DISILLUSIONED by J.S. Cooper has an great premise packed with scandalous intrigue, betrayal at every corner, and a strong romantic conflict set up. This is the sequel to ILLUSION, and the author does a nice job of going over what happens in the first book, which I hadn't read, so readers can still pick this one up and be familiar with the previous storyline.

As intriguing as the premise is, the writing is ultimately not strong enough for me to enjoy this book. Passages are excessively overwritten and unnecessarily lengthy all throughout the story with sporadic pacing, giving the story a lack of coherency. The dialogue feels stiff and unrealistic, making it hard to invest in the characters. Bianca is fairly inconsistent in her thinking, often going back and forth in a single chapter, and Jakob feels one-dimensional. However, I can definitely see some readers falling hard for the angst and major obstacles that they battle as Bianca tries to decide if she can trust him or not.

Overall, DISILLUSIONED isn't the most ideal match for me, and I won't be continuing the series. However, J.S. Cooper does a great job at setting up a unique premise that is sure to appeal to many readers.

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