Monday, August 12, 2013

Review: Deception

DECEPTION
Defiance #2
Young Adult/Dystopian
C.J. Redwine
480 pages
Balzer + Bray
Available August 27th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.


MY THOUGHTS
Deception is a heavy read, the weight of all that Logan and Rachel have suffered combining with the tense limbo they find themselves in as they travel from the remains of Baalboden to one of the other city-states to make us stumble in this second installment, our fingers feeling no urge to turn the pages with any speed because we know what awaits us will only add to the burden we already carry. Part of the trouble stems from the fact that while the pain and cruelty of the Commander are fresh for Logan and Rachel, they’re but a distant memory–a haunting echo–for us as readers after nearly a year, and given his presence is but fleeting in this book, we have nothing to spark the fiery hatred that burned so brightly in Defiance. Without that which ignited a deeply-rooted investment in their cause, we find ourselves a bit lost, disconnected from Logan, Rachel and their journey to save what remains of their people.

Logan and Rachel too create a barrier between us and them in this tale, their emptiness bleeding into us almost immediately until we find ourselves as emotionally numb as they are, not caring nearly as much as we want to about those who meant so much in book one. While their relationship is seemingly solid and the declarations of love feel genuine, Rachel and Logan are as far apart as they possibly can be despite their close proximity physically, each of them so willing to fall on their respective swords for the other that it creates an unwanted but necessary detachment for us, the need to protect ourselves from the pain they seem almost eager to inflict with their own deaths a fateful companion throughout.

Though the impressive page length and the challenges resulting from Rachel and Logan's emotional distance slow the pace with which we read this book to a near crawl, Ms. Redwine gives us some hope in the end that the next leg of this journey will see us invested once again. Rachel sheds some of the melancholy and grief she’s carried every step of the way after leaving Baalboden, finally showing a bit of feeling and reminding us why we were rooting for her initially, and while we could understand her need to hide from herself and those around her using impenetrable emotional armor, it’s a weight lifted off our shoulders to see her find a purpose outside of her destroy-the-commander tunnel vision.


Overall, there's no doubt Ms. Redwine is a talented writer and storyteller, this second installment is just a touch trickier to really connect to given how bleak things are for the characters as a whole. The promise of book three we're left with though keeps this series on our list of ones to continue, and I for one look forward to seeing Rachel put as much heart into the upcoming battle as she does brute force.

Rating: 3.5/5


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This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

37 comments:

  1. I didn't read this too carefully since I haven't read the first book yet. It sounds like the series well enough. Would you say it's worth me reading Defiance?

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    1. I really enjoyed Defiance! Rachel is a badass, and the villain is so vile, I loved hating him every minute of the story. I missed that emotional reaction in this one.

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  2. Oh gosh this does sound like it was a heavy, slightly depressing read. I still haven't read the first book in the series and I think I might wait now until the next book to see if it does get better (and cheerier!). I kind of have to prepare myself for reads like this one so thanks for the warning in advance.

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    1. It definitely was both of those things Ali! It was one I had no trouble setting aside and walking away from, not because it was bad by any means, just because things were so dark for the characters. It's hard to see them get so battered and bruised and have very little silver lining to see you through.

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  3. Sounds like a serious story. I dislike feeling detached from a story. Its so hard to feel similar to what I once felt for a story after a long time from reading the first book. Wonderful review Jenny. Love the bit about swords.

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    1. It seems like the next book will be more along the lines of the first, with Rachel not quite so empty, so I have high hopes for book 3!

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  4. I do have my eye on this series, but yes reading book 1 first would be good

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    1. Definitely! You would be very lost if you tried starting with this one:)

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  5. I picked this up to read and review for this Tuesday, Jenny and I just couldn't get into it. I'm glad I didn't power through because I don't think my mood could've taken it. I my shelve this until the last book comes out. On top of it, it's a brick of a book! I'm glad it wasn't just me. Wonderful review! :)

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    1. It definitely wasn't just you. I had to force myself to keep going in places. It was long, and not a whole lot happened until the end, so it was hard to really settle into. Little things happened along the way, but at nearly 500 pages I expected more I guess.

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  6. Funny that I was thinking about ordering #1 via TBD this week since the US paperback (which formats I prefer to UK ones since they're a tad bigger than UK copies and the font is bigger + the spine isn't that rigid and it's easier to read.. that's the reason I wait for an entire 9-12 months to read books after they've been published.. kinda sucks since I can't read them right away with others, but at the same time, if I want to re-read them or be happy when I read and not try to be so careful to break the spine etc, I have to wait. I'm anal like that lol). Anyhow, it's funny that you gave book 2 3.5 stars. I was planning on scrolling down and look at the rating and write a comment about how I didn't want to read the review because I don't want to get spoiled because I'm about to read bok 1, but now I have to read your review since I want to know why such a 'low' rating. Ok, here we go.. :D so as I understand, it's about you not connecting with the MCs as much as you did in the first book? Hmhhh... That's too bad. Maybe I'll seek out other reviews and see what they think about this novel. I hope my trusted reviewers will review this title. Btw, Rachel's right, this book is a beast O.o 480 pages? That's.. A LOT!!!

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    1. Yes, I couldn't connect to them at all in this one. They both were so willing to die despite how much it would destroy the other person if they did so, and it was hard to embrace them when they kept saying "I love you" and "don't leave me" but then would throw themselves in harm's way the minute the other one turned their back. I understand the desire to protect those you love, but in this case, the death of one would not have been protection, they both had simply lost too much already. Death of one would have been death for the other, and it was all just a lot to take.

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  7. I enjoyed Defiance, Jenny, so even though things seem bleak in this one, I'll probably like this one too. It's too bad though that you found it harder to connect with the characters in this one because they're emotionally numb; I know I usually end up feeling the same way.

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    1. I did too Z! I liked Defiance a whole lot, this one was just a very long, very dark journey that weighed on me. I will still be reading book 3 for sure though!

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  8. This seems like it's a lot darker than the first book (and that one was already really dark). I'm a little worried about the slow pace. Usually, I need a dystopian to develop at a fast pace for me to feel engaged in the story and add to that 480 pages? Yeah, I'm definitely a little worried now.
    At least the characters sound like they are well fleshed-out.
    Do you think I should order a copy or just borrow it from the library?
    Thanks for the lovely honest review, Jenny! :)

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    1. Part of the problem for me was they are on this two week journey the whole time. Little attacks and battles happen along the way, and there's the mystery of who among them might be a spy, but the romance is established so there's not a lot of tension or swoony moments to latch onto, and the ultimate villain only appears briefly, so there's nothing concrete to hate. I would say library on this one, and then if you end up loving it, you can just buy yourself a copy!

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  9. Hmm. I haven't picked up book 1 yet (even though I'm pretty sure it's sitting on my wish list), so I might have to wait until you read book 3 before I dive into the series. Hope that it picks back up in the next book. :)

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    1. I did thoroughly enjoy book one, Rachel is a badass. She's still a badass in this, she's just lost so much that she herself is lost, and it's hard to find those threads that connected us to her in the first place when she's hidden them under her numbness so well.

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  10. I still have the first book on my shelf (I hate that -- I want to read ALL THE BOOKS!) and think I might wait until the whole trilogy is out, so I don't get depressed in book 2. I get bleak in a second book but I need cheer and joy and hopefulness as well (there's probably some of that but it doesn't sound like there's much!).

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    1. SAME! I fully expect book 3 to be plenty dark, but in the way book one was dark - bad things happened but I was rooting for Rachel and Logan the whole time. I wasn't rooting for the quite as much in this one simply because they were both so willing to die. That was a bitter pill to swallow.

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  11. I was hoping you enjoy the story a bit more. I read it on Saturday and sooooo love it! GAH! Jus thinking about it makes me all giddy. Nice review.

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    1. Glad you loved it Savy! I didn't hate it (obviously) and it was beautifully written, it was just hard for me to get through at times.

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  12. I didn't love the first book enough to carry on with this series, but it's nice to know that the writing was really solid in this story. I'm not sure it's for me, but I'm glad that, for the most part, you were able to trudge through and continue on with the story despite the impressive length! Lovely review, Jenny :)

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  13. I am glad that despite the heavier tone, and characters situations that it left you with hope for book three, as usual book one is in my tbr pile *deskface*

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  14. Darn it! I hate it when a book gets all dark and complicated and all that. I was so excited to read this series, but now I am not so much. I am sure it is good but I want great these days. I don't ask for much, do I?

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  15. Aww, I'm sorry you didn't like this one as much! I had problems with Rachel in DEFIANCE, and though I wish I loved it, I am still interested in reading the second book. But GAH, character problems!

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  16. Hmm, I haven't read the first in the series yet. I'm such a cheater, and hate cliffies so much that I usually wait for the full series to be out before I read it. But this one, I don't know it sounds heavy and depressing.
    Maybe since the sun is shining and it's the last week before school, I'm just not really feeling this one. The mood really comes across in your review. Impressive! I'll save this one for darker times.

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  17. Yep, both of us had a second book that just didn't shine like the first. I still think I want to read this series, but I do think I'll wait at least until the 3rd and hopefully it won't be so bleak! I need some light.

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  18. Sounds like a book and series that one really needs to be in the right mood for. Hopefully this slight case of the sophomore slump will be forgotten after book 3.

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  19. It's a shame you were disconnected from this one, Jenny. I wasn't a fan of Defiance - I felt disconnected from the characters just in that installment - so I know I won't be continuing with this series. I do LOVE the covers, though. Great review, dear - thanks for your honesty!

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  20. I haven't read Defiance yet, though I do own it! I'm so sorry to hear that you felt disconnected to the characters in this book, Jenny. Also, I hate when sequels don't have a nice recap in the beginning to get you back into the story (since it HAS been a year since the last book). But I'm glad you found some redeeming qualities in this one! Lovely review, Jenny. :) Hopefully the next installment is better.

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  21. You know what I love about your reviews? It's that you manage to give a solid overview of your impressions without ever really giving us spoilers. I struggle with that a lot in my own, since I tend to ramble, but reading this, I wonder: what happened to the Commander? And the city? I haven't read Defiance yet because some Goodreads reviews make me wary, but my college friend really liked the book, so I'm still undecided. Shame, though, that Rachel and Logan are a bit too ready to sacrifice themselves for the other, and that whatever happened to the Commander feels like a non-issue in this book. At least you could still see some spark of the old Rachel. Here's to hoping the next book works out better for you!

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  22. It's sad, I had the first on my wishlist for AGES and I still haven't got it. Now it's like a year later and I guess I kind of lost my excitement for it. I know that it has a lot of mixed reviews. I'm glad you mostly enjoyed the 2nd one, I'll have to be sure to get these as soon as I'm able!

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  23. I haven't started this series yet, but I heard great things about the first one. I was going to jump in now, but I see that this second book appears to suffer a bit from some middle book syndrome, so I may hold off until closer to book 3. Then I can enjoy them all together. Glad that there doesn't appear to be a love triangle at least!

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  24. I'm disappointed to hear that the emotional connection to Rachel and Logan isn't as strong in this one, though I understand why from what you're describing. It's been at least a year since I read Defiance and I remember having strong feelings about Baalboden and the Commander, but I can't remember the details too much. The whole diving on your sword to save the other repeatedly does seem to lower the emotional stakes too. I'll still give this a read, but it's great to have adjusted expectations, and know I'm pretty much just traveling to book three with this one. Wonderful honest review Jenny!

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  25. Hm, I was so looking forward to this, but I'll keep my enthusiasm in check. The only advantage I seem to have is that book 1 is very fresh in my mind and my hatred for the Commander hasn't been dimnished in the least. However, I am not fond of such unnecessary relationship complications, especially when I feel that they could be resolved with a single conversation. It's a pet peeve of mine and one I'm rarely willing to forgive.

    Ah, well, perhaps I'll wait for book 3 and then read them together.
    Lovely review, my friend. It's so SO good to be back.

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  26. Awww, this book seemed to suffer from middle book syndrome. I haven't read the first book yet, and I am glad I got some insight into this one. I know I wont be keeping high expectations, but at least this does leave room for consideration for the third book. I really like the sound of the characters though, even if their relationship was kinda slow in this one. I am very intrigued by the whole concept of this series! I'm glad to see you still have hope! lol ;p

    Fabulous review, Jenny! :D

    ~ Maida
    Literary Love Affair 

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