The unique magic system, featuring illusion magic and secret magic boxes, captivated me, but it was the characters who truly stole my heart. They are vibrant, endearingly awkward, and unmistakably human, with banter that feels fresh and fun. I was swept up in Isy and Erik’s slow-burn romance, cherished the friendships within the ragtag crew, and adored my grumpy queen Signey, who holds a special place in my heart.
Sarah's writing is a breath of fresh air in an overly saturated and often sloppily published genre. Her relatable characters are easy to love and root for, her world-building is effortless and believable, and her books are incredibly easy to get lost in.

Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Page
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 16 July 2024

Isabel, the royal physician on a small island, juggles keeping the queen alive and managing the mad king's antics. Her life is shattered when her best friend is murdered. Seeking answers, Isabel uncovers letters revealing that Volgaard, a neighbouring kingdom, has a powerful weapon and plans to conquer her homeland.

Driven by vengeance, Isabel infiltrates Volgaard to seduce Erik Lothgarson, the general’s alluring son who wields illusion magic, and steal the weapon. Her dangerous mission blurs the line between truth and deception as she struggles with her growing attraction to Erik while trying to save her kingdom.

This captivating story excels in every aspect. The world-building is rich and immersive, while the unique magic system intricately weaves into the plot. The perfect pacing keeps the reader engaged throughout. The narrative balances angst and hope, interwoven with high-stakes political intrigue.

The characters, particularly Isabel and Erik, are wonderfully crafted with depth and complexity. Despite their differences, they bond over their shared struggles for acceptance, leading to a beautifully developed slow-burn romance. Even the side characters, like Signey, shine with their own distinct personalities.

A must-read for fantasy fans craving witty banter, believable characters, romance, and suspense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Shadow Forge Publishing, and the author, Sarah Marie Page, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK ASAP. I RATED IT 4 STARS BECAUSE I LOVED TO READ THIS BOOK. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ THIS YEAR.

Fantastic read! An intricate blend of Game of Thrones-like court intrigue but with quippy, hot banter and characters that pop off the page. If you enjoy the Grishaverse series, you'll adore this.

Illusion of Stars immediately felt like a place I could find in real life, populated by such realistic people that I was totally caught up in their lives, living it with them.

The way Sarah Marie Page inhabits her character is masterful. Her portrayal of grief especially was so stark--raw and elegant and perfect. I particularly enjoyed how the lingering effects of trauma haunt the main character Isabel and inform all her decisions going forward. It makes the characters feel real and lived in when events have a lasting effect on their mindset and how they interact with others. When Isabel and Erik (small spoiler) bonded over their past, screaming petty secrets on the bluff, my heart broke for them. And when despite being possibly the world's worst spy, she slowly worms her way into the Volds' trust anyway, I was on the edge of my seat.

This book was so much fun! I savored it over two days and enjoyed every minute. Can't wait to see what this author does next.

Lucky for me I received an advance copy of this book (huge thanks to Shadow Forge Publishing and NetGalley!) and when I say I DEVOURED this story, I mean I picked it up around lunchtime today and finished it before dinner. I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down! I had to let it ~marinate~ a bit after that ending (holy mother of cliffhangers) and let me tell you it’s been hours and I cannot stop thinking about the book. I can honestly say I highly recommend this book for lovers of Romantasy books (especially those with politics, war and a good ol’ whodunnit), and the enemies-to-lovers trope.

This is book 1 of a duology, and I’m already excited for the next one even though this one isn’t even out for general sale yet, but I will definitely be watching closely for the second instalment. I’ve already preordered a kindle copy AND I’ll probably be ordering a physical copy when those are available for preorder too. THAT is how much I enjoyed this book. Anyway enough of me gushing about how great it was, let me tell you a bit about this story:

We’re set in The Sanok Isles, a small island who gained their independence from the larger Larland 20 years before we begin our story. In the book, we’re following Isabel, an 18 year old apprentice to the Royal Physician, who hopes to become the next Royal Physician after her apprenticeship. Her day-to-day consists of taking care of the bedridden Queen’s bedsores, and making sure the King (who is delirious and hallucinating most of the time) remains safe and relatively well. When one of Isabel’s friends is murdered on the beaches outside of the castle, the world Isabel thought she knew is rocked and sinister secrets are surfaced.

A stash of letters from her friend reveals that the neighbouring kingdom of Volgaard are in possession of a weapon capable of conquering nations, and are on a warpath headed right through The Sanok Isles. When the military general of Volgaard and his son and daughter arrive at the castle and state they will be going on a scouting mission, Isabel is thrown into the heart of the action. Her mission is simple: find out what the weapon is and steal it. To do this, she is told she will be going with the team of scouts and she needs to ‘woo’ the general’s son, Erik. Erik, however, seems to be a tough nut to crack with his immediate suspicion toward Isobel and the fact that he can wield powerful magic, and Isobel cannot.

They enter into a dangerous dance with each other, and over time the line between enemy and friend becomes blurred when Isobel realises that all may not be as it seems. Battling between her desire to avenge her murdered friend and her undeniable attraction to Erik makes things even more difficult for Isobel, and the more she learns about him and about Volgaard, the less she believes that the story she was given is entirely true.

A comprehensive list of trigger warnings are provided in the book, which include:
Parental infidelity and abandonment
Death of a parent and of a friend
Hazing
Self-harm ideation and on page self-harm (not suicidal)
Brief mention of torture
Themes of grief
**This is not an all-inclusive list of the triggers, however these are the most prevalent triggers in the story**

Spice level: fade-to-black, with some steam before the fade but nothing too spicy.

I feel so lucky to have had the chance to read this book before release day! What an incredible read. Fans of This Vicious Grace will absolutely adore this book. It's one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read!

The author is a master of writing. The pacing of this novel was quick and fun, keeping me intrigued the whole time I read. I was always on my toes wondering what was going to happen next! The banter between Isabel, the main character, and Erik, the love interest, was hilarious. I loved that Isy wasn't your typical "badass" fantasy heroine either. She's honest and sincere and wants to do what she can to discover who killed her friend and help her country.

The romance in this book also had me kicking my feet, so there's that, too!

I highly recommend reading this book. So freaking good!!

I don't normally like to read fantasies that have its own geography, like lord of the rings and whatnot, because when I read I see pictures like a movie so it makes it hard to visualize the setting if it's in a different world but I do like to give books a try. Overall though, I didn't have any issues since Sarah does a great job with her descriptions. It's also difficult to find a true enemies to lovers book without the MCs falling in love within the first 5 or 10 chapters but not here. I had a good time reading this and would recommend