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Illusions in Paint
by Ann M. Miller
Series: Captured in Paint #2
Series Rating:
Published by Totally Entwined Group on January 11, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 242
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Captured in Paint
When art and illusion collide, no one is safe...
Eight months ago, Julia Parsons learned to control her strongest emotions—the ones that created doorways into paintings. With her Vista magic in check, she has stopped looking for the descendant of the witch rumoured to have the power to remove her abilities. But when her magic goes haywire and paintings begin calling to her, she can barely resist opening portals into any works of art she encounters.
Then Julia runs into Luke Mercer, who offers to help her find the descendant, a teen named Marisa. When Julia’s boyfriend, Nick, joins the search, they locate the girl—in an art gallery, of all places. Before Julia can ask Marisa to remove her magic, the call of so many paintings overwhelms her, and she opens multiple portals at once. Marisa is sucked into one, and Julia and the boys are forced to jump into works of art to get her back.
As Julia’s connection to the art intensifies, so does the danger lurking in the deep corners of the paintings they move through. In order to save Marisa and her friends, Julia will have to separate reality from illusion…and fully embrace the magic that runs through her veins, once and for all.
Illusions in Paint by Ann M. Miller is about looking at what life dealt you and seizing the day.
Can Julia finally figure out what caused the curse on her family?
Julia
Julia is back with her Vista powers that she found out about in the last book. She is trying to control them, but they have gotten stronger. The power is so strong that she starts to paint in her sleep despite not picking up paints. Julia wants the powers gone so that she can live a normal life without fear of trapping anyone into a painting again. I sometimes liked and didn’t like Julia this time around. I like Julia because she cares about her family and her boyfriend. The other thing that I like about her is that she wants to protect her boyfriend from herself. However, this is also a dislike for me because she is overprotective of Nick at times.
The Boys
Nick is Julia’s boyfriend, and they are adorable around each other. He is a good person for Julia to be around as he centers her the best that he can. Nick does get a bit jealous, especially with talks about Luke, but that does seem reasonable to me. For Julia, Nick would do anything for her, even if it gets him hurt in the process. If Julia could concentrate on something else, perhaps there wouldn’t be any issues. Nick is a good character, and I’m glad we saw more of this cheesy guy this time around.
Now for Luke. The whole reason why Julia is worried about Nick being near her is if her powers act up around a painting, he could be hurt. Luke has changed from the sarcastic teenage guy to a mellower guy in the past eight months. He can ground Julia and help keep Julia from using her powers or opening any portals, or getting sucked into any as well. We learn a lot more about Luke in her, and I’m all for that as it is fantastic to see him grow.
The trio is back trying to get Marisa out of the paintings despite Nick nor Luke wanting the other to go with Julia into the paintings.
Four Stars
Illusions in Paint by Ann M. Miller is the second book in the Captured in Paint series. Julia, Nick, and Luke are back to figure out why Julia’s powers have grown and how she can take the curse off her family. Life has thrown Julia a curveball with these extreme powers. Will Julia accept her powers as a part of her, or will she let the powers control her? Pick up the book and find out for yourself. I am giving it four stars and recommending it to you young adult fantasy readers out there.
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Illusions in Paint by Ann M. Miller.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Ann M. Miller
Ann Miller writes young adult novels about first loves, family secrets, and magic. She grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, where the local bookmobile fed her diet of Nancy Drew mysteries, Sweet Valley High books, and Stephen King horror. After graduating from the University of King’s College, she moved to Newfoundland, an island that makes up for its unforgiving climate with beautiful coastlines and majestic icebergs.
When she’s not reading or writing, Ann can be found spending time with her husband and son, or binge-watching Netflix while curled up with the two four-legged members of her family.
Captured in Paint is her first novel, and she has several more in the works. Take a look at Ann’s website.
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