bgsbooks18
Written on May 12, 2019
Pretty Little Liars meets Ocean’s 11 in this intrigue-filled contemporary drama from acclaimed author Kristen Simmons.
Welcome to Vale Hall, the school for aspiring con artists.
When Brynn Hilder is recruited to Vale, it seems like the elite academy is her chance to start over, away from her mom’s loser boyfriend and her rundown neighborhood. But she soon learns that Vale chooses students not so much for their scholastic talent as for their extracurricular activities, such as her time spent conning rich North Shore kids out of their extravagant allowances.
At first, Brynn jumps at the chance to help the school in its mission to rid the city of corrupt officials—because what could be better than giving entitled jerks what they deserve? But that’s before she meets her mark—a senator’s son—and before she discovers the school’s headmaster has secrets he’ll stop at nothing to protect. As the lines between right and wrong blur, Brynn begins to realize she’s in way over head.
- ISBN10 1250175798
- ISBN13 9781250175793
- Publish Date 1 March 2019
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 4 April 2022
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
liz089
Written on Feb 11, 2019
Quirky Cat
Written on Jan 25, 2019
The Deceivers is the first novel in the Valhalla Academy series by Kristen Simmons. The book description calls it a blend between Pretty Little Liars and Ocean’s 11, and after having read the novel, I can strongly agree with that assessment.
The novel follows a teenage girl named Brynn Hilder. She hasn’t had the best luck in life, so when she gets the opportunity of a lifetime, she doesn’t waste any time thinking about it. She just goes for it. The only thing is the opportunity isn’t quite what it would seem like at first glance. It is, however, perfectly suited to Brynn’s skillset.
I’ll confess that the title was totally the thing that first caught my attention. It’s a perfectly accurate description of the novel…but it’s also surprisingly eye-catching and memorable. When I spotted it I was immediately intrigued, and the cover helped support my lingering curiosity, as of course did the actual description.
I may have been a bit impulsive, in immediately requesting a copy of the book, but I ended up loving every moment of it. As far as impulse reads go, I sure lucked out with this one.
The Deceivers is an exceptionally well-written novel. The intrigue, broken backstories, and convoluted schemes were all perfectly balanced with one another. The end result is a fast-paced novel that’s as unpredictable as it is interesting.
The best part, in my mind, was the fact that when I took the time to look back over the events in the novel, everything made sense. The new information revealed always fit in with what we had been shown previously. It all felt plausible.
Brynn was the perfect character for this story. She’s tough, talented, comes from a rough past, and while she tries pretty hard not to get close to anybody, it’s actually fairly difficult not to like her. I’m including myself in that statement, for the record. I was enchanted by her determination and sheer force of will. This was a girl not content to follow the path of her mother or mother’s boyfriend. This was a girl that wanted something better for herself. Who can’t respect that?
I was actually a little bit shocked by how many emotions this novel was able to pull out of me. I dealt with a slew of emotions while reading; happiness, concern and anxiety, justified anger, frustration…you name it. To me, that’s the sign of a well-written novel and perfectly designed characters.
The intrigue and constant assessing of who is conning who was really well done in this novel. There was this ever-present concern about who was lying and who was telling the truth. I can’t imagine living in a world like that. But it did a good job of showing us the reason why people that live those lives need clear lines and rules for themselves.
I’m looking forward to the next novel in the series. I know there’s no news yet, so I’m being just a bit impatient there, but can you blame me?
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Sam@WLABB
Written on Jan 21, 2019
1. Based on Norse mythology
2. Shades of Ocean's 11
3. An elite, top-secret boarding school
And let me tell you, these elements were combined in such a way, that I could NOT stop flipping the pages.
When I first met Brynn, she was living in a rundown part of town, Devon Park, with her mother's drug dealer boyfriend. All she wanted was a way out of this dead end life, and she thought she could run cons in order to accomplish the task. Little did she know, her skills as a con artist would earn her way into an elite school, Vale Hall, which promised a top-notch education and a colligate future. The catch? She would have to complete missions and collect secrets, but this was a price Brynn was willing to pay to ensure her future.
There were so many things that kept me engrossed in this story.
• Brynn was a very complex character. She appears to have a take-no-prisoners attitude, when it came to getting what she wanted, but her actions more than contradicted that assumption. She surprised me quite a few times over the course of this story, and these were good surprises.
• All the Vale Hall operatives had very interesting backstories. The circumstances that brought them to Dr. Odin's attention, as well as their skillsets, were all worth exploring further, and made me more invested in each and every one of them.
• All the major players were so intertwined. It was amazing watching all the pieces fall into place, as bit by bit, we learned more and more about what happened to who and why.
• I went back and forth with Dr. O on many occasions. The whole concept of Vale Hall puts us in some serious morally grey areas, but his actions would often make me feel like he was one of the good guys. He would do so many incredible things for people, and turn around and do something completely questionable. He's one of the characters I hope to get to know better in future books.
• Caleb, sigh, I am all about Caleb. He was a little light in a story, that leaned towards the darker side of things. I am shipping him and Brynn, so let's make that a permanent thing.
• Just when I thought I knew exactly what was going on, the story would take a turn I didn't see coming. That's what happens when readers get smug.
• They may have been teen cons, but they formed a family at Vale Hall, and I really enjoyed sharing some of those lighter moments with them.
This story was gritty and twisty and the characters and story had me glued to the pages. I am looking forwarded to seeing what new deceptions the students of Vale Hall will be pulling in the near future.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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