Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me and ended up being a DNF around 15%. The writing style felt a bit too over-the-top, and the constant shifts in perspective made it hard to stay connected. I was really intrigued by the premise and love Sarah Ready’s past books, but this one was tough to get into. Hoping the next one lands better!

<i>Thank you W.W. Crown, Netgalley, and IPBA for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own!</i>

I really <b>really</b> wanted to love this book but unfortunately I just could not get into it. I love Sarah Ready so much as an author; her romance novels are some of my favorite books. However, this is her first dive into writing a fantasy and it’s completely different from her other books. Kudos to her for expanding her genres!! Personally, I couldn’t get interested in the story and the writing style just wasn’t cutting it for me. I ended up DNFing. I’m sure this is a lovely book but it just wasn’t for me personally. I’ll stick to her romance novels instead!

This was an ambitious take on romantasy. Confusing at times, but an epic pay off in the end once the world was built. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

The main problem I have with this is that it was meant to be a romance, and yet because of the way it's told, I only started caring about the main couple in the third chapter from the end. All the weirdness was explained, and I got hit in the feels, but the fact stands that for a book this long (too long, honestly), I should ship the main characters for at least half of it. A small sliver of blame I'm choosing to put on the fact that the MMC is basically my ex-boyfriend through most of it (appearance, a junkie, called me Mari, had a problem explaining things with words), and there was a much more charismatic choice available (Luvic, my baby).

There are things I've enjoyed and things I haven't, so let's start with the positives:
- I liked the narrative devices - Marie talking to a mysterious 'you' and the wind - both of them were interesting while remaining nicely limited, not being omniscient, and both of them felt different from each other. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the wind had favourites, and we learned a lot about Jacob because of it (also my baby, my pretty soft boi);
- the vividness of each of the characters - each of them really felt different to me and that helped me a lot when it came to distinguishing them (I struggle with too many characters at once and there's a lot of people here), and quickly deciding who's most interesting to me;
- the general lore - I don't know how well-detailed it was and if it made sense when looked at under a microscope, because I'm not usually a sci-fi/fantasy reader and I have slim-to-none experience/interest in dissecting it, but I personally did like it - the whole conjurers as self-proclaimed protectors of Earth turned evil throughout millennia was fun to read about;
- pacing - for being this long, I begrudgingly have to admit that the pacing was done well.

And so, the negatives:
- the ending - I'm not going to explain in detail, but the main thing I didn't like was quite simple - nowhere before I reached it, before I picked up the ARC in general, was it stated that this book is a first in a series. I don't like reading series of books which are not standalones, because I'm immensely pissed off whenever I get to the end and everything is not solved, and I have to wait for the next book to solve things. It's not fun for me and I actively avoid it. So would I have known, I probably wouldn't have picked up a book which was almost a thousand pages long, since it doesn't have a definite ending;
- Cora - I don't know what purpose she actually really served, and she was an obstacle in my brain which made it impossible to ship Marie with Finn,
- no explanations on some minor plot things, but I'm not going into details there (mostly stuff connected to Luvic),
- the length of the book - honestly it could have been a little shorter - some descriptions I didn't need, some repetitions were happening too often, sometimes the language was too flowery and made me lose focus and forget what was happening in the scene; it was unfortunately a little tedious to get through.

I'm sure there's more to both the list of good and bad things, but I don't have to divulge everything.

Overall - Luvic, Jacob, and Darin were my favourites; the book was good, but long, and the romance could've been done better from the start, so I actually cared more. I will probably want to read the second book when it comes out, though this was a bit exhausting, so I'm not sure how fast I'm going to run to get it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This story swept me into a world where glamour and hidden truths collide. The heroine’s journey through a world of illusions and secrets feels raw and authentic. Her growth as she untangles deceit and embraces her own power had me rooting for her every step of the way. The romance builds with quiet intensity, each moment crackling with anticipation and emotion. The blend of theatrical magic and personal discovery is both enchanting and relatable.

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review………..

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this wound up being a DNF for me, which is rare. I found the character and world building overcomplicated and too extensive, especially with the length of the story. I feel that it had great potential, but could have used some editing to cut it back some to focus more on the story. Maybe one day I will give it another go.

I very rarely DNF books — I’ll push through almost anything. But I couldn’t get past the third chapter of this one. The prose is overwritten and repetitive, with metaphors and imagery stacked on top of each other until the meaning gets buried.

Descriptions like “the alkaline taste of battery acid and blood” or the wind “dragging a cold finger across my cheek” are constant and while I understand the tone it’s trying to strike, the effect ends up feeling more theatrical than immersive. It almost feels like the author does not trust the reader to understand what is being said so everything is over explained.

The atmosphere is there, but it’s drowning in its own language. And for a book this long, it could’ve easily lost 100 pages with more focused editing. A different editorial approach might have helped this story shine because underneath all the overwriting, I think this story really had potential.

Just not something I could stick around 800 pages of this for.

Sarah Ready is one of my favourite authors, and I love all of her books. I was excited to read something different from her. I did find the book quite intense with a huge amount to absorb early on. It is quite a long book and a lot of time goes into world building and scene setting. You definitely need to give it your full attention when reading. Quite a unique concept and story overall, and certainly a world away from her usual work.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the opportunity. Unfortunately I had to DNF this at 9%. I loved Ready’s Ghosted series but this one isn’t for me.

I ultimately had to DNF this one. Initially, I thought it was going to be right up my alley, but unfortunately there was to much telling that it was hard for me to truly engage with the story and the characters.
The perspective of the narration is really bizarre and disorienting and I have a hard time understanding why it was written that way.
The title and cover are amazing though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

I'm DNFing this at 12% because I just can't handle the way the story is being told. I tried to give it some time to see if I could warm up to it and I just can't. I've definitely think this story could have been interesting if told in a different way.

Mari is a hidden lock pick who can unravel illusions in a world where the illusionist rule. Forced into a "contract" to become a nine, she is used to win favor, steal secrets, cheat and lie as part of her nine lives. Forced to become the help to a half blood null vying for the Illusionist crown, she's stuck hiding everything about herself while walking a thin line to follow orders.

So many things turns out to be illusions and illusions you think are false turn out to be true. Twists and secrets only get unraveled at the end but is it truly the end? While therr are parts that seemed obvious, overall it wasn't as it seemed.

The "illusion" and world building was fantastic and I would enjoy continuing the story in the next book.

In My Dear Illusion, we follow Mari as she leaves the world of underground thieves and joins the world of the terrifyingly powerful conjurers. Mari has been set a mission by the being who controls her (Jagger): steal the crown and kill Finn Alterra. A task that seems simple, yet inescapable. Mari has yearned to go beyond the confines of Hell Gate, the keep where Jagger's thieves and those under his control are kept, but she doesn't dare hope that this is her chance to do that.
~
I LOVED this book. The writing and imagery was breathtaking, and I found the wind as an omniscient narrator (for some of the chapters that weren't Mari's POV) added so much depth to the story.

The beginning of the book leaves you with questions that are more than answered by the end!

Would definitely recommend to lovers of interesting magic systems, fast paced plots, and plot twists that will have you gasping (in a good way). I'm looking forward to the next book!

There are books, and then there are books. If you’re just looking for a quick escape, this one’s probably not for you. My Dear Illusion makes you think, makes you pause, makes you work for it—and honestly, it makes you a better reader.

The world is ruled by four ruthless clans of conjurers locked in a brutal game for the crown, and our main character—a thief with nine lives (a nine)—gets thrown straight into the chaos. Who can you trust? Who’s playing who? It’s all this wild, kaleidoscopic swirl of twists and moves you don’t fully grasp until the very end.

It gave me that same brain-itchy feeling as When the Moon Hatched and House of Bane and Blood, except it’s set in a contemporary world—which somehow makes everything feel even more intense. I really liked the pacing and how detailed everything was without dragging. The MMC was so multilayered, I loved it. But honestly, all the characters were complex, messy in the best way, and never felt flat or like they were just there to fill space.

The only thing I would have changed is the clan last names—way too similar at the start, so it took me a bit to figure out who was who. Chapter titles would’ve helped a lot too. Also… what happened to Last?? I need answers and book 2!😁

I enjoy anything from this author! Of course this wasn’t her usual genre, but I think she nailed it!

The book is pretty long and it’s slow to get into at first, but the world building and the backstories were good to have!

I think the concept was unique and original and I will look forward to reading anything else this author writes

Sarah Ready is an automatic read for me. In the past, I’ve loved everything she wrote. Her Ghosted series is still one of my all time favorites ever. This book…this one disappointed me. Honestly, if Ready’s name wasn’t on the cover I wouldn’t have known it was her book.

My review will be vague, because I’ll be honest and say I only made it to the 15% mark before giving up. Here are the things I found wrong with this novel:

1. Too much information and monologue. I don’t need to know the backstory of every character, family, and superpower we encountered. It could have been way more basic, especially since this takes place in our current world (in a sense).

2. The parts where the FMC/narrator addresses the reader is weird. Maybe she is talking to someone else…but it made me fall out of the story.

3. I didn’t like Finn. I’m not sure how a romance is supposed to blossom if he is with Cora…maybe this ends up being fake? The romance is with someone else? Not sure, but Finn is a druggy that 8% in was groping his fiancés’ naked chest in front of people and saying stupid things. Didn’t like him.

4. This book is too long. I just want a fantasy that is to the point and isn’t trying to become the next Sarah J Maas novel. Short and simple works too.

Maybe I would have gotten more out of this if I’d kept reading, but I just can’t. While I won’t continue with this series, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for any of Ready’s books in the future.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a romantasy with a bang - there's lots of heavy detail in the beginning to grasp, its the sort of book you need to invest a few hours in to get started, it's not the sort of book you can pick up and drop before bed as there's a lot of complex world building to get your head around before the story really begins.

Mari is our main character who's about to enter the Hundred Year Game, partnered with Finn, they navigate the trials while building a connection with each other. There are twists and turns throughout the book, it's an exciting read with lots of drama.

I chose this book because of the interesting name and the book cover. I was really curious what it was about and after reading the small excerpt provided, I decided to dive into this world.

The world building is very unique and the mix of characters is also quite interesting. However, I do have a reason why I gave this book 2 stars. Although the world building and the intricate "magic" was very detailed and unique, it was hard to follow. The pacing was fine, however, it was hard for me to connect to the story and the plot due to the constant change in narration. First we had Mari narrating and then suddenly the Wind was narrating and then Justice. I was able to eventually follow along due to context clues, however, it was a bit of a bigger mental lift to stay on track.

The characters were also difficult to understand and connect to as well. Little detail was given about why Mari was tethered to Jagger and I feel like I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I was given a more elaborate back story of the characters.

Understandably, this is definitely a high fantasy book in which the reader must be fed information throughout the entire book to understand the world better, however, I found that the writing was also too focused on the sceneries. I would have loved to know more about Hell Gate and what it looked and felt like they gave more details on the Bard mansion and the truth-telling room.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to connect with the story, characters and plot line as I read further into the book.

I really like the concept and originality of this book, that’s what sucked me into it.

That being said, I think this book could’ve been shorter. The author does a really great job of giving detailed descriptions and history of this world she’s created, where it’s our current, modern world, but full of illusions and magic, but I personally feel like the amount of description wasn’t balanced well with the rest of the plot.

The plot itself is also intriguing, it’s a game of trials of a sort between warring families of conjurers to gain the ultimate power. Our protagonist, Mari, is thrust into this world of illusions and betrayals at every turn. I can easily say that I never truly knew what to expect while reading. I did think the twist for the main characters was predictable quite early on, but I still found myself intrigued at the “how” and the “why” of it all.

That being said, the pacing of this book felt all over the place, and I think it’s because of the amount of description or internal thoughts. I love getting into a characters head so that we see what they’re feeling, but there were big moments that happened and then it kind of seemed anticlimactic because then there would be a page or two of pausing and reflecting before getting back to it. It tended to take me out of the story and those tense moments.

The frame narrative did add a very interesting turn to the story, knowing that Mari was talking to someone, but never really knowing who. I did appreciate the bookends of the story both being in that frame narrative style, it was very unique.

I almost wish we’d gotten more hints at what was really going on throughout the book, instead of getting the pages of explanation in the last 100 or so pages of the book, if not less. With this book being over 600 pages, it started to feel like it was taking too long to get anywhere without anything truly happening to push the plot forward. I almost feel like I needed more hooks along the way to keep me going the same way I was hooked on the beginning.

I think the other, more omniscient, point of view threw me for a loop as well. I’m not sure if it’s just because I haven’t read anything for a while from this point of view, but I found myself not really enjoying those chapters. That’s when the description and the prose seemed really heavy and I lost interest quickly. It was an interesting addition to be able to get a look into the other characters and what they were up to when Mari wasn’t around, but the switching viewpoints seemed like they happened at really unfortunate moments. What would’ve been really big and dramatic moments between the main characters seemed to dim in this “outside” viewpoint, and I didn’t really understand the vision behind this.

I think some plot points got overlooked really easily, where Mari would discover something and then just get over it really quickly. Or something would be said or done in one chapter and then get ignored or the characters move on too easily from it after. It just felt very clunky and disjointed at some points.

Overall, I am intrigued in the story and the characters and the way the story ends and would like to read the next book. I just wish it hadn’t taken me 500 pages to understand what was happening. I’m okay with being confused at what’s going on in a book, it helps to build the anticipation, however this book made me confused for a good majority of it, which is what made it difficult for me to fly through it as easily as I wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this novel!