Book: My Dear Illusion
Author: Sarah Ready
Overall Rating: 3.8/5

First of all, this novel could have been 300 pages shorter and still pack the same punch.

Review Breakdown:
Worldbuilding (0.8/1)
Where do I start?
The worldbuilding was so detailed that it became overwhelming. It was everywhere: front, back and center, which was great at first but it ended up overshadowing the plot and characters.
I loved the illusion-based magic system; it was fresh, unique and intriguing.

Plot (0.8/1)
There was a compelling plot in My Dear Illusion if you’re patient enough to dig through the excessively verbose prose.
For me, I enjoyed the last 20% of the book because it was a bit rushed. Thus, the prose tightened and the tension and stakes heightened. All the twists at the end made me want to read the upcoming book.
Again, there was a diamond in this book; it was just too difficult to see.

Characterisation (0.8/1)
I liked the author’s characterisation of Mari, Finn, Celia, Jacob and Jagger, but I wasn’t pulled into the romance between the main characters. The book was supposed to be a romantasy but it read like an urban fantasy (my opinion). In romantasy, the romance is first and foremost, then stuff like worldbuilding and plots sort of happen in the background; but in this book, worldbuilding comes first, then plot and romance. It lacked the hallmark of romantasy, which is the meet-cute; There was no spark when the female lead met the love interest for the first time (according to the linear plot), so by the time butterflies started fluttering in her tummy, the ship had sailed for me. It felt jarring rather than swoony.
And I liked the chemistry between the Wind, Jacob and Celia! My best moments!!

Prose and Use of Language (0.4/0.5)
The writing style was purple with a high usage of stylistic language. I would appreciate this in lit-fic, but not so much in fantasy.

Pacing (0.2/0.5)
I fear I’ll be repeating myself here, but… It could have been 300 pages shorter.

Theme (0.5/0.5)
The theme centres around betrayal, duty, love, lies, and shifting alliances.

Tone (0.3/0.5)
The tone didn’t quite hit the mark for a book marketed as romantasy: the romantic tension between the main characters was null; their chemistry leaned more towards friendship. However, it was spot on for a fantasy book. The atmosphere was grim and glamorous: deadly trials, murderous creatures, elegant balls and magical duels.

My Dear Illusion will appeal to the fans of Nevada Baylor series by Ilona Andrews, for its magic system and house politics.

Total: 3.8/5

I have to be honest, I could not get into this book. I tried but by chapter 6, I was done. I get world building but the language reminded me of someone who got out a thesaurus and needed a specific word count and just added descriptive after descriptive, so much so that I was often taken out of the story because I was getting bored. The first couple chapters could have easily been condensed to half the pages. I feel terrible, I don't like giving such criticism as I am no writer, but I truly cannot get through this book
I think it has potential, I have the belief that it could get better, I just don't know that I will get to see that end.
This is a DNF for me.
I am giving it two stars only for the potential and the "magic" is interesting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

First a huge thank you to Netgalley for approving this arc for me!

Okay so this is my first book by Sarah Ready and it was really good, but I had a hard time with her writing style. I’m not saying it’s bad but I had a really hard time getting through this book also it is such a thick book like wow. I liked the main characters and the world it was really interesting and at the end the plottwists? They were everything the plottwists are the reason why I rated the book higher than I normally would!

I love Sarah Ready, but I think this book wasn’t for me. I ended up DNFing it because of the length of the book and not because it was a bad story. I’ll be picking it back up once it’s released to try again!

I really wanted to love My Dear Illusion. The premise seemed like something I would definitely be into, but I struggled to stay connected to the story and ended up DNFing.

Sweet, witty, and romantic with a touch of magical whimsy. Sarah Ready once again delivers a charming, feel-good escape full of heart and humor.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
I couldn’t help but smile through most of My Dear Illusion. Sarah Ready’s voice is warm and playful, and there’s a delightful lightness to the romantic tension that made it feel like a breath of fresh air. The quirky characters and unexpected twists kept me turning pages eager to see how they’d unmask the illusions in their lives. My only critique is that a few of the revelations felt too neat—but overall, it charmed my heart.

I hated that I had to dnf this book! I wanted so much to stick with it but could not. Just not for me unfortunately. It was way too lengthy and I could not get past the first 25%

3.25 stars.
I genuinely have mixed feelings about this one;

I love a trials trope, and the premise of the story was extremely intriguing. I really liked the multi POV angles thrown into this one as well, the “wind” perspective just felt very fresh compared to my preferred first person POV. I loved these chapters the most to be honest and felt like I genuinely absorbed myself into them.

900 pages is a lot though, I do feel it could have been shorter.
I did end up finishing this one - even though I felt I was fighting through it at certain points. There was too much information thrown at me at times. I didn’t particularly care for the romance.
I likely will not be continuing the series as it personally just wasn’t for me.

My Dear Illusion by Sarah Ready is a 906-page (on the kindle) book that is as brilliant as it is maddening. If you are familiar with Ms. Ready’s other works, it is my understanding from a quick trip around the internet, that this book is not what you are used to and the odds of you enjoying it based on that prior work are very low. This is Ms. Ready’s first attempt at Romantacy, which is all the rage these days, and I’m here for it, but I want quality, and I want to have a good time, and I would like to occasionally have questions beyond the scope of the story to discuss with others. If a fantasy or romance book can make you think about your perceptions, your values, the way the world is vs how it could be (good or bad), I think it is a unique side effect, and I cherish those books. This book did not deliver on all of that, but it was a surprise, and the ending is going to have you screaming “what!?” while you sob uncontrollably.

In this story we are following Mari a girl who has been left by her parents in Hell’s Gate (or at the Hell Gate, I’m not entirely certain on that one but it did remind me of the hellmouth from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). She is taken in by an illusionist (I think that’s what he is, but he is very, very bad that’s for certain) named Jagger and he is kind of the strings that tie everything together, almost as much as wind is, even though he’s not around too much and there are other forces at play as well.

The story starts out well. Mari is explaining games of chance and cons. The 3 shell game we’re all vaguely familiar with. Then she starts talking about being a lockpick, which is simply explained as her ability to undo illusions – by unlocking them with a twist of her hands it seems. In this world the illusionists run everything; there are 4 or 5 families of conjurers and they are the “royalty” of this world (think warring kingdoms, opposing mafia families and you’ll get the idea). So they will set up an illusion to hide something, someplace maybe even somewhere, but Mari can undo those illusions and let people see what these families (or any other illusionist) does not want them to see. It’s a unique magic system and I find that VERY interesting. As I said, Mari is explaining games and cons, but she is also telling someone a story, because she tells us that too, but we have no idea who she is talking to and at other points in the story, the Wind is the narrator, and everything is through its eyes, and honestly I don’t know who it is talking to either. Mari? The mystery person? Is it talking to the reader? It’s very confusing.

I understand the desire to write Romantacy or Fantasy Romance. It’s all the rage right now and it’s something different. It is not for everyone though. Imagine if Freida McFadden, for example, suddenly wanted to write in this genre? I will assume it’s not going to go well. This book didn’t not go well, but for the love of God, please – an editor! A really good one because this book can easily loose 300-400+ pages and the story is still amazing. Let me explain.

The book is overly poetic and the language is too flowery. It is trying too hard to portray this world of illusion. There are so many paragraphs and pages explaining one thing or one small event or one feeling. It’s just too much. It’s not necessary. I had to work for it, like really work for it, but there is a great story hiding inside this book. Like a really great mind-blowing story. But you can’t find it if you don’t try and that’s not how books should be written. No one wants to do that, and as proof I will point you towards all the DNF reviews already on Goodreads just from ARC readers. These are people who read and review books all the time. The number of DNF’s was shocking but at the same time I understand it. There was a point where I wanted to give up. Picking through all the verbiage and odd characters and the Wind as a side character/narrator was just so hard to wade through.

I’m going to repeat myself again though, so that there is no misunderstanding, there is a phenomenal story hiding in this book!

I just think it could use another edit. And a lot of deleting. There’s one point where “the boy” is surrounded and going to be stabbed and quite possibly die. The wind gives us several examples of similar situations from nature and that are not needed. We were already told the boy is surrounded, what possible purpose does telling us about wolves and deer have? It doesn’t. That’s the problem. You must wade through all of this extra verbiage to find the story. I promise it’s there, it’s just not going to be easy. I don’t generally annotate but I literally had a notepad and was writing down plot points and character notes as needed because, as I said, they are well hidden. It was as if I were in college again working on a paper.

If my review seems a little scattered and perhaps a bit too long. I do apologize but given the size of the book and the way in which it was written, I think it gives me some wiggle room here.

This might be better as an audiobook, I read the eBook version, but I can’t say for sure.

I feel like I am repeating myself. I’m rating this book 3 stars, because it is a really good story, but the amount of work necessary to find the story was uncalled for.

I will happily read the next book, if the writing is more concise. I will probably read it even if I have to work for it because I need to know what happens!

Thank you to W.W. Crown and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I truly appreciate it. As always, all opinions are my own. If I don’t like a book, you will definitely know it.

my Ig review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

There are books that entertain you… and then there are books that transform you. “My Dear Illusion” does just that.
This isn’t just a story—it’s an experience. A storm that builds slowly, beautifully, until it sweeps you off your feet and leaves you breathless.

At its heart is Mari Locke, a lockpick able to unlock illusions, bound by a terrifying creature and sent into the deadly Hundred Year Games with an impossible mission: steal the Crown of Illusions with the help of Fin Alterra and then… kill Finn Alterra.
But when Mari meets Finn—addicted to a drug that destroys illusions, burdened by secrets, and fiercely human even if half-conjurer—everything begins to unravel. He undoes her. And suddenly, the mission falters. Because when you have a taste of Love, how can you live without?
But nothing, not the magic, not the feelings, or even Mari’s own memories, is what it seems.

What left a mark on me?

🖋 The writing is like a spell: dense, lyrical, dizzying. I had to slow down just to feel every line.
🔮 The magic system: alive, ancient, unpredictable.
💨 The POV from the wind? Deep and Poetic.
❤️‍🔥 The romance is slow like a wound healing. It hurts. It hopes. It aches.
🔝 And the side characters—Jacob, with his quiet sorrow, and Luvic, chaos incarnate with a grin—I’d follow them into any sequel.

😮 The ending? Not a twist—a Earthquake! Everything flips. Everything hurts.

Everything is painful, brilliant, and utterly unforgettable. I was stunned, moved, and immediately ready to reread from page one.

📌 Just a heads-up: this isn’t a standalone. And yes—you will scream at the ending but you know this isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of something bigger.

If you crave:
❤️‍🔥 Epic, aching love
✨ Second Chances 

🌪 Complex magic systems

🖤 Emotional slow burns
🔮 Epic worldbuilding

👁 Unreliable realities
🪢 Knots to untie

🏹 High-stakes games
🤯 Plot twists that make your brain hurt (in a good way)

…then this book is calling to you.

I’m not just excited for Book #2. I need it!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and W.W. Crown for the ARC!

sadly this book was not for me, i love a fantasy fiction but i found this too drawn out and i lost my way numerous times..
please don’t let this put you off trying it as you may love it!

A very long book that somehow makes every single page worth it. Intriguing characters, a plot full of twists and turns, and lovely writing. What more could you want?

˗ˏˋ 3 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .

maybe im just dumb but the world building felt so complicated to me and it was kinda difficult to wrap my head around it. there was so much information that gets dumped on you in the first 20% ish, it was kinda insane. it literally took me 3 days to get past the halfway mark. regardless, i was still pretty shocked with the ending cuz i didnt expect for that to happen. so maybe i might give book 2 another chance and read it when it's out?? *still undecided tho*

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Ready takes a bold and exciting leap into fantasy romance with "My Dear Illusion," and it's a thrilling ride from start to finish. This book is a captivating blend of intricate magic, deadly games, and a romance that will keep you guessing.

The world building is truly a highlight. The concept of Conjurers who wield illusions to twist reality, and Mari's rare ability to untie them, is fascinating and immediately draws you in. The Hundred Year Games are brutal and high stakes, creating a constant sense of peril that keeps the pages turning. Mari herself is a compelling protagonist resilient, resourceful, and burdened by a secret that makes her mission incredibly complex.

The dynamic between Mari and Finn is where this book truly shines. Their enemies to lovers arc is steeped in delicious tension, given Mari's deadly assignment to betray him. The lines between truth and illusion, trust and deception, are constantly blurred, making their evolving relationship a compelling puzzle. Ready expertly weaves in the fantasy elements with the burgeoning romance, ensuring neither overshadows the other.

My only slight reservation, and why it's a strong four stars rather than five, is that some of the illusions and their untangling could occasionally feel a touch convoluted, requiring a careful re read to fully grasp. However, this is a minor point in what is an otherwise incredibly ambitious and gripping fantasy debut.

"My Dear Illusion" is a fantastic entry into a new series for Sarah Ready. If you're looking for a fantasy romance with high stakes, a unique magic system, and a deeply complicated love story, you won't want to miss this. I'm already eager to see where Mari and Finn's journey takes them next!

Unfortunately, My Dear Illusion ended up being a DNF for me at around the 15% mark. I really wanted to love this story, but I found myself struggling to stay engaged. There were quite a few characters introduced early on, and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and how they connected.

After taking about a week-long break to see if some distance would help, I realized I couldn’t remember the details well enough to feel motivated to pick it back up which was a clear sign this book just wasn’t clicking for me personally. I imagine readers who enjoy layered casts and are quicker to connect with complex setups may find more enjoyment here than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Now I have to say, while the writing style took a while to get used to—and I’m still not sure it fully clicked for me—the story itself kept pulling me in. It’s one of those books where you feel a little disoriented at first, but instead of turning you off, that confusion adds to the intrigue. The whole premise of illusions stacked on illusions, where you can’t trust what’s real or who anyone truly is, created a constant tension that I found really compelling.
The magic system is fascinating, especially Mari’s ability to untie illusion—such a cool concept, and it made her stand out as a main character. The plot is twisty and layered, and even though I suspected a few things, I was never completely sure I was right. That constant second-guessing kept me on my toes the entire time. Also, the Hundred Year Games are brutal, mysterious, and full of danger, which added a Hunger Games–style tension but with more magic and secrets.
Even with the writing style not being totally my thing, the worldbuilding and complex character dynamics made this a 4-star read for me. I’ll definitely be checking out the next book—I need to know what happens next!

This was quite lengthy—it took me over 2 weeks to finish. And I found it difficult to get into the story in the beginning. This was mostly because of the writing style. The writing is supposed to be poetic and paint the picture of—at least the way I see it—illusion. But once I settled in, it was a thrilling experience. Until it wasn't.

What on Earth were those last chapters??? Those plot twists were jaw-dropping, tear-jerking, and panic-inducing. I have soooo many questions and I don't know how much longer I can wait for them to be answered in the sequel [and this book hasn't even been published yet!]

I will be looking out for the sequel announcement and I will definitely want to get my hands on this book when it's out.

My dear illusion
Strong FMC
Magic is a part of everyday life
Not a romance book
Exciting Suspenseful
Keeps you guessing
fresh take on magic
Trust No One
The whole book is a lie.

First I’d like to clarify this is not really a romance book. It’s categorized as romance so I went into it expecting a healthy dose of smut but no, it’s not like that. This is more action/adventure/trickery.

My notes while reading:
The FMC is a “creature” and can die and come back to life but the creatures do have a final death. Each time they die they come back with a new physical appearance.
The authors uses the wind as a character in the book to give the reader a third person perspective. So when the FMC (1st person POV) isn’t in the scene but the scene is relevant to the plot, the wind will be in the scene narrating. The wind is a silent character in the book with its own personality and will.

Survive the trials win the crown and possibly die anyway.

She (Mari-FMC) breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader at times, referring to the reader as if they’re a person she knows and has spoken to before.
In the end you learn she isn’t talking to the reader but a certain person.

Brings up a lot of questions that make u wanna keep reading to figure out the answers. Did Finn remove Mari’s memories? If so which ones? Are Finn and Luvic plotting something together? Is Finn going to die from solange? How is this going to be a HEA? I hope it will be. Why did Luvic kill Mari? So many questions.

I was NOT expecting the ending. After the duel, everything is unveiled and it’s chaos and unexpected.

In My Dear Illusion, Sarah Ready delivers an ambitious, genre-bending fantasy that defies expectations and lingers long after the final page. The story follows Mari, a Nine—a human gifted (or cursed) with nine lives—who is bound in servitude to Jagger, a powerful and calculating Leggerock. Though Jagger is absent for much of the novel, his presence looms large. His sinister plans for world domination drive the plot, and his influence extends through nearly every thread of the story, casting a long shadow over Mari’s journey and the Hundred Year Games themselves.

As part of Jagger’s bid for power, he sends Mari to form an alliance with Finn, a participant in the Hundred Year Games—a brutal, once-a-century competition between conjurer families. The winning family earns the crown of illusion, a symbol of magical dominance for the next hundred years. This premise alone is enough to hook any fantasy reader, but what elevates My Dear Illusion is the complexity and richness Ready brings to every aspect of this world.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley, and as a long-time fan of Sarah Ready’s Ghosted series, I was intrigued—but also slightly wary—of such a sharp pivot in genre and tone. Let me say this upfront: if you’re familiar with Ready’s earlier works, be prepared for something entirely different. This is not a lighthearted romance or contemporary drama. It’s dark, dense, strange—and ultimately brilliant.

The opening is a slow burn, and it took me a while to find my footing. The narrative initially felt jarring, switching between Mari’s perspective and that of a sentient Wind. But as the story unfolded, I came to appreciate just how vital—and powerful—that Wind’s perspective is. Not only does it lend a poetic, almost mythic quality to the story, but it also reveals secrets and motivations that would remain hidden without it. The Wind knows things no character can see. It offers a higher, more ancient view of events that adds both gravity and mystery. Without this POV, the novel would be far less layered and emotionally resonant.

The conjurer families themselves are another highlight. Ready introduces them with clarity and intrigue, offering just enough detail to make their politics, rivalries, and magical dynamics fascinating, while still preserving a strong sense of mystery. These families feel like institutions with deep, complex histories—and part of the novel’s allure is in slowly uncovering the power structures and ancient grudges they operate within.

Mari is a compelling lead—resilient, conflicted, and brimming with questions of loyalty, freedom, and identity. Her connection with Finn is tense, heartfelt, and full of emotional complexity. Their alliance feels earned, rather than forced, and shifts in unpredictable ways. Even when things between them feel uncertain, their dynamic keeps the tension alive. Meanwhile, Jagger, though physically absent for much of the story, is a constant presence. His manipulation, cruelty, and ambition ripple across every chapter, reminding us that the true enemy is never far from reach.

As the plot unfolds, twists and turns abound. Some moments I anticipated in vague outline—but even those came in surprising, inventive ways. Others caught me completely off guard, leaving me breathless, teary-eyed, or laughing out loud. The emotional rollercoaster is intense in the best way.

Yes, the book is long. Yes, it requires patience. But My Dear Illusion is a masterclass in slow-burn storytelling, full of tension, heart, and originality. The writing is lyrical and immersive, the worldbuilding intricate without being overwhelming, and the characters unforgettable. It’s a book that rewards your attention—and one that begs to be discussed, reread, and obsessed over.

This is, without question, one of the best fantasy novels of 2025. It’s daring, imaginative, and wholly unlike anything I’ve read before. I don’t know how I’ll stop thinking about it until the next installment is in my hands.

Until then, I’ll be here—telling everyone I know to read it, and probably still screaming into the void.