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thebookshelfmonster 's review for:
Illusions of Grandeur
by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
"Oh, rabbit…precious rabbit. Now I do not think I can ever let you go."
Illusions of Grandeur is the first in Kathryn Ann Kingsley's The Impossible Julian Strande series and follows the protagonist Alice Munroe as she begins her strange new job as caretaker/groundskeeper/machinist at the strange old Strande Mansion. Julian Strande, a celebrated magician of his time who like many of his contemporaries was rumoured to have sold his soul to the devil to gain real magic, had mysteriously disappeared around a hundred years ago and even though his body was never recovered, the mansion turned museum is believed to have been haunted by his malevolent presence. Alice doesn't believe in the supernatural, even though all the other staff members at the museum tread lightly about the mansion in wariness of its dead owner. However, the longer she works at the puzzlingly constructed and disorienting art deco-style Strande Mansion, and regardless of the distraction her incredibly attractive employer and the dead magician's heir Charles provides, the more she begins questioning everything she thought she knew about the world.
Illusions of Grandeur is classic gothic fiction at its most delightful. The setting of the story provides the reader with the expected cast of a creepy and disorienting large house, strange noises and occurrences, a sinister ghostly presence with a history of rumoured violence, and a rich, attractive male love interest who gives off more than a hint of danger himself. The author uses these genre conventions to provide an incredibly well-written story set in contemporary times that is equal parts intriguing and enchanting.
This is the first book I have read by Kingsley, and I instantly fell in love with the setting, the plot and the premise. The writing is well-paced with just the right amount of occasional breathlessness (for various reasons *wink wink*). The descriptions of the world the story is set in, i.e., the Strande Mansion, is well-thought out enough to engage the reader and only furthers the intrigue of the story, without overwhelming with details. I found the female lead's persona somewhat understated, even though most of the novel unfolds from her perspective, though I can see how it would be hard to outshine an absolutely larger-than-life character like the impossible magician. I did appreciate the subtle shifts and developments that the characters undergo in their personality, and the empathy with which the writer draws out even side characters who do not get as much space in the story otherwise. I found this to be an extremely enjoyable and well-balanced read overall.
Illusions of Grandeur is the first in Kathryn Ann Kingsley's The Impossible Julian Strande series and follows the protagonist Alice Munroe as she begins her strange new job as caretaker/groundskeeper/machinist at the strange old Strande Mansion. Julian Strande, a celebrated magician of his time who like many of his contemporaries was rumoured to have sold his soul to the devil to gain real magic, had mysteriously disappeared around a hundred years ago and even though his body was never recovered, the mansion turned museum is believed to have been haunted by his malevolent presence. Alice doesn't believe in the supernatural, even though all the other staff members at the museum tread lightly about the mansion in wariness of its dead owner. However, the longer she works at the puzzlingly constructed and disorienting art deco-style Strande Mansion, and regardless of the distraction her incredibly attractive employer and the dead magician's heir Charles provides, the more she begins questioning everything she thought she knew about the world.
Illusions of Grandeur is classic gothic fiction at its most delightful. The setting of the story provides the reader with the expected cast of a creepy and disorienting large house, strange noises and occurrences, a sinister ghostly presence with a history of rumoured violence, and a rich, attractive male love interest who gives off more than a hint of danger himself. The author uses these genre conventions to provide an incredibly well-written story set in contemporary times that is equal parts intriguing and enchanting.
This is the first book I have read by Kingsley, and I instantly fell in love with the setting, the plot and the premise. The writing is well-paced with just the right amount of occasional breathlessness (for various reasons *wink wink*). The descriptions of the world the story is set in, i.e., the Strande Mansion, is well-thought out enough to engage the reader and only furthers the intrigue of the story, without overwhelming with details. I found the female lead's persona somewhat understated, even though most of the novel unfolds from her perspective, though I can see how it would be hard to outshine an absolutely larger-than-life character like the impossible magician. I did appreciate the subtle shifts and developments that the characters undergo in their personality, and the empathy with which the writer draws out even side characters who do not get as much space in the story otherwise. I found this to be an extremely enjoyable and well-balanced read overall.