Cait’s Review of “Deception” by C. J. Redwine

By: Cait Marie

Blurb

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.

Review

I finally finished book two!

As I mentioned in my review for book one, Defiance, I’m re-reading this series not only because I love it but because I realized I never read all the books! I originally read Defiance almost a decade ago, but I didn’t remember much of this second book. And I’ve been reading it on and off most of the year.

I want to be clear that it’s only taken so long because of how busy I’ve been, especially with my own books. I’ve been working on two fantasy series, and I tend not to read fantasy/dystopian genres as much when I’m focused on those genres.

This was so good, and so, so heartbreaking. Redwine has such talent at bringing characters to life. It’s so easy to connect with them, which means readers feel their joy and pain along with them. And in the case of Rachel and Logan, it’s more of the latter.

I really loved seeing them both grow in this sequel. Book one was very focused on them and their immediate loved ones. Deception expands to show how they handle being the leaders of their city’s survivors. They’re facing all new challenges, and now these other people are depending on them. There’s a definite shift in dynamics; it’s no longer the two of them against the world. It was really great getting to know more about the side characters, as well as the other cities, their history, etc.

As always, it was so easy getting lost in this story. The world building was done well and showed that Redwine put a lot of thought into everything. I’m already reading the third one now!