Deception by Lee Nichols Review

Book: Deception

Author: Lee Nichols
Age: YA

Release date: June 8th, 2010Pages: 336

Source: Received ARC for blog tour

Summary:

When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

Review: Once Emma Vaile's parents leave for a rushed trip, all of Emma's original plans go downhill. Her guardian leaves, her parent's won't call back, she's stuck running the store alone, and realizing just how friendless she's gotten since her older best friend Abby stopped talking to her. Then Emma meets some new people at school. One thing leads to another, Emma hosts a crazy party in her mausoleum-like house, the cops show up, and then Emma's stuck with only three choices: Foster care, live with Bennett, or becoming a ward of the state. Naturally, she chooses Bennett, her older brother's friend and Emma's longtime crush.

The story really gets going once Emma moves to New England, and she starts to realize that she just might be seeing ghosts and also seeing glimpses of the past (well, either that or she's losing her mind). Humor is laced through almost every chapter, and Emma's sassy and witty humor can keep a reader easily engaged. Her inner voice had me cracking up at times, and while at the beginning of the story Emma seems a bit immature, she does grow quite a bit by the end. 

She has to deal with these unusual abilities by herself for awhile, as well as the knowledge that her family just may not be the people she thought they were.

There is so much more to the story, but I'll keep quiet about the rest (I'd hate to spoil the entire novel, because it's definitely worth a read). There's a bit of romance, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and oh yeah, ghosts (especially a very murderous one). The characters each have their own personalities, and quirks. Deception is intriguing and entertaining with each turn of the page, and it's left me very anxious and excited for the next installment.

Highlights: Emma's voice. She's a humorous main character, and easy to relate with. The ending was quite a surprise, and Nichols tosses a few twists and turns into Deception (and I love to be surprised when reading).

Lowlights: The beginning was a bit slow, but once you get a couple chapters in, you can't stop. This novel has an addictive quality to it's writing, and I can definitely see Kate Brian fans loving this.

Rating:    

-Lea