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jezzebelljc's review
3.0
Welcome to the House of Delusion
"If danger and evil were hideous, everyone could avoid them. The wickedest things are cloaked in beauty."
I love reading about red-heads. These are usually the best heroines that I have come across. When I read the blurb for this book, I was thrilled because I love magic and it seemed right up my alley.
The Good
I was enchanted by Phil and Fee who are incredibly different personalities. Phil is the tough, brave, significantly stubborn red-head that I am used to reading about. Fee is loving, soft, and has a more innocent view of things. They are illusionists and very knowledgeable and dedicated to their craft.
I enjoyed meeting the magicians that stay in the College at Stour because they were almost the opposite of Phil and Fee. They don't use spells, they pull on the Essence given from the Earth itself. The magic in this book is unique.
The content about the war was very well-done. There are a lot of facts and it feels real. I believe Sullivan really knew what she was talking about here.
The Bad
I actually wanted to read more about Fee because at times Phil became annoying to me. She was the 'squeaky wheel', and while it's commendable to never give up on what you believe in, I felt she was a little overdone with how much she pushed people to involve themselves in the war effort.
Also, there are a lot of back-and-forths during the narrative between character's points-of-view. It was dizzying to me and hard to keep track of at times. It was easy to put this book down and read another one, and I had to keep picking this one up to get through it.
Even though I realize that it had to be done for the sake of continuing the story in an interesting fashion, I was against magic being pushed on one of the characters. It was a violating moment with disastrous consequences, and I feel we could have read the same outcome with a different way of getting there.
The Romance
I like when characters are pushing each other away in the beginning, but end up in love later on. Phil has this type of relationship. However, nothing is roses and they have the type of second book heartache already happening in this one. Conflict after conflict that keeps their relationship from fully developing. Fee had the insta-love as Phil described her as falling in love ever 10 minutes, and I actually liked it in this case.
Conclusion
I'm glad that I read it as the characters were great. I was a little bored with all the war talk and wanted a little more magic, but personally I am not a history buff and it tends to make me yawn. I would not recommend anyone below late teens read this story. If you like to read books with real life events happening and a little fantasy thrown in, you should give it a shot.
This review is also on my blog: JC's Book Haven
"If danger and evil were hideous, everyone could avoid them. The wickedest things are cloaked in beauty."
I love reading about red-heads. These are usually the best heroines that I have come across. When I read the blurb for this book, I was thrilled because I love magic and it seemed right up my alley.
The Good
I was enchanted by Phil and Fee who are incredibly different personalities. Phil is the tough, brave, significantly stubborn red-head that I am used to reading about. Fee is loving, soft, and has a more innocent view of things. They are illusionists and very knowledgeable and dedicated to their craft.
I enjoyed meeting the magicians that stay in the College at Stour because they were almost the opposite of Phil and Fee. They don't use spells, they pull on the Essence given from the Earth itself. The magic in this book is unique.
The content about the war was very well-done. There are a lot of facts and it feels real. I believe Sullivan really knew what she was talking about here.
The Bad
I actually wanted to read more about Fee because at times Phil became annoying to me. She was the 'squeaky wheel', and while it's commendable to never give up on what you believe in, I felt she was a little overdone with how much she pushed people to involve themselves in the war effort.
Also, there are a lot of back-and-forths during the narrative between character's points-of-view. It was dizzying to me and hard to keep track of at times. It was easy to put this book down and read another one, and I had to keep picking this one up to get through it.
Even though I realize that it had to be done for the sake of continuing the story in an interesting fashion, I was against magic being pushed on one of the characters. It was a violating moment with disastrous consequences, and I feel we could have read the same outcome with a different way of getting there.
The Romance
I like when characters are pushing each other away in the beginning, but end up in love later on. Phil has this type of relationship. However, nothing is roses and they have the type of second book heartache already happening in this one. Conflict after conflict that keeps their relationship from fully developing. Fee had the insta-love as Phil described her as falling in love ever 10 minutes, and I actually liked it in this case.
Conclusion
I'm glad that I read it as the characters were great. I was a little bored with all the war talk and wanted a little more magic, but personally I am not a history buff and it tends to make me yawn. I would not recommend anyone below late teens read this story. If you like to read books with real life events happening and a little fantasy thrown in, you should give it a shot.
This review is also on my blog: JC's Book Haven
emilyanne3000's review
2.0
So, I thought this book sounded pretty awesome, with it's pretty cover and cool synopsis. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying the book. The dull characters and slow pace made Delusion a disappointment.
Part of the reason I did not like the book is that most of the time the writing was in 3rd person, but could switch to first. And since I have an uncorrected ARC, when the view points switched, thewordsshoweduplikethiswhichisreallyannoying. No spaces. I got kinda annoyed at that, which is no fault of the actual story but still made Delusion harder to read.
Okay, the characters. They were either dull, or mean. I did not find it in me to root for any of them, especially Fee. And when you don't care what happens to the characters, there is normally not a point to the book unless there is a specific moral. Also, the pacing was terrible, and I found my self only scanning some pages. Plus, some forced dialogue ruined any realistic characters Sullivan could have created.
I just felt really disconnected to the story. That is not a good feeling.
Overall, I am sorry for the short review, but I could not find many redeeming qualities and I don't want to bash the book. I am sure other people could enjoy this book, but I was definitely not one of them. Thank you ARCycling for giving me the chance to read Delusion.
1.8/5 bookcases
Part of the reason I did not like the book is that most of the time the writing was in 3rd person, but could switch to first. And since I have an uncorrected ARC, when the view points switched, thewordsshoweduplikethiswhichisreallyannoying. No spaces. I got kinda annoyed at that, which is no fault of the actual story but still made Delusion harder to read.
Okay, the characters. They were either dull, or mean. I did not find it in me to root for any of them, especially Fee. And when you don't care what happens to the characters, there is normally not a point to the book unless there is a specific moral. Also, the pacing was terrible, and I found my self only scanning some pages. Plus, some forced dialogue ruined any realistic characters Sullivan could have created.
I just felt really disconnected to the story. That is not a good feeling.
Overall, I am sorry for the short review, but I could not find many redeeming qualities and I don't want to bash the book. I am sure other people could enjoy this book, but I was definitely not one of them. Thank you ARCycling for giving me the chance to read Delusion.
1.8/5 bookcases
operasara's review
2.0
Delusion by Laura L Sullivan stars sisters Phil and Fee, magician sisters who have been exiled to the country during the war so they'll remain safe. While there they find a college of real magicians and is determined to get them to help with the home guard. Magic and love of course romance ensue.
This book has many issues that drag the book down making it unreadable even with it's original plot. The author has issues with switching points of views to the point that the reader can get lost. The plot also meanders around at some places where the reader wonders if anything interesting will happen. I had to push myself to get through the book and put it down several times, pausing to read other things.
Appropriateness: This is a book best suited for older teens. There is quite a bit of sexual content and drunkeness and the characters themselves are older. I would reccomend the book to readers 14+
This book has many issues that drag the book down making it unreadable even with it's original plot. The author has issues with switching points of views to the point that the reader can get lost. The plot also meanders around at some places where the reader wonders if anything interesting will happen. I had to push myself to get through the book and put it down several times, pausing to read other things.
Appropriateness: This is a book best suited for older teens. There is quite a bit of sexual content and drunkeness and the characters themselves are older. I would reccomend the book to readers 14+
chwaters's review
3.0
Twin sisters Fee and Phil Albion have been performers their entire lives. The family legacy is that of magic shows and illusions. Now, the time has come for the sisters to unveil their biggest illusion in front of an audience at the House of Delusion. All goes well until the Germans begin bombing London in what is now known as the London Blitz. The family and theatre are relatively unharmed, but the girls are sent to the countryside for their safety. This is fine for Fee, who hates any sort of violence and relishes the idea of reading her Austen in a more pastoral setting. Phil, on the other hand, is furious that she is going to have to be too far away to help in the war effort. Their parents are on their own mission to do their part for England, but Fee and Phil are technically still too young to take an active role in the homefront efforts. The village the girls are sent to is so remote that the government hasn't even gotten around to rationing or performing air raid drills. Phil immediately sees an opportunity to labor on behalf of her country and attempts to cobble together a makeshift home defense unit. In the process of exploring the area, Phil stumbles upon something entirely unexpected: a magic school in the middle of nowhere. And not the illusion-based "magic" that the Albion family practices - real magic. What will this discovery mean in the grand scheme of things? Far more than anyone could have ever predicted.
This is a fun and unique take on both history and magic. Phil and Fee are charming characters, though perhaps a bit on the overly earnest side. The plot was a bit predictable at times, but the concept is novel enough to not let that bother me too much. The pacing is fairly brisk and even the more serious moments have a bit of humor to them, making this a great choice for a summer read.
This is a fun and unique take on both history and magic. Phil and Fee are charming characters, though perhaps a bit on the overly earnest side. The plot was a bit predictable at times, but the concept is novel enough to not let that bother me too much. The pacing is fairly brisk and even the more serious moments have a bit of humor to them, making this a great choice for a summer read.
lostinagoodread's review
3.0
This review was originally published on Cozy Up With A Good Read
I'm not completely sure what I was expecting from this book, I knew there would be magic involved and obviously it takes place during WWII, but the synopsis didn't really give much to what would happen (which I liked). I definitely wasn't expecting what I got out of this story though. I enjoyed how Sullivan shows a different side of the world, I find it interesting to read a historical fiction book that adds in the supernatural (it reminds me a little of FATEFUL by Claudia Gray, just with a different idea).
Right from the beginning, we are taken into the magical world where twin sisters Phil and Fee are preparing to go on stage and perform their own routine together. But because of certain circumstances, that doesn't happen and the two girls are taken out of the city into the country, where no one pays attention to the war going on around them, and they all have this idea that nothing will touch them. From there it seems like things happen so quickly and I didn't have time to let things sink in. I just felt like everything was thrown at me at once and then the story slows down a bit I missed big chunks, and the the ending hits you like a ton of bricks. Everything felt disjointed and I had a bit of trouble keeping my concentration.
I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, it was the part of the story that really interested me the most to be honest. I loved how these two sisters were complete opposite of one another and had such different views on the world, yet were so close. I always got the feeling that they were one person split in half. They have an adorable relationship where they share everything with one another, and they have this interesting way of calming each other down by touching foreheads, like they can share everything through telekinesis almost. Though I did find both Phil and Fee to have a skewed view of the world, Fee falls in love at the drop of a hat, and imagines herself in many of those romance novels that she reads all the time like the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen. Whereas Phil has a stronger personality and wants to fight for her beliefs and wants to do what she can to win the war. I honestly liked Fee a bit better because I found that Phil refused to believe that the war was worse than she imagined even after speaking with people who have come back from fighting.
There was some romance to the story (more so from Fee's side of things) but a lot of the story focused on the magical and fighting of a war side of things. Phil finds a college of male magicians that hide out and protect the world, but are not interested in the war. I really didn't understand a lot of what was happening at this point because there was just so much going on, and then the ending there was the huge fight which was interesting but still confusing.
The story as a whole had an interesting concept, but in my opinion there was just too much happening to really understand the story and connect with any of the characters.
I'm not completely sure what I was expecting from this book, I knew there would be magic involved and obviously it takes place during WWII, but the synopsis didn't really give much to what would happen (which I liked). I definitely wasn't expecting what I got out of this story though. I enjoyed how Sullivan shows a different side of the world, I find it interesting to read a historical fiction book that adds in the supernatural (it reminds me a little of FATEFUL by Claudia Gray, just with a different idea).
Right from the beginning, we are taken into the magical world where twin sisters Phil and Fee are preparing to go on stage and perform their own routine together. But because of certain circumstances, that doesn't happen and the two girls are taken out of the city into the country, where no one pays attention to the war going on around them, and they all have this idea that nothing will touch them. From there it seems like things happen so quickly and I didn't have time to let things sink in. I just felt like everything was thrown at me at once and then the story slows down a bit I missed big chunks, and the the ending hits you like a ton of bricks. Everything felt disjointed and I had a bit of trouble keeping my concentration.
I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, it was the part of the story that really interested me the most to be honest. I loved how these two sisters were complete opposite of one another and had such different views on the world, yet were so close. I always got the feeling that they were one person split in half. They have an adorable relationship where they share everything with one another, and they have this interesting way of calming each other down by touching foreheads, like they can share everything through telekinesis almost. Though I did find both Phil and Fee to have a skewed view of the world, Fee falls in love at the drop of a hat, and imagines herself in many of those romance novels that she reads all the time like the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen. Whereas Phil has a stronger personality and wants to fight for her beliefs and wants to do what she can to win the war. I honestly liked Fee a bit better because I found that Phil refused to believe that the war was worse than she imagined even after speaking with people who have come back from fighting.
There was some romance to the story (more so from Fee's side of things) but a lot of the story focused on the magical and fighting of a war side of things. Phil finds a college of male magicians that hide out and protect the world, but are not interested in the war. I really didn't understand a lot of what was happening at this point because there was just so much going on, and then the ending there was the huge fight which was interesting but still confusing.
The story as a whole had an interesting concept, but in my opinion there was just too much happening to really understand the story and connect with any of the characters.
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