ILLUSIVE (Illusive #1) Emily Lloyd-Jones 416 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Release Date: July 15, 2014 Rating: 5 STARS When the MK virus took over the world, a vaccine was created by Fiacre Pharmaceuticals called Praevenir. Everybody thought that with the new vaccine, things would return to normal, but they didn't. Some unexpected side affects came along with the drug, side affects that nobody saw coming. Not everyone was affected, but .03 percent of the world's population began to experience immunities, superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba is part of the .03 percent. She has the ability to change her appearance at will, which makes it all too easy for her to be a thief. When a routine robbery goes wrong, Ciere gets involved with a mob who tells her she either has to pay, or face the consequences. ILLUSIVE takes the concrete lines between good and bad and makes them blurry. Suddenly, nothing is as it seems. When I first picked ILLUSIVE up, I was very wary. The book is being described as the X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven, and that just sounded way too hokey for anything that I would ever enjoy. Despite going into the book expecting not to like it, after the first chapter I was hooked. The fact that the good guys are self-professed criminals gave things a very interesting vibe. It was hard at times to know who was good and who was bad. I like that Emily Lloyd-Jones kept me guessing. This assured that I was never bored and kept me fully engaged the entire time. The humor was awesome! So many funny jokes are contained within the pages, which made this such a fun read. The way that things are connected and intertwined is amazing. References were made throughout the book that mentioned events from the beginning in both big and small ways. All of the characters were very enjoyable, even the ones that you are supposed to dislike. They were crafted so well, and the ways they interacted with each other were very believeable. I am incredibly glad that I picked this book up and gave it a chance. It has definitely turned into one of my favorite reads, and I am so excited for the sequel, Deceptive! You will definitely want to get your hands on this one, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Favorite line: |
Feel the fear, but do not let anyone see it.