Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie | Book Review

(Run to You #1)

Published: May 1st 2015

Synopsis:

Originally published as the Run to You serial parts 1-3: First Sight, Second Glance, and Third Charm.

Deception So Deadly is the complete first novel in the two-book Run to You series, a riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger…

Sarah Spencer has a secret: her real name is Tessa Carson, and to stay alive, she can tell no one the truth about her psychically gifted family and the danger they are running from. As the new girl in the latest of countless schools, she also runs from her attraction to Tristan Walker—after all, she can’t even tell him her real name. But Tristan won’t be put off by a few secrets. Not even dangerous ones that might rip Tessa from his arms before they even kiss…

Run to You is Tessa and Tristan’s story—two full-length books about psychic gifts, secret lives and dangerous loves. Danger. Deception. Betrayal. It must be true love.


Deception So Deadly_bookcover
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My Rating: 4.5 Stars 4.5/5 (Amazing)

Book Information

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre(s): Young-adult, romantic thriller

Page Count: 325

Format: E-book


Note: I received a free digital copy of this book thanks to YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Run to You Series Review

This book was so good! Full of romance and mystery, this book is one you don’t want to miss. In a nutshell, I really loved the thriller aspect of this and the plot twists were great!

Quick Summary

Tessa Carson’s psychically gifted family has been on the run ever since a man named Dennis Connelly burst into their house and tried to kill them. Now they keep moving from place to place, keeping their identities secret. They can’t even ask anyone for help either, because when they do, those people mysteriously die, presumedly because of Dennis Connelly.
In their new town, Tessa meets Tristan, but doesn’t want to get too involved with him—he’s not even allowed to know what’s her true identity, so what’s the point? But Tristan is determined to know more, and Tessa can’t help but fall for him…

Plot

The plot was just great! I admit, I wasn’t that into it at first, but once I kept reading, I got really into it. I loved the idea of having psychic powers (first of all, who wouldn’t want those kind of powers? and secondly, they make all stories so much cooler!) and I really liked the whole idea of the book; a family on the run and all. Everything was set up very well, the plot wasn’t all over the place or anything, and there were plenty of plot twists and cliffhangers to keep readers on the edge of their seats! Of course, some of the plot twists can be considered predictable, I guess the only reason they weren’t for me was because I didn’t want to believe what I already saw coming. 😛 Nonetheless, this book was full of suspense and mystery, and I really enjoyed the romance too.

Characters

I just loved the characters; Tessa was just such a sweetheart! Being the only one in her family without a psychic gift, Tessa never fit in, not even in her own family. While her siblings thrive at school, wherever they go, Tessa struggles to keep up. This feeling of isolation, this feeling of being different, I sympathized with, and that made it quite easy for me to connect with her and like her. I really loved Tessa’s character; she may be considered naive by some, but I found her to be realistic. I didn’t approve of all her decisions, but I loved reading about them all the same. By the end of the novel (when all hell breaks loose) I was really hurting for Tessa, I had grown so attached to her that I felt her pain, and my emotions were all over the place.

The love interest, Tristan, was great too. I absolutely loved seeing his relationship with Tessa grow, and how natural it seemed. I could genuinely believe in the romance, and totally rooted for it too. He was simply so sweet and understanding, his interactions with Tessa was something I looked forward to the most.

Clara Kensie did a great job of having me emotionally invested in the characters, which made tragic and shocking events in the story have a greater impact, as I cared so much for the characters. It was great!

Writing Style

The writing style was gripping, I couldn’t stop reading it, and I really enjoyed it. Written in the perspective of Tessa in the first person, the writing style allowed me to clearly see Tessa’s feelings, which in turn allowed me to strongly sympathize with her. The writing style was very subtle, I was able to picture everything without having to be told what everything was like. All in all, the writing was great and simply added to my overall reading experience.

Overall…

This book was a great read, you’d never be able to tell from the cover or the beginning of the story how great it really is, but it really is. This book honestly had my heart clenched in a fist or something. The plot was hooking, and I especially enjoyed the psychic part of the whole family-being-on-the-run. I really loved the characters; I sympathized with them, and really connected with them, even though in essence I have nothing in common with them. They (or more specifically, Tessa) was simply likeable. The writing style was gripping, I couldn’t stop reading the book and the writing style made the experience quite memorable! I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for an addictive, fast-paced romantic thriller, filled with plot twists and unique ideas. 

What do you think of this book? Interesting or no? Let me know in the comments below! 

A meal of Deception and So Deadly, coming right up! You can take it to go.

Analee 10

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 7 & 8 Update!

Hey there everyone, I skipped last week’s update so I’m going to mix it in with this week’s one. I didn’t have much progress last week (or this week, for that matter) but here is how much I’ve read so far:

So, in these two weeks, I read 1 book for the challenge, so it puts me at 32/52. (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9, Week 6: 3) Yeah… not the progress I was looking for. In my defence, I was reading other books. But still. I’m aiming to finish more Popsugar challenge books this week and afterwards. Obviously I’m going to need more time than my planned goal of approximately end of June/start of July, but oh well. Fingers crossed!

  • A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
  • A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  • A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
  • A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
  • A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
  • A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
  • A book by a female author: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
  • A mystery or thriller: Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie
  • A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
  • A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
  • A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
  • A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
  • A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
  • A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
  • A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
  • A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Zaria Fierce & the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett
  • A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
  • A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
  • A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
  • A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
  • A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
  • A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
  • A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
  • A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Alright! There we have it, my update for the Popsugar challenge. 🙂 How have your challenges been going? Hopefull they’ve been better than mine.

-A

The Write Those Reviews Party (June 13-20)

Hey there book lovers! ❤ Thanks to Amber @ YA Indulgences, I found out about The Write Those Reviews Party, which is a week long event hosted by Ashley @ Bookz4Nerdz and Xander @ Forever Bookish! Basically this challenge is to just complete reviews that you have been slacking on! (Find out a more detailed explanation here.)

If you’ve read my recent posts, you know that I have read a lot of books that do not have reviews posted, so I’m totally into this challenge! So, the reviews I’m planning to work on (not necessarily in the exact order):

  • Zaria Fierce & the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett
  • Unknown Sender by Ryan Lanz
  • Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • Fire in Frost by Alicia Rades
  • Those Four Letter Words by Christina Channelle
  • Jaded Little Lies by Christina Channelle
  • Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer
  • Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie
  • Deception So Dark by Clara Kensie

I still have a LOT more reviews to work on (if I want to do reviews on the books I’ve read so far, at least) but these are the reviews I’m focusing on this week. Obviously I’m not going to be able to complete them all in just 6 days (I’m a day late starting the ‘party’) but I’m hoping to get as many done as I can!

How are you guys with your reviews? If you’re behind too, maybe you’ll consider joining #WriteThoseReviews! 🙂

Happy reading (and reviewing)!

-A

WWW Wednesday #10 (June 10)

Hey! Time for another WWW Wednesday (what a coincidence it’s my tenth one, on the tenth of this month!) A meme formerly hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading, WWW Wednesday is now hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

All you have to do to play along is answer the following questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading?

I’ve been reading Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie since last Wednesday (check out a teaser on it here) and today I just started Unleashed by Liz Coley. Unfortunately I’m not that far into either of them, but so far they’re both enjoyable.

Recently Finished?

The immediate book that comes to mind is Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer. Other books I’ve finished include A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas & Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett. (Reviews to come for all, hopefully soon!) I also finished reading the play script of Romeo & Juliet on a spontaneous decision, for my Popsugar challenge. I’m still deciding whether or not I should do a review on it or not. What do you guys say?

Read Next?

There are still the books I was planning to read this week (for the Popsugar challenge) which include:

  • The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
  • Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (No longer being used for the challenge. Will get to it another time)
  • Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilber

And I’m also thinking of re-reading (for the challenge):

Apart from these books, I also have a couple of review copies:

  • Wash Me Away by Wendy Owens
  • Unknown Sender by Ryan Lanz

So that’s it for this week’s WWW Wednesday! What have you been reading then, now and next? Let me know in the comments below or link your post! 🙂

Happy Wednesday!

-A

Teaser Tuesday #9 (June 09): Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie

Hi! This is going to be a quick teaser tuesday post (a meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm), as I am super tired today and want to go cuddle up with a book or sleep. 🙂 So, I just finished reading Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer today, which leaves me at Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie as my current read! Here’s a teaser from where I’m currently reading:

Deception So Deadly_bookcoverAt home, it was becoming hard to breathe.
Reluctantly accepting that I was not going to vend, my parents never ordered me to break up with Tristan. But my mother’s control over her psychokinesis, already tenuous when she became upset, seemed to become more fragile every day. When I helped her make dinner her hands would start to tremble, then a bowl would vibrate, until eventually the whole kitchen buzzed and hummed and rattled. Sometimes a bottle or glass would shatter on its own. Then my dad would rush in and take her hand, shooing me out with a jerk of this head. I’d scuttle off, unable to meet his pitiful and disappointed gaze.


 

That’s it for this teaser! What do you think? Like? Dislike? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great Tuesday!

-A