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Delusion: A YA Fantasy of Two Sisters, Real Magic, and First Love in World War II England
Opening-night jitters are nothing new for seventeen-year-old Phil and her sister Fee, who come from a centuries-old line of stage illusionists. The girls love to dazzle London audiences, but in the aftermath of the Blitz they're shipped off to the countryside, away from the bombs and Nazis. Phil, however, wants to fight for her country, and when she stumbles upon a hidden college of real magicians led by the devastatingly handsome Arden, all she wants to do is persuade them to help England win the war. She'll risk anything to give her country a fighting chance, even if it means losing her heart ...or her life.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 19, 2013
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
January 8, 2013
1.5/5 stars.
Oh my. This one had a fantastic premise behind it - I can see why HMH snapped it up the way it did for a two book deal. However, the version I read in my ARC, really, really, REALLY needed a deep, good, thorough (like NaNoWriMo-worthy) overhaul of the whole thing. At least two more drafts' worth. Which is a shame, since this was one of my most-anticipated of 2013 so far. Basically, "Delusion" is a wonderful idea, with wonderful characters and a semi-solid lovely world, but just isn't quite up to snuff just yet for prime time.
What I fell in love with first was the idea of magic and the lingering traces of vaudeville therein within 1930s/1940s London. Give me any premise with those two elements in that time period and you've got me my attention as it is. The world was very slowly built, and it had the beginnings of very good and thorough worldbuilding, but then the author drifted into telling over showing, which is where we needed severe edit #1. Sullivan knows how to show when she wants to, but between the drifting into massive amounts of telling (and a certain amount of infodumping that could have been distributed a bit more evenly.
There's also the matter of transitions - Sullivan really needed severe edit #2 here. The POV transitions can be hard, I understand that, but these transitions were really just...well, to be a bit harsh, sloppy. To be honest, I'm not sure how this got to the ARC stage of things with such confusing transitions.
However, I loved the idea of the magic college - it was like a more historical-fiction version of Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" series, which if you've read my reviews/the blog, I absolutely adore, and I wanted more on it. I wasn't very keen on the insta-love that went on, and I wish that could have been left out in favor of a more natural romance. However, the idea of the magicians' ideas aligning and being more or less with Hitler's to show how severe they were in their ideals was absolutely brilliant, and I definitely wanted more on that.
The characters were fun - I absolutely loved Phil and Fee, and the dichotomy between them in how different they were, but almost twin-like in the sense that they were two sides of the same coin. For me, they saved this project more or less on their own, which is always a gratifying thing in such a situation. Because of them and them alone, I am tempted to read book two just to see what happens. They're fresh and interesting yet not entirely anachronistic for their time period.
So, as you can see, a lot of pros and cons here to be weighed. I just really hope the final published version is a lot more cleaned up. "Delusion" is out from HMH tomorrow, January 8, 2013 in North America, so be sure to check it out and make your own decision about things then!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
Oh my. This one had a fantastic premise behind it - I can see why HMH snapped it up the way it did for a two book deal. However, the version I read in my ARC, really, really, REALLY needed a deep, good, thorough (like NaNoWriMo-worthy) overhaul of the whole thing. At least two more drafts' worth. Which is a shame, since this was one of my most-anticipated of 2013 so far. Basically, "Delusion" is a wonderful idea, with wonderful characters and a semi-solid lovely world, but just isn't quite up to snuff just yet for prime time.
What I fell in love with first was the idea of magic and the lingering traces of vaudeville therein within 1930s/1940s London. Give me any premise with those two elements in that time period and you've got me my attention as it is. The world was very slowly built, and it had the beginnings of very good and thorough worldbuilding, but then the author drifted into telling over showing, which is where we needed severe edit #1. Sullivan knows how to show when she wants to, but between the drifting into massive amounts of telling (and a certain amount of infodumping that could have been distributed a bit more evenly.
There's also the matter of transitions - Sullivan really needed severe edit #2 here. The POV transitions can be hard, I understand that, but these transitions were really just...well, to be a bit harsh, sloppy. To be honest, I'm not sure how this got to the ARC stage of things with such confusing transitions.
However, I loved the idea of the magic college - it was like a more historical-fiction version of Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" series, which if you've read my reviews/the blog, I absolutely adore, and I wanted more on it. I wasn't very keen on the insta-love that went on, and I wish that could have been left out in favor of a more natural romance. However, the idea of the magicians' ideas aligning and being more or less with Hitler's to show how severe they were in their ideals was absolutely brilliant, and I definitely wanted more on that.
The characters were fun - I absolutely loved Phil and Fee, and the dichotomy between them in how different they were, but almost twin-like in the sense that they were two sides of the same coin. For me, they saved this project more or less on their own, which is always a gratifying thing in such a situation. Because of them and them alone, I am tempted to read book two just to see what happens. They're fresh and interesting yet not entirely anachronistic for their time period.
So, as you can see, a lot of pros and cons here to be weighed. I just really hope the final published version is a lot more cleaned up. "Delusion" is out from HMH tomorrow, January 8, 2013 in North America, so be sure to check it out and make your own decision about things then!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
December 1, 2012
Most of my enjoyment of Delusion came from Phil and Fee, two theatrical fish-out-of-water in the quiet country village of Bittersweet. Shipped out of London by their parents to keep them out of harm's way, their arrival disrupts the villagers' complacent ways. Having been caught in a German air raid in London, Phil is driven to wake up sleepy Bittersweet and get it to prepare for a possible German invasion. No one takes her seriously, but that doesn't stop Phil.
Desperate to find volunteers for the Home Guard, she accidentally stumbles upon a hidden University full of male magicians, who have been untouched by the outside world for many years.
I was wondering where Sullivan was going to go with WWII and the magicians. Sullivan skillfully navigated between pacifism and war-mongering, apathy and community.
There are many hilarious moments in Delusion, especially with Phil and Fee upsetting the monk-like magicians, and a solid dose of fantasy scenes, but they were balanced with a complex and realistic portrait of war.
Desperate to find volunteers for the Home Guard, she accidentally stumbles upon a hidden University full of male magicians, who have been untouched by the outside world for many years.
I was wondering where Sullivan was going to go with WWII and the magicians. Sullivan skillfully navigated between pacifism and war-mongering, apathy and community.
There are many hilarious moments in Delusion, especially with Phil and Fee upsetting the monk-like magicians, and a solid dose of fantasy scenes, but they were balanced with a complex and realistic portrait of war.
January 1, 2013
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+
February 6, 2015
This book was.... Okay. It started off SUPER slow, and I didn't really become interested until over halfway through. The idea of the book definitely has potential, but I feel this book could've been a lot better. I am a lover for action packed books, and this book didn't deliver the action I was hoping for. I only started to like the book when Phil and Arden started becoming the focus as it gave me something to wonder about. Am I the only one that didn't like Phil very much?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2012
Phil and Fee Albion come from a long line of stage magicians and they're exceptionally good at their craft. When the London Blitz begins, their parents join the war effort to put their skills of illusion to good use, but Phil and Fee are sent off to the country, much to Phil's frustration. Out in the country Phil makes a shocking discovery - a school of real magicians. If only she could convince them to use their powers to help England win the war!
So this was all working fine for me until the end, where it seriously fell apart. We have two sisters, one who is sweet and gentle and romantic (Fee) and one who is brave and headstrong and logical (Phil). Phil is able to discover the magician's hidden college because an ancestor of Phil and Fee's was a magician who was cast out of the college.
Fee occupies herself romanticizing about living in the country and then falling in love with one of the magicians, who immediately falls in love with her too, but tis all in vain! For the magicians can never marry or leave the college. For a rather vague a suspicious reason that Phil does not completely buy.
Phil, meanwhile, is determine to do her part for the war effort and busies herself with organizing a home guard made up of the locals, and works on convincing the magicians to use their powers to fight. They refuses, as they have live violence free lives. Phil is a fiercely determine sort of girl, and someone telling her no one time or 20 is not going to deter her. She feels passionately about her country and wants to help anyway she can. This is important to know, as if makes what happens at the end all the more weird. This is the first thing we learn about Phil, and it's reinforced over the course of the entire book - nothing is going to stop her trying to protect her country or the people she loves. Nothing.
Phil's romantic interest is Arden, a powerful, sulky magician, who tried to kill Phil when he first saw her, which lucky for all involved, didn't work because the Essence (magic the wizards can control which is drawn from the earth) can't hurt Phil or Fee. It has no effect of them. Arden and Phil find each other excessively annoying, which of course means they are destined to fall in love at some point, which they do. Laura Sullivan did a good job of showing how their feelings for each other change. As they get to know each other better, they come to respect the other's characteristics and dedication.
Just when it seems the two might get together, Arden is put in the very awkward position of being asked to seduce one of the evil female magicians from Germany who is trying to wipe out all the English magicians. Arden, who would do anything for the college as Phil would do anything for England, does so. There was a lot of seducing. A lot of caressing. More than I really needed, thank you. Ick. Phil sees them together, misunderstandings abound, and we're almost at the end of the story.
Arden, due to the seducing, knows when the German magicians will attack, so they are able to prepare. Phil has her home guard circled up outside the college, because the German magicians are stronger than the English one, since they drain people of their power (bad), but are not immune to guns. Arden begs Phil to leave, he can't bear the thought of her in danger. Phil, of course, refuses. So Arden does something that makes absolutely no sense based on the entire rest of the book: he restores Phil's power, under the reasoning that once her powers are restored, she won't be immune to the Essence anymore and will have to hide.
#1 - Phil would never run away and hide no matter what - you know this Arden, it was one of those things you were reflecting on about why you love her so much. #2 - Phil SAID she did not want to have magical powers. Arden asked before. She said no. SHE SAID NO. And then Arden forced them on her to suit his own need. I found that incredibly disturbing. It seemed like such a violation, especially since there had been a lot of magic/sexual references throughout the book, so the Essence before forced on Phil against her will was kind of like rape. And afterwards Phil is all messed up and can hardly handle all the power in her and accidentally kills a bunch of people, bad magicians, but also her own home guard. So. That was kind of a downer ending. And she did not seem appropriately upset with Arden for doing this to her.
So things were going along just fine but that ending...no thank you. This is a start to a series, but I'm not interested in reading any more.
Delusion comes out January 8, 2013.
So this was all working fine for me until the end, where it seriously fell apart. We have two sisters, one who is sweet and gentle and romantic (Fee) and one who is brave and headstrong and logical (Phil). Phil is able to discover the magician's hidden college because an ancestor of Phil and Fee's was a magician who was cast out of the college.
Fee occupies herself romanticizing about living in the country and then falling in love with one of the magicians, who immediately falls in love with her too, but tis all in vain! For the magicians can never marry or leave the college. For a rather vague a suspicious reason that Phil does not completely buy.
Phil, meanwhile, is determine to do her part for the war effort and busies herself with organizing a home guard made up of the locals, and works on convincing the magicians to use their powers to fight. They refuses, as they have live violence free lives. Phil is a fiercely determine sort of girl, and someone telling her no one time or 20 is not going to deter her. She feels passionately about her country and wants to help anyway she can. This is important to know, as if makes what happens at the end all the more weird. This is the first thing we learn about Phil, and it's reinforced over the course of the entire book - nothing is going to stop her trying to protect her country or the people she loves. Nothing.
Phil's romantic interest is Arden, a powerful, sulky magician, who tried to kill Phil when he first saw her, which lucky for all involved, didn't work because the Essence (magic the wizards can control which is drawn from the earth) can't hurt Phil or Fee. It has no effect of them. Arden and Phil find each other excessively annoying, which of course means they are destined to fall in love at some point, which they do. Laura Sullivan did a good job of showing how their feelings for each other change. As they get to know each other better, they come to respect the other's characteristics and dedication.
Just when it seems the two might get together, Arden is put in the very awkward position of being asked to seduce one of the evil female magicians from Germany who is trying to wipe out all the English magicians. Arden, who would do anything for the college as Phil would do anything for England, does so. There was a lot of seducing. A lot of caressing. More than I really needed, thank you. Ick. Phil sees them together, misunderstandings abound, and we're almost at the end of the story.
Arden, due to the seducing, knows when the German magicians will attack, so they are able to prepare. Phil has her home guard circled up outside the college, because the German magicians are stronger than the English one, since they drain people of their power (bad), but are not immune to guns. Arden begs Phil to leave, he can't bear the thought of her in danger. Phil, of course, refuses. So Arden does something that makes absolutely no sense based on the entire rest of the book: he restores Phil's power, under the reasoning that once her powers are restored, she won't be immune to the Essence anymore and will have to hide.
#1 - Phil would never run away and hide no matter what - you know this Arden, it was one of those things you were reflecting on about why you love her so much. #2 - Phil SAID she did not want to have magical powers. Arden asked before. She said no. SHE SAID NO. And then Arden forced them on her to suit his own need. I found that incredibly disturbing. It seemed like such a violation, especially since there had been a lot of magic/sexual references throughout the book, so the Essence before forced on Phil against her will was kind of like rape. And afterwards Phil is all messed up and can hardly handle all the power in her and accidentally kills a bunch of people, bad magicians, but also her own home guard. So. That was kind of a downer ending. And she did not seem appropriately upset with Arden for doing this to her.
So things were going along just fine but that ending...no thank you. This is a start to a series, but I'm not interested in reading any more.
Delusion comes out January 8, 2013.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2012
Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the idea of magicians and magic interwoven into a plot set during the beginning of WWII so that was what initially grabbed my interest, in addition to the mention of sisters, my story weakness. I also love the green on the cover as well as the font. However I perused some reviews before starting the book and ran across one from The YA Kitten, linked to below, that gave me pause. Knowing what was coming (and knowing that I would not like it) made me disinclined to finish the book although I did manage to drag myself through to the end.
But let's go back to the beginning. Phil and Fee are daughters of magicians and set to make their big stage debut with a trick of their own design and implementation. As they perform though, Nazi bombs are dropped over London, killing and destroying. Their parents and older brother volunteer for special missions to aid Britain but the twins, at only seventeen, are sent off to the countryside to be kept safe. Phil is outraged and immediately sets about trying to prepare everyone their for a pending Nazi invasion though they seem strangely unaware of the situation while Fee is dreamy-eyed and hopeful of meeting a young man to be her partner in a Jane Austen story. Boy, are both girls in for a surprise when the stumble across a magician's college! Phil meets Arden, who tries to kill her on first meeting for her nosiness while Fee meets Thomas, the fulfillment of all her romantic hopes and dreams. As Phil tries to galvanize the school into action, they also face a threat from German magicians who take the racial superiority rhetoric of Hitler further and believe magic folk above all commoners who they would like to subjugate.
In some ways this book reminded me of Cold Comfort Farm with the stranger coming in and trying to reorganize the sleepy small town for the better (or so she thinks). I thought there were some great passages and lots of comedic moments as well as some good inner conflicts for the characters. However it did seem to drag on despite the fact that one would think war would be a great driving force for action. I was a little confused about how much time had passed at certain points. Phil and Arden have a hate to love relationship, complicated by many factors but knowing what was to come for them, I had a lot of trouble supporting the relationship.
But the biggest problem is also one that has bothered other people and is very much a SPOILER so now you are forewarned. Phil (and Fee) have immunity to the magic practiced by Arden and his lot. Although he offers restoring the magic to her, she considers and refuses. Toward the end, as we approach the climax though, Arden decides to force the magic into her, hoping it will keep her safely away from the conflict. Yes, he radically changes her life without her consent and despite her very clear "no." This force causes her to pass out and when she awakens, she accidentally causes mass destruction and death to her guilt. However she is not sufficiently angry with Arden although I, and others, are more than pissed on her behalf.
Overall: Despite an intriguing premise and some great scenes, this ending leaves me very displeased.
I loved the idea of magicians and magic interwoven into a plot set during the beginning of WWII so that was what initially grabbed my interest, in addition to the mention of sisters, my story weakness. I also love the green on the cover as well as the font. However I perused some reviews before starting the book and ran across one from The YA Kitten, linked to below, that gave me pause. Knowing what was coming (and knowing that I would not like it) made me disinclined to finish the book although I did manage to drag myself through to the end.
But let's go back to the beginning. Phil and Fee are daughters of magicians and set to make their big stage debut with a trick of their own design and implementation. As they perform though, Nazi bombs are dropped over London, killing and destroying. Their parents and older brother volunteer for special missions to aid Britain but the twins, at only seventeen, are sent off to the countryside to be kept safe. Phil is outraged and immediately sets about trying to prepare everyone their for a pending Nazi invasion though they seem strangely unaware of the situation while Fee is dreamy-eyed and hopeful of meeting a young man to be her partner in a Jane Austen story. Boy, are both girls in for a surprise when the stumble across a magician's college! Phil meets Arden, who tries to kill her on first meeting for her nosiness while Fee meets Thomas, the fulfillment of all her romantic hopes and dreams. As Phil tries to galvanize the school into action, they also face a threat from German magicians who take the racial superiority rhetoric of Hitler further and believe magic folk above all commoners who they would like to subjugate.
In some ways this book reminded me of Cold Comfort Farm with the stranger coming in and trying to reorganize the sleepy small town for the better (or so she thinks). I thought there were some great passages and lots of comedic moments as well as some good inner conflicts for the characters. However it did seem to drag on despite the fact that one would think war would be a great driving force for action. I was a little confused about how much time had passed at certain points. Phil and Arden have a hate to love relationship, complicated by many factors but knowing what was to come for them, I had a lot of trouble supporting the relationship.
But the biggest problem is also one that has bothered other people and is very much a SPOILER so now you are forewarned. Phil (and Fee) have immunity to the magic practiced by Arden and his lot. Although he offers restoring the magic to her, she considers and refuses. Toward the end, as we approach the climax though, Arden decides to force the magic into her, hoping it will keep her safely away from the conflict. Yes, he radically changes her life without her consent and despite her very clear "no." This force causes her to pass out and when she awakens, she accidentally causes mass destruction and death to her guilt. However she is not sufficiently angry with Arden although I, and others, are more than pissed on her behalf.
Overall: Despite an intriguing premise and some great scenes, this ending leaves me very displeased.
February 1, 2013
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.
January 6, 2013
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
December 27, 2012
This books seemed to have a split personality. It began like some sort of drawing room farce (perhaps by Noel Coward) complete with overblown and unbelievable situations and characters who were more caricature than character. The last half of the book took a turn for the grimly serious.
The main characters of the story are two young girls about age seventeen who have grown up in a family of performers. They are all stage magicians. Phil and Fee are polar opposites. Phil is the level-headed, phlegmatic pragmatist and Fee is the starry-eyed dreamer and optimist.
When the two of them are evacuated from London to protect them from the World War II bombings, they are sent to a quiet English village called Bittersweet that her father can't even find on the map. As a family of stage magicians, their father, mother and older brother are joining the war effort to use magical tricks to slow down the Germans. Phil is determined to do her part for the war effort too and immediately tries to recruit the locals to the war effort but it is as if they have never even heard of the war. She doesn't have much success.
The girls are staying in a country home that is also inhabited by Uncle Walter who is mentally ill (shell-shocked) because of his involvement in World War I and Algernon who was blinded in an earlier battle of World War II. Both provide a more realistic perspective than Phil's about the glories and dangers of war. Neither one convinces Phil to change her gung-ho attitude.
When searching for recruits for her Home Guard, Phil stumbles on a magically hidden college in a castle which is filled with real magicians. These guys control the elements but their leader is a determined pacifist who is also determined to keep all of his college from taking any part or interest in the outer world. As it happens, Phil and Fee are descendants of a magician who was exiled from the college and are immune to the magic that these men have.
It takes a lot of work to convince even a few of them that they should get involved with the war. It really isn't until some magicians come from Germany and try to take over the college that she manages to convince at least some of them to get involved. The girls each fall in love with one of the magicians. Phil's love is Arden who is a master magician; Fee's love is Thomas who is a naive young apprentice magician.
The writing in this story was fluid, crisp, and witty. I found myself alternately laughing and wincing in the beginning of the book. But, for me, the writing lacked the transparency that would have let me slip into the story. While I appreciated the writing, I wasn't engaged with the story or the characters. I wasn't able to suspend belief and immerse myself in this story. The over-the-top characters and situations kept me feeling removed.
The main characters of the story are two young girls about age seventeen who have grown up in a family of performers. They are all stage magicians. Phil and Fee are polar opposites. Phil is the level-headed, phlegmatic pragmatist and Fee is the starry-eyed dreamer and optimist.
When the two of them are evacuated from London to protect them from the World War II bombings, they are sent to a quiet English village called Bittersweet that her father can't even find on the map. As a family of stage magicians, their father, mother and older brother are joining the war effort to use magical tricks to slow down the Germans. Phil is determined to do her part for the war effort too and immediately tries to recruit the locals to the war effort but it is as if they have never even heard of the war. She doesn't have much success.
The girls are staying in a country home that is also inhabited by Uncle Walter who is mentally ill (shell-shocked) because of his involvement in World War I and Algernon who was blinded in an earlier battle of World War II. Both provide a more realistic perspective than Phil's about the glories and dangers of war. Neither one convinces Phil to change her gung-ho attitude.
When searching for recruits for her Home Guard, Phil stumbles on a magically hidden college in a castle which is filled with real magicians. These guys control the elements but their leader is a determined pacifist who is also determined to keep all of his college from taking any part or interest in the outer world. As it happens, Phil and Fee are descendants of a magician who was exiled from the college and are immune to the magic that these men have.
It takes a lot of work to convince even a few of them that they should get involved with the war. It really isn't until some magicians come from Germany and try to take over the college that she manages to convince at least some of them to get involved. The girls each fall in love with one of the magicians. Phil's love is Arden who is a master magician; Fee's love is Thomas who is a naive young apprentice magician.
The writing in this story was fluid, crisp, and witty. I found myself alternately laughing and wincing in the beginning of the book. But, for me, the writing lacked the transparency that would have let me slip into the story. While I appreciated the writing, I wasn't engaged with the story or the characters. I wasn't able to suspend belief and immerse myself in this story. The over-the-top characters and situations kept me feeling removed.
February 17, 2013
Delusion
By Laura L. Sullivan
World War II is about to change the world as 17 year old twins Phil and Fee Albion know it. The House of Albion has been in their family for generations. It is opening night at the Hall of Delusions when the blitzkrieg ends their act just as it is beginning.
Phil and Fee are sent to Weasel Rue in Sussex to the town of Bittersweet as their parents and brother Geoff join the war effort against the Germans. But Bittersweet is a town that has been forgotten where the war is concerned - no rationing, no blackout curtains, no Home Guard. Phil is determined to rally Bittersweet for the cause, but no one is willing to listen.
But one day Phil comes across a group of young men who live hidden away from Bittersweet. But this wonderland is populated by something more than she expected - magicians. But these magicians think that she is unable to see them or breach their boarders. When Phil crosses over onto the grounds of the College of Drycraeft she is captured and imprisoned in the armory along with the young magician who tried to kill her.
For reasons the Magicians can't understand Phil cannot be touched by the Essence or tricked by its illusions. As punishment for his attempt to kill her Phil is given authority over Arden's life as his crime was against her and her alone. Phil reserves the right to claim his life at some future date.
Phil returns to Drycraeft with Fee in an attempt to rally the magicians against the German threat. But the magicians have no interest in fighting until a German magician from Dresden comes and threatens their existence. The the magicians of Drycraeft prove to be ineffective against the Dresden magician to the point that Arden is being drained of Essence and only Phil's boxing skills are able to save him from death. Afterwards some of the magicians agree to allow Phil to train them to fight. But Phil has been targeted by the magicians of Dresden as a threat and someone is coming for her...
Will Phil lose her heart to her war efforts? Or will she be betrayed in the end by those in whom she has put her trust? Read Delusion and find out for yourself, no secrets will be divulged here!
Delusion is a story of World War II unlike any you've ever read before. I found it enjoyable and am hoping there will be a second book. I enjoyed Laura's previous books Under the Green Hill and Guardian of the Green Hill and was not disappointed with Delusion. Delusion is written for the older YA audience and not the middle grade audience as the Green Hill books are.
I received a digital loan of this title from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing this title and no expectations were placed on this review.
By Laura L. Sullivan
World War II is about to change the world as 17 year old twins Phil and Fee Albion know it. The House of Albion has been in their family for generations. It is opening night at the Hall of Delusions when the blitzkrieg ends their act just as it is beginning.
Phil and Fee are sent to Weasel Rue in Sussex to the town of Bittersweet as their parents and brother Geoff join the war effort against the Germans. But Bittersweet is a town that has been forgotten where the war is concerned - no rationing, no blackout curtains, no Home Guard. Phil is determined to rally Bittersweet for the cause, but no one is willing to listen.
But one day Phil comes across a group of young men who live hidden away from Bittersweet. But this wonderland is populated by something more than she expected - magicians. But these magicians think that she is unable to see them or breach their boarders. When Phil crosses over onto the grounds of the College of Drycraeft she is captured and imprisoned in the armory along with the young magician who tried to kill her.
For reasons the Magicians can't understand Phil cannot be touched by the Essence or tricked by its illusions. As punishment for his attempt to kill her Phil is given authority over Arden's life as his crime was against her and her alone. Phil reserves the right to claim his life at some future date.
Phil returns to Drycraeft with Fee in an attempt to rally the magicians against the German threat. But the magicians have no interest in fighting until a German magician from Dresden comes and threatens their existence. The the magicians of Drycraeft prove to be ineffective against the Dresden magician to the point that Arden is being drained of Essence and only Phil's boxing skills are able to save him from death. Afterwards some of the magicians agree to allow Phil to train them to fight. But Phil has been targeted by the magicians of Dresden as a threat and someone is coming for her...
Will Phil lose her heart to her war efforts? Or will she be betrayed in the end by those in whom she has put her trust? Read Delusion and find out for yourself, no secrets will be divulged here!
Delusion is a story of World War II unlike any you've ever read before. I found it enjoyable and am hoping there will be a second book. I enjoyed Laura's previous books Under the Green Hill and Guardian of the Green Hill and was not disappointed with Delusion. Delusion is written for the older YA audience and not the middle grade audience as the Green Hill books are.
I received a digital loan of this title from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing this title and no expectations were placed on this review.
January 9, 2014
A strained combination of historical fiction and fantasy set in World War II England. Phil and Fee are the closest of sisters and partners in performance at “The Hall of Delusion”, the theatre and home for their family of top-notch illusionists from the legendary House of Albion. But the beginning of the London Blitz brings change when their youngest adopted brother appears to have been killed. On top of the that, the theatre is to be closed while their parents and eldest brother are commissioned to work on a special war unit focused on confusing the enemy and another adopted son, who is in love with Phil, enlists as a soldier. Not quite old enough to enlist themselves, Phil and Fee are sent to the countryside to live with a family friend. Here Fee is eager to live the romantic stories she reads about in 19th century novels, but Phil is utterly dismayed by the locals’ lack of participation or concern about the war effort and soon hatches plans to raise and train a Home Guard. While rousting the neighbors, Phil stumbles upon an all-male college of real magicians, who use magic to hide themselves from locals. It turns out that Phil and Fee are immune to the effect of magic, likely the result of their ancient Albion ancestor being stripped of powers. The college takes young men with the power from their families cloister them, ostensibly to protect themselves and keep magic flowing through the planet, yet all is not as it seems. Fee quickly finds love with a magician as romantic as she, while Phil spars with another brilliant but wary magician. When the contentious German magician faction threatens the college, Phil must convince the English magicians to take action, as well as coordinate the war efforts of the non-magic townspeople. Despite its great premise, the novel fails to deliver due to uneven plotting, characters that need more fleshing out, and the strange flopping of perspective in the third person narration. Additionally, difficult issues of war, pacifism, and patriotic duty are touched on but not as deeply explored in the character’s lives as they could be. There are also a number of sexual innuendos, more and less subtle, that might make some communities squeamish. But if your fantasy or historical fiction fans are looking for something different, they could try this, though the ending will leave them impatient for a sequel. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
August 27, 2015
Confession: I almost gave up on Delusion in the first chapter but reluctantly overcame my doubts to continue and was rewarded.
Let me address what put me off. I do like my stories to start in media res but in this case it was too chaotic, with fast introductions to too many characters, a bombing, and a traumatic event. Philomena's (or Phil, for short) brash ways irritated me initially. But worst of all, I felt the author did not give the traumatic event its emotional due. The characters more or less shrugged it off after a paragraph and then moved on. While the event was explained further on, I could not reconcile this very serious matter with the lack of reaction from my heroine(s). I began to think of them as idiots.
However, things got much better with the second chapter, with the introduction of the bucolic English countryside, more fully rounded minor characters making their appearances, and Phil becoming more tolerable - I soon grew very taken by her.
Phil is a delight - determined, spirited, outspoken, a seasoned stage illusionist and escape artist, and a boxer (this last one won me over!). She had many colorful scenes which made me chuckle quite a bit. Her sister, dreamy and romantic Fee, was a wonderful foil for larger than life Phil. Together, their two theatrical personalities kept things lively.
I was pleased with the contrast of Phil and Fee's skills as stage magicians, or illusionists, with the powers of the male-dominated University of Drycraeft for real magic. The arrival of the Phil and Fee, who are immune to the male sorcerers' spells, make for some obvious gender battles, which are nonetheless entertaining.
Having witnessed a devastating London air raid, Phil makes it her patriotic mission to rally the sleepy town of Bittersweet and the cloistered, neutral male magicians towards the war effort. There are many comical scenes in this vein, but all too soon, the war comes to the countryside and Phil is confronted by its very real trauma and horrors.
The love story between Phil and Arden, the arrogant magician, is one of opposites attract and not very well-developed. However, it is apparent from the ending that there is a sequel so I'm sure there will be more romance to come. I found this young adult novel very different, with lots of historical detail to balance the fantasy, as well as more worldly heroines than I'm used to (no shy, shrinking violets here).
Let me address what put me off. I do like my stories to start in media res but in this case it was too chaotic, with fast introductions to too many characters, a bombing, and a traumatic event. Philomena's (or Phil, for short) brash ways irritated me initially. But worst of all, I felt the author did not give the traumatic event its emotional due. The characters more or less shrugged it off after a paragraph and then moved on. While the event was explained further on, I could not reconcile this very serious matter with the lack of reaction from my heroine(s). I began to think of them as idiots.
However, things got much better with the second chapter, with the introduction of the bucolic English countryside, more fully rounded minor characters making their appearances, and Phil becoming more tolerable - I soon grew very taken by her.
Phil is a delight - determined, spirited, outspoken, a seasoned stage illusionist and escape artist, and a boxer (this last one won me over!). She had many colorful scenes which made me chuckle quite a bit. Her sister, dreamy and romantic Fee, was a wonderful foil for larger than life Phil. Together, their two theatrical personalities kept things lively.
I was pleased with the contrast of Phil and Fee's skills as stage magicians, or illusionists, with the powers of the male-dominated University of Drycraeft for real magic. The arrival of the Phil and Fee, who are immune to the male sorcerers' spells, make for some obvious gender battles, which are nonetheless entertaining.
Having witnessed a devastating London air raid, Phil makes it her patriotic mission to rally the sleepy town of Bittersweet and the cloistered, neutral male magicians towards the war effort. There are many comical scenes in this vein, but all too soon, the war comes to the countryside and Phil is confronted by its very real trauma and horrors.
The love story between Phil and Arden, the arrogant magician, is one of opposites attract and not very well-developed. However, it is apparent from the ending that there is a sequel so I'm sure there will be more romance to come. I found this young adult novel very different, with lots of historical detail to balance the fantasy, as well as more worldly heroines than I'm used to (no shy, shrinking violets here).
January 23, 2013
DELUSION is one of those books with a killer premise. Twin magicians (as in Harry Houdini) are sent to the countryside during WWII wherein they find as school of magicians (as in Harry Potter). Unfortunately, it takes a long time to live up to the promise of that premise.
The novel is narrated in omniscient third, although it usually sticks close to Phil Albion, that is. After the death of her little foster brother in a bombing, she's determined to convince the sleepy, forgotten village of Bittersweet to due its duty for the cause. When she stumbles upon the College of Drycraeft, she's just as determined to convince the magicians to fight in the war. But the war has touched the village in some ways, as evidenced by wounded veterans Uncle Walter and Algernon. The magicians present their reasons for staying out of it, including their determination to never use magic to take a life. But it takes Phil a long time to even admit shades of grey exists and that she might not know what's best for everyone.
DELUSION slips into other characters' heads randomly, for a few lines or a few paragraphs. It is not done smoothly and often provides clumsy exposition. Those other characters include Fee, Phil's twin, who is particularly wasted. She's a romantic and falls in love with one of the magicians at first sight. She has almost nothing to do in the story aside from that. As for Arden, the magician Phil falls in love with, he's a real winner. He's a jerk and possibly his only redeeming quality is that he agrees with Phil that the magicians need to protect the country that shelters them.
But I didn't totally hate DELUSION. Once Phil finally agreed with every other person around her that war is complicated, the story began taking on layers. Before that, the only layers were people offering their differing views to a brick wall pretending to be a redhead. Plus, there are some really exciting developments toward the end of DELUSION. Basically, by the end of the novel I was loving it. But it was a bit of a slog to make it to the good stuff.
If you are longing to read a historical fantasy, then go ahead and pick up DELUSION. Otherwise, you might be a little wary. I want to read the next novel, but where Laura L. Sullivan goes next will definitely affect my opinion of the readability of DELUSION.
The novel is narrated in omniscient third, although it usually sticks close to Phil Albion, that is. After the death of her little foster brother in a bombing, she's determined to convince the sleepy, forgotten village of Bittersweet to due its duty for the cause. When she stumbles upon the College of Drycraeft, she's just as determined to convince the magicians to fight in the war. But the war has touched the village in some ways, as evidenced by wounded veterans Uncle Walter and Algernon. The magicians present their reasons for staying out of it, including their determination to never use magic to take a life. But it takes Phil a long time to even admit shades of grey exists and that she might not know what's best for everyone.
DELUSION slips into other characters' heads randomly, for a few lines or a few paragraphs. It is not done smoothly and often provides clumsy exposition. Those other characters include Fee, Phil's twin, who is particularly wasted. She's a romantic and falls in love with one of the magicians at first sight. She has almost nothing to do in the story aside from that. As for Arden, the magician Phil falls in love with, he's a real winner. He's a jerk and possibly his only redeeming quality is that he agrees with Phil that the magicians need to protect the country that shelters them.
But I didn't totally hate DELUSION. Once Phil finally agreed with every other person around her that war is complicated, the story began taking on layers. Before that, the only layers were people offering their differing views to a brick wall pretending to be a redhead. Plus, there are some really exciting developments toward the end of DELUSION. Basically, by the end of the novel I was loving it. But it was a bit of a slog to make it to the good stuff.
If you are longing to read a historical fantasy, then go ahead and pick up DELUSION. Otherwise, you might be a little wary. I want to read the next novel, but where Laura L. Sullivan goes next will definitely affect my opinion of the readability of DELUSION.
May 14, 2013
*Reviewed from an Advance Reading Copy*
Twin sisters Phil and Fee headline their family's magic show with breath-taking optical illusions in the great Hall of Delusion, a mainstay in London's entertainment district. But when the blitzkrieg bombings rain war and chaos over London, destroying businesses around the theater, the family is separated and the girls are harbored at a working farm in the tiny nearby village of Bittersweet. Adventurous Phil, not content on farm work and instead looking to start a village Home Guard to support the war effort, stumbles upon a clearing revealing a hidden school of magic, the College of Drycraeft. Soon, the sisters' (and the villagers) lives are turned upside down when the school reveals family secrets and dark, unbelievable truths behind the cause of WWII.
Magic, mystery, war-time romance; brave boys, beautiful girls, and possibly muggles and monsters? Sounds like a must-have read for fans of Harry Potter and historical fiction alike!
However, poorly developed, one dimensional characters and sloppy, rushed pacing makes this a difficult fantasy to fall head over heels for. The twins are at times oddly juxtaposed with gendered traits of tom-boy, hot-headed, thrill seeker versus the passive, romantic dreamer. Then at other times, the author hits us over the head with stomach-clutching descriptions (often at times of trouble) of the sisters consoling one another with bent heads so that their red hair creatures "an alchemical creature of a siren", leading us to believe this is not the last we hear of this mystical science (or power?). The girls fight and fall in love with the token joker and rebel of the Drycraeft school, who as it turns out has separated from an "evil" faction in Germany that has given special powers to help Hitler rise to power.
Throw into the mix the concept of "essence" that every living being has that provides subtext for the shifting balance of power that drives the war-weary plot as well as not-so-thinly veiled nationalism (bordering on xenophobia) that calls England the center of the "essence" and thus all that is good in the world and you have a lot going on. Too much going on!
Only for the most dedicated fans of fantasy and speculative fiction, and if they survive, a strongly foreshadowed sequel is in their future.
Twin sisters Phil and Fee headline their family's magic show with breath-taking optical illusions in the great Hall of Delusion, a mainstay in London's entertainment district. But when the blitzkrieg bombings rain war and chaos over London, destroying businesses around the theater, the family is separated and the girls are harbored at a working farm in the tiny nearby village of Bittersweet. Adventurous Phil, not content on farm work and instead looking to start a village Home Guard to support the war effort, stumbles upon a clearing revealing a hidden school of magic, the College of Drycraeft. Soon, the sisters' (and the villagers) lives are turned upside down when the school reveals family secrets and dark, unbelievable truths behind the cause of WWII.
Magic, mystery, war-time romance; brave boys, beautiful girls, and possibly muggles and monsters? Sounds like a must-have read for fans of Harry Potter and historical fiction alike!
However, poorly developed, one dimensional characters and sloppy, rushed pacing makes this a difficult fantasy to fall head over heels for. The twins are at times oddly juxtaposed with gendered traits of tom-boy, hot-headed, thrill seeker versus the passive, romantic dreamer. Then at other times, the author hits us over the head with stomach-clutching descriptions (often at times of trouble) of the sisters consoling one another with bent heads so that their red hair creatures "an alchemical creature of a siren", leading us to believe this is not the last we hear of this mystical science (or power?). The girls fight and fall in love with the token joker and rebel of the Drycraeft school, who as it turns out has separated from an "evil" faction in Germany that has given special powers to help Hitler rise to power.
Throw into the mix the concept of "essence" that every living being has that provides subtext for the shifting balance of power that drives the war-weary plot as well as not-so-thinly veiled nationalism (bordering on xenophobia) that calls England the center of the "essence" and thus all that is good in the world and you have a lot going on. Too much going on!
Only for the most dedicated fans of fantasy and speculative fiction, and if they survive, a strongly foreshadowed sequel is in their future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2013
Stage-magician-twins Fee and Phil live with their stage-magician family in World War II London. After a bombing, Phil and Fee are sent to a little town out in the countryside, for their protection. But this little town, Bittersweet, doesn't seem to even know or care that their country is at war. Ever-passionate Phil makes it her mission to get the town involved in the war effort. In the process, she discovers a secret school of real magicians, and is determined to get them involved in the war effort as well. But, naturally, she discovers forces and plot larger than she imagined and gets in over her head.
I just... didn't like it. I picked it up because it intrigued me. (Stage magicians? Cool! World War II-era? Cool! Real magicians and stage magicians mixing? Even cooler!) But it just didn't work for me. The writing was stilted in spots, with abrupt switches to purple prose whenever the mood was trying to be romantic. The transitions were basically non-existent in places. In one sentence they'd be preparing for something, and in the next, they'd magically be at the place they were preparing for! It made for some confusing reading.
The ending was oddly unfinished. I wanted to know what happened next, because Arden was such a weird, unfinished character who seemed to flop from one opinion to the other, and so in a weird way I wanted to know if he would fail, because it sort of seemed he would.
I wish it had been a better book. The premise was so promising, but it fell short of it's potential.
I just... didn't like it. I picked it up because it intrigued me. (Stage magicians? Cool! World War II-era? Cool! Real magicians and stage magicians mixing? Even cooler!) But it just didn't work for me. The writing was stilted in spots, with abrupt switches to purple prose whenever the mood was trying to be romantic. The transitions were basically non-existent in places. In one sentence they'd be preparing for something, and in the next, they'd magically be at the place they were preparing for! It made for some confusing reading.
The ending was oddly unfinished. I wanted to know what happened next, because Arden was such a weird, unfinished character who seemed to flop from one opinion to the other, and so in a weird way I wanted to know if he would fail, because it sort of seemed he would.
I wish it had been a better book. The premise was so promising, but it fell short of it's potential.
April 21, 2014
VOYA Rating: 4Q 3P
Highly Recommended
This book was a very unique blend of historical fiction and true magic. Phil and Fee Albion, were set to debut their magic show until it was cancelled because of the London Blitz. They were immediately sent to a remote English village in order to stay safe from the Nazis. Phil still wanted to contribute to the war effort, but it was more difficult being removed from London. Phil and Fee happened to stumble into a magically cloaked village that was not interested in having anything to do with the war. Their job was to protect the natural world and not meddle in man-made problems. There was no possible way the girls could have stumbled into the magical village without having magic flowing in their own blood. The English magicians are forced to intervene when they discover the Germans are using magic in the war effort.
There are some references to the Holocaust and the London Blitz, which will encourage readers to think about whether or not war is ever justified. This would be a good fit for students interested in World War II history. It does also show how women were able to be a part of the war effort on the home front. Many families were separated during to war and this shows a personal insight to how that could have felt. There is also the romance aspect that keeps the story moving forward and the mystery of how Phil and Fee came to have magic in their blood. It’s an interesting twist to think about using magic to fight the Nazis.
I really enjoyed it. I was skeptical at first as to how a writer was going to combine magic and historical fiction, but I was very impressed with the result. The cover art will attract readers that might not normally be into historical fiction. The strong female characters will appeal to girls. I think the dialogue fits the tone of the story. It would be a good book club book in terms of having a lot of topics to discuss. However, there is a cliffhanger at the end that a sequel is inevitable. Overall, this book is a good choice for a school library.
Highly Recommended
This book was a very unique blend of historical fiction and true magic. Phil and Fee Albion, were set to debut their magic show until it was cancelled because of the London Blitz. They were immediately sent to a remote English village in order to stay safe from the Nazis. Phil still wanted to contribute to the war effort, but it was more difficult being removed from London. Phil and Fee happened to stumble into a magically cloaked village that was not interested in having anything to do with the war. Their job was to protect the natural world and not meddle in man-made problems. There was no possible way the girls could have stumbled into the magical village without having magic flowing in their own blood. The English magicians are forced to intervene when they discover the Germans are using magic in the war effort.
There are some references to the Holocaust and the London Blitz, which will encourage readers to think about whether or not war is ever justified. This would be a good fit for students interested in World War II history. It does also show how women were able to be a part of the war effort on the home front. Many families were separated during to war and this shows a personal insight to how that could have felt. There is also the romance aspect that keeps the story moving forward and the mystery of how Phil and Fee came to have magic in their blood. It’s an interesting twist to think about using magic to fight the Nazis.
I really enjoyed it. I was skeptical at first as to how a writer was going to combine magic and historical fiction, but I was very impressed with the result. The cover art will attract readers that might not normally be into historical fiction. The strong female characters will appeal to girls. I think the dialogue fits the tone of the story. It would be a good book club book in terms of having a lot of topics to discuss. However, there is a cliffhanger at the end that a sequel is inevitable. Overall, this book is a good choice for a school library.
March 31, 2013
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
My Summary: Phil and Fee are stage magicians in the time of bombings and the London Blitz. World War II has rocked the world, but the girls are safe in the countryside, practicing their craft: magic. Or at least what looks like magic. The girls are stage performers, and they long to dazzle the world with their skills....
When Phil accidentally stumbles upon a gathering of actual magicians, there's no going back for the girls. They soon discover that they are descended from a real magician, and that they may even be able to tap into their gifts. As the girls fall for the magicians, they realize that they must do everything they can to protect their country - as well as their loves - from the enemy.
My Thoughts: You guys know I love anything and anything historical fiction, so you can imagine how excited I was when I read the synopsis of Delusion. Magic plus historical fiction? Yes please!
Phil and Fee were completely opposite from one another, which I found to be really refreshing. I loved that the girls wanted to help their country in any way they could, even from their small-town prison. Phil and Fee's magical talents made me reminisce about the days when I was convinced that I would become the world's greatest magician... let's just say I'll be leaving the magic to other people.
The writing really flowed in this novel. I found myself laughing and enjoying the progression of the plot, even if it wasn't always believable. The dynamic between the two sisters was awesome as well - it added an extra layer to the story and kept me reading.
Final Thoughts: I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction mixed with a little bit of fantasy and romance.
May 29, 2013
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.
January 3, 2015
Oh woe. I have stumbled upon one of those infuriating unfinished books; where the end leaves you with unanswered questions and no promise of a sequel. Seriously, if your gonna open the doorway for another adventure dammit you need to write about the next adventure!!
Spoilers be here
Plot I think the plot idea was an interesting one. The whole magician thing was kinda strange and when we were first introduced to the whole magic thing at Stour, I think that scene was a let-down to the author. We were sort of propelled into this weird setting where these two random guys were going on about Essence and commoners and magic barriers and it really didn't make any sense. For this kind of book, where you introduce the concept of magic in our reality you need to make the reader believe that it is true - and at first, it just felt much to fake for me to stomach.
Characters I really liked the main characters Fee and Phil. I think their personalities were built nicely and I enjoyed their crazy fanatics, although it was sometimes rather easy to forget Fee's age and think of her as being quite young. Thomas. I know he was supposed to be inexperienced and immature, but he reminded me of a goody-boy angel with fierce belief in practically every single thing he was told even if it was contrasting. Arden, however, I enjoyed; And Uncle Walter was the only male character with whom I was happy with through-out the whole book.
Narrative This book was written in third person(with what I think is known as Gods View or something as such)There were never any gaps between the thoughts of one character and another, so I had to re-read a few paragraphs to understand them fully.
Interesting read, but I still think this book deserves a better ending. Or a sequel. Yea, let's stick with sequel....
Spoilers be here
Plot I think the plot idea was an interesting one. The whole magician thing was kinda strange and when we were first introduced to the whole magic thing at Stour, I think that scene was a let-down to the author. We were sort of propelled into this weird setting where these two random guys were going on about Essence and commoners and magic barriers and it really didn't make any sense. For this kind of book, where you introduce the concept of magic in our reality you need to make the reader believe that it is true - and at first, it just felt much to fake for me to stomach.
Characters I really liked the main characters Fee and Phil. I think their personalities were built nicely and I enjoyed their crazy fanatics, although it was sometimes rather easy to forget Fee's age and think of her as being quite young. Thomas. I know he was supposed to be inexperienced and immature, but he reminded me of a goody-boy angel with fierce belief in practically every single thing he was told even if it was contrasting. Arden, however, I enjoyed; And Uncle Walter was the only male character with whom I was happy with through-out the whole book.
Narrative This book was written in third person(with what I think is known as Gods View or something as such)There were never any gaps between the thoughts of one character and another, so I had to re-read a few paragraphs to understand them fully.
Interesting read, but I still think this book deserves a better ending. Or a sequel. Yea, let's stick with sequel....
April 20, 2013
Both the premise and cover for Delusion were amazing, so I was eager to read it. I became a bit hesitant to read it after reading several negative reviews, but I hoped I would still enjoy it. Unfortunately, the plot dragged and I didn’t like the romance at all.
Delusion takes place during World War 2, when two magician sisters are sent off to the countryside after a bombing occurs in London. Both sisters, Fee and Phil, end up meeting magicians who practice real magic and Phil is determined to persuade the town to help in the war effort.
I loved the sound of the plot, with a historical setting and the magician element. I thought the historical setting was realistic, and it was really cool how everyone in the town eventually came together to help the war effort. For the magicians, I was pretty confused about what was going on at times and the general history of the college the magicians attended. I wish that aspect of the book could have been explained with more detail.
The plot was super slow, and I considered DNF’ing the book several times, but there were a few things that sparked my interest again. The povs also switch pretty quickly, and I think the writing would have flowed better if it had stuck with just one pov.
The main characters, Fee and Phil, were both likable enough, but I didn't like Phil's love interest, Arden. He wasn't a good guy and his logic didn’t make any sense to me. Some of the things he did were terrible. Furthermore, I felt that the romance didn’t have any spark to it and Arden could just be so cheesy and unrealistic.
Despite the great historical setting, I didn't enjoy Delusion due to the slow pacing and romance. Overall, I’d give it 1 1/2 out of 5 flowers.
*This review was also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com
Delusion takes place during World War 2, when two magician sisters are sent off to the countryside after a bombing occurs in London. Both sisters, Fee and Phil, end up meeting magicians who practice real magic and Phil is determined to persuade the town to help in the war effort.
I loved the sound of the plot, with a historical setting and the magician element. I thought the historical setting was realistic, and it was really cool how everyone in the town eventually came together to help the war effort. For the magicians, I was pretty confused about what was going on at times and the general history of the college the magicians attended. I wish that aspect of the book could have been explained with more detail.
The plot was super slow, and I considered DNF’ing the book several times, but there were a few things that sparked my interest again. The povs also switch pretty quickly, and I think the writing would have flowed better if it had stuck with just one pov.
The main characters, Fee and Phil, were both likable enough, but I didn't like Phil's love interest, Arden. He wasn't a good guy and his logic didn’t make any sense to me. Some of the things he did were terrible. Furthermore, I felt that the romance didn’t have any spark to it and Arden could just be so cheesy and unrealistic.
Despite the great historical setting, I didn't enjoy Delusion due to the slow pacing and romance. Overall, I’d give it 1 1/2 out of 5 flowers.
*This review was also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com
March 19, 2016
Phil, or Philomel and her twin sister Fee, short for Phoebe, are stage magicians during World War II. They can't perform real magic, just tricks with smoke and mirrors, in fact they don't really believe magic exists. That is, until they are sent out of London to the country as protection from the Blitz. There, they stumble across a very unusual school, The College of Drycraeft, where, it seems, real magic not only exists, but is being taught to a group of boys. These boys master powers associated with something called the Essence, and there did not seem to be any women anywhere. Phil desperately wanted to do her part to fight for her country, and when she met Arden, a student at the college, she firmly believed that together they could turn the tide of war. The premise of this book, a magical force fighting for England mirroring the reflection of real life soldiers was intriguing, and had a lot of potential, potential that was not completely fulfilled. Phil and Fee were feisty, independent characters, and the boys at Drycraeft had varied and intriguing personalities. However, the action of the plot was not consistent, and at times the language was quite overly sentimental and dull. The ending left open the idea of a sequel, but was written in such a way that created an extremely abrupt stopping point in the narrative.
June 9, 2013
As another reviewer said, great premise. My take? I expected a fun romp, and instead got a heavyhearted tome full of war, death, destruction and hopelessness. So, I suppose you can't have a book about war without these things, but I truly didn't expect all the moral ambiguity involved with becoming a spy. I felt the characters reacted to situations and each other in an unrealistic manner. Oh, I'm inexplicably in love with you! I will die for you! You're literally sleeping with the enemy? It's no big deal; a body is just a body. Again, all this might be an accurate description of conflicting emotions that saturate the soul when faced with life or death on such a grand scale as World War II. But if I had realized that going in I never would have cracked the spine. There's also not just a cliff hanger ending, but a great many things not explained that occurred in the story that were just glossed over.
Reader be warned. If you want a book that leaves you feeling conflicted with life and confused about a magic that is never greatly explained, then this is your book and you will enjoy it far more than I. If, however, you're looking for a fun, whimsical book that takes place in a magical setting, this is not that book.
Reader be warned. If you want a book that leaves you feeling conflicted with life and confused about a magic that is never greatly explained, then this is your book and you will enjoy it far more than I. If, however, you're looking for a fun, whimsical book that takes place in a magical setting, this is not that book.
May 9, 2013
Summary:
Phil and Fee are twin daughters from a family of magicians. They are about to have their stage debut when there is a Nazi attack. This leads their family off to war and the two girls out to the country. In the country, they find a real magician school. Phil attempts to recruit these real magicians into the war, but it is very complicated and they don't want to. Arden is a magician at the university who eventually falls in love with Phil. Fee also ends up with a sweetheart.
My thoughts:
I give books about 100 pages before I decide if I can stand finishing them or not. I couldn't do it with this one. I have notes written in the margin from the third page to where I stopped at 78. I had to do something to figure out who was talking and what they were talking about. The story was moving to slowly for me to care to continue my note taking, so I stopped reading. I'll place the book in my library, but won't be celebrating it's brilliance with my students. I'm actually thinking about taking a few of the paragraphs out and showing students how not to write POV within the middle of a paragraph leaving your readers completely befuddled.
Phil and Fee are twin daughters from a family of magicians. They are about to have their stage debut when there is a Nazi attack. This leads their family off to war and the two girls out to the country. In the country, they find a real magician school. Phil attempts to recruit these real magicians into the war, but it is very complicated and they don't want to. Arden is a magician at the university who eventually falls in love with Phil. Fee also ends up with a sweetheart.
My thoughts:
I give books about 100 pages before I decide if I can stand finishing them or not. I couldn't do it with this one. I have notes written in the margin from the third page to where I stopped at 78. I had to do something to figure out who was talking and what they were talking about. The story was moving to slowly for me to care to continue my note taking, so I stopped reading. I'll place the book in my library, but won't be celebrating it's brilliance with my students. I'm actually thinking about taking a few of the paragraphs out and showing students how not to write POV within the middle of a paragraph leaving your readers completely befuddled.
December 27, 2014
I actually enjoyed this book. Up until she fell in love with a complete idiot.
Why why why?!?!?! They had already expressed a disliking for each other!!! Does this mean that you need to go fall madly in love with him?!
Before this all happened, I was thoroughly enjoying the book. I wanted to give the book a good rating because I saw the previous ratings it got. They were not very pretty.
One more thing. the cover looks pretty beautiful right? No, in real life it just looks weird.
So overall, good premise. Terrible characters. Awkward cover. Out-of-the-blue ending.
I'm out. Please comment. Maybe I'll update this review later when I'm not so lazy. :D
Why why why?!?!?! They had already expressed a disliking for each other!!! Does this mean that you need to go fall madly in love with him?!
Before this all happened, I was thoroughly enjoying the book. I wanted to give the book a good rating because I saw the previous ratings it got. They were not very pretty.
One more thing. the cover looks pretty beautiful right? No, in real life it just looks weird.
So overall, good premise. Terrible characters. Awkward cover. Out-of-the-blue ending.
I'm out. Please comment. Maybe I'll update this review later when I'm not so lazy. :D
December 20, 2014
There was so much promise at the beginning.
I was excited about the world of magic, and would have been content if the book stayed there. I was excited for the only half page where the prop shop is mentioned, but that went out the window. I saw a whole bunch of opportunities in the village, and I was pretty excited.
And then I read the book.
The writing wasn't awful, as in make-me-cringe awful. It wasn't fantastic though.
The plot had all this potential and did nothing with it. It just changed into some not very interesting story, where I didn't really care for the plot. None of the discoveries were exciting, neither did I really care. It had nothing to do with the magic at all in the end really. It was just a romance book with a flimsy plot.
I was excited about the world of magic, and would have been content if the book stayed there. I was excited for the only half page where the prop shop is mentioned, but that went out the window. I saw a whole bunch of opportunities in the village, and I was pretty excited.
And then I read the book.
The writing wasn't awful, as in make-me-cringe awful. It wasn't fantastic though.
The plot had all this potential and did nothing with it. It just changed into some not very interesting story, where I didn't really care for the plot. None of the discoveries were exciting, neither did I really care. It had nothing to do with the magic at all in the end really. It was just a romance book with a flimsy plot.
July 19, 2014
Two sisters raised in a magic/illusionist stage family find themselves sent off to the countryside during the World War Two Blitz on London. There they are called on to perform, but are up against the real thing: magicians from a college of magicians. One sister falls in love with a magician and the other dedicates herself to fighting in the war effort. This premise sounds better than it reads. I did not enjoy the book at all. The characters and their motivations did not ring true, the college of magicians seemed farcical, and the historical part of the story did not win me over (and I am an avid historical fiction reader, willing to put up with almost anything). Grades 6-12.
October 29, 2016
I really, really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. Parts of it were good but it couldn't keep my interest. The magicians wouldn't use their magic for good even though they could. Instead it seemed like they sat there and sulked for a while until a few of them stood up and said they would help England in the war. Phil drove me nuts when she couldn't keep her nose out of other people's business. There were many times I wanted to slap her or wished one of the other characters would, but no such luck.
I had to finish this one to see how it ended and because I just don't like to abandon a book. Especially not when I'm already halfway done.
I had to finish this one to see how it ended and because I just don't like to abandon a book. Especially not when I'm already halfway done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2019
I remember picking this up and putting it down in my youth, and now that I'm a 20 something pretend adult I thought I'd give it another go...I got to page 35 and gave up. Maybe past me was smarter that I sometimes give her credit for. This book was just not for me, and it bums me out because I like all of the buzz words in the synopsis, but I hated the characters, so I dnf'ed this book and donated it. Hopefully it will find a person that will enjoy it more than I did.
Happy reading!
-Ariel
Happy reading!
-Ariel
September 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book and I hope to read other books by this author. The book was about two seventeen year old sisters during war in England. Their family is a long line of magicians (delusion) and their parents send the girls to farm country (trying to keep them safe). While there the girls discover a school of magicians (magic). Well, I enjoy stories with magic and war so I guess I should have known I would like this one! It was very good and I already recommended it to one of my friends at school.
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