Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Hardcover, 373 pages
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Published by: Balzer and Bray
Born of Illusion, #1
Source: Bought
For fans of: Magic, Paranormal, Historical, Romance

     ANNA VAN HOUSEN HAS A SECRET.
     A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage shows and seances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians and mentalists in 1920s New York. For Anna, the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini – or so Marguerite claims – handcuffs and sleight-of-hand illusions have never been much of a challenge. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her mother: because while Marguerite’s power may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.
     But as Anna’s powers intensify, she experiences frightening visions of her mother in peril, which lead her to explore the abilities she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a society that studies people with gifts like hers, she begins to wonder if there’s more to life than keeping secrets.
     As her visions become darker and her powers spin out of her control, Anna is forced to rethink all she’s ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna’s visions merely illusions? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite’s tricks?
     From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, with the temptations of Jazz Age New York — and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny. (From Goodreads) 


*MY THOUGHTS*
     I am so beyond frustrated with this I don’t know where to start. I was so excited about this book and I just knew I would love it, but that was definitely not the case. The many issues I had with this book definitely over ruled all the things I was super excited about. 
     One thing I was excited about was the magic and illusions and Houdini-ness that I was promised to see in the synopsis. That was the defining factor that made me want to read it. But once I started it, it seemed like that was all there was in the story. They explained so many aspects of her mother and their job together, that they forgot about the rest of the story. There was absolutely nothing else going on. 
     Then I was excited about this boy that would make her gifts go crazy. But then there ended up being another dude and it seemed like a love triangle. After reading some of my friend’s reviews, I’m guessing he’s there for something that happens later in the plot, but I just couldn’t get to that.
     In the end I DNF. I had connected to Anna, but only barely, and I was sick of the redundancy of her job. I just needed something else.