I requested this one as it sounded amazing but I just struggled to get into it no matter how many times I tried!

I'm gutted but it happens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting historical fiction of illusionists and early film making. I was intrigued by our main characters immediately and drawn into the issues easy was facing very quickly.

This book would be perfect for fans of magical realism, history, and illusionists. An interesting introduction to the subjects as not something I have previously read up on. I couldn't wait to see if the main group of friends would triumph.

I really enjoyed this book, having previously enjoyed The Gifts, another very well researched and well written novel. I enjoyed how each character developed and loved the way their stories all came together. Great historical fiction with magic and illusion, really takes you into that world. Highly recommend.

The Illusions is a fun historical novel set in a world of misdirection and intrigue. The main character of Cecily (Cec) is an orphan at once trusting and suspicious, desperate to be part of something bigger, a safety net of trust.

Filled with slight of hand, magic and the ghostly new moving film technology, Hyder creates her story in an era of uncertainty and change, where rules are beginning to change.

An engaging read with a vast array of vibrantly drawn characters, perfect to curl up and binge.

Another magical book from Liz, I loved The Gifts and was eagerly anticipating The Illusions. This is written from multiple PoV which took a little while to get into, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded!

Atmospheric, fantastic world building, with a tremendous depth to the characters.

I loved The Gifts and this was along the same vein. Historical novels with a little magic have my heart!

The impossible made somehow plausible by the convincing world building, the realistic authentic-feeling aspects (such as the regular extracts from George Perris’ Book of Magic) and the well-rounded protagonists.
Again, strong female characters take the lead in very much men’s worlds. Eadie in the forefront of photographic advances and Cec as an almost unheard of female Magician.

This book explores the early pioneers of film and photography, alongside stage magic and features an eclectic cast of magician characters, bringing women to the forefront, and is brought to life beautifully in the audiobook version.

Wasn’t the book for me unfortunately. The pacing was slow and the story felt underdeveloped and choppy at points, which ultimately led to a dnf at 27% for me as I couldn’t find any part of me interested in continuing or revealing the conclusion to the story and characters. Slightly lacklustre and disappointing as this was an anticipated read for me to venture out of my comfort genre

Normally I don’t enjoy flitting between different narratives of multiple people during one book as I often lose track of storylines and it overwhelms my brain, I’m also not usually a fan of books written in this time period. However I did find this one to be quite captivating, I enjoyed the aspects of science tied into magic and photography and how all came together to bring joy to people. I found there was enough unpredictability to hold my attention, but ultimately I did struggle getting through the last third of the book and is why I’ve only given 4 stars.

This is a great and magical read, one I highly recommend.

The characters and their relationships are what really made the story for me. Cecily and Eadie are two powerfully written female characters, both very different but both believers in innovation and yearning for exciting futures.

Set in late 19th century Bristol, and in the new and exciting industry of film-making, alongside that of magic, the story is exciting, enchanting, romantic and often dangerous. You'll find yourself pulled along by the enticing threads of the narrative.

I loved The Gifts, and I was so excited to read Liz Hyder's next novel. And I adored The Illusions every bit as much!

The Illusions is set in Victorian England, and centres on two young women - Cecily, who has a strange magical power that she doesn't understand, and Eadie, a woman ahead of her time, struggling to make her name as an early film-maker.

When Cecily and Eadie's worlds collide, both women must face the ultimate test of love and courage.

The story hooked me from page one, Hyder's prose is spot on (as always!) and the world she builds feels so feel that I was ready to believe in magic. A spellbinding novel!

Absolutely incredible book.
I must admit it took be about 1/3 of it to really get into it. Before that (seeing it was a like tome) nearly had me leaving it by the wayside.
I am so glad I didn't, because all of a sudden the characters deepened, the dialogue got more meaningful and the plot twisted.

Really recommend this for anyone who likes the grand old days of magic, mystery and how it takes all sorts to make a world.

First of all - the cover is STUNNING.
A great story full of magic, illusion and charm. I enjoyed reading about the different characters and how they all fit together. I found that I had to put this down and come back to it to fully appreciate the story and enjoy reading it. An interesting book which I would recommend.

Initially, I needed help keeping track of the various characters and their connections. However, this issue was resolved relatively quickly. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that there are around six key individuals to keep an eye on, which is a manageable number.

I really enjoyed reading about the character of George. It's hard to put into words, but he just stood out to me as someone I would like to be friends with. On the other hand, Cecil was a complex character that I found difficult to fully understand or dislike. She faces formidable challenges and often has to make compromises to survive, which can make her appear in a negative light, but I still found her to be a fascinating character. Eadie was another character that I really liked. She's a businesswoman in a male-dominated industry, and I found her determination and drive inspiring. Skarratt, on the other hand, was an unpleasant man. Initially, he appears generous, but his true colours soon become apparent. The Professor was another character I found engaging despite not having a significant role. Valentin was the most complex character of all. Throughout the book, I struggled to decide whether I could trust him, but ultimately, his good nature won me over. I don't want to spoil anything by going into too much detail about the other characters, but Liz has done an excellent job of weaving all of their stories together very cleverly. It took me a little while to understand how they all fit together, but once I did, I was hooked.

Full Review on Blog

#theillusions #bookreview #netgalley

Cecily Marsden is fascinated by magic and card tricks. She is working for a con artist, who unexpectedly dies. She is placed with Roderick Skarratt, a magician who pretends to be a medium and preys on vulnerable, grieving people; something that immensely sickens Cec.

Eadie Carleton is a photographer and a pioneering early film-maker, who is running her own business.

George Perris is a magician and a protégé of the Professor, the greatest magician. Unfortunately, Professor’s health is failing, and he is due to name George as his successor.

However, Skarratt believes that the title of the ‘greatest magician’ should be his and he will do anything to jeopardise George’s reputation and career.

One day, Eadie and George’s paths cross. They are both interested in the moving pictures and they both reckon that they are the future. It’s soon becomes clear that Eadie and George are falling for each other…

I will stop here as I don’t want to give away the rest of the plot!

I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of magic, wonder, and illusions. On the other hand, it portrays jealousy and rivalry.

The characters are very likeable, especially Eadie, who is way ahead of her contemporaries. She is strong willed, ambitious and full of passion for her business and the moving pictures.

I also liked Cecily, she started off as a girl who was often overlooked, but she shines brightly on the stage at the end of the story.

Every story has its villain and Skarratt is a wonderful character that we can all hate with gusto.

I loved the historical notes at the end of the book, I found the inspiration behind this story fascinating.

Thank you to Manilla Press and Bonnier Books for approving my NetGalley request.

I loved the cover of this book. I loved the idea of it but for some reason that's where it ended. I kept picking it up & putting it down & have eventually decided to abandon hope. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try & read this book!

This book set in Bristol in the late 1800’s weaves the stories of several magicians, illusionists and their friends and enemies together into a story revealing the magical awe and wonder of the world of illusion.
The characters are likeable and you end up invested in their stories. It’s a quick and enjoyable read, filled with warmth and humour. With thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

What a magical book. I adored this book from beginning to end. There is a real charm about this book that comes through the writing. You can’t help loving all the characters, even the ‘bad’ guys are written so well. The story is so magically woven together, it is honestly just so cleverly written. I love the time period and how it is brought to life through the authors writing. I love it when you can feel how much the author loves the characters and World they have created because it just makes it feel even more special for the reader, and this is most definitely one of those books.

Really wanted to like this but ended up DNF-ing. I couldn’t keep up with all the characters. It just seemed to go from one to another and I was getting confused and struggled to keep up with the story. The premise seemed really interesting but it just wasn’t for me.

Beautiful read. Hyder knows how to immerse their readers in authentic 19th century.
I loved the little girl who is so much stronger than she realises; I found myself cheering for her, good or bad.

I'm not going to lie this book took me a lot to get into. But once I got past that point it was very enjoyable. There are characters which you become very found of, and those that you love to hate. The use of magic and illusions was really interesting, and you could tell that it was a highly researched topic.
I would say this is a read that it's best to be able to have a chunk of time to sit and read, rather than just dipping in and out of between things. Giving it that set amount of time, definitely makes it more enjoyable read and able to get absorbed into the world.