Book Review: Broken Illusions by Ellie James

It’s Mardi Gras, but for 16 year-old psychic Trinity Monsour this is no time for celebration. Another girl is missing. Haunted by visions she doesn’t understand—of an empty street lined by crumbling old buildings, a terrified voice warning her to be careful, and a body lying motionless in the grass—Trinity embarks upon a dark odyssey she could never have imagined. She’ll stop at nothing to better understand her abilities, convinced that doing so is the only way she can make sure the terrifying images she sees never actually happen.

But it seems everyone wants to stop her. Her aunt is worried Trinity might discover secrets best left in the past. Her best friend, Victoria, is afraid Trinity is slipping away, her boyfriend, Chase, fears she’s taking too many chances, and the lead detective will barely let her out of his sight. Only one person stands by her side, and in doing so, he slips deeper and deeper into her heart—and her dreams—blurring the lines of reality and illusion. When the dust settles, one of them will be dead.

I was lucky enough to have a copy of this novel on hand as soon as I finished Shattered Dreams, because I immediately had to know what was happening to Trinity, Chase, Dylan, and Jessica. 

Broken Illusions is a novel to be read and enjoyed in depth, not just at face value.  There are a number of references and clues to the outcome of the novel that I would not have noticed had I not re-read some passsages.  I will say that James creates a complicated web of a narrative, and if you aren’t careful you might just lose your place.  I should know, it happened to me a few times, but after flipping back a page or two, I was able to grasp what I had missed.

This novel picks up not long after the end of Shattered Dreams, and we learn that Jessica is attempting to recover, that Chase spends time with her, and that it makes Trinity a little uncomfortable. As soon as one of her mother’s former friends goes missing, Trinity begins to connect with her and the chase begins.

James did an extraordinary job of leading me off the path of the perpetraitor and I was absolutely convinced that it was someone completely different than it was.  Trinity and the rest of the gang were equally as fooled.

As with the first novel, my only complaint about the narrative is some of the references to popular culture.  Why? Well, I feel that novels should be able to withstand the test of time so generations after ours can continue to read them.  References to popular culture can only bog down the narrative and cause future readers to not be able to appreciate the hilarity or cleverness of the reference.

I really loved how James incorporated Dylan in this novel, since we barely see him in the first installment.  I can’t help but say that I adore him and hope he sticks around. 

Excellent read and amazing narrative.

4.5 Bards