The next exciting novel in the thrilling new Midnight Dragonfly series from Ellie James! It’s almost Mardi Gras, but for 16 year-old psychic Trinity Monsour this is no time for celebration. Another girl is missing. Tormented by visions she doesn’t understand—of an empty street lined by crumbling old buildings, a terrified voice warning her to be careful, and a body lying motionless in the grass, Trinity embarks upon a dark odyssey she could never have imagined. She’ll stop at nothing to better understand her abilities, convinced that doing so is the only way she can make sure the terrifying images she sees never actually happen. But it seems everyone wants to stop her. Her aunt is worried Trinity might discover secrets best left in the past. Her best friend, Victoria, is afraid Trinity is slipping away, her boyfriend, Chase, fears she’s taking too many chances, and the lead detective will barely let her out of his sight. Only one person stands by her side, and in doing so, he slips deeper and deeper into her heart and her dreams—blurring the lines of reality and illusion. When the dust settles, one of them will be dead.
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Gr 8 Up-Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, this paranormal thriller and romance continues to follow the story of 16-year-old Trinity Monsour, whose psychic abilities are growing ever stronger. Another girl has gone missing and Trinity finds tangible proof that their families are somehow connected. Detective LaSalle, now dating Trinity's aunt, is eager to learn all he can about the protagonist's abilities and her dreams. Using italics to help guide readers in and out of the psychic realm and keeping them abreast of Trinity's thoughts and experiences, this book reads as much like a film script as a novel. The action and characters would be hard to follow if not for this clever device. However, even with the backstory peppered throughout, this installment in the series cannot stand on its own, as there is still too much catching up to be done. Fans of Shattered Dreams (St. Martin's, 2011) will enjoy the twists and drama and be left wondering where Trinity's abilities and mysterious past will lead her next.-Genevieve Gallagher, Charlottesville High School, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"With this steamy second installment, the Midnight Dragonfly series continues to sizzle. In addition to the thrill factor, an effective balance of quick dialogue and occasional text messages with rich descriptions of the gothic New Orleans setting and Trinity’s visions makes for an absorbing read. Fans of paranormal thrillers and romances will find plenty to love in this gripping series."--Kirkus Reviews on Broken Illusions
Most people who know me think I'm your nice, ordinary average wife and mom of two young kids. They see someone who does all that ordinary stuff, like grocery shopping, walking the dog, going to baseball games, and somehow always forgetting to get the house cleaned and laundry done.
What they don't know is that more often than, I am somewhere far, far away, in an extraordinary world, deeply embroiled in solving a riddle or puzzle or crime, testing the limits of possibility, exploring the unexplained, and holding my breath while two people fall in love.
Those who do know have learned to go easy on me. They know what my blank stare means, and they know when I politely nod, I haven't heard a word. I even have a few awesome friends who know to call me with gentle reminders about things like the first day of school and neighborhood block parties!
Regardless of which world I'm in, my story worlds or the real world, I love rain and wind and thunder and lightning, the first warm kiss of spring and the first cool whisper of fall, family, friends, and animals, dreams, happy endings, and...chocolate chip cookies.
First a few words about the Midnight Dragonfly series in general:
In Trinity, Ellie James has created a female protagonist who is unlike most of the young adult paranormal / supernatural / dystopian protagonists written today. She is neither whiny nor self-absorbed. I found her to be a little soft and too faint-prone in the first novel but now that she has a grip on her ability and has come into her own, there's none of the typical "oh why is this happening to me" nonsense that can span multiple installments. I think it is also worth mentioning that between the first and second novels, I have read at least twenty other YA books from Armentrout, Bartol, Stiefvater and the like. Unlike those authors' series, where I had to go back and refresh my memory of who's who before diving into the next in a series, I remembered everyone in James' series. That speaks to how well she has created the characters and their world in New Orleans.
Now onto the book itself: the reader is thrown right back into Trinity's world just a few months following Shattered Dreams' conclusion. Like, literally, it just grips you from the first page and does not let up until the end. More visions, more cryptic dreams and messages plague her as we follow her along in her journey to make sense of it all. I hate spoilers so I won't spill any here, but I can say that I honestly didn't see the ending coming. At all. The ending itself should earn it five stars. What stops me from giving the entire book five stars is the relationship between her and Chase, her husky footballer boyfriend. The relationship lost its appeal for me (and that gives nothing away, as the author describes the same in the synopsis). Honestly I wanted it to end at the beginning but then, I was rooting for the other boy as soon as he stepped onto the pages of SD. A couple of new characters were throw-aways who really didn't move the plot forward but their presence didn't affect my overall feelings about the book. The book's pace clips along nicely and kept me turning and turning to see what happens next. I read it in one sitting.
Ellie James has done herself proud with Broken Illusions. I can't wait for the next installment to see how Trinity moves forward from the shattered dream that came at the end.
Broken Illusions is the second book in the Midnight Dragonfly Series. This book picks up just a few months after "Shattered Dreams (book 1) leaves off. Once again Ellie James grips your imagination with her descriptions of New Orleans. We follow Trinity Monsour as she learns more about herself and her psychic visions. Trinity's story is written in such a way as to make the reader feel what she feels, see what she sees. Broken Dreams is a roller-coaster of emotion.
Love the Midnight Dragonfly series. Broken Illusions (2nd book) evolves from Shattered Dreams (1st book) but could be read on its own. I love that the book's story has an ending but leaves you wanting more about the characters. Will be waiting earnestly for the next chapter in December.
