10 Things I Loved About Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Jessamin moved away from her sunny, familiar island home of Melei for the education she can only receive in Albion. But life in Albion is cold, dreary, and difficult. Even school isn't everything she had hoped it would be. But when she comes into contact with Finn, a mysterious and infuriating young man, and starts getting followed by creepy birds, she finds herself sucked into a world of intrigue and magic that she never knew existed.

This book is Kiersten's best to date. She continues to grow as an author and I am so excited to talk about this book! So here are the 10 Things I Loved about Illusions of Fate.

1. Jessamin - She is feisty and strong and smart, but not afraid to be feminine and love dresses and looking nice. I love her obsession with math (especially since I know Kiersten hates math :). I love that she does not define herself by the guys that come into her life, but she doesn't hate men either. She's such a real, well defined main character and I love her!
2. Sir Bird - I think Sir Bird is my all time favorite non-human companion in a book. And a bird that can turn into a book? How brilliant is that?
3. The setting - I love how fully realized these cultures are. I really feel like Melei and Albion are real places, that's how realistically they are developed while the story is never bogged down in the details. Kiersten is so good at weaving these details into the narrative in a natural fashion.
4. Larger issues - Kiersten also addresses the complex and complicated issues of colonization without feeling at all preachy or political.
5. Eleanor - I want to be her friend so badly. I absolutely adore Eleanor. I love that she uses the under-estimation of women to her advantage. I love her spirit. I seriously would love a novella or companion novel from her perspective. It would be so much fun.
6. Finn's house - How cool is a house with different door that lead to different cities? I mean, I know it's been done before, but Kiersten makes it her own in the story.
7. Finn - He's the right balance of mysterious and slightly obnoxious, yet caring. I can't say more without risking spoilers, but I liked the fact that he wasn't immediately just likable.
8. Twists and turns - There were definitely things that I didn't expect and I liked that I was surprised by events (but never in a bad way).
9. The letters - Every letter between Jessamin and her mother with Jessamin's added commentary cracked me up every time.
10. Lord Downpike - I loved the way he was drawn as a villain. I didn't love the character, but I liked how utterly creepy he was.

Happy reading!