DON’T MESS WITH THE ALTER
The beginning of The Illusion of a Boy by LeeAnn Werner slams the proverbial gas pedal to the metal while you hold on for dear life because it throws you into the ocean without a lifeline; it’s that intense! This young adult psychological thriller really was that captivating and evocative from start to finish. As a book 2, it definitely keeps the well-written vibe of book 1, The Illusion of a Girl, leaving you with a satisfactory end to the saga plaguing Jessie Taylor and her family. No cliffhanger nonsense going on here. But if you haven’t read book 1, it’s no big deal because this book works perfectly as a stand-alone novel, as well.
Regarding my in-depth review, as always, this will not have any spoilers because it’s a disservice to the author’s hard work and it would interfere with your reading experience. So, I’ll be focusing on examples that highlight the masterful way the author starts the metaphorical roller coaster immersing you with every twist, turn, and drop. Things like how the author gives the reader a sense of pending doom, the ensuing tragedy, and the attack that makes it impossible to keep the underlying problem a secret.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
From page one, the story starts off with a bit of foreboding mystery if you haven’t read book one, and if you have read it, then you’ll know exactly why Jessie prefers to walk at night to hide her identity; you’ll know the reason she thinks, “In our neighborhood, suspicions and questions about his death surrounded me like a shroud… I’d wanted to do a lot of things in silence since my dad died” (1). At this point, it doesn’t matter if you’ve read book 1 because the start of the novel expertly creates intrigue capable of propelling you to read on. By page two, the foreboding effect is intensified since Jessie sets the time period by narrating, “Four months had dragged on while we processed the shock of Dad’s absence. Like the walking wounded, Brian, my brother, and I were so grateful the nightmare was finally over but were still dealing with the carnage” (2). However, when you add the author’s effect of showing you how their mother is dealing with the sudden death of the father of her children, it gives off a chilling result. This is evident when Jessie describes her mother before she left the house; “Mom had been staring blankly at the TV when I left. Severe depression had plagued her since my father’s death…Her continued delusion angered me and drove me crazy. Of course, he had been slightly less abusive to her” (2). As dire as this sounds, the author adds another description to seal the foreboding feeling of the book’s opening pages by having Jessie describe how this situation has impacted her grandma. She narrates, “Grandma had been keeping Mom under close watch, but she needed a break. We all did” (2). Now, for those who’ve read book 1, you’ll love how this seamlessly continues the story, and for those who haven’t read it, you’ll love how the author uses the story’s opening to set up the family as one dealing with the aftermath of the father’s death.
MOM!
Then the proverbial foot settles on the gas pedal by page four, and then it slams the pedal to the floorboard by page five. As you read page three, Werner masterfully sets this all up. So, when your eyes get to the bottom of page four, boom! Jessie walks into her house and finds a note. It says, “Don’t do drugs. They ruin your life. Love Mom” (4). Personally, this was incredibly creepy because it gave me a flashback to a family tragedy, so I was hoping for the best, but in my gut, I knew it was going to be a heart wrenching scene. Sure enough, by page five, the pace of the story reaches the unputdownable zone. Jessie frantically looks for her mom, and then she narrates, “I pushed open her door and flipped on the light. She lay on her bed, curled to the side in the gray sweatshirt and pants she’d had on when I left the house. My whole body trembled as I shook her shoulder. Her mouth dropped open, but she didn’t respond” (5). Although this is super sad, it just gets more intense when her friend rushes in because he heard Jessie’s screams from the street. For me, the scene’s outcome was a relief since the mother didn’t do what my cousin, who was my mentor, did many years ago when I was younger than Jessie. Regardless, this part’s so evocative, you’ll want to turn the pages until there’re none left to read.
LENA TIME
Since I could write a whole essay about the impact of the first five pages, I’m going to fast forward to chapter two. This part displays the layers to the main character’s mental state through the eyes of her brother, Brian. It starts when they enter the hospital to see their mother. He narrates, “I took a deep breath. There was nothing else I could do to control Jessie. She knew the risks as well as I did. Impending doom, here we come” (12). His narration definitely adds an eeriness to the upcoming scene. Then, when the psychiatrist who’s been working with their mother enters the scene, Brian’s narration sets the mood; “A palpable electricity built around Jessie. My right eye twitched nervously. She darted around me and stepped in front of the doctor” (13). Jessie proceeds to tell the doctor off by aggressively chewing him out about all the ways the doctor had failed them and their mother. The sudden change in Jessie’s behavior is strange until Brian reveals, “This wasn’t Jessie anymore. Lena, my sister’s alternate personality, had taken over. An adult noticing Jessie’s violent alter was my biggest fear” (14). But the situation intensifies when Lena screams at the doctor about his ineptitude. Eventually, Lena attacks him, and Brian’s description of the discrepancy between their sizes lets you know this isn’t a regular teenage girl since “the doctor was at least a foot taller than her, yet she handled him like he weighed nothing” (14). Then she threatens to deal with him the way she dealt with their father, making Brian nervous for his sister while trying to get her to snap out of Lena mode. Next, it’s like she becomes more badass than Chyna in the eyes of her brother. He narrates her following actions like this; “One hand clutched the doctor’s shirt, while the other moved down his body until she reached his crotch. She gripped his balls and twisted hard. The doctor gasped and tried to scream for security again, but no sound came from his gaping mouth” (14). Ouch! That moment was so visceral, it immersed me into the story, making me join Team Jessie, but it’s the way this moment ends that may make you grin. As Brian witnesses this event, he hears, “‘Consider this your only warning.’ Lena’s voice was full of menace. She released him and stepped away as he slid down the wall. She winked at me and said, “I think he gets it now” (15). Oh, wow, that was awesome. I want to show you what happens next, but I must slam on the brake pedal—right here!
THE FINAL TWIST
The intensity doesn’t stop building from there either. The story intensifies as the arc immerses you into the narrative. Like the spiritual battle scenes, they made my jaw drop because of their enthralling prose. The only reason I didn’t write about them was, I didn’t want to ruin the surprise since reading them spontaneously felt as though you’re locked into a roller coaster, clinking your way to the peak, forcing you to stare at the fear inducing drop. Then you have the author’s use of sensory detail, bringing the narrative to life. Many chapters were so riveting it was difficult to stop reading. The chapters expertly evoke emotions; one got me to cry, and I had to stop reading since it was getting blurry. Basically, the emotional range of the chapters helped increase the entertainment factor and emotional connection to Jessie and her family. The best part about Jessie’s character is her ability to inspire anyone feeling overwhelmed while needing to, at least, try to overcome an impossible mental illness. The inner battles that ensue were expertly written, proving that it’s an authentic portrayal of Jessie’s internal struggle.
It’s beautiful how Werner uses many of the family scenes to show how they rally around Jessie to help her deal with her mental state. Consequently, it’s also heartbreaking to read about how hard it is for the family to deal with the mystery behind Jessie’s disorder and her path to recovery. Regarding the three-dimensional quality of the writing, the author uses music as a great technique to add depth to many scenes. If you played the songs, you’d get a soundtrack vibe, adding the three-dimensional quality to the characters as well. The cosmic stuff was so good, too. If you’re into that kind of stuff, you’re going to enjoy the poignant scenes showing the cosmic side of Jessie’s evolution throughout the novel. People who read book 1 will love the Easter egg aspect because it’s not overdone; it also makes the added depth a reward to those who’ve read book 1. One of the most beautiful parts about the novel, overall, is the way it shows love’s ability to heal a family’s dysfunction and trauma. To me, one of the most well-written scenes happens toward the end, but you have to read your way there so its effect isn’t spoiled. The Illusion of a Boy by LeeAnn Werner was an impactful read which will live in your soul forever, and it’s a phenomenal ending to The Illusion book series.
Thank you for reading our in-depth book review about The Illusion of a Boy by LeeAnn Werner. We are not affiliated with the publisher, but here’s the link to pick up a copy.
If you’d like to find out more about The Illusion book series, here’s the link to our in-depth review about book 1, The Illusion of a Girl.
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E. R. Sanchez is the author of Fried Potato Press’ first young adult thriller, Petaco Dreams, which will be released Fall 2024 after the rewrite, new title, and new cover. He also has poems and stories published online and in print. If you’d like to read his work that was published online, please click here to go to his Stories and Poetry Section.