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A review by pagesofmaria13
Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova
5.0
If I could put my feelings in a jar every time I finish a book, Illusionary’s would be glowing.
This book was character development at its finest. Renata grows so much since the events of Incendiary, both emotionally and in regards to her power, and I loved seeing that progress. Not that I didn’t like her in the first book, but it’s always beautiful to see a character become a better version of themselves. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that she’s one of my new favorite YA heroines. (The fact that she has my brother’s name is an added bonus.) I also adored seeing more of Castian, who is a character I was already in love with from [b:Incendiary|52888729|Incendiary (Hollow Crown, #1)|Zoraida Córdova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568058171l/52888729._SX50_SY75_.jpg|56956163] despite we don’t see much of him. I say this all the time, but Zoraida Córdova is the only author who managed to make me fall in love with a character and a ship by only getting glimpses of him and by throwing clues at his real motives. I always thought that there was more to the Matahermano than what everyone knew and this sequel confirmed it. If the love was strong before, it’s made of adamantium steel now.
I do think I preferred the castle’s setting in Incendiary a little bit more than the journey we got in Illusionary, but I loved everything else so much more, which is saying something. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the characters. Renata, Castian and Leo are particularly close to my heart. I’m so happy that the author found a way to have Leo be an integral part of the plot in this book as well because I love him. Lady Nuria, who was one of my favorites from book one, reconfirms her badass queen status even though we see her less. And there’s also Dez. I didn’t much care for in the first book—not that he didn’t seem like a good character, but he didn’t click with me as Castian did—but I reevaluated him here. I’m weak for bromance, so when I saw Dez and Castian interacting…I was lost. The other aspect I loved of this book is, of course, the romance, which was superb. Sweet, epic, and hawt to the point that I wished this was a New Adult/Adult book so we could have more!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC through NetGalley. I feel so incredibly honored and happy to have been able to read one of my most anticipated sequels early, and I’m glad that this book surpassed my every expectation. I can officially confirm that the Hollow Crown duology is one of my favorite of all time. I’m hopeful that the epilogue served not only as a closure to the duology, but also as a hopeful door to a possible spin off series. I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all.
This book was character development at its finest. Renata grows so much since the events of Incendiary, both emotionally and in regards to her power, and I loved seeing that progress. Not that I didn’t like her in the first book, but it’s always beautiful to see a character become a better version of themselves. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that she’s one of my new favorite YA heroines. (The fact that she has my brother’s name is an added bonus.) I also adored seeing more of Castian, who is a character I was already in love with from [b:Incendiary|52888729|Incendiary (Hollow Crown, #1)|Zoraida Córdova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568058171l/52888729._SX50_SY75_.jpg|56956163] despite we don’t see much of him. I say this all the time, but Zoraida Córdova is the only author who managed to make me fall in love with a character and a ship by only getting glimpses of him and by throwing clues at his real motives. I always thought that there was more to the Matahermano than what everyone knew and this sequel confirmed it. If the love was strong before, it’s made of adamantium steel now.
I do think I preferred the castle’s setting in Incendiary a little bit more than the journey we got in Illusionary, but I loved everything else so much more, which is saying something. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the characters. Renata, Castian and Leo are particularly close to my heart. I’m so happy that the author found a way to have Leo be an integral part of the plot in this book as well because I love him. Lady Nuria, who was one of my favorites from book one, reconfirms her badass queen status even though we see her less. And there’s also Dez. I didn’t much care for in the first book—not that he didn’t seem like a good character, but he didn’t click with me as Castian did—but I reevaluated him here. I’m weak for bromance, so when I saw Dez and Castian interacting…I was lost. The other aspect I loved of this book is, of course, the romance, which was superb. Sweet, epic, and hawt to the point that I wished this was a New Adult/Adult book so we could have more!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC through NetGalley. I feel so incredibly honored and happy to have been able to read one of my most anticipated sequels early, and I’m glad that this book surpassed my every expectation. I can officially confirm that the Hollow Crown duology is one of my favorite of all time. I’m hopeful that the epilogue served not only as a closure to the duology, but also as a hopeful door to a possible spin off series. I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all.