Cruel Illusions mixes vampires and magic in a YA standalone with a little bit of romance sprinkled in!

Ava's mother was killed by a vampire and in the last 10 years she has done all she can to find more about them to get her revenge. She and her little brother have been in foster care since, with Ava turning 18 years old soon. Her parents were magicians, and this has led Ava to love magic tricks and shows. One night when in the city, she finds a hidden magic show. It seems too realistic, and when Ava speaks to the performers she learns that they actually do have magic, and she has the ability to as well. They choose her as an apprentice, but she must show she is worthy of the magic by competing in a tournament.

This is an urban fantasy, so it takes place in our world with fantastical elements added in. The magic system is a little strange, because it combines magicians with vampires. It should be a hard magic system, but it's not very clearly defined, which leads to confusion when Ava has some new powers out of nowhere. 

There is a love triangle, but I think it is done super well! I will say the romance is likely the best part of this book. Ava is never truly torn between the two characters which makes the triangle not too bad. I really enjoyed her romance with the actual love interest and his character. 

Towards the end of the book, we go at breakneck speed and SO many plots are added in the last 50 pages. I really thought it was going to be a duopoly, but they wrapped up everything and it ended as a standalone. I do think the ending could have done with more time and developnment because the ending felt so rushed.