Deception by C J Redwine

 

Published: August 2013

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Pages: 480

Copy: Library

Summary: 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.

There are some series that we read without rushing into them, This Defiance series by C J Redwine is one of those for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed Defiance, but was in no hurry to read this sequel.  When I eventually picked it up a few weeks ago, I couldn't for the life of me work out why it had taken me so long to pick it up - it was just so good.

The story continues almost immediately after the end of the first book, about 2 weeks later.  The characters are still reeling from what has happened and are struggling with what to do next.  When they are forced to flee, we follow the characters through continued growth and boundless determination.  Rachel is such a broken character - so strong outwardly, yet inside she is just falling to pieces.  She experiences tragedy after tragedy and each one makes it harder for her to cope.  I had tears in my eyes on more than one occasion.

Logan, who is only 19, is in charge and is determined to get his people to safety.  I just love the 'tech' aspect of things that are so definitely his forte.  We find out that many years previously, miners tunnelled into something/somewhere and unleashed subterranean 'dragons' which destroyed everything.  At this point in the story, only one 'dragon' is left and the 'tech' that Logan is trying so desperately to protect is what can control it.

The deception from the title was absolutely brilliant.  In hindsight, I should have picked up on the several clues, but I missed them all, so I was pretty much taken completely by surprise.  I don't think there is anything about this series so far that I dislike and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book 'Deliverance' which comes out around August 26th.  I don't think I'll be waiting so long to read it.  In the mean time we can look forward to a short novella (96 pages) called Outcast, that is due out in July.  Just a little something to whet the appetite. It's about Quinn, one of the more mysterious and enigmatic characters, and also one of my personal favourites.

Deception is a tense and suspenseful journey with a host of captivating characters. There is a slight fantasy feel to this basically dystopian series that I will be recommending with delight.  If you haven't tried it yet, you have time to read Defiance and Deception before August.