Book Review: Illusionary by Zoraida Cordova

  

Goodreads Overview:

Reeling from betrayal at the hands of the Whispers, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she's reluctantly joined forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy. They're united by lofty goals: find the fabled Knife of Memory, kill the ruthless King Fernando, and bring peace to the nation. Together, Ren and Castian have a chance to save everything, if only they can set aside their complex and intense feelings for each other.

With the king's forces on their heels at every turn, their quest across Puerto Leones and beyond leaves little room for mistakes. But the greatest danger is within Ren. The Gray, her fortress of stolen memories, has begun to crumble, threatening her grip on reality. She'll have to control her magics--and her mind--to unlock her power and protect the Moria people once and for all.

For years, she was wielded as weapon. Now it's her time to fight back.

Jacque's Review:

I received the first book in the series as part of an Owlcrate book box, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I immediately downloaded the Audible audio book when Illusionary was released to see how the series would conclude. There is a lot of tension and lack of trust between Renata and Prince Castian at the start of the book, but they must work together if they want to defeat King Fernando and bring peace to the kingdom.

I had a hard time understanding why the Whispers seemed to be working against Renata the majority of this series. She was a part of their group for so long, but they turned their backs on her when she needed them the most. Their lack of trust in her type of magic should have been outweighed by her years of loyalty and service to their cause. 

Prince Castian was her childhood friend, but those memories were lost in the depths of "The Gray" and replaced by the illusions he projected in more recent times. She believes he is the ruthless prince who has been trying to destroy the Moria and killed her boyfriend, but this couldn't be further from the truth. I enjoyed seeing them rekindle their friendship and seeing Ren discover who her true allies are. Appearances are often deceiving, especially when dealing with the types of magic the Moria can yield. Some are able to manipulate emotions while others, like Castian, can crate elaborate illusions.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Leo, Castian, and Ren grow as they traveled the kingdom in search of the Knife of Memory. They discover a hidden community of Moria, and for the first time in her life, Ren sees that her magic can be used for something other than a weapon. Their leader teaches her to control her magic and eliminate The Gray, which allows her abilities to soar instead of consuming her.

I am happy this was only a duology and the author/publisher did not feel the need to turn it into a trilogy. Both of the books were action packed, fast paced, and easily held my attention. It was a unique world and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their magical abilities. There were some twists and revelations that I did not see coming that really added to the enjoyment of this final book. In addition, I really enjoyed this book on audio. The narrator did a great job and I never would have pronounced the names of some of the characters and cities correctly.