Review: Justice by Jade Varden

Justice by Jade Varden

Author: Jade Varden. Website, Twitter
Published:  24 December 2011
Pages: 190
Buy: Amazon, Smashwords

Source: Received free e-book copy from the author to review.

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
A House of Cards...

When you build an entire life on a foundation of lies, it only takes one truth for the whole thing to come crashing down. I never invited the truth in. I never went searching for it. I never had any reason to suspect that the two people I loved most were dishonest with me every second of every day.

I made one bad decision, and in a single day my entire world changed. If I'm ever going to discover the truth about myself and my parents, I have to trace all the lies back to their source. I have to try to find the truth that they're hiding.

The more I discover about myself, and my past, the more I realize that lies really are better than the truth. But now that I know the lies are all around me, I can't stop until I've discovered them all. I'll pull each lie away, one by one, and examine it to see what's underneath…until this house of cards crumbles into dust at my feet.

I just hope I can survive the crash

My Review:
I was sent a copy of this book and I've been meaning to read it for a while. This is the first book in the Deck of Lies series and I wasn't really sure what to expect (the cover doesn't give much away!) but as soon as I started it I was pretty much hooked. The story is all about Rain Ramey who, after winning a scholarship to the prodigious Sloane Academy, suddenly starts to discover things about her past and her family that she never could have dreamt were true.

The plot itself was gripping. There's plenty of mystery as Rain has to discover just what's happened to lead her to the situation she's found herself in. With a little help from a guy named River she has to do a little detective work. I love mystery books so it was great finding such an interesting mystery in a YA novel. There were plenty of twists and turns as well, so much I wasn't expecting!

I really loved the main character. You sympathise with her straight away and feel for her as her life is flipped upside down. It's told from Rain's perspective and I just loved her voice throughout the story.

Rain gets a few romantic interests in the story which I liked. It kept me as guessing as to who she would end up with! The male characters are really interesting people, too. There was maybe a little too much juggling of male interest at one point but for the most part I liked those subplots.

The only thing that bugged me a little was when Rain's narrative flashed back and forth from past to present. At some points she was narrating as if everything had already happened, but for most of the book she was in the present so it took me out of the story a little each time.

I really enjoyed reading this book, though, and it only got better towards the end. I can't wait to read the next instalment in the series. There's so much more I want to know! Justice is a really great YA mystery and a book I'd definitely recommend.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The Tower by Jade Varden, the second book in the Deck of Lies series.
Books like this: The Rock Star's Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy.