Review: DECEIVED by Madisyn Carlin

Spotlight: DECEIVED by Madisyn Carlin Interview: Grace A. Johnson, Author o...

Review: DECEIVED by Madisyn Carlin

DECEIVED by Madisyn Carlin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Wow, what a great debut novel! I’ve been excited to read this book ever since I first heard about it, and I now I’m excited to read the next one.

Characters: Four POVs were evenly addressed throughout the story: Holder’s, Rogan’s, Ivelle’s, and Therese’s. Overall, I thought each of them were really well done – it’s not easy to have four solid main characters and have them come off as distinct individuals. Holder was probably my favorite, given he was just such a gentle, thoughtful guy. And he definitely needs someone to be his bodyguard, not to be someone’s bodyguard. Just saying. But Rogan was also really intriguing … I love his struggles and questioned loyalties. And he’s just so sad, too. I need some resolution in that storyline. But Rogan and Holder’s friendship? I adored it. They were such good honorary brothers to each other, and I just love watching that. And Ivelle’s loyalty to Borros and Claudine was so sweet, and her interactions and care for little Emmi was precious! But Therese … poor Therese. She was so desperate to someone save her little sisters, but she suffered so much. Again, more hard decisions. That’s kind of a theme in this book, come to think of it. But a great cast of characters – and the villains. Yuck. They’re all nasty individuals.

Plot/Setting/Writing Style: Being a fantasy book (or I guess maybe it’s more allegorical than fantasy?), the world-building wasn’t so confusing that I didn’t understand what was going on, but it was well done. Different than our world, but not so foreign that I was overwhelmed with a ton of differences. The writing style was really nice – very clean but also offering rich prose. And for the plot, I have to say I was a little perplexed at first. Mostly because there were so many POVs that weren’t really connected at first, but when things started to connect more, the plot began making a lot more sense. This is one of those stories that you just have to keep reading for a bit, then when everything settles, everything starts coming together and it’s very cool. And beyond that, there was a nice mixture of inward wrestlings and outward distresses, providing a pretty quick-moving plot.

Romance: Just putting this one here really short, because I honestly have no idea who should get with whom. But needless to say, this book was very clean – I think some hand-holding or something was the extent of it. Maybe a kiss, but I can’t remember. And I’ll just keep puzzling out who should get with whom.

Moral/Theme: The allegory woven throughout this story was nicely done – I think allegories can be harder to pull off in general. I might’ve not agreed with everything in how it was presented (again, the difficulties of allegories, and I haven’t thought super deeply about allegories), but it was so lovely to see the characters begin to see the Truth. I’m excited to see how their arcs will continue in the next book. It was also scary to see how the truth was basically outlawed – definitely not too far from the world we live in.

Overall, this was a wonderful debut novel, and I am so excited to see more of this author’s work. And after the ending of this book … yeah, I need the next book in a hurry!

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Preorder

If you have preordered DECEIVED or order it during the duration of this blog tour (April 25 – May 7), and want some swag (character card and autographed bookplate), go here.

Giveaway!

Want a chance to win an autographed copy of DECEIVED and a character card? Be sure to go here. Or, if you don’t have social media, leave a comment at every blog post to be entered. Giveaway ends May 10th.

About the Author

Madisyn Carlin is a Christian, homeschool graduate, blogger, voracious bookdragon, and author. When not spending time with her family or trekking through the mountains, she weaves tales of redemption, faith, and action.

Want to connect? Find her social media links here.

Tour Schedule

DECEIVED Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 25

Madisyn Carlin | Intro + Book Spotlight

Joy Woodbury | Book Review

Tuesday, April 26

Madisyn Carlin | Release Day! + Fun Facts

Vanessa Hall | Author Interview

Autumn | Book Spotlight

Wednesday, April 27

Esther | Book Review