Blog Tour: The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons

Praise for THE DECEIVERS
“Brilliantly plotted, tightly paced, and intensely smart. The Deceivers is the perfect con, full of clever characters, untrustworthy romance, and lie after lie after lie, with just enough truth tossed in to make you question everything. Kristen Simmons is a deceptive genius. I could not devour this book fast enough.” — Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“Beneath its quick and clever dialogue, The Deceivers examines the moral grey area between good and evil. Lying has never seemed so much fun.” —Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of the Thousandth Floor Trilogy
“Masterful, suspenseful, and brilliantly executed, The Deceivers is the perfect con. Kristen Simmons is an outstanding storyteller, and this is her best yet.” —Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars
“Addictive and delicious, The Deceivers will keep you turning the pages well into the night!” —Katie McGarry, critically acclaimed author of Pushing the Limits“Brynn is a sharp, analytical thinker with a soft heart – the exact kind of protagonist I love rooting for, especially as villains and heroes creep out from places I don’t expect…Even the prerequisite romance was a pleasant surprise as Brynn and her love interest show complete respect for one another, giving enthusiastic consent the front seat it absolutely deserves and yet feels underrepresented in young adult literature. I devoured this book in one big gulp because I couldn’t wait to see what twists and turns were ahead.” —Kelly Morton, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
“The Deceivers is a perfectly paced, high stakes read that is honestly super fun for the reader. Don’t plan on putting it down in the middle to do other things, you’ll want to keep reading. Simmons has outdone herself with this incredible new story about con artists and a girl trying to find her own path.” —Rachel Strolle, Teen Librarian, Glenside Public Library District

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.

I received a copy of The Deceivers from the publisher via Jean Book Nerd for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation made in the making of this review.

The idea of a good con-artist/heist fiction is what originally drew me to this book. I haven’t had much experience in this type of fiction but I love suspense, intrigue, and a good heist movie. So, fiction was the inevitable leap I would make in this genre of entertainment.

That said, I was a bit hesitant about a school of con-artistry. I mean, come on, there are a ton of school settings in YA fiction. You have your modern contemporary high schools, your magical high schools, the high schools for royalty, and the schools for the more criminal in mind. Most follow the similar formula of the new kid being brought into school (can we say: “You’re a wizard, Harry.”) and being thrust into a world of the school’s special parameters and… well… school education.

It can be a bit boring depending on how the story begins, the characters, and the world it is set in.

For The Deceivers, this interaction of the formula is a bit different. We aren’t even brought into the school until about 25% in and the whole set up of the main story is closer to the 50% mark. It is like how one character states,

“The long con is about rapport”- Mr. Moore, The Deceivers Kristen Simmons. About 40% into the Kindle book.

This book is written like a long con. It pulls you in with the lead role and sucks you in piece by piece with each of the following characters. Your hunger for more information is only satisfied in increments. All the while, you are presented with the main plot that is slowly unweaving but yet tightening as the story progresses.

I think you can guess that I like this book. I do. I like the characters and how there is only a subtle reveal of a little bit of information, making you suspect some characters but still unsure if you can dislike them. And really, I can’t. I actually like all the characters and how the story unfolded.

All in all, this is a good beginning to a series and I look forward to reading more. I love the snark between the teens and they each have their own personality that makes the story more interesting.

Final rating: 3/5

Giveaway is open until February 25, 2019

It is open internationally.

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