Review: The Deception Dance by Rita Stradling

The Deception Dance (The Deception Dance #1)
By Rita Stradling
Publisher: Self-Published

* A copy was provided by the author for review.

To Sum It Up:

Raven Smith is ecstatic to tour Europe for the summer with her favorite person in the world, her sister Linnie. Raven is not excited, however, when Linnie’s snobby roommate, Chauncey, decides to tag along. The only thing that Raven finds more annoying than Chauncey is the slew of European guys aiming for her attention. Raven is not looking for a relationship; she only wants to enjoy the traveling. Her steadfast opinion changes, though, once she encounters the dark and mysterious Andras. Raven feels like she already knows Andras, but with the charming Nicholas pulling her in the opposite direction, Raven doesn’t know whom to trust.

Review:

The Deception Dance was overflowing with intrigue and deceit, leaving my mind more than a little befuddled. It was pretty hard to figure out what exactly was going on until it hit you directly in the face. I was hooked from the very beginning, with the introduction of Raven’s mysterious childhood, and was hanging on until the very end.

My feelings for the characters are somewhat divided. All the female characters, including Raven, I found annoying, while all the male characters had me entranced. Raven was too “ordinarily perfect.” She wasn’t stunning like Chauncey or extremely talented in any specific area, but she was too nice, too independent, too self-confident, and too likeable. Raven was so likeable that I was looking for flaws to make her seem more relatable, and when I found flaws, they just seemed to enhance her character. That being said, the guys in the book had me gawking. Andras was just so intriguing. He gave off a creepy vibe but nobody really cared because they were too busy trying to figure the guy out. Nicholas was my favorite character until his brothers, Albert and Stephen, were introduced. I fell for the scarred Stephen almost instantly and was pleasantly surprised with all the character development he demonstrated.

The interpretation of demons and the setting of the book were completely brilliant. I’m tired of every other person in the world painting demons as some handsomely suave gentlemen. It was refreshing to read about demons in a grotesquely inhuman form, depicted as the creatures described in mythology. I was frightened when I read about the demons, and it made reading the book all the more exciting. I also found the location of all the action very enjoyable. I’ve always been fascinated with Europe, and seeing it ensconced in demonic light was really fun.

I spent practically the entire book trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Some of it was pretty obvious, mainly concerning the identity of Raven’s childhood friend, while other aspects of the story line left readers with no hints. What really blew my mind were the secrets of Raven’s past. I saw none of what happened coming. Never have I been more surprised with the outcome of a book.

All in All:

The Deception Dance is a mysterious book with twists at every turn. With all the secrets, demons, and handsome Europeans, this book makes for a very compelling read.