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whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition
3.5
Olivia has been diving deeper and deeper into finding out who she is and who her birth parents are. After being hunt down and almost murdered, she’s still a target to the Cainsville elders, her ex-fiancé and now the Huntsman. But when things go explicitly wrong with her ex-fiancé, James, she finds herself with more visions but no answers. This leads her down a quest to continue learning the truth about her parents and the town. This was the third book in this series and it’s by far the weakest book yet. It was still a really well written, fast-paced, entertaining story, but the twists and turns we went on felt so unnecessary. The whole arc with Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky has gotten to the point where we’re in a love triangle and the reader wants out. We spent the majority of this novel talking and thinking about the feelings between them all, especially between Olivia and Gabriel. The reader was happy seeing them as just friends and now we’re going down this road just feels boring. It’s supposed to shake things up, but it really feels like it’s weighing things down. The fae folklore plots were better and the reader enjoyed learning more, especially when it came to learning more about Olivia’s parents. We learn of new motives as to the why they did the things they did and with the visions we were able to see more of them as characters and it’s been such an enjoyable journey. It really enriched this world more and gave the reader something to look forward to in the next book. The characters are definitely developing over the course of the novel; although the insistent psychobabble of character emotions and motives got to be a bit much in this one. Usually, the reader is really into seeing characters in Armstrong’s novels understand and rationalize their feelings, but this one just didn’t do it for the reader. It also felt like two men were always saving the woman and at times she couldn’t even speak for herself and it just felt icky. There is still a lot to stay for and there is still potential for the following novels to be less displeasing, so the reader will solider on, but this one was not the reader’s favourite; looking forward to what comes next in this series.
scrollsofdragons's review
5.0
Olivia picks Ricky at the end, why wasn't that enough? This is that moment where I very much do not want Olivia and Gabriel together and I think it doesn't help that almost everyone is pushing them together. Patrick, Rose, the Clarks and the past want them together so much and all it does is make me want them not to be together even more.
It saddens me that this is the last book that I loved in this series but truly up to now this is a five star series and while it's still one of my fave series of all time, the last two are such a letdown compared to the first three that it lowers the overall love for the series.
It saddens me that this is the last book that I loved in this series but truly up to now this is a five star series and while it's still one of my fave series of all time, the last two are such a letdown compared to the first three that it lowers the overall love for the series.
misshugsalot's review
2.0
Mostly filler, everytime olivia meets with ricky, it's just another opportunity to write yet another public s*x scene (it got old pretty much after the first time). The love triangle ruin the romance aspect of the book. Pretty much nothing intresting happens in 90% of this book
thegeekyblogger's review
2.0
Listened for Review (Penguin/Random House)
Overall Rating: 2.50
Character Rating: 2.50
Story Rating: 2.50
Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: I gave the first two books in this series a 4.00 so I clearly love Cainsville but Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong was just not like the other two for me. I still think that most people will love it (or at least like it more than I did)!
Things that drove me batty:
1) Total backslide in Olivia (she sounded like a wishy washy leading lady of a NA *not the likable kind* romance)
2) Love Triangle <---- HATE THEM with a PASSION! Especially when they are this prevalent.
3) Random Sex because why? I mean I get it (Ricky is a hot biker) but at times it was totally random like I have gone x amount of pages without some so let me throw some in.
4) Mystery way to easy (and totally a side thought). Since mystery was a big seller for me the first two books--this time I was way disappointed.
Things I still liked:
1) Writing was still strong
2) Still like the world and loved learning more about it
3) The mythology is great
4) Gabriel *though I think he was a little too stubborn in accepting things at times*
5) Ricky *though I don't feel a romantic connection between him and Liv* (which means long term she will end up with him cause that is how it goes when there is a triangle and I think there is a stronger connection with the other person)
Honestly--I am not sure I will do book 4 at this point. I might but I have a feeling it will be triangle, triangle, triangle until the end of book 5.
SPOILER:
Audio Thoughts:
I think both Carine and Mozhan do a really good job but at this point there are clear "from a male POV" chapters that would be better suited for a male narrator. If you are going to have two narrators you would be better off with a male and a female for the rest of the series. In the beginning it was mostly female but in this book it was almost 50/50. I see the guys having half the book in the next two as both are key players. Still I will continue you this in audio either way.
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE Reveiws
Overall Rating: 2.50
Character Rating: 2.50
Story Rating: 2.50
Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: I gave the first two books in this series a 4.00 so I clearly love Cainsville but Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong was just not like the other two for me. I still think that most people will love it (or at least like it more than I did)!
Things that drove me batty:
1) Total backslide in Olivia (she sounded like a wishy washy leading lady of a NA *not the likable kind* romance)
2) Love Triangle <---- HATE THEM with a PASSION! Especially when they are this prevalent.
3) Random Sex because why? I mean I get it (Ricky is a hot biker) but at times it was totally random like I have gone x amount of pages without some so let me throw some in.
4) Mystery way to easy (and totally a side thought). Since mystery was a big seller for me the first two books--this time I was way disappointed.
Things I still liked:
1) Writing was still strong
2) Still like the world and loved learning more about it
3) The mythology is great
4) Gabriel *though I think he was a little too stubborn in accepting things at times*
5) Ricky *though I don't feel a romantic connection between him and Liv* (which means long term she will end up with him cause that is how it goes when there is a triangle and I think there is a stronger connection with the other person)
Honestly--I am not sure I will do book 4 at this point. I might but I have a feeling it will be triangle, triangle, triangle until the end of book 5.
SPOILER:
Spoiler
So here is the thing: I like both Ricky and Gabriel but this whole replaying a tragic love story between 3 people is like nails on a chalkboard to me. The fact that both guys are worthy (at this point Liv isn't worthy of either of the two) just makes me think of another triangle that drove me batty: Stray series by Rachel Vincent. I feel she has a more organic connection with Gabriel and more carnal connection with Ricky at this point. I just really don't know if I can sit through 2 more books of "but I LOVE them both" *sigh* only to have it end with one being not chosen or most likely dead.Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Carine Montbertrand, Mozhan Marno /Length 14 hrs 49 min
I think both Carine and Mozhan do a really good job but at this point there are clear "from a male POV" chapters that would be better suited for a male narrator. If you are going to have two narrators you would be better off with a male and a female for the rest of the series. In the beginning it was mostly female but in this book it was almost 50/50. I see the guys having half the book in the next two as both are key players. Still I will continue you this in audio either way.
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE Reveiws
sam_riccio's review
4.0
A little too long
I like this series, and the lore around it but I think there's some parts in this one that weren't necessary. There were parts that felt repetitive just to be repetitive, or a sex scene/comment thrown in there just to be placed in. I had to actually skip the track for a few minutes every few chapters because I have this as both an Audiobook and an ebook from the library and for one I couldn't stand the voices that the narrator was making, and it was grossly unnecessary and didn't further the plot at all.
The love triangle subplot is an interesting one, and not in the same way we always have love triangles this is the same one that's been going on for ages with constant variables and I love to see how the changes occur but I want to know more background on the Original Three; have a great feeling that I'm going to love them more in the end. Which isn't to say that I don't already love ours, I just could go without Ricky because his being there throws me off the same way that it throws Gabriel off.
Lucky for me, the library has book 4, and I have a day off work tomorrow.
I like this series, and the lore around it but I think there's some parts in this one that weren't necessary. There were parts that felt repetitive just to be repetitive, or a sex scene/comment thrown in there just to be placed in. I had to actually skip the track for a few minutes every few chapters because I have this as both an Audiobook and an ebook from the library and for one I couldn't stand the voices that the narrator was making, and it was grossly unnecessary and didn't further the plot at all.
The love triangle subplot is an interesting one, and not in the same way we always have love triangles this is the same one that's been going on for ages with constant variables and I love to see how the changes occur but I want to know more background on the Original Three; have a great feeling that I'm going to love them more in the end. Which isn't to say that I don't already love ours, I just could go without Ricky because his being there throws me off the same way that it throws Gabriel off.
Lucky for me, the library has book 4, and I have a day off work tomorrow.
freesien's review
3.0
This love triangle is starting to get on my nerves. But I am glad that we finally got more answers to the overall arc and I am so excited to see where this series is going.
lolasreviews's review
5.0
I had a few meh reads in a row and decided it was time for a book I knew I would enjoy, so I started Deceptions. Deceptions is everything I hoped for and more. From the first page I was back in the world and got sucked into the story. Deceptions sure lives up to his name, with lots of mystery, people their motives are unsure and only at the end the deceptions come to light. I just wanted to keep reading as I had to know what would happen next and this book caused quite a few nights where I went to bed late as I couldn't put the book down. The story is so well written and I love Kelley Armstrong her writing style.
The plot in Deceptions continues from where the last book Visions ended and seamless continues the story, while also providing a few recap sentence so readers get reminded of what happens next. There is so much going on this book, multiple plot lines and mysteries and it's all woven together quite well. The mystery about everything Fea and Cainsville and the legend continues. Then there is the plot line of Olivia her parents and if they are guilty and they make some progress on that case too.
Olivia is a great main character and I really enjoy following her story in this one. I liked how she handled the situations, standing her ground and searching for answers. And not running away from dangerous situations,but cautiously approaching them if necessary. And there were also scenes where she showed her emotions and feelings. There is one thing I thought she handled badly, but she realizes that herself as well and I do understand why she handled it that way, I just didn't like how things turned out afterwards. She kept something a secret for too long and ofcourse the other person found out and it wasn't pretty. I liked seeing how the answers they do find and her Visions impact her relationship with those around her and how she finally got to see her real father Todd in this book. Then there are Gabriel and Ricky who are both great characters too and we even get a few short chapters from their point of view, which I really liked as it gave some more depth to their characters and made me understand them better. We also get a chapter from Rose her point of view again, which was nice. There are also some big surprises concerning some side characters, what they do and what happened to them. Sometimes I had a bad feeling about a character which was true and other times an unexpected twist suddenly was there, like at the end. It was well done.
Then there is the romance, which on the one hand I enjoy, but it also frustrates me a lot. I love a good slow building romance, which I still think Gabriel and Olivia their relationship is. There are finally hints in this book that they feel more and there are some awesome scenes between them, as friends that is and gah I want them together so much, but the there is Ricky who is great for her too. Maybe that's the problem, as much as I want her to get together with Gabriel I also really like Ricky. Ricky is a nice and sweet biker guy, who also can be forcefully and aggressive at times. He really cared about Olivia and knows what she needs. He cares about her in a way Gabriel doesn't or maybe can't or not yet. On the other hand with Gabriel and Olivia I feel at that tension and build-up and them being close but not close enough, and she never has that with Ricky. So I still prefer Gabriel as love interest. And the whole almost love triangle thing has me so conflicted and frustrated and at the same time I appreciate how the author can make me feel so much about these characters.
Just like in the first two books the world building is awesome, we learn new things and make pieces of the puzzle fall on their place. This book brings more details and depth to the world and it comes more alive in each book. There are Visions that Olivia has that show us more about the past and explains quite some things. It's fascinating learning more about this world and with every answer more questions pop up, but the author explains enough to not have it be confusing. It's such a fascinating world and all I want is to know more and more about it. The only thing that I might have missed in this book is Cainsville, as there only a few scenes that take place there.
To summarize: this is another awesome book in the Cainsville series. It continues the plot lines from previous books and adds some new plot lines and mysteries. We get more answers and questions in this book and there is so much happening that I had a hard time putting this book down. I really like all the characters, especially Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky. Although the sort of love triangle can be a bit frustrating at time,s but it's also well done as both men are so good for Olivia. The world building is done great, slowly progressing and adding more details and depth to this world. All in all I loved this book and I can't wait for the next book in this series!
The plot in Deceptions continues from where the last book Visions ended and seamless continues the story, while also providing a few recap sentence so readers get reminded of what happens next. There is so much going on this book, multiple plot lines and mysteries and it's all woven together quite well. The mystery about everything Fea and Cainsville and the legend continues. Then there is the plot line of Olivia her parents and if they are guilty and they make some progress on that case too.
Olivia is a great main character and I really enjoy following her story in this one. I liked how she handled the situations, standing her ground and searching for answers. And not running away from dangerous situations,but cautiously approaching them if necessary. And there were also scenes where she showed her emotions and feelings. There is one thing I thought she handled badly, but she realizes that herself as well and I do understand why she handled it that way, I just didn't like how things turned out afterwards. She kept something a secret for too long and ofcourse the other person found out and it wasn't pretty. I liked seeing how the answers they do find and her Visions impact her relationship with those around her and how she finally got to see her real father Todd in this book. Then there are Gabriel and Ricky who are both great characters too and we even get a few short chapters from their point of view, which I really liked as it gave some more depth to their characters and made me understand them better. We also get a chapter from Rose her point of view again, which was nice. There are also some big surprises concerning some side characters, what they do and what happened to them. Sometimes I had a bad feeling about a character which was true and other times an unexpected twist suddenly was there, like at the end. It was well done.
Then there is the romance, which on the one hand I enjoy, but it also frustrates me a lot. I love a good slow building romance, which I still think Gabriel and Olivia their relationship is. There are finally hints in this book that they feel more and there are some awesome scenes between them, as friends that is and gah I want them together so much, but the there is Ricky who is great for her too. Maybe that's the problem, as much as I want her to get together with Gabriel I also really like Ricky. Ricky is a nice and sweet biker guy, who also can be forcefully and aggressive at times. He really cared about Olivia and knows what she needs. He cares about her in a way Gabriel doesn't or maybe can't or not yet. On the other hand with Gabriel and Olivia I feel at that tension and build-up and them being close but not close enough, and she never has that with Ricky. So I still prefer Gabriel as love interest. And the whole almost love triangle thing has me so conflicted and frustrated and at the same time I appreciate how the author can make me feel so much about these characters.
Just like in the first two books the world building is awesome, we learn new things and make pieces of the puzzle fall on their place. This book brings more details and depth to the world and it comes more alive in each book. There are Visions that Olivia has that show us more about the past and explains quite some things. It's fascinating learning more about this world and with every answer more questions pop up, but the author explains enough to not have it be confusing. It's such a fascinating world and all I want is to know more and more about it. The only thing that I might have missed in this book is Cainsville, as there only a few scenes that take place there.
To summarize: this is another awesome book in the Cainsville series. It continues the plot lines from previous books and adds some new plot lines and mysteries. We get more answers and questions in this book and there is so much happening that I had a hard time putting this book down. I really like all the characters, especially Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky. Although the sort of love triangle can be a bit frustrating at time,s but it's also well done as both men are so good for Olivia. The world building is done great, slowly progressing and adding more details and depth to this world. All in all I loved this book and I can't wait for the next book in this series!
littlefoot10's review
5.0
My favourite book in the series so far.. Excited to see where else it goes from here ! Wish I didn't have to wait a year !!!