Brad About Books: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Read from March 2 to 4, 2013

BORN OF ILLUSION
Expected Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Balzer & Bray (Harper)
Format: e-ARC
Page Count: 352 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Series: Born of Illusion, #1

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is an electric, unique novel of magic, love and family. One of the most original novels I've read in a long time!

This book is intense! There are many scenes in this book that had me on the edge of my seat, and Teri Brown did a great job at making such thrilling scenes! The idea of putting magicians into a historical fiction setting is simply awesome, and since Born of Illusion was executed so well in that way, it totally worked. I loved getting to see the "behind-the-scenes" of magic shows and it can transform people.

The characters... Anna's mom is AWFUL. I could not stand her in the slightest bit. Anna {our main protagonist} made me connect to her so easily, but gosh, her mom was horrible! I felt so bad for Anna, and I guess that's why I loved her character! Right from the first page, I gravitated towards Anna, and she never let me down!

Also, the book is so eerie. Born of Illusion is almost dark and twisted, but gosh, is it good! There are so many chilling and spine-tingling events that occur in Born of Illusion, and honestly, it had me scared to death what would happen next! The ending was definitely fast-paced, and in the end, I really, really enjoyed Born of Illusion!

Overall, Born of Illusion is a must-read for fans of haunting and chilling stories. Teri Brown has crafted a lush and vibrant world that scared me and enthralled me into the story. A wonderful, fresh novel!

M Y   R A T I N G