OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Margie Fuston grew up in the woods of California where she made up fantasy worlds that always involved unicorns. In college, she earned undergraduate degrees in business and literature and a master’s in creative writing. Now she’s back in the woods and spends all her time wrangling a herd of cats and helping her nephews hunt ghosts, pond monsters, and mermaids. She’s the author of VAMPIRES, HEARTS & OTHER DEAD THINGS (out now) and CRUEL ILLUSIONS (September 2022).
FORMAT/INFO: Cruel Illusions was published on November 1st, 2022 by Margaret K. McElderry Books. It is 512 pages split over 38 chapters. It is told in first person from Ava's POV. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Ten years ago, Ava’s mother was murdered by vampires. Ever since, she’s been obsessed with one day being able to hunt and kill the monsters who did it. One of the few things that grounds her is her talent for sleight of hand illusions, and she’s always intrigued to see other acts. But when she spots a new magic troupe with illusions like she’s never seen, her whole world is upended. Turns out, this group is capable of real magic – and they think Ava has the same gift they do. They want her to be their apprentice and enter into an annual competition to win an artifact that amplifies a magician’s power. In return, they’ll teach her how to fight the vampire’s that haunt her dreams. But the competition is just as deadly as Ava’s mortal enemies, and one wrong move could get her killed before she can get her revenge.
FORMAT/INFO: Cruel Illusions was published on November 1st, 2022 by Margaret K. McElderry Books. It is 512 pages split over 38 chapters. It is told in first person from Ava's POV. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Ten years ago, Ava’s mother was murdered by vampires. Ever since, she’s been obsessed with one day being able to hunt and kill the monsters who did it. One of the few things that grounds her is her talent for sleight of hand illusions, and she’s always intrigued to see other acts. But when she spots a new magic troupe with illusions like she’s never seen, her whole world is upended. Turns out, this group is capable of real magic – and they think Ava has the same gift they do. They want her to be their apprentice and enter into an annual competition to win an artifact that amplifies a magician’s power. In return, they’ll teach her how to fight the vampire’s that haunt her dreams. But the competition is just as deadly as Ava’s mortal enemies, and one wrong move could get her killed before she can get her revenge.
Cruel Illusions is a book that struggles under the weight of too many interesting ideas. There are some fantastic parts in this book. I absolutely loved the magic system, where a magician’s power can be amplified by the applause and the belief of the audience. The descriptions of the performances, the way they took common stage tricks and built “real” magic on top of them into stunning displays, was great and my favorite part of the book. These bits were where the plot really moved and I couldn’t put the book down.
Unfortunately, I also encountered some sections where the book didn’t work for me at all. About a quarter of the way in, the story becomes a bit of an exposition fest, with a character just dumping out the (mildly convoluted) history of magicians and vampires in a dry uninteresting heap. As someone who lives for world-building and lore, I was surprised that this was the part of the book that didn’t work for me, but I think it speaks to the crux of my issue with the book: there’s too much going on.
Ironically, given that I was drawn to this book with its promise of vampire hunting, I honestly think it might have been better served by not having vampires at all. They ended up feeling shoehorned in, and some parts completely unaddressed at all (like why vampires tried to come out to the world ten years ago, before disappearing into myth once again). I lived for the parts of the book that were about the magic and the competition, and struggled when vampires entered the scene, because it just felt overcrowded.
I also unfortunately didn’t love the characters, which all felt very flat. Despite Ava’s journey to connect with her troupe as her new family, it was a lot of telling and not showing; I would be hard pressed to tell you much about the characters beyond their magic specialty. Love interest Roman, while eventually fleshed out in the second half of the story, spent too much of the book being a brooding, looming presence of murky intentions. Ava at least was a somewhat interesting character, a foster system kid who is suspicious of attachments because she’s been burned too many times by family’s that end up shuffling her off to her next home, though I did feel by the end that that note was perhaps hit a little too much.
CONCLUSION: While I appreciate a standalone book, such a rarity in fantasy these days, I honestly think Cruel Illusions might have been better served as a duology. There were parts of this book that I absolutely loved; the last 20% of the book did a lot to make up for earlier parts of the story that didn’t click. The magic system alone is almost worth recommending checking this book out, particularly if you like stage magician acts. But upon reflection, for me personally there was more negative than good and too many concepts that didn’t have the time they needed to breathe.
Unfortunately, I also encountered some sections where the book didn’t work for me at all. About a quarter of the way in, the story becomes a bit of an exposition fest, with a character just dumping out the (mildly convoluted) history of magicians and vampires in a dry uninteresting heap. As someone who lives for world-building and lore, I was surprised that this was the part of the book that didn’t work for me, but I think it speaks to the crux of my issue with the book: there’s too much going on.
Ironically, given that I was drawn to this book with its promise of vampire hunting, I honestly think it might have been better served by not having vampires at all. They ended up feeling shoehorned in, and some parts completely unaddressed at all (like why vampires tried to come out to the world ten years ago, before disappearing into myth once again). I lived for the parts of the book that were about the magic and the competition, and struggled when vampires entered the scene, because it just felt overcrowded.
I also unfortunately didn’t love the characters, which all felt very flat. Despite Ava’s journey to connect with her troupe as her new family, it was a lot of telling and not showing; I would be hard pressed to tell you much about the characters beyond their magic specialty. Love interest Roman, while eventually fleshed out in the second half of the story, spent too much of the book being a brooding, looming presence of murky intentions. Ava at least was a somewhat interesting character, a foster system kid who is suspicious of attachments because she’s been burned too many times by family’s that end up shuffling her off to her next home, though I did feel by the end that that note was perhaps hit a little too much.
CONCLUSION: While I appreciate a standalone book, such a rarity in fantasy these days, I honestly think Cruel Illusions might have been better served as a duology. There were parts of this book that I absolutely loved; the last 20% of the book did a lot to make up for earlier parts of the story that didn’t click. The magic system alone is almost worth recommending checking this book out, particularly if you like stage magician acts. But upon reflection, for me personally there was more negative than good and too many concepts that didn’t have the time they needed to breathe.
3:00 AM | 
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Caitlin G. |
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