Review : Deception by C.J Redwine

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Deception (Courier's Daughter #2)
Author : C.J Redwine
Publication Date : August 27th 2013
Publisher : Harper Teen
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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.

Personal Thoughts

It's rare that there are second books in YA trilogies that do not suffer from any form of sophomore book syndrome. Deception, fortunately, strays away from any kind of second-book syndrome and managed to stand strong next to it's predecessor, Defiance, one of my favorite reads of 2012. Redwine weaved together a story with strong characters without falling into holes of cliches. For me, Deception was quite the exceptional read!

Rachel and Logan were both spectacular main characters in Defiance. I didn't know it was possible to flesh them out further, but C.J Redwine crafted them into even more beautiful characters. Typically, multiple POVs rarely work for me, but this series is one example where I feel like the dual POVs of Rachel and Logan strengthens the story. They are so different from each other, but at the same time their shared goals and emotional strength makes them so similar. Rachel has always been the fiery, strong and determined one in the relationship. She's still the same in Deception. There are times when she makes decisions without thinking through the possible consequences. It was infuriating at times and I needed Rachel to not be so impulsive. She was blinded by her revenge and I'm not going to lie, there were times I was almost ready to get into the book and shake her by the shoulders! Thankfully, Logan was there to ground her. He was the more thoughtful and sensible one in the relationship. He suffers from a lot of self-doubt in Deception because he has to lead this huge group of people and every time someone dies, we see how the guilt almost shreds and torments him internally. Their differences are what makes them so perfect for each other though because they fit and stabilize like two pieces of a puzzle. Their romance was the shining star of the book for me. Deception was a dark and angsty book, but the sweet and touching moments between the two of them were like spotlights that calmed me down throughout the story and gave me hope.

C.J Redwine also went to lengths to develop her secondary characters. We get to know them as much as the main characters, which is fascinating because not many authors can do that, especially in a dystopian novel where much of the focus tends to remain on the world-building and the plot. Quinn and Willow were my favorites. This brother-sister duo had gone through a lot of heartache and they aren't readily accepted by the group and often time had to go through lengths to seek their approval, but I couldn't help but admire their resilience in face of everything. My only disappointment when it comes to the characters is the absence of the Commander for most of the book. He was a crazy bastard who gave me the chills in the first book, so I was a little let down that he wasn't as present in the story despite the whole plot being propelled by him. The plot had two parts to it: a mystery involving murders within Logan's group and their journey in finding refuge from the Commander and his ever growing army. The mystery part I thought was quite predictable, but I seem to think that of every YA mystery for some reason. Despite that, I couldn't help but feel betrayed by the character when my suspicions were confirmed. Deception was quite the hefty read, but C.J Redwine managed to keep a tight leash on my attention throughout with the unexpected twists and turns that she kept throwing in the reader's face. In addition, I was tensed throughout the entire book because I cared so much for these character and anytime something remotely dangerous would happen, my heart would start palpitating. If that's not a positive sign of an entertaining and action-packed book, then I don't know what is.

Deception does end in a quite painful cliffhanger and I'm glad I actually waited to have the final book in my hands before I started this, but this series in general is a solid, entertaining and well-crafted one that shouldn't be missed out by fans of the genre. The emotional intensity that the book is written with makes it worth the money and the time. Hopefully, the third book will end with a loud and resonating bang!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5