Teaser Tuesday #60: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown & Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are the books we're teasing this week:

Title: Born of Illusion
Author: Teri Brown
Series: Born of Illusion, book #1
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

"There's my girl!"
He falls down on his knees in front of me and holds out a rose. "I would have been here sooner, but I didn't want to show up empty-handed. Not after I let them take you like that."

-- Loc 2920, 64% of galley

Isn't that cover simply gorgeous?!?  I love books about magic, especially set in the practical world.  And I absolutely adore books set in the 1920s.  I think I should have been born a flapper.  Goodness knows I've dressed up as one enough times over the years for Halloween!  :)  When I first discovered this book, I didn't know it was going to be a series, and I had no idea how it would evolve, but I am so delighted with this news!

Title: Dance of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Series: Red Death, book #2
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: June 11, 2013
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

I never meant to keep this secret from him. Never wished to know more than he did about the enemy who foiled all of his carefully laid plans.

-- Loc 1857, 48% of galley

I have a weird soft spot for duologies.  And this one most of all.  I love the throwback to Poe but I also love that this is a post-apocalylptic story that brings something different to the table.  Maybe not entirely new but definitely different.


Mendy didn't get a chance to send me her teaser this week, so I'm sharing two.  The blog tours for both of these books are stopping by this week.  Be sure to stop back by for awesome posts and giveaways!

Born of Illusion Blog Tour

Stops here on Friday - Review + giveaway

Dance of the Red Death Blog Tour

Stops by on Thursday - Guest post + giveaway

What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so we can visit!

Labels: bethany griffin, blog tour, born of illusion, favorites, harper-collins, historical fiction, magic, masque of the red death, post-apocalyptic, retellings, teaser tuesday, teri brown, the 20s