Cruel Illusions: the deliciously dark and addictive magical fantasy

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Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother's death. Any theories about what’s coming? Something sketchy must be afoot for Roman to be so adamant she needs to leave. Grazie a Netgalley, Hodder&Stoughton e Margie Fuston per avermi fornito questo libro in anteprima in cambio di una recensione onesta. Magician Xander tells Ava to not "Go all Buffy on him". He also jokes that he does think that Buffy"s Xander kinda deserved to be stabbed.

I hope that you’re all loving Cruel Illusions so far! It’s now day 3 and things are really getting interesting! Also someone slits Ethan’s throat so that his BLOOD gets all over Ava and she gets an Epic Power Up. It’s super gnarly. The vampires are magicians who wanted more. Basically, blood magicians who used blood to fuel their magic and now have to live on that blood to even live. It gets more complicated as the book goes on, so this might not quite be how it’s described in the beginning. Blood Magic: Since magic in magic users hums underneath the skin and is felt in the blood, blood letting helps to increase the abilities of its user. The more blood spilt from a person, the more powerful the spells. Eventually, it gets to a point where the magic users push themselves to the brink of death through blood letting and become immortal (their magician blood is all used up and instead they gain a hunger for the blood of others to replenish themselves, becoming vampires). Parker turns to Jacob, who’s smiling as he sits on the lower level of their bunk, facing the TV across the room. I wish I could see whatever look Parker gives him. Or maybe I don’t. The nothingness is already growing inside my chest, and I’m a helpless princess in a floating kingdom, waiting for a little boy to save her and give her a name.

In her spying, Ava overhears Xander and someone else talking about her. She’s saying they need Ava, it’s their only move… this is suspicious. Unfortunately, at the worst possible time Ava puts too much pressure on the boxes in front of her and tumbles out, landing in front of the two. They tell her magic is real, they feed off the energy of the crowd. They want her to join their troupe as an apprentice… and it turns out they’re also vampire hunters. Original vampires were magicians gone bad. The magic and being part of the troupe gives Xander immortality. Ava can only get the wristband when another magician dies though, every other troupe will take on an apprentice and the apprentices will fight for the chance of obtaining a wristband. Ava agrees on the condition that Xander performs at Parker’s birthday party.

The next morning, Ava feels left out all over again when she finds out Parker has dropped their birthday tradition and Deb is hosting a birthday party for him. Can’t blame him though, I really feel for Ava but it sounds like Parker’s birthday tradition was more for her than it was for him. He asks if she’ll perform for his friends though, and she says yes.

Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. From the outset we had a mysterious trial, the age-old battle of good and evil and a clear sense of characters striving to do their best in very trying circumstances. There’s magic, darkness and a clear des

Mom pushes into my mind again. I needed Parker tonight. I needed a distraction, but I don’t want to tell him why. I doubt he knows that this week is the anniversary of her death. She died when I was eight, just before Parker turned three. Dad died not long before I turned six, and I only have blurry memories of him that blend together. Parker doesn’t have any memories of them at all.Don't get me wrong, I ate up the Romance crumbs, but I stayed for the unique magic system and the family theme!

Luke, I Am Your Father: Lucius, the leader of the Society and a major villain in the novel, is revealed to be the father of heroine Ava Perry. Between these competitions is where character growth is. Where we get the twists and betrayals. Where the love triangle grows, and I’m sure it’s a serviceable love triangle. My love-hating teenage self would have hated it with the all the power of a thousand suns, and my older self, that can like romances, appreciated that it had thematic relevance while also hating it with the passion of a thousand suns.Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good YA book for someone who wants something bloody and gritty for their vampire story. Lots of twists, betrayal, staking, and blood. It’s just if you’ve read these sorts of YA books: the plotline, the story twists, and the general themes are all rather predictable. And I want to be a part of that. I do. Deb’s house is the best place we’ve been by far, but it’s not fair to Mom. I can’t let myself be part of this until I can really put her to rest—until someone pays for what happened to her. I used to try stuff like that a lot as a kid, especially after Mom died, when I needed a little magic that wasn’t pretend. I don’t know why I still do it. My steps lighten as I hurry from the kitchen and dart up the stairs, dusting the banister with my hand as I go.