Deception by Lee Nichols

Title: Deception	Loved it	Graded
Author: Lee Nichols
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Elements: Ghosts
Series: Book 1 of the Haunting Emma series

When Emma Vaile's parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, her brother's very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma's knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England.

There, Emma settles into his family's museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can't explain—it's as if she's returning home to a place she's never been.

Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

The first time I came by DECEPTION in Borders, I wasn't sure whether to get it. The plot seemed interesting, with elements from other books that I liked: private school; relocation; family mystery; ghosts; murder; a paranormal setting; teen slang*.

The cover itself was gorgeous, and as I debated, I chose not to get it because (and while this seems silly) one sentence put me off: "Emma's knight in J. Crew armor". It made the story seem juvenile and teeny, and I was looking for something that actually took its own plot and settings seriously, and was not a parody of some other book.

I was still debating my decision a few days later, and when fate intervened and three copies of DECEPTION shone at me from the library shelf, I decided to heck with it, grabbed a copy in my grubby little hands and went off with a huge smile on my face.

So now, onto the review.

The prologue was powerful, and the words used were chosen carefully, with a lot of impact in just ninety-four words. It did remind me of Twilight's prologue, which was extremely misleading. DECEPTION was different, with mystery and tension in every page.

I liked Emma from the moment I met her. She had a deadpan and certain way of looking at things and situations without clouding them with her emotions that came from a self-confidence I sure didn't have when I was her age. And though her family had abandoned her, it was apparent that she would be alright. She had a way of adapting to her surroundings, and making them work for her.

The plot was intriguing, with enough tidbits being introduced every few pages to keep my interest in reading steadfast. Most of the time it worked, and others it felt like a convenient plot device. I loved that there were a lot of things being explained in the story and not just conveniently left for the sequel.

What I didn't appreciate was how the mystery of her family's disappearance wasn't cleared up. I mean, come on! It's the mystery that hooked me in, and you didn't even clear things up to my satisfaction?! If this continues in the sequel, I will be extremely disappointed.

The supporting characters only really shined after Emma was relocated to New England, which is when the story really starts. Those characters before then weren't fully fleshed out, and the tone was rushed, as if the author couldn't wait to start story-telling in New England. That is one other thing I didn't really like: that the story is not fully detailed and fleshed out, or have enough emotion, when there's not a major arc happening. Trust me, if I noticed it, you'll have noticed it too: the wraith fight, fencing with her tutor.

The finale was not as satisfying as it would be, due to the death of a supporting character that felt a bit too convenient, as if only to provide emotional impact and tie things up regarding that plot line. And that Emma's inner character development felt regressed as to when the book started? Didn't like that too.

I look forward to the sequel, because despite all my complaints I did enjoy DECEPTION a lot. That little excerpt at the back of the book wasn't enough, and I can already envision the conflicts and how the story would go, though I hope the author has something up her sleeve and would surprise us readers.**



*which has its own dangers of having to be updated as time passes.
**SPOILER. like, for example, not killing Sara off so she can be with Coby. Okay?!