Illusions (Laurel Series #3)

by Aprilynne Pike

Overview

"I don't do patrols, I don't go hunting, I just stick close to you. You live your life, I'll keep you safe," Tamani said, sweeping a lock of hair from her face. "Or die trying."

Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life returns to normal, Laurel realizes that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061668111
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/01/2012
Series:	Laurel Series , #3
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	463,696
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 7.84(h) x 1.06(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Aprilynne Pike has been spinning stories since she was a child with a hyperactive imagination. She completed her BA in creative writing at the age of twenty at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and children in Arizona.

What People are Saying About This

Lisa McMann

“Who knew faeries could be this cool? Illusions has it all. It’s fascinating, rich, and romantic, and weaves a great new tapestry of thrilling fantasy.”

Editorial Reviews

“Fans will revel in the idealized characterizations, breathless abstinence romance, lurking danger and newly explicit Arthurian parallels.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Who knew faeries could be this cool? Illusions has it all. It’s fascinating, rich, and romantic, and weaves a great new tapestry of thrilling fantasy.” — Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy

“The Wings [series] continues with a twist. A dramatic conclusion will leave readers anxious for the next installment.” — Booklist

“Wow. Pike has taken her already acclaimed series and turned the story up a notch. It’s full of plot twists and character development that keep the pages flying. I can hardly wait for the next book!” — Romantic Times

From the Publisher

The Wings [series] continues with a twist. A dramatic conclusion will leave readers anxious for the next installment.

Booklist

Wow. Pike has taken her already acclaimed series and turned the story up a notch. It’s full of plot twists and character development that keep the pages flying. I can hardly wait for the next book!

Romantic Times

Who knew faeries could be this cool? Illusions has it all. It’s fascinating, rich, and romantic, and weaves a great new tapestry of thrilling fantasy.

Lisa McMann

The Wings [series] continues with a twist. A dramatic conclusion will leave readers anxious for the next installment.

Booklist

Gr 7–10—In Spells (2010), the sequel to Wings (2009, both HarperTeen), faerie Laurel chose her human boyfriend David over Tamani, her faerie guardian, who then disappeared. Now Laurel's thrown when Tamani unexpectedly shows up at the start of her senior year, posing as a Scottish exchange student. Klea, the mysterious female troll hunter who saved Laurel from her evil troll nemesis in the previous book, turns up in town, too. She asks Laurel to look after a shy Japanese exchange student who isn't "exactly…human." Suspecting that Yuki's a faerie, Laurel is wary of both Klea and Yuki's motives since Yuki doesn't respond to Laurel's efforts at friendship and might even hate her. When Tamani befriends Yuki to gather information, Laurel can't help feeling jealous. There have been signs of trolls in the vicinity, but no actual sightings until they attack Laurel and her friends and then disappear through an invisible barrier. After David and Tamani come to blows over her, Laurel breaks off with both of them—but can't deny her attraction for Tamani. Everything comes to a climax at the winter dance, when they discover what Yuki really is and what she's capable of. Readers are left hanging just as the action gets exciting, guaranteeing another book in this romantic paranormal series.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

School Library Journal

The third in this four-leaf series wilts at the outset, with prose more clichéd than its predecessors, but perks up in the second half.

Laurel's back in her real-world hometown of Crescent City, Calif., trying to live a normal teenage life without pining for Avalon, her faerie homeland. Trolls are probably hunting her, but they don't attack often, so Laurel's biggest quandary in this installment is deciding between—chime in, paranormal romance fans!—the two dreamy boys who adore her. Steadfast David is human, while steamy Tamani is Lauren's personal faerie guardian; they're equally loyal and equally smitten. Daily life becomes precarious when Klea, a tough special-ops fighter who frequently saves Laurel's life but emanates untrustworthiness, asks Laurel to befriend Yuki, an exchange student who's obviously hiding things. As a plant (in this world, faeries are biologically plants), Laurel works with powders and beakers and pestles trying to determine Yuki's secret—is Yuki a faerie too? Pike's third-person narration uses Tamani's perspective sometimes, conveniently showing readers scenes behind Laurel's back. It's unclear how Laurel and Tamani shift from knowing that Yuki and Klea's motivations are unknown, to assuming they comprehend who Yuki and Klea really are (they have no evidence), but those unfounded assumptions underlie the climax's surprise.

Fans will revel in the idealized characterizations, breathless abstinence romance, lurking danger and newly explicit Arthurian parallels. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews