I wanted to ESCAPE® from having to read this. There was nothing tense, alluring, nor mysterious about Elusion at all. I was not left breathless. I remained unimpressed and annoyed with Regan. The writing was fairly good, but nothing in this story was able to interest me. 

The idea of the story sounded pretty unique and totally cool. I would so enjoy escaping from reality for a little while, but it feels like I’ve read this story and put up with this dumb girl before and all the clichés that seem to come hand in hand in these sorts of books.

There were supposed to be plot twists, apparently. 

Elusion seemed pretty darn predictable to me. 

I hated Regan after the whole…’I wanted to kiss Josh again’ crap. Like hello, you have other important things to do. Focus on something other than a boy you’ve only known for about a week. A boy who hasn’t exactly been 100% honest with you on certain details. 

I didn’t really like any characters. I didn’t like Patrick and I definitely did not like Josh. There was just something about him and ugh. 

Stuff happens, but nothing really happens. It tries to pick up at the very end. But there’s no way I would ever bother picking up the next book. 

I would give this book about two stars. I didn’t hate it, but I found nothing likable. 

A dystopia-lite, romance-lite, mystery-lite story that I had fun with. I like VR stories and Regan's quest to figure out what happened to her father and his creation kept me engaged. My biggest bump was that I didn't realize it was book one of a series. As I slid into home with this, I was looking forward to seeing how it wrapped up - because I really think it could have wrapped up in one book. But no, there was a cliffhanger of sorts setting up our new world of book two. Not sure I'm going to go there with the author. But it was a solid read.

You all know me, if a book is hugely polarized in the blogger world I have to read it. When there's so much hate spewed against it on one side, and so much love on the other side, I must figure out which side I fall on. I had absolutely no expectations one way or the other when I picked up Elusion from the library. I just wanted to give this book a shot and, you know what? I actually really liked this.

 

Regan lives in a world that is a shattered version of our own. Acid rain falls from the sky, black poisonous clouds hover overhead, and an O2 shield is pretty much necessary most days if you don't want to choke to death on the chemicals floating in the atmosphere. Nature as we know it is gone. So how do people get away from their problems? An Escape. An Elusion. Before he mysteriously died, Regan's father invented this amazing way to take a "trip" to somewhere new. Sounds amazing, right? Or is it?

 

I have to say, I was impressed with the world that was built around Regan. Although it wasn't flat out explained, it was immersive enough that I didn't even question it. I was lost in the desolation around these people, and the fact that they just ignored it all. I'm a sucker for new technology, and Elusion was amazing to me. Imagine a way to travel to somewhere new, to somewhere that hasn't existed in years, in complete safety. Of course that kind of technology always comes with its fair share of flaws. This one was no exception.

 

There was nothing I could do but hold on as Regan flew through one part of the mystery after another, uncovering all the dirty laundry that her father's company was trying to hide. Once again I'll admit, it wasn't exactly a perfectly plausible story line. Still, this was a new world. It was a vividly built world, and I was willing to forgive a lot simply because I couldn't help but feel caught up in it all. I wanted to know what Orexis was hiding, and you couldn't have stopped me if you tried.

 

The absolute only thing that slightly irked me was the quasi-romance that Elusion brings to the table. Regan was such a strong character. She fought for what she believed in, and never gave up no matter how many people tried to break her down. Seeing her loose it over a guy she just met, no matter how handsome he was, bothered me. I can't deny it. It also made for an ending that, although the cliffhanger is killer, was rushed as well. Still, I know I'll be back for more. This series has hooked me. You can mark me solidly on the "I liked this" side of the Elusion camp, and I'm proud of it.

 

 

**Received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

Amulet of Elusion is great ya fantasy novel. I was totally impressed with how Katie Lynn Johnson went about writing this. It was a fun read with a lot of action and enough romance. The world building was outstanding! I absolutely loved the world from start to finish. The character development was great too. Each character had their own personality that bought the story to life.

Alexa Costa, the protagonist, is a feisty 17 year old living with Ivy Delgado (her guardian) in Alvair. Alexa grew up sheltered because of her past life in San Lucero. Now that she is turning 18 years old she is allowed to beyond the city limits of Alvair and go to San Lucero. Her entire life she spent days learning about Triads, Amulets and how to sparr. She used to think it was all useless until she was captured by the governor of San Lucero and then Alvairians came to rescue her. War broke out between the two cities.

Alexa's best friend Novella Harris is an extremely outgoing young lady. I loved her spunky attitude, especially when it came to reading and learning history. Alexa has a "beau" named Caleb Whitman. The forbidden romance that brews between the two of them is lovely. I admire how Caleb even took Sam, a 15 year old, under his wing to "train" him.

Ivy was an amazing guardian. I think she should have told Alexa the truth about her family and life, but the fact that she prepared her throughout the years was great.

The fight between the queen and king against Alexa was stunning. How the king died was hilarious, but the ending is such a cliff hanger!!!!!!!!! Why!?

Overall, this book was awesome and the sneak peak of Amulet of Power definitely has me interested in what happens next!

Engaging story! 

Earth is unsafe because of pollutants. 

One man has a vision to share nature and paradise through virtual technology. But what happens when it all falls apart? What happens when there is another option?

I want to go to Etherworld.

Great book!