Saturday, November 14, 2015

Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

Deceptions is the third book in the Cainsville series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first books in the series.  This series is best enjoyed in order so I suggest you read Omens and Visions before you read any more of this review.

It seems as though every new day brings new secrets, new mysteries, new visions, and new betrayals into Olivia's life.  The one thing that she can cling to is the knowledge that Ricky has given her his heart and that Gabriel will always be there when she needs him.  It is an unconventional three-way relationship, but it seems to work for them - even if the waters get a little muddied sometimes.  Olivia doesn't know why she feels the connection to both men, but as her visions intensify and she sees more she discovers that they are connected because of ancient history when a woman named Matilda had to choose between the men she loved, and where the choices of Gwynn and Arawn condemned them all.  

It is a lot to take in for anybody, to know that you are part of an ancient echo that could save or destroy the people in your life.  With secrets of her own to keep it is a race against time for Olivia to piece all the clues together so she can save herself - and the men she loves.  When Gabriel is framed for the murder of her former fiance Olivia discovers just how deep the poison in her life goes, how deep the battle lines are drawn, and that there are other players who are sneaking around the battle field rather than openly declaring their intentions.  Life is all about choices, but the choices we make don't usually hold the fate of whole nations in our hands.  The pressure for Olivia to choose is growing, but how can she choose between the two sides of her heart?

The Cainsville novels have been a very pleasant discovery, partly because of all the subtle twists and turns that are woven into the tapestry of the story - twists and turns that make this series very difficult to review without the dreaded spoilers!  I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, and if I hadn't been nursing an injury that made holding a 400 plus pages book for long periods painful then I would have finished this days ago!  Armstrong has created a rich mythology for her world, borrowed from ours but made uniquely her own.  There are conspiracies within conspiracies to enjoy here, and it can be difficult to separate the "we want to destroy the world" conspiracies from the "we want our people to survive" conspiracies and the "now be good children and go play" conspiracies.  

The world of the fae has been a popular subject matter for teen novels in the past few years, in all their incarnations, and it has been nice to spend time in a world richly imagined that has some terrifying and glorious fae in it.  With Deceptions the world of fae suddenly expands to include those beyond the Tylwyth Teg and Cwn Annwn.  It feels as though we are really moving forward with the story now, that some of the underlying manipulations of Omens and Visions are finally explained and we can finally "see" where the story might be heading.  There are quite a few moments of high emotion to cope with in Deceptions, and it has been a pleasure to read a book written with such a fine balanced maintained between the mythology of the story, the forward momentum of the story, and the characters that are at the heart of the story - their actions, emotions, mistakes, and discoveries are what makes this such an intriguing and addictive series.

Hopefully we don't have to wait too long for the next book in the series because it has been a real treat to read them so close together - and because I want to see what happens next for Olivia, Gabriel, and Ricky.

 If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

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