This book is an enchanting read. There is so much inspired by real life, particularly when it comes to the work of the stage illusionists. Because of it, Liz Hyder has created a rich, believable world that is easy to immerse yourself in. A real touch of magic.

This was simply magical! The description of the magician's performances were so detailed that I actually felt like I was in the audience, watching the scene play out on stage ... my mind was blown just like any audience member with the illusions described, there is definitely a touch of the impossible here!

A well-researched story couched in history, telling the fascinating story of the development of 'moving pictures' and the art of magic, explored through the relationships between a select group of people. I adored George, Eadie, Valentin and Cec equally, and praise Hyder for not only spotlighting female pioneers but ensuring they are central to her story. Perhaps this was not quite accurate for the time of the story, but nevertheless women's contributions have been overlooked and it is wonderful to see them taking centre stage - quite literally!

Highly recommend - you will certainly be astonished!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Liz Hyder is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. This is such a richly drawn book, full of history and magic. I enjoyed it greatly.

A wonderfully, magical story set in Bristol in 1896. I love the illusionist kind of feel and the magician element was very well written - sophisticated and not cheesy at all.

There are multiple POVs which is right up my street - some love, tragedy, sadness, violence and a lot of heartwarming scenes.

Overall, an enjoyable, cosy and magical read which I would recommend. I have The Gifts on my TBR so will be picking that one up shortly too!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my copy of the e-book.

Ah what a lovely, magical tale. Liz has a way of writing strong likeable characters and Eadie and Cec did not disappoint. We're taken back to Victorian Bristol and a time of Magic, Illusion, Spirituality and the advent of moving pictures. The story is of old magicians and their illusions, and a new breed of magicians and the technology they are able to use to amaze audiences. We follow The Professor and his Protégé George as they plan a final show so that the Professor can hand over the reigns to George. There is the jealous, devious Mr Skarratt who wants to be the next big magician, and he sets out to thwart the show.

This story weaves spirituality and magical realism into a rich victorian backdrop. Exploring issues that are still relevant today and basing some of the adventures on real life events kept me reading into the night. But most of all I loved the friendships and relationships in this novel. A heart warming read.

A really enjoyable book where once you got started it was hard to put it down. The magical elements were subtle and yet set the book apart from historical fiction, adding fun but also suspense. A 4 as initially it was harder to get into, as a lot of characters are introduced quickly, but once the plot started it was thoroughly engaging.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Illusions
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Liz Hyder
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Historical Fiction
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 22nd June 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 19th May 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5

”All done by kindness.”

The Illusions is a marvelous historical fiction novel with aspects of magical realism and roots in true historical figures. This book acts as a love letter to theatre and creative collaboration.

Based in Bristol during 1886, The Illusions is set in the period of time where animated pictures were a new phenomenon and magicians played a large part in pushing the magic and brilliant inventiveness or this technological advance.

This story really gave me everything. It was incredibly well written and so provocative. There were tones of sadness, violence, mystique, tenderness, and a heartwarming found family dynamic that really hits its stride towards the end of the story.

Speaking of the end of the story; the ending was so fabulous and climactic. I enjoyed it immensely.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨

‘The Illusions’ is a long book with a large cast of characters. As the story goes on you learn which of these characters are important and which are secondary and the relationships between the important characters become clear. At the start of the book, though, the characters are introduced one by one and it is not at all obvious what they have to do with each other.
The first person we meet is Arter Evans but he dies quite early on. The character who matters is his assistant, Cecily Marsden, always known as Cec. Cec appears soon after Arter, but the opening paragraphs are entirely from Arter’s viewpoint and this makes it difficult to immediately relate to Cec – a difficulty increased by introducing her in terms of what she has learned of magic, rather than how she feels about it.
No matter. A few pages later, Arter is dead and Cec flees to “the one person in all of Bristol that might be able to help”. So we meet Skarratt. There’s a hint that Cec does not like Skarratt. She's right not to – he’s a thoroughly unpleasant piece of work – but we do not know why she dislikes him so much or, indeed, why he is the one person who might be able to help.
No matter (again), for we leave Cec and are introduced to Eadie. She is picking at a loose thread on her dress. She is, we are told, nervous.
I am not one to insist that it is always a crime to ‘tell’ rather than to show, but it would be nice to occasionally see things internalised. If we were in Eadie’s head we would see that she was nervous. We would not have to be told that she picked up a loose thread “nervously”, nor that she is “reassuring herself” that she does not need to be frightened.
Perhaps there simply isn't time to get into Eadie’s head, for we are about meet another character, George Perris. They are both there for a séance. Eadie intends to expose such seances for the frauds they are. (I never quite worked out how but I may just not have been paying attention.) Perris’s approach is more direct. He breaks up the séance, causing real distress to the sitters. Eadie is angered by this and berates Perris but, already, she can’t miss that he is “one of the most handsome men she's ever seen”.
Somewhere in the roomful of characters at the séance there is another significant person in the story, but don’t try to work it out because now we are in Paris at a performance by Valentin, who is seeing visions of a woman called Olivia who…
You see why I was frustrated at this point.
Once the characters have come together and we know the relationships between them, everything makes a great deal more sense. The plot is quite complicated but revolves around a feud between Skarratt on the one hand and Valentin and George on the other. Valentin and George are putting on a magic show intended to cement George’s reputation as the greatest magician in England, while Skarratt is set to wreck it largely out of spite and jealousy. Fortunately for George both Valentin and Cec possess real magical powers with which they are able to foil at least some of Skarratt’s evil plans.
The story draws in the early days of moving pictures (Eadie is developing new techniques, though we learn little of the technology), and a complicated series of relationships as the characters (except the loathsome Skarratt, of course) sort themselves out into romantic couples.
The descriptions of tricks from the Golden Age of magic are fascinating, though I fear the author is often as misdirected as the audience. The thing about magicians is that they often seem to do things that appear impossible. This doesn't mean that they actually do impossible things, but some of the descriptions of the tricks here clearly are impossible. This means that the distinction between the tricks that are being done by expert magicians are difficult to distinguish from those which are being done by expert magicians who are also possessed of genuine magical powers. That, I think, weakens a central element of the idea behind the book. By the end (no spoilers) stuff is happening that is clearly absolutely impossible. In fact, so impossible that you would think even the audience would notice. But perhaps they, like us, are lulled into a false sense that it's all just a magic show by the number of impossible tricks they have witnessed from regular magicians. It's still odd that Valentin is prepared to do some of these tricks given that he is supposed not to be letting his friends know about his magic powers. Never mind: it’s a dramatic ending to the book.
The failure to show us how the characters feel, rather than just to tell us what they are feeling meant that they never really came alive for me. As a result, I found my interest slipping. On the other hand, I was drawn back in by the plot, which zips along. I had the impression that it was written more for younger readers who may be less worried by the rather two dimensional characters and more interested in the plotting, which is fair enough. If that’s you (or a young friend) you may well enjoy this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Set during the time when photography and moving pictures were just beginning to breakthrough the character were loosely based on several people who lived and worked in the industry around this time. I love reading about magic and learnt quite a bit about it in this book. I also loved the supernatural/impossible aspects too.

Lovely, uplifting novel to start a Sunday on while I drink my coffee. The Illusions by @londonbessie is a lighthearted tale set in the late 1800s, following a group of likeable characters as they work together to pull off the biggest spectacle Bristol has ever seen. Grateful to @netgalley for approving me to read an advance copy. The illusions is out next month ❤️♠️♦️♣️

Thank you to Netgalley for this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was my first book with this author and I really enjoyed it. I loved the suspense and magic and all the thrills within it. I wouldn't normally read a book like this but I chose it out of my comfort zone and it did not disappoint at all. Highly recommended.

I loved the opening chapters of this book - it opened a new world with an 'other' worldly feel to it. The story begins in Bristol in 1896 on a dark, stormy night when Cecily is following her master home. A freak accident brings down some scaffolding and kills him but Cecily believes she may have had something to do with his death and she wonders if she has powers she doesn't understand.
Meanwhile, in other parts of Bristol, an old magician is dying and wishes to pass on the baton of his success to a younger man and in a different area of town, Eadie Carleton is experimenting with very early moving pictures and creating cameras on which to record movement.
There are several stories going on early in the book and it takes a little concentrating to work out all the characters, however their connections to each other soon become clear and with in a short time it is clear who is who.
This is an interesting read. The author has created a very believable time and place through weaving actual historical figures with those from her imagination. The seances and mesmerists of the time are evoked by the cheating, manipulative character of Roderick Skarrat, creating a fascinating villain. The class differences are well portrayed as Eadie must work for a living while she and George entertain the wealthy. Cecily is the most interesting character and I would perhaps have liked more about magical abilities that are eluded to in the opening chapters, but it was not to be. Still a good read, full of historical detail, stagecraft and illusion.

This book was very good although I struggled with there being so many characters and the swapping and changing of scenes. This is in no way a reflection on the author as she is extremely talented. Having lots of characters and changes in location and story lines was too confusing for me.

Huge thanks to the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review. This was a gripping, magnificent mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Illusions by Liz Hyder
This novel is set in Bristol in 1896 and concerns the final show by a master illusionist known as the Professor. At the show he intends to name his successor and two people vie for this position. Edie Carlton is a pioneer projectionist and photographer who is experimenting with moving pictures after taking over her father’s shop following his death. She becomes nvolved with George Perris one of the young men who aims to be the professor’s successor. There are however many twists and turns along the way and the involvement of those who pretend to be able to commune with the dead.
Liz Hyder creates the word of these illusionists extremely powerfully and builds up the tension in the story. I became fully involved in the characters and their lives in particular Eadie’s struggle to survive in a male dominated world. Roderick Skarrat is a character it is easy to dislike and his treatment of poor Cecily is powerfully created.
The ending was very satisfactory and brought together all the loose ends. I found it a very satisfying book and will be recommending it at my various book groups.
Many thanks to the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

A magical read about the earliest iterations of magic shows and Victorian cinema. This was a well-researched and engaging novel with some serious feel good factor. Likely to appeal to fans of the Illusionist (film, unrelated) and the Greatest Showman.

Really enjoyed this brilliant tale crammed full of magic. Great characters, intriguing storyline and entertaining from start to finish. Thanks to Netgallley and Manilla Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A hugely enjoyable tale of the birth of moving pictures and magicians and love in all its guises. There are quite a few characters but they are quickly established and it’s a great tale of triumph over adversity with just the right amount of magic sprinkled in.

Lots of fun, and the setting is beautifully drawn. The characters are many and varied, but I quickly got to grips with who was who, and it was easy to jump between the different storylines which prevented the story from dragging. I don't think this novel is quite as rich as The Gifts (though almost nothing lives up to that novel, it is basically perfect!) and I wasn't quite as gripped as I hoped to be. However, my expectations were through the roof after reading The Gifts, and The Illusions, while not quite as brilliant, is far from average. I will read everything Liz Hyder writes!

The Illusions is a well written and atmospheric tale of magic and mystery in the late Victorian era. However, despite its premise, the narrative did not engage me and I failed to finish.