Aspects of Illusion offers a strong epic fantasy with both a complicated overall plot and complex cultures coming together in peace and conflict. There are two main plots running in parallel, a “save the world” plot and a romantic one between Raena and Xander, the crown prince of Oantra. While there were a few points when the balance between the plots seemed off, one holding the center stage too strongly or too long and then the other jumping back in as if nothing had happened, it didn’t change my overall wish to keep reading while at the same time dreading the end when I would run out of story.

The novel is told by a large cast of point-of-view characters, not all of which are main characters. This has the potential to be confusing and distance the reader, but I didn’t find that to be the case. Each character had a part to play and brought some unique element to the table. There was only one scene where I confused two of the characters because I didn’t see enough setup to put the actual character where he could see what he did. Ultimately, though, the scene made sense and had future implications that strengthened later events.

If you’ve been reading my reviews for some time, you already know what wins me over is usually the characters. There is no limit to the number of strong, complicated people in Aspects of Illusion. Whether bad, good, or indecisive, the characters have clear motivations and understandings based on their own place and culture. These understandings are not always correct, nor are they always to the overall good, but it’s easy to see how the character came to that conclusion, especially with the bad characters who make twisted sense despite being misguided.

The story ended a scene or two before where I expected it to conclude, but that’s in part because I wasn’t ready to leave the world. It’s a complex blend of numerous fantasy cultures from mages and princes to mermaids and fae. I especially enjoyed the way we’re brought into daily life. This isn’t a clash of royals but a situation affecting people of all levels of society. Each group has their own approach and quirks while at the same time they are not a uniform entity but have members who behave outside of the expectations of that culture. This makes for both culture clashes and unexpected unity.

The book does touch on some elements that are not appropriate for all audiences, including strong violence (though not graphic), sexual encounters, and a rape. While I’m likely to question the need for the last, in this case it’s a perfect example of clashing cultural and species expectations and not at all what you might expect, especially as the man is the victim.

I didn’t necessarily agree with every decision, but I could see where it came from and why the characters or plot required that to happen, leaving me with characters I wanted to spend time with and a strong world filled with potential for more stories to come both directly after this one and as the various groups grow and change. I, for one, look forward to seeing more of certain characters in future books.

P.S. I received this novel from the author in return for an honest review.