Illusion of Stars Book Review
How do you put pain on a page? How do you say goodbye?
Synopsis
She's stealing more than secrets.
As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.
Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general's steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees-if she isn't caught.
But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.
The sexy enemies-to-lovers tension of THE BRIDGE KINGDOM meets the snarky banter of A DAWN OF ONYX in this swoon-worthy romantasy.
REVIEW
So, I’m going to be honest, I am.
I’m going to tell the truth, I am.
Even if it hurts.
I’m sorry if this hurts.
I write this for you, mostly, but I also write it for myself. I suppose it’s my way of processing everything, of chewing my story until it softens enough to suck meaning off the skeleton.
I want this sacrifice to be worthwhile. I guess in the end, we all do.
I’m sorry.
I never had the chance to tell you that.
Illusion of Stars, the first of The Enmity of Hearts duet, wrecked me in the best way. I went in expecting a fantasy with some romance (which it totally delivers), but I didn’t expect it to hit so hard emotionally. The way Sarah Marie Page writes about self-worth, grief, and uncertainty? Just… wow. It’s raw and real in a way that sneaks up on you.
The writing is beautiful, the characters were interesting, and the world is one you want to know more about. The plot, tension, and romance had me fully invested, but it’s the quieter, deeper moments that really stuck with me. I cannot recommend this book enough, and I’ll read literally anything this author writes. I can’t wait for book 2!
Trigger warnings include parental infidelity, parental abandonment, hazing, death of a parent, death of a friend, self-harm ideation, self-harm, strong language, and themes of grief.
Sarah—thank you so, so much for the gifted copy!
Original publication date was 16 July 2024.
Author Profile
Sarah is an award-winning author who writes fluffy fantasy. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her equally fluffy cat (starting to see a pattern here?) And fine, she has a husband too.
He’s not fluffy.
When she’s not writing, Sarah is probably drinking chai tea, petting her cat, or reading really obscure writing craft books. (It’s something she has a soft spot for, and she means that in the most hipster way possible.)
Sarah is represented by Mara Hollander at Azantian Literary Agency.
