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therabidsnail's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
votesforwomen's review against another edition
I promise I'm gonna come back to this one at some point, y'all. I PROMISE.
But at the moment my interest level isn't up and I really want to reread some old comfort books. So I'm probably going to return most of my library books unread and work through some more Mitford and Goldstone Wood.
At some point, when I have the time and interest, I will pick this one back up. But not right now. :P
But at the moment my interest level isn't up and I really want to reread some old comfort books. So I'm probably going to return most of my library books unread and work through some more Mitford and Goldstone Wood.
At some point, when I have the time and interest, I will pick this one back up. But not right now. :P
alliehwilliams's review against another edition
5.0
Real review to come but for now... This is the most fun I've had reading in a looong time. Simply put, I adored The Illusionarium. My only wish is that Heather Dixon wrote faster. More to come closer to pub date.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
Arthurise has been hit by a highly infectious disease called Venen. It affects only women, killing those who contract it within six days. Jonathan Gouden and his father, the esteemed scientist Dr. Heinrich Gouden, have been asked by King Edward to assist Lady Florel (“the empire’s top medical scientist”) in finding a cure. With more and more women becoming infected every day, time is of the essence. Lady Florel insists in the use of fantillium (a drug that causes one to be able to spin illusions), to aid in the endeavor. After a test of said fantillium Dr. Gouden is firmly against it, citing that Lady Florel no longer appears to be the Lady Florel (she’s smiling entirely too much). When both Jonathan’s mother and sister contract the Venen he takes it upon himself to experiment with the fantillium and finds he has quite the talent for illusioning.
When Lady Florel discovers Jonathan can weave illusions, she promises him the antidote to the Venen, but it comes at a price. Jonathan will agree to anything to save his family, and before he knows it, he’s taken through an illusioned door to Nod’ol, the crumbling opposite of the illustrious Arthurise. Now, not only does Jonathan have to find a cure, but he also has to find his way home again.
Illusionarium has probably been one of the more visually accessible books I’ve read in awhile. Much of the book is based in either illusion or in a topsy-turvy world (heck, even what is considered the “real world” in Illusionarium is an alternate 19th century London). Oftentimes, reading something so metaphysical, I find, I get lost in descriptions sometimes not really being able to correctly picture it in my mind while reading. That doesn’t happen here. Heather Dixon weaved together her worlds excellently.
Of course, this means the beautiful as well as the grotesque aspects. For the people of Nod’ol their days are filled with the deterioration around them. So they escape by constantly living in illusions. Thus, they turn into things called Riven where they literally begin to fracture and grow extra appendages (mainly eyes and sets of teeth) over various parts of their bodies. They are images in my mind I won’t soon forget (and you’re welcome for me passing them along to you). It wasn’t something that I was expecting when I began reading, and while slightly disturbing, I have to hand it to Heather Dixon’s imagination.
Another thing I liked about Illusionarium is the fact that there is no romance. Jonathan is sixteen. He’s getting ready to go to university. Illusionarium focuses on Jonathan’s journey from a “sort of” person—“sort of tall, sort of thin, sort of brownish hair”—to an “absolute” person. He begins to stand out on his own. I enjoyed seeing him grow.
To push Jonathan along on his journey is Lockwood, a Lieutenant in the Arthurise guard. They are complete opposites, and their bickering throughout the book made for some much needed humor, but the tentative friendship they form is something I haven’t read much lately in the books I’ve read, and I found it a refreshing change of pace.
Overall, I found Illusionarium to be unique and somewhat unexpected. Definitely going to keep Heather Dixon in mind for future reads.
Arthurise has been hit by a highly infectious disease called Venen. It affects only women, killing those who contract it within six days. Jonathan Gouden and his father, the esteemed scientist Dr. Heinrich Gouden, have been asked by King Edward to assist Lady Florel (“the empire’s top medical scientist”) in finding a cure. With more and more women becoming infected every day, time is of the essence. Lady Florel insists in the use of fantillium (a drug that causes one to be able to spin illusions), to aid in the endeavor. After a test of said fantillium Dr. Gouden is firmly against it, citing that Lady Florel no longer appears to be the Lady Florel (she’s smiling entirely too much). When both Jonathan’s mother and sister contract the Venen he takes it upon himself to experiment with the fantillium and finds he has quite the talent for illusioning.
When Lady Florel discovers Jonathan can weave illusions, she promises him the antidote to the Venen, but it comes at a price. Jonathan will agree to anything to save his family, and before he knows it, he’s taken through an illusioned door to Nod’ol, the crumbling opposite of the illustrious Arthurise. Now, not only does Jonathan have to find a cure, but he also has to find his way home again.
Illusionarium has probably been one of the more visually accessible books I’ve read in awhile. Much of the book is based in either illusion or in a topsy-turvy world (heck, even what is considered the “real world” in Illusionarium is an alternate 19th century London). Oftentimes, reading something so metaphysical, I find, I get lost in descriptions sometimes not really being able to correctly picture it in my mind while reading. That doesn’t happen here. Heather Dixon weaved together her worlds excellently.
Of course, this means the beautiful as well as the grotesque aspects. For the people of Nod’ol their days are filled with the deterioration around them. So they escape by constantly living in illusions. Thus, they turn into things called Riven where they literally begin to fracture and grow extra appendages (mainly eyes and sets of teeth) over various parts of their bodies. They are images in my mind I won’t soon forget (and you’re welcome for me passing them along to you). It wasn’t something that I was expecting when I began reading, and while slightly disturbing, I have to hand it to Heather Dixon’s imagination.
Another thing I liked about Illusionarium is the fact that there is no romance. Jonathan is sixteen. He’s getting ready to go to university. Illusionarium focuses on Jonathan’s journey from a “sort of” person—“sort of tall, sort of thin, sort of brownish hair”—to an “absolute” person. He begins to stand out on his own. I enjoyed seeing him grow.
To push Jonathan along on his journey is Lockwood, a Lieutenant in the Arthurise guard. They are complete opposites, and their bickering throughout the book made for some much needed humor, but the tentative friendship they form is something I haven’t read much lately in the books I’ve read, and I found it a refreshing change of pace.
Overall, I found Illusionarium to be unique and somewhat unexpected. Definitely going to keep Heather Dixon in mind for future reads.
kwthor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Death
I had a hard time connecting with the characters until about halfway through the book. I did enjoy the ending and the conclusion.what_ella_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Pros: This was an very different read. I have never read a book quite like it. It is a steampunk book with some magic and post apocalyptic elements thrown in.
This was written in first person, which I do not always like. However, I think it was well done. Jonathan is a smart, witty, and loyal character. He really grows up as the story goes along. I really like that he isn't a stereotypical rebellious teenager, who has a grudge against his parents. His deep love and respect for his family is admirable. He risks his life to save both his family and friends multiple times. I would love to read a sequel where we get to know Jonathan's family and friends better.
Cons: This book is very descriptive. At times I did find it difficult to get a clear understanding of the surroundings and the "Riven" people. The scientific elements were cool, but sometimes hard to understand at times, also.
My rating : 4 out of 5 stars
This was written in first person, which I do not always like. However, I think it was well done. Jonathan is a smart, witty, and loyal character. He really grows up as the story goes along. I really like that he isn't a stereotypical rebellious teenager, who has a grudge against his parents. His deep love and respect for his family is admirable. He risks his life to save both his family and friends multiple times. I would love to read a sequel where we get to know Jonathan's family and friends better.
Cons: This book is very descriptive. At times I did find it difficult to get a clear understanding of the surroundings and the "Riven" people. The scientific elements were cool, but sometimes hard to understand at times, also.
My rating : 4 out of 5 stars
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
3.0
Really fascinating premise, with cool steampunk elements (I'm not typically a fan of steampunk but bits are fun), neat concept about the ability to breathe in this "drug," almost, that allows for shared and controlled illusions/hallucinations. I give high points for that and for the interesting details about how things work. But I didn't care quite enough about the characters, and the way the story actually played out just didn't grab me well enough. But this author is clearly talented and imaginative. Curious to see what she does next.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/illusionarium-clean-young-adult-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/illusionarium-clean-young-adult-book-review/
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
2.0
* I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
I didn't love this book, and I mostly didn't really like it either. It had a good plot and a lot of potential, but it felt like it moved too quickly with too little explanation. It had a lot of complex mathematical formulas and explanations, but they didn't make sense and maybe that's because I'm not mathematical in the slightest. However, I have read books before that were highly complex, but had such good detailed explanations that I felt like I understood. That didn't happen here. The characters and premise were intriguing but it failed in execution. This was hugely disappointing to me as I loved her previous book Entwined and I was really looking forward to this book.
I didn't love this book, and I mostly didn't really like it either. It had a good plot and a lot of potential, but it felt like it moved too quickly with too little explanation. It had a lot of complex mathematical formulas and explanations, but they didn't make sense and maybe that's because I'm not mathematical in the slightest. However, I have read books before that were highly complex, but had such good detailed explanations that I felt like I understood. That didn't happen here. The characters and premise were intriguing but it failed in execution. This was hugely disappointing to me as I loved her previous book Entwined and I was really looking forward to this book.
hamckeon's review against another edition
3.0
I give it more of a 3.5. It really is an interesting concept. The only part that I did not like was the inclusion of footnotes; I'm not a big fan of them stylistically in this type of book.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be about, but it wasn't what it was ACTUALLY about. Which turned out to be a good thing, because I found myself pretty much fascinated with the world created in Illusionarium and thoroughly engrossed in the story, and I'm not sure I would've picked it up if I'd really read the summary and/or paid attention to others' reviews. This was a book that was different than pretty much everything else I've ever read, and I'm not even sure what genre to put it in. There's some magic, some dystopian, some adventure, and it all resolved into a really engaging, edge-of-your-seat read. What I will say is, if you're at all interested in it, pick it up and give it a read. Hopefully you'll come out of it having enjoyed it as well!