Review: Pandora Jones - Deception by Barry Jonsberg

Pandora Jones: Deception by Barry Jonsberg
Released: 1st October 2014
Series: Pandora Jones #2
Published by: Allen and Unwin
Genre: YA Dystopian
Source: Publisher
Pages: 288
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
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Pandora and her team are already two members down. The survival of humanity in the post-plague world depends on them. But who can she trust? It was difficult to know when nightmares ended and the waking world began. Pan is still struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality.

When she wakes in the Infirmary her mind replays the sight of Nate running along the shoreline and the way his body froze and then flopped after he was shot. But her memories hold more questions than answers and she doesn't know who to trust. When she forms an unlikely alliance with Jen to try to make sense of everyone's haunting similar memories and the conflicting information about The School, she finds herself with unexpected enemies. Pan and Jen are determined to seek the truth - no matter what rules they must break or how terrible the danger they face. But can they even trust each other?

Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival.

You can find my review of the first book here

Thank you to Allen and Unwin Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

My reaction immediately after finishing this book

This second book in the 'Pandora Jones' series has just as much mystery and suspense as the first, with a few questions answered, but many more created at the same time. Barry Jonsberg definitely knows how to write a real page-turner, and all the palpable tension really made me want to see what happened next. By the end of this book I was left with another 'what just happened?' moment, because once again there are shocking revelations and a definite need for the next book so that we can finally find out what is really going on in The School, and what other secrets there are to uncover.

Lies are everywhere and she breathes them in. They coat her face like sweat, And through the glittering shards of reflected light, The School comes into view. The biggest lie of all, a nightmare that refuses to fade. 

While the first book took a more general perspective on The School and its workings, in this case there was a character focus on Jen and Pan specifically which was interesting. Jen's characterisation was great, and she came across as a resilient and daring person who was ready to kick-ass when need be. Although reckless, she was smart too and I found her and Pandora to make a great team while trying to unravel the lies that surround their makeshift prison of sorts in The School, and find out what lay beyond the wall. There was also a little more about her intuition/psychic abilities which did play a small role, but I'm sure they will be even more important in book three too.

'You're too pessimistic, said Jen. 'You and me against the world, and you wanna know something? I like those odds.'

If you were left itching to find out more about the outside world and The School's inner motives, along with the fate of some of the previous characters in the first book like Nate, then rest assured that there is some consolation. While the pacing dragged a little in the beginning and a few parts in the middle, it really picked up in the crucial moments as well. This is turning out to be one heck of a series where I have no idea what's coming - and that's a good thing. I'm looking forward to there being even more shocks, twists and turns to come in book three, 'Reckoning'. 

                                               

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, I found this novel to be a riveting read, even though the momentum did wane in some parts. In any case, this series is shaping up to be an unpredictable rollercoaster ride, and with each development I'm left even more intrigued as to what Pandora will discover in her quest for the truth.