Illusionarium

Review originally posted on my blog, Dee's Reads

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was just the book I needed to get me out of my reading funk! I'll be honest, I wasn't just in a reading funk but a bit of a life funk and this book as the ultimate distraction.
I was excited by it when I saw it and received the ARC. However, I started hearing (or rather, not really hearing too much) about it and heard a lot of mixed reviews. Although I try not to let that affect my judgement, I went into it feeling a bit trepidatious to say the least. I wasn't expecting much.
My first foray into a Heather Dixon novel proved to be extremely successful. I know understand why readers sign her praises so show more well.

This book read effortlessly. I'm not sure how, but I passed hours reading this that I didn't really know I had to spare! I was sucked in, almost from the beginning. The novel was written so well, and so imaginatively—that it felt like I was watching a movie. And we all love those books best. The ones that are so vivid with characters who jump off the page and spark our imaginations. The ones where we think to ourselves: "boy, this would be a kick ass movie!" And maybe they will make it a movie, I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Parallel worlds. Steampunk Victorian era imaging. A male narrator, male pov, male protagonist. (waits for the eyebrows of those who are reading to be lifted 100%) Seriously, I love the treat that is male point of view in a YA novel. Give me more!!!

There is not a sappy romance that takes over the book, either! We have family at the heart of things. A moral compass, and the young man Jonathan Gould figuring out if he has one—and what that means. Being an illusionist is such a cool concept. It's the concept of a drug that is released in the air that can cause you to hallucinate. Thing is, some people have the talent or gift of being able to munipulate the illusion. You can stop time. You can free the air, cause lighting anything. You just have to be able to envision the entire thing at a molecular level. How genius is that? If that isn't an imaginative idea for a story—well, I don't know what is.

Dixon followed through and really had me immeshed in this world full of Illusionists and No'dol a parallel of London that has dystopian vibes with alternate history written all over it. At the center is family and the kind of sacrifice one is willing to make for their sister, mother, friends, and fathers.
This novel will take you for quite a ride through alternate worlds and monsters and horror, where the main character Jonathan isn't sure he has a moral compass. I sure did love the ride.

I recommend this book to those who love steampunk thrillers and fantastical alternate worlds. show less

I got a copy of this book to review from Edelweiss (thanks to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for providing this copy for review). This was a very intriguing and slightly bizarre read, that I ended up enjoying quite a bit.

Jonathan and his father live in a cold and ice-covered region; Jonathan's father studies medicine. Suddenly Jonathan’s father is called on to help find a cure to a dangerous plague. It is a plague that targets only women and it turns their veins black until they die meer days later. Another doctor has found that the drug fantillium induces hallucinations that allow the user to manipulate space and time; fantillum could be a wonderful help in trying to cure this virus. However, Jonathan’s father refuses to consider show more it’s use...even after Jonathan finds he is something of a prodigy at using fantillium. Racing against the clock and trying to save the lives of those he loves Jonathan defies his father and sinks deep into the secrets of fantillium to uncover a world of secrets beyond his imagination.

This is a very intriguing and bizarre book and it is completely different from Entwined. There are some very cool ideas in here. The way fantillium works and the idea of alternate realities controlled via illusion was incredibly creative and very thought-provoking.

I also enjoyed the idea of Rivening, a genetic and mental response to too much time spent living across multiple realities...this was very creepy and very cool at the same time. The whole story is very much an alternate history of sorts with elements of fantasy throughout.

Jonathan is a compelling character. He strives to save his sister, along with her best friend (and his kind of sweetheart) by seeking knowledge quickly and recklessly. He is a noble character, but reckless and many times he doesn’t consider the outcome of his actions.

I enjoyed the plot a lot, there were many twists and turns and all of them were interesting. I really enjoyed the creativity of this book, it was just completely not what I expected.

My biggest complaint was that the book felt very rushed at the end. The story was going along wonderfully and then suddenly everything was quickly tied up and BAM it was over. Also I had some trouble with the characters, especially secondary characters. None of these characters were all that likable or engaging.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot, the world, and some of the ideas in here. I had a bit of trouble engaging with the characters and the story felt rushed at the end. The book was a quick read and I enjoyed it and found it intriguing. It’s a story that very different from a lot of other YA literature out there. I would recommend to those interested in parallel realities or steampunk-like reads. show less

Edited review after the second reading:

I was listening to the author on a podcast recently where she described this book in not-so-glowing terms. Since I had different memories of it, I picked it up again out of curiosity.

I am probably in the minority when I say that I liked this book much more than her first. Wallwork gets sister relationships and does that and several other things really well in [b:Entwined|8428195|Entwined|Heather Dixon Wallwork|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618528980l/8428195._SY75_.jpg|13291399]. But this one is much more my style.

It does take her a while to hit her stride here. The beginning is slow, lots of telling instead of showing, and could use minor revisions, show more excisions, and/or additions. But, once she does, this book moves and moves quickly---in part, because the characters move(there's no letting things "act upon" us here). The action is snappy, if sometimes a tiny bit confusing*, there are some vivid characters (Divinity, Lockwood, Anna, Lady Florel), and the world is, for the most part, well-spun*. And I loved, loved, loved the message--- not too brash but there if you wanted it.

The elimination of most of the romantic potential was refreshing, and she truly has a gift of showing and describing things well. It would make a good beginning to a series, and I wish more people had breezed past the beginning to the action. And, in spite of the fact that the cover doesn't really describe a scene that I'm aware of, it's still gorgeous.

Do yourself a favor and check out her blog sometime. She's got a lovely sense of humor.


* this could be fixed easily show less

Overall, this is a really fun, action packed, dare I say- swashbuckling - adventure with heroes and villains and damsels in distress. There is a mystery and also some SCIENCE! So, if you are looking for a light summer read, and you like romantic comedies with a bit of I am Legend thrown in for tension, this would be a good choice for you!

I really should apologize to Heather Dixon for this review. I loved Entwined, and I was so looking forward to this book. But, I have been reading far above my normal pace, finishing one book and immediately picking up another. The trilogy I just finished sucked me in so deeply, I swear I was dumping sand out of my shoes in the morning and wondering if there were anyway we could visit the hot springs in show more the Kirin caves. So, to say that The Illusionarium didn't quite hit that high water mark, well, it didn't. It's a good story, and it's got good bones. The idea is solid, I just felt like there could have been a bit more time spent on set up? We are just dumped into a new and different, though similar, world running. Since Jonathan is confused about what is going on around him, is this the way that confusion is conveyed to the reader? I'm not sure, and it's a matter for less muddled heads than mine. show less

"You must always point North," said Anna. "No matter what the cost."

This one was surprisingly different and very good. Jonathan is introduce and is the Main character. He's the son of a famous scientist and isn't as smart as his young sister, but he is fast and hard working.

But when a strange illness covers the land, infecting only women, his father is called in to help. But his father has a very clear compass that he is sure always points North - and the requests made to find the cure are methods that the father can't obey.

But when Johnathan hears his mother and sister are sick, he will stop at nothing to save them.

I think, my favorite part of the story, is that all the tricks and glamour come at a price - and the price is very steep show more and very concerning. and I thought Jonathan was a well done narrator and I loved all his little footnotes. show less

Fascinating alternate reality where the same people exist in both realities, but in very different ways. The two worlds meet when a fantillium (gas necessary for causing illusioning) addicted woman from Nod'ol upsets the order of things in her quest for greatness, dragging the hero, Jonathan, with her. Jonathan is from the other reality, where fantillium and illusioning doesn't exist. When the women in his world, and then his mother and sister, start to fall ill with a disease that kills in six days, it ends up falling to him to find the cure.

I really enjoyed the writing style, including Jonathan's little asides to himself. The world building was good--Nod'ol is one bizarre place, from the clothes to the affects of the fantillium and show more the whole Masked Virtue. The secondary characters of Lockwood and Anna were interesting. Divinity was harder to relate to, but Constantine had a surprise or two.

I absolutely adored "Entwined," and was very curious to read this. It's so different the two can't really be compared (other than maybe the forest where the dancing took place and the fantillium having some things in common, and family, and masks, and time...LOL okay, there are things in common)--they are very different, and both really enjoyable. I recommend it. ( show less

Original, clever, page-turning... imaginative! Parallel worlds, realistic illusions, quick action, intriguing one-of-a-kind characters and adventure!

The ILLUSIONARIUM is a plot-driven story about a teen trying to save his mother, sister, and all the women in his city from a deadly plague.
Jonathan is an apprentice to his father who the King has sought out to create an anticdote as quickly as possible to save the Queen and stop the plague from spreading and killing more women. Jonathan is quick to turn to any means possible to make this happen and disappoints his father by going behind his back to try to learn more about a hallucinogenic gas that can distort reality. His father quickly dismisses the idea in toying with something so show more unknown and dangerous. But Jonathan is hopeful and determined to prove him wrong and chases after the one chance of hope that can change everything.

But what will Jonathan have to do in order to get the antidote before it's too late???

Jonathan was such a fun character to read about; his sense of humor and snarkiness really kept the story moving along. Even though he seemed a bit immature and naive at times, he still held his own quite well and dealt with the matters that were thrown at him in the best ways that he could. Sometimes you have to literally be in that character's shoes in order to realize that what he did was the right decision at the time. He's sweet on one red-headed girl; but this story barely touches upon it. There is no love story on display here. Although, Jonathan does get briefly distracted a few times, it just made him more realistic to me.

The world building is truly imaginable, magical and movie-worthy!
There are aerial cities, airships and human creatures. I was able to picture everything and smell every smell, the good and the bad, with every word on the pages. Just like in ENTWINED, I was able to cling onto every word and understand everything that was happening in every way.

For those who love steampunk fantasy with a hint of historical fiction, plot-driven stories with magical elements! There's something here for everyone!!!

*An ARC was sent to me from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. show less