I've read one of Kristen Simmon's previous books, [b:The Glass Arrow|15750874|The Glass Arrow|Kristen Simmons|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403615883l/15750874._SX50_.jpg|21445003], and quite enjoyed it so I decided to give this book a chance.

I enjoyed this one too, it's fun and quick, though it was a little too heavy on the het romance and light on the female friendships (issues that may have made sense in The Glass Arrow but it stands out here), to truly be a standout.

The Deceivers follows Brynn Hilder, a teenager running small cons to save up money so she can escape her shitty neighbourhood and get away from her mother's violent drug dealer boyfriend. She's recruited by Dr Odin out of Vale Hall, joining a handful of other students tasked with finding information to hold over the heads of corrupt politicians.

It's a modern sort of take on Catherine de Medici's l'escadron volant - the female courtiers she sent out to glean information from influential men. The author says it's loosely based on Norse mythology, with Vale Hall standing in for Valhalla, Dr Odin for...Odin, and the students are the Valkyrie. Even Brynn's name is a reference to Brynhildr, one of the Valkyrie. This made the lack of female interaction rather more disappointing.

But, like I said before, it was a quick and fun read, and I'll probably borrow the next book from the library. ( )

Incredibly well executed, if somewhat formulaic. ( )

This was such a good fun read! I cannot wait to read Scammed which is the sequel. The Deceivers is about an elite boarding school for con artists/vigilantes. They gather secrets in order to bring down bad guys. Brynn's assignment is to date the governor's son to collect dirt on the governor. What could possibly go wrong?

Review of my reread in my Merry Bookmas Week 1 Vlog
https://youtu.be/aJ5fIAmMH0Q ( )

Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2.wordpress.com/2021/01/31/january-2021-revi...

I loved everything in this but the romance. The romance and me just did not vibe and I just don't know why, but I do not care about the romance.

The plot was amazing, the concept amazing, but I don't know, the romance was just not good. It was soo insta-love and like soooo fast. You've known each other for like half a day, how do you know what he'd like and what he'd not like? What exactly is normal for him, and what is not? Where are you getting all this info, Brynn?

This also seemed like it was veering towards a love triangle, so I'm glad it didn't end that way. It didn't right? I'm not even sure. The only reason I'm confused about this anyway is that the cover had three people, and while Brynn and Caleb were pretty obvious, the third one was Grayson? Or Henry? I just don't know.

The plot with all the double-crossing, and triple-crossing, and seducing, and points revealed at just the right moment; I just loved the writing in this. Brynn with her badass skills iwth conning was really bound to be my favourite, were it not for the romance. That being said, I do not actually have a favourite for this book, but I did love Henry! Though I didn't completely trust him. You can't completely trust anyone in this book.

I love boarding-school-cum-spy/espionage/conning-teaching-institutions whenever they're in books, so I really loved the classes in this. Though I would have liked a bit more focus on those too, we moved on pretty fast.

Other than that, I don't really have anything to say about this. While it was really enjoyable, there was nothing that really stuck with me after this. That being said, I will definitely be reading the rest of this series, or at least the second book.

On the whole, an amazing, suspenseful book, and one I would recommend to anyone who likes the whole conning/spying thing, teenagers doing the whole conning/spying thing, doesn't mind the really insta-love romance, loves suspenseful plots, and stuff that isn't revealed till the very end, but you felt like you knew it all along. ( )

Nicely twisted and convoluted. A story where the cons con cons and vice versa. Fast read and even Geri, who's easy to dislike for much of the book, surprises. ( )