romantically involved, then having to deal with tragedy and loss. It was such an engaging read that I found myself finishing it in one weekend.

SPOILERS
It took a few chapters to get into the narrative style of the story. I was never under the impression that journal entries were so detailed, but as the story progressed it got much easier to keep up with the journal/diary formatting. The dates sometimes got lost on me but the timeline was simple enough to follow.

With the trick Thomas and Neville were performing, I would have liked a bigger build up for the trick on the night of the performance. More about the characters' feelings and expectations about the feat. The quick "it worked" from Sav, and Thomas’s explanation of the stunt, weren’t quite the build up I was hoping for with how much emphasizes the story put on it.

I was drawn to this book with the premise of it being a story of infiltration and and flirtation, and that was certainly to be found. Saverio is a very suave and charismatic character, and it shows in the interactions between him and Thomas. Sav leaving tokens behind with only an initial to go by, and taking Thomas to new locations was fun to read about. I loved reading about their interactions and getting vivid details from one or both of them was always satisfying and indulgent in some cases. I was happy that the romance played out over a span of months rather than a few weeks and that I was able to see the growth and evolution of these characters.

The only issue I took with this story was with the narrative in the last third of the book, after Thomas’s death.Saverio stops writing and the author picks up where he leaves off, writing the remainder of the book in third person, instead of the first person narratives that I had become used to over the story. I felt that this was unnecessary and even inconsistent with the way the story was being told. The formatting of diary and newspaper entries is just suddenly changed to third person with no note from the author. We do get a note in the introduction mentioning that the journal and newspaper entries were primary sources that detailed the events of the story, so why do we suddenly get a third person perspective with no mention of transition or how the narrator came to know these facts? It felt very inconsistent and despite my love of the story and characters it was something that I could not ignore. When reading a passage it felt like someone was intruding on a private moment since the perspective is not from one of the main characters. I think it would have gone better if Sav had decided to write down his findings whenever he spotted another clue from Thomas, and then chronicling his journey all over Europe to find him. With Sav writing down the findings in his diary to keep track of them, it would help the reader not to think the character as going completely mad over such small details.

I was frustrated with not understanding how Thomas’s powers worked or what the rules were, yet I feel that might just be part of the magic trick of this book. I felt the same way when Sav finds Thomas alive in Bruges, Belgium. How did he track Thomas all the way to Belgium when they had never spoken of it? And what has Thomas been doing for the past few months? Such is the art of magic and secrets I suppose….

Some other ideas that came to mind after completing this book were that I think it would have been interesting to also include other records, such as the detective's file against Thomas and the witnesses who came forward to testify. Maybe even a redeeming moment for Thomas's parents, trying to speak up for their son and make amends? These are just ideas I thought might add some dimension to the side characters who seemed one-dimensional and could have used some empathetic qualities.

Overall I found this book to be an excellent read. It was thrilling and entertaining and I was entranced throughout most of it. It was a great LGBT read and one that I would recommend.


Favorite quotes:”I read somewhere that boredom is the desire for desires.”
“O, the things I tolerate to portray the ultimate illusion: love.”
“Most of what I wrote was pure drivel-even the inspiration that has come from being in love does not always produce the most masterful of art.”

Shared from my GoodReads review


I LOVED THIS BOOK, THIS STORY WAS BREATHTAKING ( I mean that quite literally, as a few scenes had me crying and therefore I had no breath)


This book sunk into my soul and made me feel everything I was meant to.

Illusions Is about two magicians apprentices, one that is trying to steal a secret of the greatest trick ever done. And one that wants love.

This book is almost fully written in journal entry format. At first I love and hated that. Loved because I always love when there are journal entries in books. And hated because the scenes were so good I just wanted more!!

Thomas and Sav's voices are completely different in tone and style so you are never confused, even though the name is there, of who's entry you are reading.

The humor and emotion that was in this book was phenomenal. I'm almost at a lost of what to say. I loved this story so much and I adored Thomas, sweet sweet Thomas, and loved Sav, funny Italian Sav.

This book reminds me of a fairytale In a way, now that I've finished I'm just sitting here like, "man that was amazing, that was so good, that was a fairytale." Only like a 1800 fairytale with magic and boys.

I don't want to talk about the over all plot or go into specifics because that would take away from your first time reading, but man do I really feel like I just watched two peoples lives unfold.

I can't wait till this book is out in physical format because it will be mine to love to cherish.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this before its release, all opinions are my own and my opinion is BUY THIS BOOK.