Review: Betrayal by Lee Nichols

Betrayal (Haunting Emma, #2) by Lee Nichols

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive—one a snarky teen boy, the other a British scholar—Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good. As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

Review:

Betrayal was a fast paced and exciting follow up to Deception that left me breathless and frantically turning the pages. It was wonderful to be back in the world of our heroine, the ghostkeeper Emma. She was as spunky and adventurous as she was in the prequel and even more brave and determined. Her fighting and ghostkeeping skills have improved immensely and she is ready to face down their enemy Neos once and for all.

The sequel picks up soon after Deception ended and we are once again immersed in the spooky and dangerous life of Emma Vaile. There was never a slow moment in this book. From dealing with the fact that most of her school mates believe Emma is the reason their quarterback, Coby, is dead, to her soul mate Bennett moving out; Emma's life is far from simple. Throw in the fact that her family is still missing, Neos is growing stronger and some creepy things are happening, and she and her best friend Natalie are now joined by two new team members- Simon and Lukas. Simon was a scholarly British man sent to watch over the three young ghostkeepers and help prepare them for what they were going to have to face. Lukas was the witty and flirtatious guy always up for a laugh. I loved meeting all the new characters in Betrayal and also getting to revisit with my old favorites.

Bennett's character is developed even more in Betrayal and he is faced with some difficult choices. Their relationship is so tragic and romantic and I hope everything works out for them in the end!

Emma uncovers some new clues about her ancestors and also realizes there is more to her power than she ever thought. There are a lot of awesome fight scenes and I was often on the edge of my seat because you never knew what the outcome was going to be! Keep in mind the title is Betrayal and I was shocked by the ending!

Lee Nichols is a fabulous writer and she combines intense action with the paranormal, forbidden romance with sweet friendships, and more. Once you get into Betrayal it will be hard to put down. I just had to know what the ending would bring!

I would recommend reading this only if you've read the prequel, Deception, first. You may not understand everything about Emma and the ghostkeepers, and I highly recommend the prequel. It was just as good! Now I'm counting down the days until Surrender is released. Is it December yet?

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

March 1, 2011/Bloomsbury USA/268 pages/Young Adult/Book Two

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Other books in the series: Deception (Haunting Emma, #1)