Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Release Date: March 12, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Series: Lies Beneath, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Read my review of Lies Beneath HERE.

It's been thirty days, two hours, and seventeen minutes since Calder left Lily standing on the shores of Lake Superior. Not that she's counting. And when Calder does return, it's not quite the reunion Lily hoped for. Especially after she lets her father in on a huge secret: he, like Calder, is a merman. Obsessed with his new identity, Lily's dad monopolizes Calder's time as the two of them spend every day in the water, leaving Lily behind.

Then dead bodies start washing ashore. Calder blames his mermaid sisters, but Lily fears her father has embraced the merman's natural need to kill. As the body count grows, everyone is pointing fingers. Lily doesn't know what to believe—only that whoever's responsible is sure to strike again...

After reading Lies Beneath last year, this became one of the sequels I was waiting on desperately! I love Anne Greenwood Brown's writing. Her words have a certain way of capturing you into the story– with romance, with mermaids and with legends.
This was an interesting turn as now we get to hear what happens in Lily's perspective! I really loved Lily's character in the last book and was excited to finally get to know her more.

I felt this book was a little slower compared to the first one. I loved it– but it lacked in that fast-pacedness that I adored in Lies Beneath. And of course, the lack of Calder made it drag on a little bit more.
I enjoyed the reappearance of some of the characters from the previous book. Granted, a lot had changed since then, but I mean, for instance, Jack's character has had some major character development... the wrong way. He's COMPLETELY different now, and it's kind of a creepy paranoid-ness that's taken over his life. Calder is pretty sparse throughout this whole book, as I mentioned previously, and this was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because Lily's character really flourished in this book and now I'm really loving her character, but bad because I mean: it's CALDER. Enough said.

Oh my gosh– the ending guys! Freaking awesome. Seriously pumped up to read the next book because there's so much to be answered and the way Deep Betrayal leaves off is just like, WOW. Firstly, because there's a fabulous twist in here, and secondly, mind. blown. Yeah, that's right, seriously grab this book when you can! Here's a little snippet:

❝One small step. My toes dug into the rocky precipice, feeling its pockmarked surface. The shiny lacquer of my toenails reflected a bird overhead. We made eye contact–the bird and I– he with a questioning expression, raising a feathered eyebrow.
One small step. Tensing, I leaned forward.
One small step. I closed my eyes and inhaled the perfumed air.

One small step.
And I was falling.
A rush
of adrenaline
surged from
my stomach
to my heart.❞

– p. 2-3 (ARC* edition)

*text is subject to change in the final copy

See what I mean about flawless descriptions and that enthralling tone of the story? This is one not to miss out.
Deep Betrayal was everything I could ask for in a sequel, and by the end had me saying: MORE PLEASE! Anne Greenwood Brown has proven once again her brilliant skill as an author and shall definitely be looking forward to the third instalment of this series, Promise Bound.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Anne Greenwood Brown for providing an ARC copy for review and BTG2013! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• Of Poseidon by Anna Banks ● Goodreads
• City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster ● Goodreads
• Lost Voices by Sarah Porter ● Goodreads